NOACROSS

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Posts posted by NOACROSS

  2. Posted

    Seemed to me icontrol would be OK if you were a main dealer looking for a two year old bore-fest, but It never helped me. I don't trust their data-let alone them- as who's to say a car hasn't just been moved on elsewhere to an auction house etc or blown out at a small loss just to get it gone before the stocking facility date arrives.

    Plus desirability is different region to region, and you just learn through experience (as I'm sure you know and do) and all the info you need is out there.  It's also easy to do a search of similar currently advertised cars in your area and beyond. Plus all the advertising platforms give you data on what your most searched cars are etc. Mine is the worlds most over priced (not rusty) Puma.  This is obviously people clicking on/searching for nostalgia and stumbling over it & then saying "I used to have one of them!  HOW MUCH! are you mad?" Then messaging me telling me I'm an idiot) I love putting a big SOLD on the advert when they go ;0)

    If Autotrader did the decent thing and let you have icontrol and Retail Check as part of the package (not another extra) then fair enough. Bit like if Tesco charged for the privilege of a Clubcard just so you could get some of that charge back in savings. (better analogies welcome :0)

  5. Posted

    They've done this a few times. In their head it's 'giving back'. Something you don't need and won't benefit from; whilst putting up the prices again.

    They're not bright enough to realise that all they've got to do is (at least) double the stock number and reduce the prices. Basic economy of scale.  Also, there is practically no sensible bulk-buy discount  if you have ten cars or a hundred, the cost per car is the same.

    If you bought 300 cans of coke individually from a newsagent you'd be daft as much cheaper in bulk from a cash & carry or similar.

    AT just rape you for as much as possible and don't care if you advertise in bulk  even though, those 100 cars you pay for at the premium are littered with their sponsored adverts  

    Oh, and don't forget, you can pay even more to get a premium listing at the top of the page! This is why they get through SO many Reps.

    They're more interested in littering the site with adverts and looking after their target audience: the private customer (who can advertise for the same cost as us and get for free all the Dealer Portal Pricing tools we get charged for.)

    http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-valuation

    A previous comment made me laugh -with regards to asking punters where they saw the advert. I've done this for years and I still get told "Oh it was Autotrader". Even though I've not advertised with the crooks for six months ;0)

     

     

     

  6. Posted

    Don't do it.  They're the biggest highway robbers out there! 

    You may see 'some' increase in replies and a slight up lift in sales during a busy period, but it will only level out over time to show you're only covering their extortionate prices at best.  During quiet periods that cost will suck your blood dry.  

    I was with them from 'day one' of AT Digital (it was a pound a car and they begged us to come on board) and have watched them turn into the greedy vampires they are now.  

    If you go to their site and click on 'trade adverts' and then 'private ads' you'll see that the trade is 80 percent of their business, but they couldn't give two hoots about us. 

    The pricing is insane and value for money is appalling. 

    I noticed very little impact when I finally kicked them in to touch. The punters search for cars differently nowadays and most simply do a google search and, as long as you're with a few of the other companies, they will find you.  

    I use some of the £3000 a month I've saved on a full page local press ad once a month. I also advertise with:

    ebay motors pro (ensure you enable 'best offer option', motors, car gurus and Exchange and Mart.  My website is hosted by the brilliant Click Dealer. 

    Times are are hard at the moment and we're in for a tough ride. Autotrader are dinosaurs and you can do without them. 

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