Caravan scalpers cash in

‘Scalpers’ with no plans to travel are taking advantage of current RV shortages to profit from Australians keen to escape lock-downs through inbound travel.

The scheme involves securing a build slot for a new caravan or camper by placing a deposit (usually 10 per cent) on an in-demand model – often before a scheduled price rise.

As the delivery date approaches, the RV is then advertised for sale – sometimes after its components have been ordered and paid for – but before it has been built.

We have seen a number of examples of this, where the RV being advertised is not yet built, but the asking price capitalises on recent price increases due to component shortages.

Admittedly personal circumstances sometimes change and force a change to pre-laid travel plans, but component and labour shortages have lengthened delivery times and have opened up the 'scalping' opportunity.

While opportunistic, there is nothing illegal about doing this, although technically you can’t re-assign a new van to someone else.

Some caravan manufacturers we spoke to believe they would be within their rights to retain the deposit that secured the original build slot and this would certainly be the case if someone was deliberately undercutting the current new purchase price. And if they weren’t a dealer, this could jeopardize things like warranty.

The motivation of the potential buyer are clear – get one now, rather than waiting, with current low finance rates making the payment of an extra few thousand dollars of less consequence in the overall scheme of things. Yet in reality, if you do this, you're actually part of the problem, by driving up the price of used RVs.

If you have any doubts about an RV you see advertised, you could request its chassis number and then enquire with the manufacturer about its build or ownership status.