Tips For Selling Used Pre-Owned Aircraft

So, you are ready to sell a pre-owned aircraft. No matter how long you’ve had it, how much flight time it has logged, or how many destinations at which it has landed, no one wants a long and drawn-out sale. Once it goes up for sale, you want it gone as soon as possible.

However, you also want to make sure you are getting the best money that you can for your aircraft.

Following a few key steps can go a long way in increasing your plane or helicopter’s appeal. We have put together a short list of “Top Tips” which we believe will help get your aircraft sold as soon as possible and at the right price.

What’s My Aircraft Worth?

It doesn’t matter if it is a turboprop, piston single or twin, helicopter, or executive jet, using our pricing tools you can get a good idea of how your aircraft should be priced. By searching for a fixed- or rotary-wing craft on our website and selecting our High/Low/Average tool, you can view the most and least expensive asking prices of that model. It will also generate an average price for that aircraft based on retail listings. The High/Low/Average tool is located towards the top of the page on the left-hand side of the listings page.

To ensure ultimate accuracy in pricing, contact us about our pricing tools and speak with a representative today.

Stand Out From The Crowd With Pictures & Videos

It may seem like the most obvious advice of all, but the more good quality photos, the better. Buyers want a clear image of what they could potentially be spending their money on. It’s well worth your time to wash and detail any aircraft you’re selling, as freshly cleaned models appear to have been well taken care of.

The most-viewed aircraft in a given month all have multiple pictures in their listings—interior, exterior, of identification tags, and from different angles—and often a video walkaround. It is easy to take as many photos as you want on your mobile phone and upload them directly to the AviationTrader.com.au website, so there is no need to transfer images to your desktop computer.

Having great images can only work in your favour, but to stand out even more, a quick video using your phone will do the trick. A video of the engine and control surfaces in action will prove to any potential buyer that the machine is functioning as advertised. Remember, you are trying to attract a buyer.

More Is More: The Description Counts

When it comes to description, you want to highlight the main selling points. Does your craft have low time for its model year? Has it been kept in near perfect condition and updated with recent avionics? Does it come with thorough documentation? These are all important selling points. Visualise yourself as a buyer and consider the features that YOU would want to see when purchasing a new aircraft.

If you see an ad with a one-line description, would you feel happy to pick up the phone? Compare this to an ad where someone has taken the time to accurately describe the aircraft, its features, and its history.

Check Your Results

It is important to know how well your advertising dollars are performing. Before advertising anywhere, check whether you can get a special phone number attached to the ad so you can track how many calls you have received and from whom. Also, can you find out how many times the ad has been seen (and more importantly, clicked) online? This will help you to discover if you have priced it correctly. Plenty of people may see your machine amongst a list of others, yet if nobody clicks on it, that could mean it is priced too high or the main image is not good enough.

Best Of Both Worlds: Print & Online

There are many buyers who prefer to use their mobile phone or computer to shop online. There are also plenty of people who like to use specialist magazines to look through pages of offers at a glance. Combining the two media together results in a powerful tool to sell aircraft.

If you are selling just one machine, a simple photo listing can do the job. A photo listing features one picture and a short summary in print linked directly to the online advertisement via a Quick Find code. Readers simply type the Quick Find code into the AviationTrader.com.au website and the full online advertisement appears, including the complete description, specifications, high-resolution images, and videos.

If you are a dealer or if you have a number of aircraft to sell, then a display ad may be the best way forward. Take a look at Aviation Trader magazine and you will see how many advertisers fill the pages, half pages, and quarter pages. The AviationTrader.com.au Newsstand page offers digital editions of the print magazine.

If you are looking to sell one or multiple aircraft, please get in touch with us at Aviation Trader and we will advise on which tools are best suited to getting your aircraft sold.