RV Consignment vs Selling Yourself vs Consulting:
Which Keeps the Most Money in Your Pocket?
A former licensed Florida RV dealer breaks down all three paths with real numbers — including the third option most guides leave out entirely.
RV consignment costs 10–15% commission. Private sale keeps 100% but takes 60–100 hours. Flat-fee consulting keeps 100% of your proceeds while cutting the time investment roughly in half — and it's the option most comparison guides skip entirely. The right path depends on your RV's value, your timeline, and what your own time is worth.
RV consignment vs selling yourself is the most common decision Florida RV sellers face — and most guides present it as a binary choice when there's actually a third option that changes the math entirely.
I spent 9 years as a licensed Florida RV consignment dealer (2015–2024). I sold over 800 RVs. I watched sellers walk in confident they knew which option was "obviously" better, and I watched the numbers prove them wrong more often than not.
The right answer depends on your RV's value, your timeline, and — more than most sellers admit — what your own time is actually worth. This guide walks through all three paths honestly, including when consignment genuinely is your best move.
The general pattern: under $30K, private sale or consulting usually wins. $30K–$75K, consulting is often the sweet spot. Over $75K, consignment can make sense if you want zero buyer contact — but consulting still keeps more money in your pocket if you're willing to do some of the work.
RV consignment vs selling yourself is the most common decision Florida RV sellers face — and most guides present it as a binary choice when there's actually a third option that changes the math entirely.
I spent 9 years as a licensed Florida RV consignment dealer (2015–2024). I sold over 800 RVs. I watched sellers walk in confident they knew which option was "obviously" better, and I watched the numbers prove them wrong more often than not.
The right answer depends on your RV's value, your timeline, and — more than most sellers admit — what your own time is actually worth. This guide walks through all three paths honestly, including when consignment genuinely is your best move.
The general pattern: under $30K, private sale or consulting usually wins. $30K–$75K, consulting is often the sweet spot. Over $75K, consignment can make sense if you want zero buyer contact — but consulting still keeps more money in your pocket if you're willing to do some of the work.
Why Most Comparisons Get This Wrong
Almost every "consignment vs private sale" guide presents this as a binary choice. It isn't. I made the shift from running a consignment dealership to flat-fee consulting in 2024 specifically because I watched too many sellers pay 10–15% commission for guidance they could have gotten for a flat fee — and kept 100% of their proceeds. This guide walks through all three paths honestly, including when consignment really is your best option.
The Three-Way Comparison
Here's how all three paths stack up on the factors that matter most to Florida RV sellers.
Quick gut check: if your RV is worth under $30,000, commission eats too much of your proceeds for consignment to make sense — lean toward private sale or consulting. Over $75,000, the question becomes how much you value being completely hands-off versus keeping more of the sale price.
What Each Path Actually Looks Like
Private Sale: Full Control, Full Workload
You handle everything — photos, listings, buyer calls, showings, negotiations, title transfer. You keep every dollar the buyer pays, but you're also fielding 9pm texts from tire-kickers and 30+ inquiries before finding a serious buyer.
On a typical $60,000 Class A, expect 60–100 hours across prep, listing, showings, and closing paperwork. Private buyers also tend to negotiate 8–12% below asking price — which is the part most sellers don't factor into their "I'll save the commission" math. For RVs under $30,000, private sale almost always wins on ROI if you have the time to manage it correctly. See the full Florida RV private sale guide for the complete step-by-step process.
Consignment: Hand It Off, Pay for the Privilege
A licensed dealer takes over marketing, buyer screening, negotiation, and closing. You sign an agreement, hand over the keys, and wait — typically 60–90 days in Florida. The tradeoff is 10–15% commission and a contract that locks you in whether it sells or not. For a full breakdown of how Florida commission structures work, see our guide to RV consignment commission rates in Florida.
⚠️ Worth knowing before you sign anything: many RV insurance policies exclude coverage while the RV is on a consignment lot, and a dealer's required Garage Liability insurance typically only covers third-party injury — not damage to your RV. Call your insurance agent and ask directly whether your policy covers your RV while consigned, and ask the dealer for proof of Garagekeepers Liability coverage.
Consignment genuinely makes sense in three situations: you have a very high-value unit ($75K+), your timeline is flexible, and you want zero buyer contact. Outside those three, you're likely paying a premium for convenience that a consulting arrangement could deliver for a fraction of the cost.
Consulting: Keep the Money, Get the Strategy
This is the option most comparison guides skip entirely. Flat-fee consulting provides the same pricing strategy, marketing guidance, buyer screening framework, and negotiation coaching a dealer would provide — but you execute the sale yourself and keep 100% of the proceeds.
It's not zero-effort like consignment — you still handle buyer contact and showings. But it compresses the trial-and-error of a first-time private sale into a guided process, typically cutting time investment roughly in half. For RVs in the $30K–$100K range, consulting is almost always the highest-ROI path. A good starting point is understanding how to price your RV from real Florida comps — that's step one in every consulting engagement.
When Consignment Actually Makes Sense
1. High-value unit with a patient timeline. On a $150,000+ motorcoach, the commission percentage matters less because the raw dollar gap between consignment and private sale is smaller relative to the complexity of the transaction. Dealers who specialize in luxury coaches have buyer networks that a private seller can't replicate easily.
2. You're out of state. If the RV is in Florida and you're not, managing showings and a private sale remotely is genuinely difficult. Consignment trades commission for logistics — and that's a legitimate trade depending on your situation.
3. The unit is hard to show privately. Some Class A coaches stored in gated communities or rural areas are difficult to show without a dealer's infrastructure. If getting qualified buyers to the unit is the primary obstacle, consignment solves that problem more cleanly than a private listing.
Outside those three situations, the math almost always favors consulting or private sale over consignment. If your unit has been sitting unsold for 60+ days, consignment is rarely the answer — read our guide on why your RV isn't selling and what to fix first. And if you're considering consignment because you're underwater on your loan, there are better options — see how to exit an upside down RV loan in Florida.
Not Sure Which Path Is Right for Your RV?
Tell me your situation — your RV's value, your timeline, and how much buyer contact you want to handle. I'll give you an honest recommendation in one conversation.
Get Frank's Free Consultation →In 2021, a client brought me a 2019 Tiffin Allegro Bus worth around $245,000. We agreed on a net number: he'd get $215,000, I'd keep whatever I negotiated above that. I listed at $258,000.
A buyer offered $235,000 in month two. I countered at $248,000. He came back at $238,000, final offer. I had a decision: take it and bank $23,000, or hold out for closer to asking.
I held out. The RV sat another three months. It finally sold for $241,000 in month five — I made $26,000 instead of $23,000. Three thousand extra dollars for me.
What I didn't fully account for at the time: my client's RV sat unsold for three extra months. He was still paying insurance, storage, and loan interest the entire time. By the time I did the real math, those three months cost him roughly $6,200 more than the $3,000 I'd gained by holding out. I made an extra $3,000. He lost $3,210.
That's the moment I started questioning the consignment model itself — not because dealers are dishonest, but because the structure quietly rewards the dealer's patience over the seller's timeline. It's one of the reasons I eventually shifted to flat-fee consulting: when I'm not taking a cut of the final number, there's no version of the math where holding out longer benefits me at your expense.
If you're weighing consignment, ask directly: is the commission a flat percentage or a net number? And if it's a net number, ask how long they're willing to hold before accepting an offer — because that answer tells you whose interests the deal actually protects.
25 years in the Florida RV industry, including 9 years operating a licensed RV consignment dealership. Frank now works exclusively for sellers as a flat-fee consultant — no commission, no dealer conflicts, no agenda except getting you the most money the market will pay.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Florida RV Selling Guides
The complete 6-step private sale system for Florida sellers — from pricing to closing.
Why NADA isn't your price — and how to find your real Florida market number.
How Florida consignment commissions are structured and what to negotiate before you sign.
Four questions to ask before agreeing to any showing — eliminates tire-kickers instantly.
Diagnose why your listing isn't converting — price, photos, platform, or condition.
Three exit paths when you owe more than your RV is worth — none require losing everything.
The legal step that has to happen before you list — and how to navigate the title transfer.
The four closing paperwork steps every Florida seller must get right — no exceptions.
Ready to Choose the Path That Keeps the Most Money in Your Pocket?
Every engagement starts with an honest conversation about your specific situation — your RV's value, your timeline, and what your time is worth. No pressure, no obligation.
Not legal, financial, or tax advice. The content on this page is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal, financial, tax, or professional advice of any kind. Every RV selling situation is unique. Consult a qualified attorney, CPA, or licensed financial advisor before making decisions based on your specific situation — particularly for matters involving loan deficiency, short sales, repossession, estate transactions, or tax consequences of forgiven debt.
About the author. Frank Mason is a 25-year Florida RV industry professional and former licensed Florida RV consignment dealer (2015–2024). He is not a licensed attorney, CPA, or financial advisor. His guidance reflects professional experience, not licensed professional advice.
Market conditions. RV market values, interest rates, lender policies, and Florida statutes change regularly. Information on this page reflects conditions as of publication date. Verify current figures with appropriate sources before acting.
Affiliate disclosure. Easy Escapes RV may receive compensation from third-party services referenced on this page. This does not influence our recommendations. We only reference services we believe provide genuine value to Florida RV sellers.