Getting first plot and making the jump.

[Grantlfc81 88]

Hi guys. So I'm making the jump over to selling from home to a small warehouse that holds 9-10 cars and has a nice size office, it's on a small, really well maintained indistrial estate with Low over heads of £750 a month all in and I don't need to take any profit as I have another company that pays ok.

im going to be selling cars valued from £1500 to £5k.

Everything will be advertised online and all profit will be put straight back into the business. This is a slow burning business for me and really looking forward to it.

im just curious how all you guys started with how many cars, and where have you got to now?

any advice is welcome.

All the best

[Grantlfc81 88]

.

[DBDlloyds 18]

Good luck Grant....

Sounds like a sound business plan to me...

I am sure you will do well, things are always easier when the pressure is off. Keep us posted on how you are getting on. I have only been trading 6 months and way off of thinking about a plot. Getting stock is the age old problem for me.

Regards Dean.

[Arfur Dealy 823]

Hi Grant, I'm in exactly the same position as you, but with more like 15 - 25 cars trading from home, logistics is a nightmare. The MOT center, mechanics garage and valeters I use are based on a small industrial estate 5 minutes from my home. I'm constantly back and forth.....anyway a unit came available right next to the garage with 3400ft including office space, I'm completing early in January, its £13000 a year with no rates. However, I'm paying nearly £900 a monthly VED car tax payments  Its gonna make my life so much easier. 

 

[trade vet 704]

43 minutes ago, Arfur Dealy said:

Hi Grant, I'm in exactly the same position as you, but with more like 15 - 25 cars trading from home, logistics is a nightmare. The MOT center, mechanics garage and valeters I use are based on a small industrial estate 5 minutes from my home. I'm constantly back and forth.....anyway a unit came available right next to the garage with 3400ft including office space, I'm completing early in January, its £13000 a year with no rates. However, I'm paying nearly £900 a monthly VED car tax payments  Its gonna make my life so much easier. 

 

That looks good,if it includes business rates,they must be about £100 per week for 3400sq ft

[Arfur Dealy 823]

TV. Its under the new rates threshold  

[ASP 1]

Good luck Grant  Hoping to be in your position in a couple of years time after an overall successful first year of trading full time. 

Unit looks good Arthur. Is the plan to keep your model the same, customers buying on the basis of your vids or are you going to be changing that? I assume you tax and keep your cars on the roads around where you live currently?

[Arfur Dealy 823]

Hi ASP, I have no intention to change my business ethos. I’m just going to keep trying to improve and simplify. 

[It's me 615]

1 hour ago, Arfur Dealy said:

Hi ASP, I have no intention to change my business ethos. I’m just going to keep trying to improve and simplify. 

you can get a big Hawaiian back drop now to go with your videos

saves cutting the hedges every fortnight

[justlooking 48]

3 hours ago, Arfur Dealy said:

Hi Grant, I'm in exactly the same position as you, but with more like 15 - 25 cars trading from home, logistics is a nightmare. The MOT center, mechanics garage and valeters I use are based on a small industrial estate 5 minutes from my home. I'm constantly back and forth.....anyway a unit came available right next to the garage with 3400ft including office space, I'm completing early in January, its £13000 a year with no rates. However, I'm paying nearly £900 a monthly VED car tax payments  Its gonna make my life so much easier. 

 

I'm in the same position as you,I'm maxed out space-wise with 15 from home although valet myself (busy fool) and considering a similar move.

How come the massive VED charges, did the DVLA reject your application for trade plates?

[andymc1973 199]

Sounds like he parks them up 

[Grantlfc81 88]

That size warehouse in essex would cost double that.

[Grantlfc81 88]

How many cars are you all moving a month?

On 24/12/2017 at 4:32 PM, Arfur Dealy said:

Hi Grant, I'm in exactly the same position as you, but with more like 15 - 25 cars trading from home, logistics is a nightmare. The MOT center, mechanics garage and valeters I use are based on a small industrial estate 5 minutes from my home. I'm constantly back and forth.....anyway a unit came available right next to the garage with 3400ft including office space, I'm completing early in January, its £13000 a year with no rates. However, I'm paying nearly £900 a monthly VED car tax payments  Its gonna make my life so much easier. 

 

 

[Arfur Dealy 823]

On 24/12/2017 at 7:37 PM, s and b said:

you can get a big Hawaiian back drop now to go with your videos

saves cutting the hedges every fortnight

Just now, Arfur Dealy said:

On 24/12/2017 at 7:37 PM, s and b said:

you can get a big Hawaiian back drop now to go with your videos

saves cutting the hedges every fortnight

I like the sounds good with palm trees and naked women....,mmmmm

 

[Arfur Dealy 823]

Hi Grant,  just over 150 so far this year, including taking a deposit yesterday

[Wheelerdealer1 91]

£900 a month in ved !! 

 

I bet your neighbors loved you 

[Arfur Dealy 823]

Never on my

7 hours ago, Wheelerdealer1 said:

£900 a month in ved !! 

 

I bet your neighbors loved you 

First and most important lesson, don't piss off the neighbour's. Second lesson, don't advertise your cars with the registration. 3rd etc, don't take the piss by parking outside someones house, keep changing where you park and rotate every 2/3 days. Be discrete and park every car in excess of 500m of each other.

[Wheelerdealer1 91]

I tend to leave my reg plates showing these days, end of the day it’s a risk but there we go I noticed I get more enquiries on cars with reg showing 

[Arfur Dealy 823]

Show plates with your business website and logo looks good imo. A genuinely interested customer will call for more information, you can then sell yourself and the car to them 

[andymc1973 199]

they are all obsessed with MOT history

[Wheelerdealer1 91]

1 hour ago, andymc1973 said:

they are all obsessed with MOT history

Exactly and HPI clear

[Max Branning 149]

2 hours ago, andymc1973 said:

they are all obsessed with MOT history

Don't blame them though really, the first thing i do when checking a potential buy is look at the MOT history.

[andymc1973 199]

indeed but the vast majority have no mechanical knowledge

[It's me 615]

20 minutes ago, andymc1973 said:

indeed but the vast majority have no mechanical knowledge

you dont need mechanical knowledge though

just common sense

 

[Rory RSC 596]

1 hour ago, s and b said:

 

just common sense

 

They demonstrate time and time again they don't have that either