Cherished Plates - Variance in selling price

[Igurisu]

Just curious really, does anybody know how the cherished plate business works? Been looking around and I see the same plates at 2 or 3 different dealers at varying prices.

How do they all have access to the same reg number?

Generally speaking, I assume there is room for negotiation, but how much is a realistic target, 10%, 20% discount or more?

 

[Deleted member 37751]

When I enquired about my plate, the reg. company seemed very keen to sell so I offered them a silly amount which they accepted.

Iirc they wanted £600ish including fees and I paid £350 all in.

 

[A210AMG]

Probably works something along the lines of...


You have a plate for sale say MBZ 100

You ring one registration company and they offer you £350 if the plate sells.

They advertise it for £700

Then you ring other companies and they offer you £400 if it sells

They advertise it for £800


In the case of normal registrations such as G11 HAS say, I doubt most of these compianies actually 'own' them and rather are trying to 'sell' them for £300 - £500 when in fact if you check on the DVLA site they are still there for £250 all in.


I would go in very low, but depends on the value of the reg, I was looking at my initials and the numbers 100 it was up for £3k I was getting £500 off (and I should have bought it but I waited to long and it sold...)

 

[MOCAŠ]

Plates are often advertised on behalf of the owner, on a commission basis. That way, the company doesn't have to part with any money for it until a buyer has been identified, while the owner gets the advantage of national advertising that would otherwise cost them a fortune.

In terms of pricing, this is often a kite-flying exercise. There are a few companies out there that tend to post realistic prices most of the time, but many will advertise plates at very optimistic prices. If you're genuinely interested in a plate you see advertised, checking around several companies will often reveal that it is available at a cheaper price, especially as some dealers seem to add "VAT" to the price even when it isn't due. Some dealers also offer to match or beat a lower price seen elsewhere.

If a plate seems overpriced, there's no harm in making an offer on it, and again, some companies invite this, as they'd rather sell the plate for a sensible price than have it on their books indefinitely. Obviously derisory offers will be rejected out of hand, but you can get away with offering anything between 50% and 90% of the asking price depending on how inflated it was in the first place.

 

[neilrr]

Just curious really, does anybody know how the cherished plate business works?

1) Find mug.

2) Show him dodgy plate with convoluted misspelling of something almost recognisable as his name.

3) Overcharge for it.

Simples!

 

[Igurisu]

Not a dodgy spacing or spelling, just looking at my initials with a number. There's no particular number, just something thats a bit snappy, say 500 instead of 436 or 6000 instead of 4257. I've seen a couple I like, but the prices vary by as much as 25% on different sites.

Thanks for the information (I see tag monkey has been out again)

 

[Spinal]

A few companies were "selling" my plate a while back - so I presume they offer to sell plates, then, when a buyer is found, they do a DVLA lookup and offer the unwitting seller some money...

M.

 

[SilverSaloon]

Simples!

why dont you try and buy N31 LRR ?

 

[neilrr]

What does that spell?

 

[jaymanek]

Ive always found DVLA the cheapest for any given number...

However many plates are advertised by companies such as reg transfers etc etc on behalf of an individual, not the DVLA hence the selling price of these is dependent on the agreement with the owner.
A lot of the time they are advertising these numbers without the consent of the owners! They simply try and coax the purchase once they find a buyer..
Its a murky industry.