Wholesale Auction Volume Soars

Wholesale RV auctions saw dramatic increases in volume in March, according to Black Book’s RV Market Commentary for May.

Towable auction volume soared 19.6% in March from the previous month while motorized auction volume rose 15.5% from the previous month.

“Auction volume is up significantly over last month, almost certainly due to an increase in trade-ins on new RV sales,” said Eric Lawrence, Black Book principal analyst – specialty markets. “Last year most of these trade-ins would have been kept for retail sale, but full lots enable dealers to keep only what they want and send the rest to the auctions.”

Wholesale RV value rose as auction volume increased.

The average towable sales price was $21,154, up 0.3% from last month and up 3.8% from March 2022. The average age of towables sold was five years in the 2018 model year.

The average motorized price was $73,239, up 16.8% from the previous month and down 4.2% from March 2022. The average age of motorhomes sold was 12 years in the 2011 model year.

“Spring is always one of the best seasons in the RV business,” Lawrence said. “The warmer weather brings winter-weary shoppers into showrooms who are looking to either buy a new RV outright or trade up (or down) as their situations change. “