HINTS FOR NEW ADVERTISERS

With an ever increasing number of Fire Departments and others making use of the SPAAMFAA web site's free advertising and image hosting, your webmaster thought a few hints might be in order to assist in placing ads.  There are certain descriptive items that prospective purchasers are interested in when looking at an ad.  Images are always helpful, they should ideally show both sides of the apparatus, or if only one view, then the driver's side is the view of choice.

Fire Departments should indicate whether the apparatus is selling by sealed bid by date, open bid with no closing or outright sale.  If by bid, include the particulars of where the bids should be sent to, whether a deposit is required, how long the buyer will have to remove the apparatus, when the apparatus will be available and any other rules or conditions expected to be met by the bidders.

If the sale is outright, it can be helpful to indicate if the price is firm or negotiable.  The notation "O.B.O" is frequently used to indicate "or best offer" if the asking price negotiable.  I would caution against asking an unreasonably high price which might scare off a potential buyer who figures that the department asking $12,000 will never settle for $5,000 thus never makes an offer.  Flexibility is helpful when seeking an expeditious sale!

Describing the firetruck fully is one of the most important hints that will help your truck sell.  Which of the following ads would look better to you as a potential buyer?

FOR SALE: 1960 Mack firetruck, 1000 gpm-good shape, needs brakes, $3,500.

or

FOR SALE: 1960 Mack, B-95, open cab, 1000 gpm Waterous pump, 707C Mack Thermodyne motor, 5-speed transmission, air brakes.  Runs strongly, pumps to capacity at draft.  Included with the truck are: siren, bell, 1000 feet of 2-1/2 inch hose, 2 axes, 2 extinguishers, three playpipes and two booster reels with line and nozzles.  Truck needs work on the brakes.  Truck was retired from the Everready Fire Department in West Cupcake, Maine in 1990 and has been garaged since.  Excellent original paint and gold leaf.  See photos below.  Asking $3,500 but will negotiate. 

Which firetruck do you think will sell first?  If you are including a lot of equipment, then so state.  It will help your truck sell.  If you include an image of the truck which shows an original bell, siren and roto-ray light on the front that are not included in the sale, you should so state in the ad text to prevent any misunderstandings.

In a large number of cases, apparatus being sold is stripped of all removable and un-boltable equipment with the good intention of saving it for future use.  Many times the equipment is stored, never used and after being in the way for a number of years, is discarded or sold for a fraction of the value that it would have had if it was left on the truck.

Thank you to fire departments that advertise their apparatus with us.  This gives our members and others a chance to preserve more of firefighting's history and can help out a department budget by bringing more than scrap or trade-in value.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact the Webmaster at webmaster@spaamfaa.org.