Aged, overpriced and obsolete inventory
By Jeff Agans
National statistics say that one out of every “12″ auto owner in the United States owns an RV. Those are big numbers! That means that this industry isn’t going away anytime soon. We are still getting customers on our lot, however financing is getting tougher and our selection isn’t what it used to be. Most dealers that experienced the slowing down last year were forced to cut back on ordering new inventory. Flooring costs have sky rocketed! It is getting harder to make payroll and many RV dealers have gone out of business.
There have been an increasing number of RV manufacturers filing chapter 11. The manufacturers that filed chapter 11 are selling their inventory for pennies on the dollar at bank liquidation auctions. The dealers that have new inventory in their stock are unable to compete unless they are willing to lose tens of thousands of dollars. The used inventory is affected similarly. Most dealers are unable to survive under these circumstances. To add insult to injury, the lot traffic with potential buyers have slimmed way down. When they have a qualified buyer, they have to jump through a number of hoops, including financing.
Anytime there is a downturn in our economy it brings opportunity somewhere else. For every downside, there is an upside. Knowing there are opportunities available the deal seekers come out of the wood works. These deal seekers begin their search online, looking for the perfect RV. If the dealer doesn’t have his website designed with SEO (search engine optimization) the customer will never find his RV! The fact is that for every RV there is a buyer somewhere. The trick is getting the two of them together.
To read more of Jeff’s thoughts or learn about RVDLS click here
January 9th, 2012 at 8:32 pm
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December 20th, 2011 at 12:38 am
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November 30th, 2011 at 1:00 am
What does that mean to you the consumer? It means they aren’t going to pay for it. It means get ready for a fight. Now it’s up to the dealership that sold it to you to do the right thing and stand by their product. It’s a domino effect, everyone suffers!
November 1st, 2011 at 8:42 pm
You are great! But I still did good! Hey!
November 17th, 2009 at 6:33 am
i agree with you..that when there is a fall, that is an up to.and the one’s who cannot afford to buy can go for rv rentals to fulfill their dreams.
May 28th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Hi Mike! Yes I manage for Bleakley RV in Georgia, where are you at now?
The link that RV Trade Digest attached to this blog is just north of the one you clicked.
I am trying to organize a united front from as many RV dealers as possible. The more we get on the site the easier it will be to locate units for our customers and get rid of aged units from our own lots.
Mike if you or anyone has any questions about it, give me a call!
Take care
May 27th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
I clicked on the “read entire blog” feature at the bottom of the above article and was presented with a rambling ad for a web site with an unoriginal theme. That was unexpected and unappreciated ,coming from R V Trader.
Are we to expect future blogs to be advertisements?
Jeff, are you the same person that is sales manager for Bleakley in Georgia?
May 27th, 2009 at 11:51 am
I feel for the RV dealerships when it comes to manufacturer’s filing Chapter 11. I feel worse right now for the consumer, I am referring to myself. Putting yourself in the consumer’s shoes for a moment. Imagine the following and please tell me what you would do. You purchase a brand new trailer a year ago with the money you pain-stakingly saved for the last ten years to recently find out that a window has been leaking since the purchase. Why? It was manufactured incorrectly. Now on top of the window needing repairs, the frame of your trailer is water damaged, you have mold, and are in need of fiberglass repair. What do you do? You look to the manufacturer to make right what it built wrong, only guess what? They filed Chapter 11. What does that mean to you the consumer? It means they aren’t going to pay for it. It means get ready for a fight. Now it’s up to the dealership that sold it to you to do the right thing and stand by their product. It’s a domino effect, everyone suffers!