Why France Motorhome Sales (mostly) does not negotiate on price

Purchasing a motorhome remotely as a non-resident necessitates a reliable dealer to make it happen. I explain why France Motorhome Sales does not negotiate on price in most cases.

Resident vs Non-resident Buyer

A run-of-the-mill French buyer will walk into a dealership, handle all the paperwork in person and go through the handover in their native language.

As a non-resident the entire transaction has to be done remotely over email and phone. There are significantly more questions and arrangements to make for delivery, plus the handover itself takes much longer with the language barrier. This totals a more time-consuming transaction on the dealer's part.

French Culture

Culturally, negotiating on price is not common in France, and when it is attempted by French people it is for small amounts. Generally there is a strong emphasis on courtesy and respect, and negotiating hard on price is antithetical to this.

Tax Rates

A French business will on average have a tax rate of around 50%, so giving discounts of ~€2,000 might represent the majority of their net margin — making it completely uneconomical.

Competitive Prices

With all dealers now competing online, price comparisons between them are easy, which in turn makes overcharging difficult. France Motorhome Sales will also give their opinion on whether a display price represents fair market value to protect you from any rare occurrences of this.

When it May Be Appropriate

There is the odd occasion where challenging the price may bear fruit — if the vehicle you're enquiring about is unusual in some way and there is evidence that it has been advertised for several months. An example: a heavy-goods model with an autumnal set of photos still live in spring. Demand for this type of vehicle is lower and the dealer may be happy to incentivise the sale.