Adam laffling 1 Posted June 8, 2018 Hi all am new to this forum I have been trading solely in vans since setting up 16 months ago using ebay as my sales platform my average turn over time is just under 3 weeks per van, would be really interested in hearing some of your experiences in trading vans kind regards Adam Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nick M.K. 574 Posted June 8, 2018 Hi Adam, welcome to the forum, 3 weeks sounds good to me but I have no experience of vans at all. I've driven a Transit for a few days when we were moving house in 2013 and that's about it. If a customer asks me for a van I'll send them your way... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Adam laffling 1 Posted June 8, 2018 Thankyou nick its interesting to know what other traders class as a good turn over time of a vehicle Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trade vet 702 Posted June 8, 2018 Never been able to understand the van market.Sometimes I may have bought a nice Transit,then find out that the side door is on the wrong side or it has sliding doors.We know someone who is a big time operator in ex Police dog vans,so we bought one a two....got it wrong again.Then the big problem,the punters will not pay the VAT.Specialist market,it sounds like you are good,stay with it I would say. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Adam laffling 1 Posted June 8, 2018 Thankyou for your comment trade vet, one of the biggest surprises I've found is distance punters are willing to travel sometimes upto 2 hours away guess thats the power of ebay Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Paddy 31 Posted June 8, 2018 An old mate does purely vans and has done for years, he does alright and generally has 30-40 on the pitch at any one time, he likes it and has very little come backs / screamers, says van punters are more bothered it has 12 months ticket and runs well and not fussed as much about the condition as car punters are, I know he did 2 today as I bumped into his valeter in the Indian whilst waiting for my dinner, I might pop in for a brew and catch up tomorrow if I've time and ask him your question. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Adam laffling 1 Posted June 8, 2018 Thankyou paddy am finding the same punters are more concerned about the mechanical side than the cosmetics i out source everything to a reputable small local garage that gives them a check over and does anything they feel it needs to be retail ready before i even offer them for sale, i also compound and machine polish them when needed as with most vans are never polished after brought from new 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Arfur Dealy 823 Posted June 9, 2018 Every van I have taken in PX has always sold really quickly (within 10 days) with a healthy margin. I agree with TV, the secret is no VAT. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mark101 536 Posted June 9, 2018 I love vans and have always done well (when I had the pitch) but now I'm a home trader, replacing my 12 or so car stock with vans would be a step too far I fear for the neighbours. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Adam laffling 1 Posted June 9, 2018 Great to hear both arfur dealy & mark101 do you both do much in the way of preparation to them to achieve a quick turn over? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BHM 994 Posted June 9, 2018 The knack at the cheaper end of the mark is definitely NO V.A.T.!! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SC Derby 259 Posted June 9, 2018 Yep, don’t think I’ve kept one longer than 4 days when in part ex no vat absolute key 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Adam laffling 1 Posted June 9, 2018 Thankyou bhm find that sole trader tradesmen are the ones that mostly ask if there's vat on top of the price Thankyou sc derby do you do any level of preparation to the part exs or sell them exactly as they came in? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SC Derby 259 Posted June 9, 2018 On vans? standard mechanical inspection as per any vehicke wash hoover wipe inside touch in any marks then sell you can get away with scuffs and dents you never could on a 3-4k car imo 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Adam laffling 1 Posted June 9, 2018 Yes thats right on vans, sounds like im doing the right level of prep the only one punter to complain about the condition of a van was over some light scratch marks where a previous owner had tried to remove logo stickers, had to remind the punter it was a 12 year old van for £1350 he then tried offering £1100 for it to which i replied sorry can't do it for that due to the level of prep I've spent on it, cant win them all !!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MrC 142 Posted June 9, 2018 If you come across any nice and I mean nice T5 Highlines for the right money drop me a PM 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Adam laffling 1 Posted June 9, 2018 Sure will do what sort of budget are you looking at MrC? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MrC 142 Posted June 11, 2018 On 09/06/2018 at 7:20 PM, Adam laffling said: Sure will do what sort of budget are you looking at MrC? Anything up to £15k inc the VAT. Im ok at the moment as I am just finishing one and have 2015 Highline sat waiting to be converted so end of July I will be looking again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
