Artificial intelligence seems to be muscling its way into nearly everyone’s life. Try and do a Google search, you’ll probably find an AI “answer” right at the top of the page. How accurate that “quickie” answer is can be debated all day. Are you getting ready to sell your RV? Now RV Trader wants you to use AI to set up your advertisement.
RV Trader—Is the new AI listing tool the “Emperor’s New Clothes”?
RV Trader is certainly a popular RV-selling venue. And while the company wants plenty of folks to tune in and shop there, their real money comes from would-be RV sellers. Making it “easier” is the emphasis on RV Trader’s latest “listing tool” rollout. The company pumps it hard in a press release, of which we include portions in this story.
“The days of spending an hour creating an online ad to sell your RV or motorcycle are over,” says the release. (Besides the new AI system on RV Trader, the company’s Cycle Trader site also uses it.) The new tool “makes it possible to list your pre-owned RV or motorcycle for sale in a matter of clicks.”
How does it work?
Found at the “Sell My” page on each site, the new tool guides the seller through a simple listing experience that uses AI to automatically populate vehicle details and descriptions while also providing market-reflective pricing guidance.
These new features dramatically reduce the time required to create a listing that advertises your vehicle to the market’s largest audience of RV and motorcycle buyers for a faster, top-dollar sale.
Sellers input the year, make, model and basic details of the RV, and the tool claims to do the rest. Key capabilities of the new tool that streamline the listing process for private sellers include:
- Automated input of vehicle details based on year, make, and model information provided by the seller, eliminating the need to hunt for details such as vehicle weight, engine size, tire size, and capacity.
- Instant vehicle valuation estimates provided by J.D. Power based on their market analysis and data analytics, relieving users of the time and effort required to research fair market value to set a listing price for their units.
- “Optional AI-generated listing descriptions, helping sellers create compelling ads that showcase each vehicle’s strongest selling points with a single click without the overhead of writing copy themselves.” Since this is an option, we wonder how much additional sellers will pay for this reduced “overhead.”
- A choice of multiple listing packages with varying campaign lengths, photo quantities, relevant services, and online exposure, topped with premium packages that include promotion on RV Trader home and search results pages to increase visibility for faster sales.
- Other enhancements on the horizon involve additional multi-layered fraud protection features, including vehicle VIN validation, user rating systems, and vehicle history reports.
Have RV values really “appreciated significantly”?
The release touts, “The new private marketplace tool arrives at an ideal time for RV owners interested in selling or upgrading their vehicles. According to the 2024 Q2 Market Insight Report by J.D. Power, RV values have appreciated significantly in recent months. These improved market conditions provide sellers with the opportunity to receive higher returns on their pre-owned RVs.”
That’s a statement some might consider a stretch. As we recently reported, J.D. Powers did see increased selling prices for used RVs over a recent two-month period. If you consider a 3% increase in prices for motorhomes, and up to 6% for travel trailers “significant,” well, OK. At the same time, Powers also showed that those prices were significantly less than a year ago for the same two months.
If you decide to take advantage of RV Trader’s new AI system, you’d be wise to double-check the output. With AI known to “hallucinate,” unchecked copy could mislead buyers if there’s bad output. AI makes the mistake, but guess who takes the hit? It’s not likely “Robbie Robot” will stand behind you.
Consider, too, typical weight information is based on “when leaving the factory.” If you, a prior owner, or a dealer added after-market equipment, your weight ratings are no longer valid. And it might be worth the extra effort to do your own research and check out selling prices for your area.
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I am not excited about this. The personalization and knowledge about selling your rig comes from the owner, not from a machine.
Thank you, Russ and Tina! 🙂 Interesting. I wonder if I can get a valuation for our rig via RV Trader prior to trading it? I wonder how deep in ad-creation one can go before being assessed a charge? Hmm, … this could prove interesting. 🤔😯 Thanks again, have a great day, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂
Fundamental rule when using AI for anything: the output becomes yours, so you – not the AI or its manufacturer or its host site – are responsible for any errors or misleading statements. Proofread carefully, folks!
I used RVTrader recently to sell our truck camper. Did not sell it from there but from Facebook marketplace (free). Good luck getting anyone from RV Trader to help or answer your????.
I’ve been disappointed with RV Trader. They recommend a value to sell my travel trailer which seemed high. Haven’t got many interested buyers, but plenty of scammers. Then they send sellers ads for new cheap RVs? that may not be the quality of your RV. They ask if they can let their known RV buyer offer to buy your RV. The buyer/RV dealer wants to consign your rv with them at a low price. Plus try to sell you an inspection service, which seems like a way for them to generate income. Then if they sell your RV for less than what you owe on it. It’s up to you to pay the bank the difference.
We have a 2018 LondonAire that we are “ thinking” about selling. If anyone knows some one let me know. It’s been garaged kept since day one on our property and has been serviced and bought brand new at National RV in Lewisville Texas.