Max Branning

I dont see why you would need to inject 120k to get a business off the ground. Rent a small unit to get going on an easy in/out lease. Get maybe 10 cars on the go and let it go from there. I would say 50k would be more than enough. As things start to move then reinvest to build. Dont try to run before you can walk..!

People like to feel like there getting a bargain. Look at these furniture stores that always have a MASSIVE SALE one weekend only. What a load of tosh. If you price a car low people will still want to haggle it is in peoples nature. Just set the price at a competetive price to get the interest but be prepared to knock a bit off to get the deal done. Work it all out before the board goes in the window.

I suppose my main concern here is this a legal way to trade? If you are selling to "trade only" can you actually do that from retail premises?

So i am now looking to start selling our p/x stock out strictly as trade sales. This will mostly be anything under £1500 as i am sick of the comebacks we have had of late. Even on the cheaper stuff i try to make sure they are as good as can be but i have had stuff coming back for the most stupid of reasons even on bangers for £500. There just isnt enough profit in these to warrant a fresh MOT/ service etc before resale. Could be since the new consumer laws people are more aware of their rights? but definitely i have noticed customers are more picky now than they were a few years ago. Anyway my plan is to be a bit tighter on the p/x prices i pay and then sell the p/xs out strictly as Trade sales and the trader would have to sign a receipt to say they are fully aware of this and state their business name/address on the receipt. I have sent some stuff to physical auction previously but by the time you consider logistics and fees i would be losing money most of the time. Is this a legal way to trade ? and do any other traders here do this with their cheaper stock? Any pitfalls to avoid ?

Where are most of your leads coming from now Jamslug?

I know of a dealer who sells cars part time from home one at a time and only puts an advert in the local paper on a thursday. He has been doing that for years and sells them fairly quickly so this could be an option. There are a lot of people that still look in the local rag for cars especially the old school that probably dont even know what ebay is or maybe just dont trust it.. I used to have an advert in the paper but it didnt really stack up for me but maybe for a part timer?

I have sold several merivas usually to older customers who want the slightly higher seating position. They do usually come in looking for something else but are usually tempted by the price as they tend to be an affordable MPV.

As far as i know you cant have a logo on autotrader unless you sign up to a package which i doubt you will need if on a part time basis. My advice would be not to overthink things and try and do everything at once...you havent even been to an auction yet so get ready for some serious learning ! Get a few motors sold and let nature take its course.

I have sold cars before on Xmas day. To be honest it feels just like a typical sunday to me and i think to most people nowadays.

The van is on the Mid on our trade insurance and is currently up for sale. I may take it off sale temporarily as I need to use it for a few weeks which is why i want to tax it. Surely i wouldnt need to put the V5 in my name to do this? Under the old system i would of just taxed it for 6 months and sold it on with the tax on it when im done with it but obviously that cant be done now.

If you want to tax a car that you have in stock for your own use for a short period while the car is for sale, is it just a case of using the ref number from the V5c and setting up a Direct debit and then cancelling the DD when the car is sold. Does this also cause a problem for the new buyer wanting to tax on the same V5c number? Im looking to use one of ours for a few weeks or so but dont want to just run it around on the plates. Any help appreciated.

I would choose a ford over a vauxhall any day.

I think i would of been tempted to escort him off the premises head first and the mother as well !!

Dont know what happened there tried to quote daylight..?

You will always get these kind of things going on. Unfortunately where there is money to be made there will always be crooks who try to take advantage of peoples naivety. I have had all sorts of people trying things on. So called mechanics that come out with clever terms to describe something wrong with the car. I normally just ignore them and wait for them to say "whats your best price mate bearing in mind its gonna need some work" I then just point to the board in the window and say "that is the best price" if you dont want it dont buy it. If at any time when selling a car the buyer points out any faults that you dont understand then DONT take their word for it get it looked at yourself. Tell them "thanks for pointing this out" and that you will take the car off sale while you investigate the so called "fault". If they still want to buy the car but at a knock down price then it is your choice. No one is forcing you to sell the car. If you aint happy just say NO.

Yes HPI trade does all of the above.

I always go out with them and just stick the plates in the window. Make sure your insurance includes test drive cover some basic policies dont actually include it.

Yeah we do this as well not sure exactly what it costs but i think its around £5 for a full hpi check with the valuations and around £1 for just a basic vehicle check with the valuations. There maybe cheaper options but this suits me fine.

Seems to be loads of people suddenly want to become car dealers...i wonder if these tv programmes have anything to do with it..

A customer can usually get rid of the car themselves with the likes of We buy any car but as RS says you can take advantage of the fact that the customer wants to offload their old car usually at less than trade price. I love it when a customer says they have been offered £xxx by an online car buyer as i can usually offer them £50 more and still turn a decent profit from it. Do be prepared to get a lemon though with loads of faults that the customer didnt tell you about. In this situation it is good to have an outlet for these type vehicles either sending them to auction or ebay spares/repair sales.

So what do you all mostly do with your cheaper p/x's? Do you retail them if they seem ok or do you prefer to get rid of them at trade and maybe even take a loss on them to save any comebacks. I have had a few come back to me recently with repairs needing doing even though i dont include a warranty on anything under a grand. I have seen other traders saying things like all p/x cars are "sold as seen" or as "trade sales" to try and avoid any comebacks but i dont really see how this can be done legally. The buyers at sub £1000 seem to be more fussy than those at £4k in my experience ! Is it worth bothering trying with these types of vehicle?

Has anybody here ever had a chargeback done to them? I havent but have always wondered how the process works and how easy it is for a customer to do this?

You can rent a terminal for less than £40 a month depending on what type of machine. Commission is payable on each transaction but it is very small on Debits and around 2% on Credits which you can pass on. Usually a minimum monthly charge even if you dont use the machine i know ours is £25.

All 3 of the above work. Depends really how the customer prefers to pay. I think most buyers would be a bit wary turning up to someones house with 8 grand in their pocket though. Would be worth investing into a credit card terminal to look a bit more professional.

Whether they sign a receipt or not i just cant see this standing up to be honest as surely it infringes the customers legal right to reject the car. You are basically charging them to return faulty goods. Imagine going into currys and buying a telly that goes wrong after 3 weeks and taking it back only to be charged a £200 restocking fee - how would this go down... I would be curious to see what your trading standards chap comes back with.