Compare number plates

noreply@blogger.com (cinnamon-girl) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 21:36:00 +0000

How do I buy a personal number plate?

noreply@blogger.com (cinnamon-girl) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:28:00 +0000

Do a search of personal number plates on any search engine, and you'll find hundreds of results. That's a lot of trawling around to find the right personalised registration plate.

And.....

where do you start anyway?
aren't the number plate companies all the same?
how can they all sell the same personal number plates?

The truth of it isn't really which number plate company to buy from. There's only one of any car registration number. So it's just down to a number plate price comparison, and of course....service.

Don't necessarily assume that larger companies will give the best service....some of the smaller companies will spend more time giving you advice and suggestions.

So... where do you start buying a personalised number plate?

Get some ideas for a personalised number plate. Don't restrict yourself to your name or initials - think about hobbies, nicknames, car models, special words...etc. What would you like your personal number plate to say about you?
Use the various websites to give you some ideas, and get suggestions from your friends.
Decide on your budget. Be realistic - it's unlikely you'll find your first name without a very large budget.
Use a number plate price comparison site (of course!) to check out the best prices across the dealers. Remember, some personal number plates will be subject to vat - so factor that in when comparing prices. Then check the registration number is still available - it's possible that it may have been sold.
Make an offer. Be realistic. If your offer is too low, it may not be taken seriously. If you want to offer significantly less than the asking price, explain why. Is it priced high compared to other similar number plates?

You'll usually find many of the same personalised number plates being offered for sale by a number of different companies. But in the end, there's only one of any registration number....and one owner. So don't make offers to a number of dealers - it gives the owner the impression that there's more than one person interested!

Aren't all number plate companies the same?

The truth of it isn't really which number plate company to buy from. There's only one of any car registration number. So it's just down to a number plate price comparison, and of course....service.

Don't necessarily assume that larger companies will give the best service....some of the smaller companies will spend more time giving you advice and suggestions.

And remember, buying a number plate direct from the owner will save you paying a dealer's premium. Some personalised number plate companies put you in direct contact with the owner.

How can companies sell the same personal number plates?

Firstly, see how the company is selling personalised number plates. Are they a number plate dealer? If so, there's a commission fee built into the selling price. Almost all number plate companies work this way.
However, there are one or two companies that do not. Look for words like 'commission free' or 'no commission fees'.

Secondly, it's possible that an owner may advertise their personal number plate with more than one company. Prices may vary dependent on how much the number plate company decides to add on top as commission.

Thirdly, some dealers may advertise their own commission sales with other dealers. That potentially puts more than one dealer between you and the seller!

For more info, check out these Top 5 tips for buying personal number plates.

Will my personal number plate sell?

noreply@blogger.com (cinnamon-girl) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:11:00 +0000

Comparing your number plate is the answer....

If you've ever tried selling a personal number plate, you'll know it's not easy. And it can take months, if not longer, to sell one.

Why does a personal number plate stay on the market for so long? Why is it so difficult to sell a personal car registration number plate?

If you're selling a high value personal number plate, the number of possible buyers with the budget to buy it will be smaller. So you'll need to be patient.

Even a cheap personalised registration plate can take a long time to sell.

This is because there are just so many number plates on the market at £500 and below. So comparing the personal number plate you're selling with what else is on the market is the key. Or more importantly, compare number plate prices. Be realistic. If there are lots of very similar number plates for sale, you must price yours competitively if you want someone to choose your personal number plate over someone else's. If your personal registration number is really special, you can afford to ask for a higher price.

Number plate prices vary widely, and sometimes there appears to be no rhyme nor reason for the variation.

Let's take a (theoretical) example:

Personal number plate I want to sell: H22 PLG. Let's say I bought it for £250. It's natural I'd hope to get a little more for it a couple of years down the line. But when I compare my car registration number plate to the other number plates for sale, I find there are over 70 number plates for sale that are very similar to mine. So can I sell my number plate for more than the other 70 number plates? I'd say it was unlikely.

But chances are that it will be offered for sale for more than £250. Especially if I sell via a dealer. That's because there's a dealer commission built into the asking price. So what are the chances of my selling my number plate?

Personal number plates for slimmers?

noreply@blogger.com (cinnamon-girl) — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 13:58:00 +0000

It never ceases to amaze me the different things that inspire people when choosing a personal number plate.
Today I saw article on the back of Slimming World's staff magazine. And there, proudly showing off their new private number plates we two Slimming World consultants Louise Monticelli and Denise Askew.

Louise opted for the term 'syns' - a word that Slimming World members will recognise I'm sure as the measure for different food options. So the registration number S5 YNS fits perfectly.
"We'd been looking for a numberplate that took our fancy, and when I came across this by accident I thought 'Why not?' " says Louise.

Denise's choice of registration number is equally imaginative: LE55 LBS. Now there's a mission statement!
"I'd always wanted a personalised Slimming World number plate, so on my 50th birthday, my husband surprised me by ordering this one and having it delivered along with our new car! I love it - and so do the members!"

Ladies.... you clearly love what you do!

Of course, jobs and hobbies are a popular theme when choosing a personal number plate. These are a few of the most popular ones:

Music number plates
Law number plates
Computer number plates

To buy or not to buy a personal number plate?

noreply@blogger.com (cinnamon-girl) — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:58:00 +0000

A client had just bought herself her dream car. I could tell from the tone of her voice that she was grinning from ear to ear. I'm sure many of us can relate to that - cars are no longer boys' toys.
This particular lady had decided she was going for the icing on the cake... a personal number plate. And, like most of us, she had a limited budget. She was looking at prefix style number plates, with a 3-letter abbreviation of her name. To keep it anonymous, let's say her name was Jan.

Unfortunately, she was struggling to find a private registration number she liked within her budget (a familiar story for many reading this, no doubt).

"How about a current style number plate?" I asked. "They're often more affordable - you can get one that's well within your budget". There was a fabulous one available at the time - similar to...
OO04 JAN
(this is not the exact registration number)

As current style number plates go, these ones are the best value number plates available at the moment. They are reasonably priced right now, and will sell well when they're put back on the market in the future. But in this case.... one slight hitch! Her car was a 53 plate - 6 months older than the registration number. So she would not be able to assign it to her car.

Dilemma! What to do?

Comparing number plates, and comparing number plate prices.
Should Jan buy the recommended private registration number anyway, because it's a good investment...too good to pass up? But she wouldn't be able to use it till she's replaced her car.
Or...should she pass up on this registration number, and pay more for a different private numberplate (that's likely to appreciate more slowly) she can use straightaway?

The rational side says... buy registration number OO04 JAN.
Emotional side says "I want to use my private number plate on my car straight away".

Decisions, decisions..... what would you do?

Number plate price comparison

noreply@blogger.com (cinnamon-girl) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 22:03:00 +0000

How do you compare number plates? And more importantly, how do you compare number plate prices?

How do you know what's a sensible price? And when you're paying over the odds?

I mean, anyone that ever searched for a personal number plate would tell you that prices vary so much. And why do number plates that look so similar vary so much in price? What's going on?

Having spent so much time in this industry, I've found there are many reasons why 2 apparently similar private number plates can be so different in price. Sometimes there's a genuine reason: for instance, compare number plates M3 SUE and M2 SUE. M3 SUE is likely to be valued higher than M2 SUE. Why? There may not appear to be much in it... but of course, M3 represents a BMW model. And that adds to the value considerably.
Here's a good example of how the value of a personal number plate can go up with the introduction of a new model of car.

Having said that, not all the price differences can be explained as genuine. When you compare number plate prices across different websites, you soon find the same personal number plate can vary widely - and occasionally the price can double from one site to another. Ouch.

Much of that is down to how much the company charges in commission fees. And how many dealers sit between the person selling and the buyer. And very often it's the seller themselves. Having spoken to many individuals selling number plates, expectations can be unrealistic.

The bottom line is.... shop around. Compare number plate prices across different dealers. And don't overlook those selling number plates privately. That means no dealers, so no dealer premium. And usually no vat.