In Curbed’s extensive coverage of campers, trailers, and RVs, we get asked the same question a lot: How do I buy one used? If you’re on a budget and looking for a converted Sprinter van, for example, it can be hard searching through Craigslist or forums for the right camper. Love campers and trailers? Come join our new community group.
Of course, there are many other ways to buy a camper. You can buy an empty van and DIY, or maybe order a conversion kit to help speed the process along. And then there are the most expensive options: A brand-new off the shelf converted van like the Winnebago Revel, or a custom conversion van from companies like Outside Van and Sportsmobile.
But for anyone focused on finding a used camper, the options have been limited. A new website, ConversionTrader.com, hopes to change that. The founders—a group of ski industry types who also run SkiResortJobs.org—realized that there was no central place to find converted vehicles for sale, especially if you needed to look beyond your local area. While Class A and C RVs get a lot of love on sites like RVTrader.com, there aren’t many DIY Class B conversions or unique conversions using vehicles like school buses, ambulances, or transit buses.
Conversion Trader lets users filter by type of camper design, whether or not a vehicle is new or used, and proximity to your location. The site is brand new so there are only about 52 listings at the moment, but they offer a cross-section of campers that just isn’t found on other websites. For example, there’s a partially converted school bus for $12,000, a renovated 1968 Airstream asking $79,500, and several used Mercedes Sprinter vans.
Most of the listings are used, which makes sense given the niche that Conversion Trader is trying to fill, but there are a few new builds as well. Van conversion company Get Lost Van Co out of Boise, Idaho, has listed a 2018 144” Sprinter for $89,999, and a 2019 converted toy hauler trailer is asking $7,800. Like other listing platforms, potential camper owners can email sellers to get more information, and it’s easy to see new listings thanks to a live feed on the Conversion Trader Facebook Page.
What say you, Curbed camper fans? Would you use Conversion Trader in the future to buy or sell?