What's a good price for a used trailer these days?

Bypassing the wood v. steel debate because both have merits and both are fine.

To the OPs question I guess Im a bit out of touch but man have things changed in only a few years.  When I had to move in 2019 my company gave me a discretionary fund as part of my relocation package.  So wife and I decided I could spend it on a trailer since we had 3 project cars to move and it would certainly be useful for other things as well.   I got the 18 ft steel deck, with brakes, adjustable ramp width, etc shown below for $2100 (had to go back and check my records since the number is so far off what Im seeing here)   Its very well built and has made multiple trips between NJ and NC as well as NC to MD and OH at times and a butt ton of local trips including towing my tractor home (that was a bit sketchy, not so much for the trailer but it was near the limits of the tow vehicle for sure which at the time was a 1/2 ton suburban not the F150 shown below) 

There's a guy local to me that brings these up from the south, bumps the price up by $800-1,000, and seems to sell everyone he can get.  I haven't seen one in the metal so can't speak to quality, but would assume it's going to be pretty basic for the price.  That said....brand new with functioning brakes for right around the same price point, and seems reasonably close to you.

Max Built Trailers

In reply to Rotaryracer :

Color me interested (because I considered something similar)

Is he a dealer, or does he purchase the trailers from the factory, take title, and resell as an individual?

Rotaryracer said:

There's a guy local to me that brings these up from the south, bumps the price up by $800-1,000, and seems to sell everyone he can get.  I haven't seen one in the metal so can't speak to quality, but would assume it's going to be pretty basic for the price.  That said....brand new with functioning brakes for right around the same price point, and seems reasonably close to you.

Max Built Trailers

I bought one that looks identical to that (probably exact same builder, same construction and pinstriping) from someone here in Ohio that does something similar. It was $2000 in 2017 or 2018 and it is a fine trailer. Paint quality isn't great so I have touched up some rust spots after the first few years but have had no issues with it. 

In reply to Rotaryracer :

That's exactly the sort of thing I was hoping someone would post, thanks! Those look very nice. No winch of course, but that's expected for a new trailer. I'm still probably going to go look at this steel trailer too, but it's good to know I have options in this price range and I can shop around a bit, maybe I'll stop by in person this weekend if I get the chance. I appreciate the find, there are so many tiny trailer shops and manufacturers, finding ones like this can be kinda hard.

In my mind, whether you're adding a winch or brakes you're putting a few hundred in it after purchase either way, so condition and build quality is king.

In reply to Rotaryracer :

Damn, I might get me one

SV reX said:

In reply to Rotaryracer :

Color me interested (because I considered something similar)

Is he a dealer, or does he purchase the trailers from the factory, take title, and resell as an individual?

That's a great question.  It's only based on info I've gleaned from various FB and CL ads over the last year or two, and comparing against retail price on the Max Built site.  I haven't talked with him live, but was planning on doing so in the next couple of months.  I *think* he's bringing up a stack of 3-4 at a time, and (if I were doing it), I'd push for a lower price in bulk than the retail on their site to juice profit.  I don't know if he just hands over MSO and buyer is responsible for registering and paying tax, but I don't believe he is registering/titling prior to sale.  From the ads, this isn't a dealer....just someone doing it on the side to make  few bucks.  I'd consider the same, but it's a 12 hour tow for me each way to their closest facility, and I've got enough stuff keeping me occupied these days.  :)  If I get any additional info, I'll post it back up here.

Camper trailers can me had for free, with lots of $2K challenge-ish options a car trailer can be fabbed from one fiarly cheap.  These pics are from our covid trailer.  The only issue with it is it is heavy, but also heavy duty. 

In reply to Rotaryracer :

It's only a 6 hour drive if you have a business partner (like ME) who can bring it half way! 

SV reX said:

In reply to Rotaryracer :

It's only a 6 hour drive if you have a business partner (like ME) who can bring it half way! 

I'm interested in this business model as well 

Update: My dad and I went in together on a new Max Built trailer, out the door price $3,095. It's a wooden deck trailer, twin axle with brakes on the rear, 18' with dovetail, and 5' slide-in ramps. All pretty standard stuff, and it seems to be put together pretty well. It's not the most heavy-duty trailer in the world, but for what we need it for I think it will be perfect. Thanks to Rotaryracer for the lead! We picked it up in Tennessee and immediately put it to work later that day ;)