Opinions Requested: Why Won't My Expedition Trailer Sell?

ABBB

Well-known member
I've had a trailer listed for sale on Exped Portal for a year or so. Barely a nibble! I think it's a fantastic trailer. I've put it through its paces as an overland rig in some iconic PNW spots, and I've also used it as a family rig. It has surpassed expectations and operates as smoothly as it did when I bought it 3 years ago. We've got another kid on the way and are ready to size up, but this dang trailer won't sell! I'm wondering if others in the community might weigh in with some thoughts about why this might be and how I might alter my ad to highlight the trailer's capability and versatility better than I have.

The trailer is a 2019 MOAB Fort XL (w/ Summit Package). It's built by a small company in Arizona, Bivouac Camping Trailers. The owner started this company after building his own trailer and being dissatisfied with what was on the market over a decade ago. His career has been spent in aerospace engineering and my interactions with him about some customizations have been pleasant and very helpful. Even though I didn't buy the trailer from BVC direct (I purchased it here on Exped from an armed services member who was reassigned overseas and reluctantly had to let the trailer go), the owner and staff have been awesome in responding to my questions about parts and maintenance as I've learned the trailer inside and out.

The trailer is compact, rugged, lightweight, easily towable, has a very nice RTT installed, has ample cargo room, 18 gallons of on-board water, an instant hot water heater, a no frills but do-it-all slide out galley kitchen, plenty of battery power (plus solar) to keep itself juiced for over a week (or longer, I've never pushed it longer myself though), 20lbs of propane, plus some extra cargo capacity that I added (and that can be easily removed if it's not useful or to taste). And of course there's more. I've linked the ad at the bottom in case you're inclined. We pack everything we need for a week of comfort and fun in the outdoors into this trailer and it acts as a dependable companion and on-the-go home for our family, no questions asked.

I originally listed it for $18,500 and thought that was a steal. Put a new one of these together through BVC today and it's over $30k. Recently we were camping with my in-laws and a bunch of their friends on the Oregon coast. These folks have a range of rigs, from fancy tents and custom vans to rugged teardrops and the like. We did a camp-wide rig tour for fun and I told a handful of them we wanted to move into something larger but were having trouble selling. When they inquired about the price and I said it was sitting currently for sale with no nibbles at $15,500, they were flabbergasted. They watched how well the trailer served our family as a basecamp and have seen photos of us packed out in the Steens and on the Alvord Playa. I'm flabbergasted too. I know market conditions aren't great, interest rates are high, the overland marketplace is saturated with COVID-era purchases, etc etc. But I buy and sell A LOT of gear, little bits and bobs as well as spendy things, and this is the only item I've had listed for sale that just won't move.

So what gives? What am I missing? Would like to hear your thoughts. Thanks in advance. - Andy



1754052619080.jpeg

 

moorejames

Full Time RVer
Well, for starters, your pictures all look like you were a half mile away using a telephoto lens.... Take some closeups of the various features. The galley, the storage,the water tank, interior of the tent etc...

The pics tell the story and are what does the selling. Your current pics sell the lifestyle, not the rig.
 

ABBB

Well-known member
Well, for starters, your pictures all look like you were a half mile away using a telephoto lens.... Take some closeups of the various features. The galley, the storage,the water tank, interior of the tent etc...

The pics tell the story and are what does the selling. Your current pics sell the lifestyle, not the rig.
That's a helpful tip, I appreciate your input. I did include a bunch of those photos in the Google album that's linked within the ad, but I've now updated the ad to feature more of those kinds of detail shots too.
 

CRYA

Member
Took me a long time to sell this style of trailer as well. Had it advertised everywhere and did finally sell it to a person through here.

Lots of macro issues affecting trailer sales and my feeling is that people were pretty sick of seeing boxes on wheels with RTTs going for prices that defied logic.

As you and I both learned, our wives were done with climbing ladders. So, in the end I feel ya and with any free market, there is a price at which your unit will sell. You’re just not there yet.
 

ThundahBeagle

Well-known member
Simple. You yourself lay out the reasoning in your posts here.

Someone will bite when the price for this is right. It's a 6 year old trailer that's been places, you cant sleep IN it you have to use a ladder to sleep ON it. Not saying its not cool, I'd love to have one but the market sucks and the future looks very very uncertain for a lot of people right now. Even if I had the money, I wouldn't buy it - I'd save the $ right now in case things go sideways or south.

"No time for love, Dr. Jones!"

No $ for toys, Dr. Jones
 

SBSYNCRO

Well-known member
As an owner of a pre-COVID Turtleback trailer, I watched a lot of my friends jump on the "expedition trailer" bandwagon during COVID when the market got flooded with entrepreneurial minded folks that wanted to have a go at building trailers. Most of those companies have gone belly-up and a lot of them took customers' money with them when they did. The couple friends that did get trailers during COVID got them 6 to 12 months later than promised and half the parts were not the correct spec and most of the work appeared shoddy and incomplete. I'd say having a pre-COVID era trailer is a big plus and you should advertise that. The problem right now is twofold: the market is saturated with a lot of CRAP that was built during COVID that gave a bad name to the expedition trailer segment and the economy is very uncertain right now for a lot of people, so "luxury" items like this aren't going to sell as readily. If I was you, I'd be thinking in terms of 'how badly do I need to sell this?" and if the answer is "not that badly" then I'd wait it out a year or so. As an example, there is a local high end used car dealer that has a BEAUTIFUL 2022 Tacoma TRD with at least $80k worth of mods and upgrades (including a Magnussen supercharger). It was listed for $90k about a year ago and just keeps dropping. It is currently at $60k and still isn't selling. When I originally saw it listed at $90k my thought was "that guy probably has $120k into it, but it won't sell until it is below $65k in this market". Looks like I wasn't being conservative enough....
 

Kingsize24

Well-known member
Its simply price unfortunately. A RTT trailer for 15k+ is simply too high for the current market. I wish you the best of luck selling it however.
 

dstefan

Well-known member
Recently we were camping with my in-laws and a bunch of their friends on the Oregon coast. These folks have a range of rigs, from fancy tents and custom vans to rugged teardrops and the like
Perhaps this tells you something? Any trailers like your’s?

I think don’t think you're selling it quickly for exactly the same reason you are selling it period. Not where the zeitgeist of overlanding is headed anymore. Older population, more retirees, younger folks having kids, people wanting more comfort, yada, yada, yada. Plus, it seems like everyone selling anything now thinks they should be getting 80% of what the put into their rig or trailer, etc. no matter how personal the choices might be or age of the rig.

I agree with the comments on pricing. You might get away with higher pricing with a IC vehicle underneath it, but the add-ons, mods, etc seem to me to always be overpriced. IMO most of the real market value of stuff over the base price of the main item drops to a realistic 40% or less of the original cost, and the main item (vehicle or trailer) drops to based on depreciation. I’m sure 50% of your build out price seems like a big drop, but for a lot of reasons listed by others it’s not. Overlanding/offroad rigs are not assets, they are sunk costs. The outdoor go-go years of Covid have given a lot of folks unrealistic expectations, IMO. GLWS!
 
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eatSleepWoof

Do it for the 'gram
The answer to these types of questions is always the same: price.

Put if up for $3k, and you'll find yourself a line up of buyers within days, if not hours.

That trailer has some cool details, but consider this from the buyer's point of view: what is the buyer getting? They're getting a RTT on top of a customized storage box. At the end of the day, that's what this is. (I previously owned a very similar setup with a FSR Overlander trailer & RTT.) And for many people, the same experience can be largely reproduced with a $1000 utility trailer and a $2k RTT. It won't be as cool, as overland, as well built, or as feature rich, but at its core, it's really the same thing.

Trailers like the one you have are a highly-specialized item. It's like a rare, snap-on wrench... bought only by people who need that exact thing and appreciate what it has to offer over a cheaper alternative. Such buyers are far & few in between. Add to that the state of the world and economic conditions, and you're not exactly in a seller's market.

This is identical to the many locals (to me) that are trying to sell their homes. They are asking too much, and as the market gets worse and worse with every month, they are constantly decreasing their prices as they chase the market downwards. I see these houses sitting on the market for 6+, 12+, even 18+ months. The sellers are delusional, "I know what I've got" types.

Drop your price to the $10-12k range, advertise on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, Kijiji, AutoTrader, etc..., put up high quality photos, and it'll sell.
 
Andy, be patient, it will sell. The post about more detailed photos is spot on. You could also post it on other sites like Wander the West.

You live in a nice area. Ashland is a great little town, where according to Elmo Stevenson, “The palms meet the pines.” My great great grandparents owned a small farm that is now part of SOU. I have a photo of them in a horse drawn buggy on the plaza, circa 1910.
 

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