Most of today's consumers know that the web is a wonderful tool for research, learning and shopping but there are some things to know and keep in mind in order to have a safe and pleasant experience. This is even more important when considering the purchase or sale of a large ticket item like an Airstream trailer or motorhome.
The Internet is a great place to sell an Airstream without spending much money to do so. You have the opportunity to control who sees your advertisement, and you can include all the pictures and information you want without being limited by space like you would be in a print advertisement. Online sites are used to sell major items, like RVs, regularly. With the right marketing and ad placement, your RV should sell for your asking price quickly.
Many sites exist where you can post your ad for free, including Craigslist, Kijiji and numerous online free classified sites. Although the concept of being able to place your ad for free may be attractive, you need to know that free classified ads are also a breeding ground for scammers and thieves. When you use a free classified site, many times you are exposing yourself to a much greater risk of being contacted by professional online criminals who are able to operate anonymously by using a fictitious identity and photos copied from another website. There are a variety of scams that take place within free online marketplaces most of which happen because no proof of identity is required. Also keep in mind that it costs money to build and maintain a website, pay for server hosting, and troubleshoot issues. If the ads are free, how do these expenses get paid? Many times it is your personal contact information that gets compiled into large lists along with other users and sold for big profit to marketers and other websites.
Being an Airstream aficionado myself, I tend to look where I have some assurances that at least the minimal safety precautions have been adhered to by the website owners on behalf of their customers. You should typically look for some minimal payment being required to place an ad. This shows me a level of professionalism. Crooks and scammers aren't likely to pull out a credit card because it provides a path to track them and ruins the cloak of anonymity.
Another important thing to look for are security and verification certificates that are generally present on the homepage of a reputable website. The most recognizable ones are VeriSign, CyberTrust, Authorize.Net, DigiCert, and enTrust to name a few. Reputable websites are required to meet stringent criteria by these companies to qualify for payment processing capabilities and to ensure strict customer safety standards.
Also make sure the site you're on uses secure encryption technology to safeguard your personal information. Encryption essentially turns your private information into coded gibberish that only the intended receiver can decode. You can tell if the website you're on uses secure encryption by the lock symbol in your browser address bar or if your address bar turns green. Also the web address prefix will change from "http" to "https". The "s" stands for secure socket layer or SSL for short. This is secure encryption technology.
Vintage-Airstream.com Classifieds is one such website that meets or exceeds all of these qualifications as well as being a really beautiful site and a wonderful place to window shop.
When listing your Airstream Trailer for sale online, there are a few simple steps to take to make sure your ad has the optimum effect and greatest chances of a successful sale. Most importantly, include the maximum number of photos allowed by the advertiser. A potential buyer relies primarily on good photos and good basic information. Good high resolution photos will dramatically increase the number of viewers of your ad significantly. Think about it, if you were shopping for an RV online, how much attention would you give to an ad with no photos included, or only a couple of poor quality shots?
Give potential buyers lots of high quality photos and a thorough detailed description and you will likely be surprised at the level of response you get as well as how fast you'll find an eager buyer.
Author Resource:
Claire Ahern is an editor for numerous online publications and regularly covers RV related products & services. She is also an avid airstream trailer owner and reviews websites and companies relating to Airstream Trailers .
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