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| Photos like this make it into For Sale ads all the time. Dusty and neglected with a bunch of trash in the background. |
I admit it; I am an airplane shopaholic. Well browseaholic
anyway, seeing as I am not in a great location to buy right now. I can spend
hours aimlessly sifting through ads on Barnstormers, Trade-a-plane and
Controller.com. Though my first instinct
is to browse the taildragger section, my flavor of the week could be just about
anything from Taylorcrafts to Meridians.
One thing I have noticed when it comes to ads is the
difference in the quality of photos people use to market their items for sale. Photos are a must in today's marketplace and a bad picture can quickly turn a potential buyer off.
Why would any seller post pictures of their plane caked with
mud, trash scattered across the interior and cinched down with sun bleached straps
in the weeds? As a buyer no one thinks, if
only I could find a tired looking, trashy airplane, sitting outside in the
weather, and pay premium price for it.
This is especially true when this monstrosity
sits directly above an advertisement by someone who has their ducks in a row.
Their airplane sits sprightly in front of a clean hangar, with a fresh wash job
which makes her gleam in the sunlight. The interior, freshly cleaned and
vacuumed, is free of any trash. The yards of random cables and antennas pilots love to litter cockpits with are removed to display the aircraft’s
clean dash and instrument panel. Someone took some time to ensure each picture
posted compliments the strengths of the aircraft for sale.
This seller probably loves when their ad gets posted next to
trash. The location makes their plane look even better!
Having trouble selling your airplane? Here are some tips:
Wash your aircraft. Make sure it looks as good as it can so
a buyer can imagine proudly standing in front of the propeller and showing off
their new gem to their buddies.
Clean the interior and get rid of random papers and bottles.
The bottle of oil behind the pilot’s seat might be essential for a Sunday morning cross country, but in an advertisement it just makes the plane look trashy. Rags,
charts and helmet bags though essential to flight, detract from the goal of the
photo; to sell the plane!
An aftermarket color GPS suction cupped to the dash and a handy push-to-talk switch velcroed to the
yoke are great for flying but detract from the buyer’s ability to examine the
instrument panel. Remove them from the picture.
If you keep your aircraft in a hangar, make sure it is clean
and organized. Many buyers equate the piles of junk and mess in your hangar to
the practices of maintenance performed on the plane. You might be the
best mechanic in the world but a mattress and a pile of old boxes in the
background give the impression you do not take care of your machinery.
If you do not keep your aircraft in a hangar, move it from
the normal tie down spot. Position the plane in a good location on the airport
away from other aircraft tied down behind it. An aircraft tied down on the ramp
next to other ramp mummies screams aircraft neglect and will quickly turn
buyers away. At the very least, ensure any pictures taken do not show tie downs.
Do not post pictures of your airplane spraying through the
water, parked on a sandy beach or perched on a rocky mountain top! Even if the
aircraft is a great backcountry flier and you take it off airport every
weekend, these types of photos give the impression the plane is abused and mishandled.
Buyers will start to question the aircraft’s structural integrity and thoughts
of corrosion will flood their mind. Keep the buyer from questioning the aircraft’s
deficiencies before they have even seen it in person and just take a good
picture from the airport. Grass runways are fine as long as the area is mowed
and in good repair.
If you are going to use pictures with scantily clad models
posed in front of your aircraft, make sure they are actually good looking. This
is a difficult ad to pull off and I would recommend hiring a professional to
take these pictures. Keeping images like this professional and appealing can be
hard to do and an unsightly pose can easily detract from the airplane’s salability.
I would recommend skipping this idea altogether as it detracts from the main goal
which is to show off your airplane for sale.
Take a look at each picture and make sure it compliments the
aircraft. Get rid of pictures that are
too dark or blurry. Position the propeller so it isn't cockeyed and get kids
and animals out of the way. Pictures of your loved ones in front of the plane may be good memories for you, but do not help sell the airplane. Let the buyer imagine his own family posing against the struts.
If you have been struggling to sell an airplane, take a look
at your ad and see if it falls victim to any of these categories. A couple simple,
no cost fixes could draw a lot more needed attention to your advertisement and help get your plane sold.
Anyone have other ways to make an aircraft ad more marketable?
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