Putting a price up?!

[RJEauto 18]

Hi All,

We have a 2013 BMW 320D Efficient Dynamics on site with 50k. We've had it priced at £9990 for 2 months and hardly had the door open on it. It is a lovely car, well prepped with good history so it's baffling me but I know you can never really judge it. We've got it advertised on AT and it's given us a "priced low" indicator. 

I've adjusted the web price on AT to £10490 but kept the forecourt price at £9990, we now have a "great price" indicator. Do you think this will make a difference? 

As we tend to deal with cheaper stock (£3000 - £7000) I want this gone so I can start turning over other bits and even at £9990, there's a great margin. Any help/advice appreciated.

Thanks,

-Kelly-

[Mark101 536]

Rightly or wrongly, my screen price is usually a little higher than the advert.

1) might get a walk in who hasn't seen the ad or

2) When they try and chip you, you can say I have already dropped the price look at the screen, that's the old price.

Edited January 9, 2019 by Mark101

[David Horgan 564]

Done that loads and i mean loads of times .

Put price up and sold it in a very short time after for the increase price , happy days .

Think at £9,990 you might just be missing the 10 k + searchers 

If I searched 10k to 11k I would not find you would I all for the sake of a tenner 

Change the screen price too or you may lose out on the increase 

[David Ayers 171]

3) Get done by Trading Standards

 

8 minutes ago, Mark101 said:

Rightly or wrongly, my screen price is usually a little higher than the advert.

1) might get a walk in who hasn't seen the ad or

2) When they try and chip you, you can say I have already dropped the price look at the screen, that's the old price.

 

[Nick M.K. 574]

Don't tell me you are NOT ALLOWED to have a lower price (or higher) price for ONLINE buyers. 

Why oh why have I been paying BCA £44 a pop for the privilege to buy online from them???

[David Horgan 564]

17 minutes ago, Nick M.K. said:

Don't tell me you are NOT ALLOWED to have a lower price (or higher) price for ONLINE buyers. 

Why oh why have I been paying BCA £44 a pop for the privilege to buy online from them???

Good question Nick 

I know a girl who works for BCA and she said when online was  first launched it was mentioned that its a good idea to add a charge and as it gets used more it will be a billy bonus , " we all fell for it hook line and sinker didn't we "  Imagine if we had just £50 extra for our cars it would add up but BCA sell hundreds of thousands online don't they , Millions of £££££££££££££££££ extra since it started 

[EPV 631]

I'm not being disrespectful but that is one boring looking car. Not that it's your fault of course. It's a lease car, a sales rep car and as someone has pointed out, it's red. Which wouldn't be a problem if it was an M Sport, with 18" wheels as you could change them to black and I think it would fly out but in that colour combo for that model, it looks deeply uninspiring. If it was black, or even silver I don't think you would have a problem. But you are looking for a boring middle aged safe driver who likes sensible fuel economy and low tax and he probably wants it in a low key, non showy colour and red isn't helping.

So I don't think the reason why you haven't sold it, is because it's too cheap. I think it's the wrong colour for that car. For the majority of people of course, not everyone. 

You could also try being a little more salesy in your advert. 

There will be some one here who will think the way I describe cars is a little bit corny or cheesy or "estate agent" but I think they're wrong so make your own mind up but I find describing what it's like to own the car, rather than "clean bodywork" and "clean interior" inspires the imagination a little. You're a car dealer, you present your cars very nicely, they will know it's clean and can see it's clean. What they want to know is what is it like to drive? Here's a description of a 320i SE Convertible I have up for sale;

"Elite Preowned Vehicles, an award-winning car dealership in Kent, are proud to offer this excellent BMW 320i Convertible for sale. This 2 owner example (previously owned by a Doctor since 2008) drives without fault and has been prepared for retail with no compromise. A superb vehicle, it has covered just 78,000 miles and has just received a new MOT, new brake discs and pads, a new service and an 82 point mechanical health check, including a full scan on the latest diagnostic technology. This car is mechanically faultless. The specification on this car is massive, including full black leather, heated seats, cruise control and Bluetooth. The Sparkling Graphite metallic bodywork is free from any major scratches or scuffs and the excellent 17" alloy wheels are unmarked and shrouded in tyres with plenty of tread. The Dakota Black leather interior is pristine and the carpets are spotless as the entire vehicle has been carefully valeted by a professional car detailer, Wow Factors of Kent.

The 2.0 petrol engine sounds sweet,170 horsepower pulls the car smoothly through the automatic gearbox and the steering is tight and agile. A 3 month warranty tops off what is surely a superb opportunity to own a thoroughly well prepared rare vehicle with excellent aftersales care. Need finance? Let us obtain a fantastic deal for you through our prime finance lenders, even if you have little or no deposit. Buy with confidence from an award winning 5 star rated Autotrader dealer."

 

Make your own mind up of course, I hope the above helps.

 

[Del Boy 76]

I’m with EPV on this one. 

I know it’s too late now but that is one boring car. Can’t see many people wanting a standard 3 series in red with cloth seats. 

I would take a look at Nicks website, he makes shit cars look atttactive. 

[Nick M.K. 574]

I had a look and the car isn’t so bad. Automatic would be much better but it is what it is. 

Yes it’s very basic spec but stands out compared to a silver one, it’s nicely valeted and has very sensible miles. 

At that sort of money a finance buyer would’t care if it is 9900 or 10490 and might be buying for the wife in which case Red becomes an advantage. 

Please please remove Glove box from the list of the equipment and as James says expand on the ad text a little. 

Also, this colour is called Melbourne Red. Put it somewhere in the ad text, sounds better :-) 

[David Ayers 171]

22 minutes ago, Del Boy said:

I would take a look at Nicks website, he makes shit cars look atttactive. 

I think that’s a compliment!

[Del Boy 76]

9 minutes ago, David Ayers said:

I think that’s a compliment!

Lol I just re-read my post. I didn’t mean his cars are shit, far from it in fact! 

I mean if he took in a shit car he could make it look good with his photography skills. 

[Nick M.K. 574]

I saw it as a compliment too, thank you :-)

 

[Area 51 33]

4 hours ago, David Horgan said:

Good question Nick 

I know a girl who works for BCA and she said when online was  first launched it was mentioned that its a good idea to add a charge and as it gets used more it will be a billy bonus , " we all fell for it hook line and sinker didn't we "  Imagine if we had just £50 extra for our cars it would add up but BCA sell hundreds of thousands online don't they , Millions of £££££££££££££££££ extra since it started 

Handy extra little income stream for how much outlay exactly... ? If only we could get away with something similar, oh yeah; with a guaranteed multiplier of thousands of users taking you up on the option.. 

About this time of year these planks get their bonuses isnt it... Ho hum

3 hours ago, David Ayers said:

I think that’s a compliment!

#metoo

[Rory RSC 596]

12 hours ago, Del Boy said:

 

I would take a look at Nicks website, he makes shit cars look atttactive. 

His new company slogan has just been found.

[Nick M.K. 574]

www.wemakeanycarlookattractive.com is available:-)

[ExCouncilJobsworth 27]

15 hours ago, David Ayers said:

3) Get done by Trading Standards

 

 

Dont be a jobsworth. 

Online costs more = you can charge more. On pitch screen price is less because its free advertising. 

Tell trading standards that if they ask you.

Per car on Autotrader you pay £400... You're package is 2000 last month you sold 5 so that's 400 per car... Plus you advertised it twice in 2 months = more costs...

Mr Jobsworth TS Officer wont ask you for your breakdown of Autotrader package

Edited January 10, 2019 by ExCouncilJobsworth

[XFS 70]

It’s not a bad car, it’s just a bad model/bad spec/bad colour in a market is full of basic spec 3 series. Most customers would rather pay a bit extra for a bit of spec. This car is basic spec in a poor colour so it’s a hard sell.

How did you land with it? It’s the type of car you would only buy for stock if it was very cheap or you had to take it as a trade in surely. If it was very cheap then there should still be something in it at a low price.

If I had a car like this stuck up my bum, I would make it the lowest priced example of that model and mileage on AT. Its the type of car which appeals to those who buy purely on price. I would just get shot of it, making something hopefully or at worst losing as little money as I could, so I could invest the money in something more desirable and likely to yield me a decent profit quickly.

[David Ayers 171]

1 minute ago, ExCouncilJobsworth said:

Dont be a jobsworth. 

Online costs more you can charge more. On pitch screen price is less because its free advertising. 

Tell trading standards that if they ask you. Per car on Autotrader you pay £400... You're package is 2000 last month you sold 5 so that's 400 per car... Plus you advertised it twice in 2 months = more costs...

Mr Jobsworth TS Officer wont ask you for your breakdown of Autotrader package

Many years ago when we advertised in the local press T/S used to come round with a copy of your ad to check advertised prices and mileages. I had just put a car down in price but hadn't got round to changing the board. I was given words of "advice" on the matter.

I would also point out that a pitch is not free. 

As I'm sure you can testify it's pointless trying to argue with these know all (done nothing) jobsworths.

[Mark101 536]

Back to OP

If that car were mine I would do one or two things (ideally both)

B Pillar back privacy glass

Source some black 18" M sport wheels, sell the originals afterwards to offset the cost.

It will look a different car.

[ExCouncilJobsworth 27]

35 minutes ago, David Ayers said:

Many years ago when we advertised in the local press T/S used to come round with a copy of your ad to check advertised prices and mileages. I had just put a car down in price but hadn't got round to changing the board. I was given words of "advice" on the matter.

I would also point out that a pitch is not free. 

As I'm sure you can testify it's pointless trying to argue with these know all (done nothing) jobsworths.

That was many years ago when a council job was for life and there wasnt much dodgy business about.

Nowadays councils are down to 1 or 2 ts officers then they got counterfeit goods to deal with and there's hell a lot of them...they can seize such items and that makes publicity.

A figure here and there at Max Brannings car lot is not juicy work no more... That lemon is squeezed dry 

[NOACROSS 414]

We get them from time to time still. They used to introduce themselves and want to get in cars and check the mileages etc. 

When we see them now, they just stand on the pavement with clipboards and tick things off. When we approach them they sort of look at their feet and shuffle away. 

If anything, like Mark says, we’ll sometimes leave the price board at the higher price for a bit if done a reduction online. 

[RJEauto 18]

Thank you all for your comments and advice, extremely helpful.

I will update the ad and try at £10490 for a week, if there's no interest I'll see if I can make it the cheapest (or atleast one of) on AT.

With regards to how I got landed with it, it's was a friends personal car. I wouldn't have bought it in specifically but they wanted out and I didn't really think it would be here this long, plus it was cheap with minimal prep. 

-Kelly-