Autotrader

[Lucas 9]

1 hour ago, Nick M.K. said:

So the Expensive Autotrader has 504K listings and the FREE site will not have more if everyone is on it so it works???

The eBay, Gumtree, Facebook, CarGurus, Motors, AA, Parkers people will not want to be on it?? 

Of course they will. 

And when too many people sit on a branch they usually break it. 

 

2 hours ago, Lucas said:

 

Don't worry about that. More listing is better for attract the buyer come to the platform. Private sellers need to pay for the listing. Only traders are free.

Furthermore, the technology can help us to identify the buyer, so maybe we could set up a function to match the cars to the buyer by gender or age, or etc. The buyer actually knows better what they want than we do. So, the platform trying to maximise the chance for a sold by anyway.

Edited January 5, 2019 by Lucas

[Dave2302 387]

44 minutes ago, andymc1973 said:

Fuckin' magic 

[David Horgan 564]

3 hours ago, Lucas said:

Why buyer go to AT website? Because all of us are there. People visit AT just because we are there. Not because they like or trust AT. No! They actually have nothing to do with AT.

So, we and our stocks are the only things the buyer interested in. We can put these all together on the new platform, it will work.

FIND & FUND by Moto Novo was the next big thing to take on Auto Trader 

I did quite well when they were spending MILLIONS on advert money , when advert money slowed down I did NOTHING for a long time and now its gone free because they cant charge for something that's not working as intended . Lucas they spent MILLIONS of ££££££££££££ getting the site going , Your not the first to think you can take  Autotrader on and you wont be the last either . 

They are MKT Leaders because they have served their time for many years and are a WELL Known NAME . 

Result is they sell more cars than most of the other sites put together .

Car Gurus said to me before Christmas you can trial us free till Jan 8 WEEKS and not one call or email , just as i forecast to them . 

Autotrader has sold 21 of my cars before Christmas , 7 between Christmas and new year and 4 this week , all phoned on call tracker " this is a call from autotrader " 

Yes they know how to charge , but my business is built on burn rate , take the sale and reinvest , I want each car to turn at least 11 times a year , earn top dollar and move on .

I also need to do this with min costs so i don't advertise ANYWHERE else that charges , except Autotrader . 

I'm not a fan of the cost , of course I'm not , but reducing costs to increase earnings is not my way , Profit is the way forward in my head , burn rate of sales , constant attention to stock turn , but how to do it without losing max profits too .

So you know what  would put me off your plan , " the word FREE " really insults a workhorse does that , How about the thought  of taking Autotrader on by telling me it will sell TWICE as many cars but cost you a £1,000 a month  MORE , then we are really cooking on gas aren't we because i'm earning hundreds of thousands £££££££ more for a measly 12 k extra 

Instead of FREE and i don't sell as many or any cars because there is no investment to spread the news 

 

You want to reinvent the wheel I wish you luck , BUT  I'm OUT cos while your thinking about the wheel your not selling cars . So who's better off 12 months from now 

SELL your cars first Lucas , walk before you try to jog  

 

Happy and a very prosperous new year to you , " hopefully 

[Lucas 9]

David, Thank you.

The topic was asking for an alternative here. So I just provide an option idea for some. Not a thing that I could do to take on AT. I am not saying I will/can/going to do that. Maybe someone or some group can do that. There are actually have nothing to do with me.

Again, talking this idea here has nothing to do with my car sale. Sell the car and think about the ad platform is not the same category. It just different jobs.

 

Below is from wikipedia.org about the founders of AT. They never sold any cars. They are not even a trader but rule the traders' industry in the UK. So, they never walk before they try to jog (even rape) on all of us. Sorry Sir, just want to make some fun!

Sir John Robert Madejski, OBE, DL (/məˈdeɪski/; born Robert John Hurst; 28 April 1941) is an English businessman, with commercial interests spanning property, broadcast media, hotels, restaurants, publishing and football. He changed his name when his stepfather, a Polish airman during World War II, returned to Britain to marry his mother.

Paul Gibbons (born 4 May 1947 in Reading) is an English businessman, who co-owns Leaderboard Golf Ltd with his wife Jennifer. Gibbons co-founded the magazine Auto Trader and its parent company Hurst Publishing alongside John Madejski. He has appeared on the Sunday Times Rich List in recent years.

 

A happy new year and all the best wishes for all of you guys. 

Edited January 5, 2019 by Lucas

[EPV 631]

People should spend more time learning how to use AT properly rather than moaning its expensive or trying to find a cheap alternative. 

[Grantlfc81 88]

If I had 80 cars for £4500 I would be literally smashing it! We have made £6k profit in the last 2 days and that’s with only 12 cars. I wish I had 80 cars I would quite happily pay out that kind of money, however I think I would really struggle to find 80 cars of the stock type that I wanted!

[Del Boy 76]

3 minutes ago, Grantlfc81 said:

If I had 80 cars for £4500 I would be literally smashing it! We have made £6k profit in the last 2 days and that’s with only 12 cars. I wish I had 80 cars I would quite happily pay out that kind of money, however I think I would really struggle to find 80 cars of the stock type that I wanted!

What price range are you selling grant? 

[David Ayers 171]

“We have made £6k profit in the last 2 days”

Dont worry. I’m sure things will pick up soon!

 

[Grantlfc81 88]

2 hours ago, Del Boy said:

What price range are you selling grant? 

We only sell German, normally 1,3,5 series 

merc a c and e class although c class seem hard to sell recently.

or Audi A1,a3 a4 and Audi A6 - we try and stick to Msport and S line - 

the Problem we are having is sourcing enough cars. 7 this month so far.

www.villagecarsessex.co.uk 

No longer touching minis 

[CCC 31]

5 hours ago, Nick M.K. said:

So the Expensive Autotrader has 504K listings and the FREE site will not have more if everyone is on it so it works???

The eBay, Gumtree, Facebook, CarGurus, Motors, AA, Parkers people will not want to be on it?? 

Of course they will. 

And when too many people sit on a branch they usually break it. 

 

Is it just me, but 504k cars works out at 13% of the uk car population being advertised on autotrader, so if we add eBay, Facebook and all the others that might get towards 20%, or 1 in 5 of all cars in the uk is for sale? That sounds like a lot of stock in the market, especially considering it doesn’t allow for new sales (all those pcp deals). Might explain why UK residuals are poorer than other countries but not why auction prices are so high! 

3 hours ago, Lucas said:

Below is from wikipedia.org about the founders of AT. They never sold any cars. They are not even a trader but rule the traders' industry in the UK. So, they never walk before they try to jog (even rape) on all of us. Sorry Sir, just want to make some fun!

Sir John Robert Madejski, OBE, DL (/məˈdeɪski/; born Robert John Hurst; 28 April 1941) is an English businessman, with commercial interests spanning property, broadcast media, hotels, restaurants, publishing and football. He changed his name when his stepfather, a Polish airman during World War II, returned to Britain to marry his mother.

Paul Gibbons (born 4 May 1947 in Reading) is an English businessman, who co-owns Leaderboard Golf Ltd with his wife Jennifer. Gibbons co-founded the magazine Auto Trader and its parent company Hurst Publishing alongside John Madejski. He has appeared on the Sunday Times Rich List in recent years.

 

A happy new year and all the best wishes for all of you guys. 

Madjeski copied an idea he’d seen running the USA so it was a proven formula already before he launched it in the UK.

Edited January 5, 2019 by CCC

[Del Boy 76]

28 minutes ago, Grantlfc81 said:

We only sell German, normally 1,3,5 series 

merc a c and e class although c class seem hard to sell recently.

or Audi A1,a3 a4 and Audi A6 - we try and stick to Msport and S line - 

the Problem we are having is sourcing enough cars. 7 this month so far.

www.villagecarsessex.co.uk 

No longer touching minis 

Thanks for the info. Do you buy many privates or all auction? 

[Lucas 9]

24 minutes ago, CCC said:

Is it just me, but 504k cars works out at 13% of the uk car population being advertised on autotrader, so if we add eBay, Facebook and all the others that might get towards 20%, or 1 in 5 of all cars in the uk is for sale? That sounds like a lot of stock in the market, especially considering it doesn’t allow for new sales (all those pcp deals). Might explain why UK residuals are poorer than other countries but not why auction prices are so high! 

Madjeski copied an idea he’d seen running the USA so it was a proven formula already before he launched it in the UK.

No worries. There are only about 2% used cars in the market. Because at the end of September 2018, there were 38.4 million vehicles licensed for use on the roads in Great Britain, of which 31.6 million were cars. In the year to September 2018, the stock of licensed vehicles increased by 1 per cent compared to the previous year.

Edited January 5, 2019 by Lucas

[CCC 31]

Thanks, my bad, seems it is just me  Missed a zero in my calcs, too many gins I fear.

Edited January 6, 2019 by CCC

[Mark101 536]

7 hours ago, Grantlfc81 said:

If I had 80 cars for £4500 I would be literally smashing it! We have made £6k profit in the last 2 days and that’s with only 12 cars. I wish I had 80 cars I would quite happily pay out that kind of money, however I think I would really struggle to find 80 cars of the stock type that I wanted!

That’s good but don’t confuse profit with margin.

[Grantlfc81 88]

On 05/01/2019 at 8:30 PM, Del Boy said:

Thanks for the info. Do you buy many privates or all auction? 

I haven’t bought an auction car for a while, however I have sucked Facebook market place and eBay dry so hitting Enfield bca Tuesday and Thursday.

[lastyboy 23]

On 05/01/2019 at 5:27 PM, EPV said:

People should spend more time learning how to use AT properly rather than moaning its expensive or trying to find a cheap alternative. 

Whilst i agree with you, i believe it to be scandalous how much they put the prices up year on year. Margins have not increased. IVe been with autotrader online since the very start circa 2000 i believe.

[EPV 631]

31 minutes ago, lastyboy said:

Whilst i agree with you, i believe it to be scandalous how much they put the prices up year on year. Margins have not increased. IVe been with autotrader online since the very start circa 2000 i believe.

Supply and demand mate, it's just business. 

[lastyboy 23]

9 minutes ago, EPV said:

Supply and demand mate, it's just business. 

I know that mate, just find it frustrating. I genuinely believe their market share will drop over next 5 years.

[EPV 631]

1 minute ago, lastyboy said:

I know that mate, just find it frustrating. I genuinely believe their market share will drop over next 5 years.

20 years maybe. Eventually people will just buy cars from google, whichever page comes up first. 

I never look at what AT costs me, I look at what it makes me. 

[Rory RSC 596]

I still look at what AT works out at per car sold.

 

Also someone bought a car from us through find and fund 

[Nick M.K. 574]

10 hours ago, lastyboy said:

Whilst i agree with you, i believe it to be scandalous how much they put the prices up year on year

My first AT package in 2010 or 2011 was around £700 + vat for 7+2 adverts. At the moment it's £1250 + vat for 12+2. When you take into account the double stock offer which wasn't around in 2011 (I don't think) I don't see a massive price increase if the number of ad slots stays the same. 

My margins have certainly increased over these years.

[RH Trading 80]

I agree with Nick, I keep saying you've got to measure it. If it works and you make profit from your advertising then its an investment not a cost.

whatever you choose you've got to make sure it works, for me nothing comes close to generating the total return and profit that I get from the Autotrader sales, and over the years I've tried most of them, I have call monitoring, Google analytics and different tracking numbers on everything, I don't just rely on asking people "How did you find us?" most recently last year, I tried cargurus and finandfundmycar.com - sales from those 2 websites in 3 months = 1, total cost £2,150. In same period my AT package cost me £10,500.

but I sold 78 cars directly from them in those 3 months, so who is the most expensive?

Doesn't work for everyone, but if you have the right cars, priced right and advertised well with great images then cant see why it wouldn't work

 

 

[Lucas 9]

Yes. AT no doubt is the best platform since they have the most visitors. It's more than all the other platforms altogether. 

By the way, I just called them today and get my very first package for 5 cars at £46x/month + Vat. Hopefully will get some calls.

Edited January 7, 2019 by Lucas

[Tadams 29]

On 1/5/2019 at 0:34 PM, Lucas said:

Why buyer go to AT website? Because all of us are there. People visit AT just because we are there. Not because they like or trust AT. No! They actually have nothing to do with AT.

So, we and our stocks are the only things the buyer interested in. We can put these all together on the new platform, it will work.

This is where you are wrong.... and the mistake many men/women/robots have made before you. 

Dealers go to Auto Trader as that is where the customers are not the other way round, i was hoping 2019 may be different but my god it's boring people moaning about Auto Trader !! If you don't see the benefit then don't use it, don't use it to sell your stock and keep you in a job and then moan about it. 

Anyway's didn't you have 300k or something in November to invest into a dealer with someone ? there is your start up !  

 

On 1/5/2019 at 2:38 PM, Lucas said:

Take it easy mate. It won't have 3 million cars listing on it. AT has only 504K cars listing. And I think this could be very close to the total amount of stocks in the market because most of the stocks already listed on it no matter big traders or door steppers.

So, you will be found when the buyer using a filter to narrow their choices.

Furthermore, if pay makes better, then we could also set up some pay feature listing to who want to pay like you. So you can standout by pay for it. Just a thought to answer your question. 

No mate. But my personal suggestion for friends is that eat healthily, do exercise, and sleep early. Just try your best to a minimum need of NHS service as little as possible. 

So what your suggesting here is a standard fee BUT if you want your stock to stand out more than the other then you pay for it ... ? So just the same as AutoTarder then ? haha this is gold. 

 

On 1/5/2019 at 0:14 PM, Lucas said:

The key is that it needs a lot of us to join together. Why not have a try? We just feel tire every ad site charging crazy money. So, if a free platform can even generate a little traffic to our website will be worth to try. Nothing to lose. This is a fun project for all of us to do together. 

It's also not free.. who pays for the admin work, who maintains the site, who deals with issues, who buys the domain ?
 

[Lucas 9]

Thank you mate. I totally agree with you. Don't worry, nobody can compare with AT. We absolutely need AT. We have not many choices. Yes, everybody knows that. Take it easy. I love AT by the way. Even I just try one pay as you go for 21 days and got no call. That was my fault I know. So, I just bought a new package to learn more.

 

Logically said, it's possible to have a free listing + some charge feature listing platform and can attract some buyer to use it if the supply and the interface are good enough. But it's really tough in realistic. This problem is like saying egg and chicken. Is it the egg exist before chicken? Or the chicken exist before the egg? Are we the egg or the chicken? Why? Just a thought.

 

Edited January 8, 2019 by Lucas