tradegirl

BHM, I've actually never advertised cars as having warranty. I'm thinking though maybe doing so would help. Maybe grabbing at straws though going off some answers on here.

Thanks James.

Reading through this thread for answers and still unsure. Still a home trader, might move into a small unit (alone) at some point next year if I work hard and smart enough. Looking at ways to increase business in the meantime, and thinking about offering either self-funded (3rd part administered) or 3rd party warranty. I think Jason said tailor it to the car. So what do you do on a 10yr old, £4k car higher mileage car? No warranty? Do you all only warranty newer cars? We've had very few comebacks, and I think that's because people saw as just as someone trading from home and never took us seriously. Depending on the car we sold, we either said no warranty, or 1 month warranty. I always made sure to tell them that they're covered by the CRA anyway. Now I'm thinking if I put 3 months/3000 miles warranty, it'll open up the gates for people to take the mickey. Or do I just put it on newer/lower mileage cars, and stick with no warranty on older cars? (Again, properly prepped and MOTd. I don't mean I'm going to rip people off)

3 sold this past week. 1 at cost, small profit on one, slightly better profit on the other. All old stock sat on them around 3 months. Glad to get that money back and put it into another bad purchase haha.

Lol thank you

Thank you. I hope so because I've provisionally won it and it's not cheap!

Hi everyone. Any idea how a car can have NMR VOSA discrepancies when MOT history is ok and it has FSH? Looking at one that has 5th Sept 2017 49k VOSA 20th Sept 2017 90k MOT Then 17th Sept 2018 74k VOSA 19th Sept 2018 97k MOT. I haven't seen the service history yet, but dont know how to explain away these differences. The MOT history is fine. The car has changed 4 keepers and had 4 plate changes. Dodgy? Even if it's the wrong mileage written on the logbook when the car changed hands, it's too much of a difference to be a mistake. Plus if it's clocked who would declare it to VOSA before clocking it?

Wow you were a police officer? What made you change to cars? I can't fathom commuting that much to work. Needs must I suppose though. You're pretty insightful on health. I'm listening to an audio book and they're saying when you're angry your actual blood profile changes to more toxic. Not sure how true that is. I also wonder how much all the driving about we do, auction fumes and chemicals we use for valeting affects our health.

@TangoVictor32 and @Row you're both absolutely right and thank you. I'm working on it. I often wonder how much the small daily stresses affect us in the long run. A stressful or toxic day we think is just a day, but drop by drop we wake up one day with a life altering illness and wonder where it came from. I know none of it is worth it our health.

I honestly have no defence to that. I have a short fuse, and shouldn't be working in any customer facing job...which all jobs are to an extent. I know I should be more easygoing, especially considering you catch more bees with honey, or whatever the saying is.

Once FB Marketplace sent a message from me to something I was looking at, even though I hadn't actually sent the message. I don't know if I pressed something accidentally, or if FB sends messages automatically somehow. When I reply to people sometimes they don't even deliver.

My like button has disappeared, but all of you who have had an upturn, that's great news!!

Haha, all those follow up questions, especially "Have you had it long?" and "Do you know why they sold it?" Probably as bad as "Why is the mileage so low?" Which begs the question, if you're so worried about it being low, why are you viewing in the first place? I thankfully don't get the auction question much, and it's usually a certain type who ask it, but I'll have a response ready for next time. This was over text and gave me enough time to stew.

Everyone has their thing that annoys them. For me, people going AWOL on text messages doesn't register anymore. Cars going bang (prior to sale) is water off a duck's back. And I don't rant about either of those. For me, asking if I bought the car from auction is kind of interfering in my side of the business. As long as the car is straight, legit, and well looked after with no issues, then I don't personally think it's relevant. If I've made all history of the car clear and available, whether I bought it at auction, through my contact at the dealer, or the little old lady down the road, is my business not the customer's.

James, knowing the history of the car is one thing. How many owners, how long the last owner had it for, how many services and when the last service (prior to ours) was. That's one thing, and it's understandable. Asking on a tidy FSH, 2 owner, 10 year old car if I bought it at auction or not, is irrelevant I think. And a little rude in my opinion. The history is one thing, whether it ended up at auction because the owner traded it in, or whether it was px'd or bought from the seller themselves, the end result is the same: the owner still gave the car up. Mark took that Astra as px and it was a nail. Is it any better that it was px'd directly from the owner? It's still a nail. .

Yes but the people who usually ask that question, are people you'd see hanging around auction houses themselves. And there are plenty of great cars at auction, shame about the reputation. Unless it's something like the old SMA auction, what a shambles! Nick, you're a poet lol.

1. Why does it matter? 2. Probably, since I'm a trader 3. Do I ask about details of your job? Why do people feel the need to ask where we buy cars from?

Why those particular numbers, Nick?

Rory, well just glancing at the 2014-2015 file, sale prices were £2000-4000, predominantly around the £3000/3500 mark. Now our prices are anything from £3500-7000. And yes margins were small £500/600 (even less at the time of sale) Stock profile has completely changed (Corsa/Astra/Focus/Fiesta) were probably 80% of our stock, now we stock all sorts and can't remember the last time we bought an Astra. And I worked a lot harder because work dictated how hard I worked. Viewings were coming in endlessly to the point where I said we have to stop working at 7pm and Sundays because I have no life anymore. Now...I don't have that problem lol.

You're right Max, end of year results are what matter, but there's a long time until the end of the year, and the last wage we took was the 16th May. Prior to that was the 5th of May. In 2014/2015 (and I know there's no sense looking back) we never had it this bad. We would sell 3 cars a day some weeks, and never less than a car a week as home traders, with fewer cars in stock and less money invested than we have now. I paid off £12k personal debts those first 2-3 years, and by 2016 I'd also saved £9k, as well as my holidays, etc. I don't need to look at end of year takings to know I'm not in the same position as then. So I'm just a little worried/wondering if this job is what will buy me my house, or if I should be working a plan B, because as it currently stands, I'm broke and only living to work and pay work bills. Having said that, I'm working on improving the business, making changes. Lord knows I have enough time on my hands. And if I'm worthy enough or cut out for it, I'll make it work and I'll be among those who do well enough in the high seasons, to be comfortable/unphased in the low seasons.

No Justin, for me if he/she is doing it, I can do it. What am I doing wrong? How could I improve? Is it my stock profile, is it my photos, prices, etc. That sort of thing. Whereas if the used car trade is heading to hell in a handbasket (I know it's not, but hypothetically speaking) I need a plan B. But of course I understand what you mean. And with my logic, does that mean that other traders who do everything they, but are still struggling, are doing something wrong? Probably not. And I'm also aware that my logic is skewed because true entrepreneurs have made money out of recessions and Great Depressions, so it shouldn't matter how well or badly anyone else is doing. I'm aware of this, but still...others doing well in my field helps me somehow.

You're right. I was just thinking about that. I don't know, first thing I read this morning was doom and gloom about the used motor trade. I haven't been in it long enough to ride out a recession for instance (not saying we're in/heading towards one) but when it's quiet like it has been for every one, talk of pitches closing, Brexit, etc, I wonder if I should work on a Plan B.

That you have 12 cars and have sold 1 over 2 weeks, and I'm somehow expecting to sell with only 5 cars listed. If others are selling, it means I'm doing something wrong and I can fix it. If pros with more cars are quiet, it's different.

Anything I reply will be a stupid response, but that's quite worrying.

Reading through a couple of the threads, and it's a little depressing, especially some talking about the future of the trade. I know tradex did 7 cars in 7 days (well done) who else is doing well despite zero emissions/Brexit/the Bank Holidays/another coming recession? Who else's business is picking up over time?