"Trade Sellers"

[PhilipH]

Is there any advantage of buying a used car from a "trade seller" (who works from home) in comparison to a private seller?

I'm under the impression a 'trade seller' is a private individual who is seeking to attract buyers such as myself who wouldn't consider buying a car privately. Therefore, although it probably varies, would you expect a trade seller to give any type of warantee/guarantee?

Thanks in advance.

[daemon]

PhilipH said:

Is there any advantage of buying a used car from a "trade seller" (who works from home) in comparison to a private seller?

I'm under the impression a 'trade seller' is a private individual who is seeking to attract buyers such as myself who wouldn't consider buying a car privately. Therefore, although it probably varies, would you expect a trade seller to give any type of warantee/guarantee?

Thanks in advance.

They have to comply with the SOGA when selling. Also you would expect them to be able to take trade ins, have the car serviced / mot'd if required, etc,

[PhilipH]

daemon said:

They have to comply with the SOGA when selling. Also you would expect them to be able to take trade ins, have the car serviced / mot'd if required, etc,

Great thanks for that. I assume therefore that a buyer has the same recourse as he would against a garage.

2 other questions if anyone has the answer:
- Is it common for warranties to be given? (does anyone use seperate online wannaties?)
- Would you expect to be able to pay by a secure means? E.g. credit card?

Thanks

[mmm-five]

Do you mean 'trade seller' as in a person who sells all their cars as 'trade only'? Or do you mean a 'trader' as in a private dealer?

If the former, then most tend to trade that way to avoid having to comply with SOG regulations.

If the latter, then SOG regulations apply.

[Crackin86]

Some trade sellers will offer a warranty i believe, not sure about being able to take credit cards though :-S

[SubaruSteve]

mmm-five said:

Do you mean 'trade seller' as in a person who sells all their cars as 'trade only'? Or do you mean a 'trader' as in a private dealer?

If the former, then most tend to trade that way to avoid having to comply with SOG regulations.

If the latter, then SOG regulations apply.

There is no difference if either of those people are selling to a private individual.

[caprirob]

PhilipH said:

daemon said:

They have to comply with the SOGA when selling. Also you would expect them to be able to take trade ins, have the car serviced / mot'd if required, etc,

Great thanks for that. I assume therefore that a buyer has the same recourse as he would against a garage.

2 other questions if anyone has the answer:
- Is it common for warranties to be given? (does anyone use seperate online wannaties?)
- Would you expect to be able to pay by a secure means? E.g. credit card?

Thanks

1 ) I've never been offered any sort of warranty from a trader selling from home - however as already posted they have to comply with SOGA so you should have recourse if something goes wrong with the car shortly after purchase - SOGA is very woolly around this area though and much depends on the age/condition and price of the car and how it was described. I would expect if you specifically ask the question any trader would sell you a warranty at extra cost though. Best to ask the question before handing over any cash if its a dealbreaker.
2 ) Depends on the volume they do - Credit card facilities can be expensive so if they're only turning over a few cars a month probably not.

[mmm-five]

SubaruSteve said:

There is no difference if either of those people are selling to a private individual.

That's why I called it a 'trade seller' - as in selling to a trader.

[Fox-]

SubaruSteve said:

There is no difference if either of those people are selling to a private individual.

Legally, no. In reality, there is a huge difference.

Good luck getting any of those rights from most (not all) 'trade sellers' from home in the event of a problem without resorting to court.

Buy privately.

[P1H]

Thanks for all the responses, will take them into consideration!

[Fox-]

Sometimes you can't avoid them - if you want a particular car and it's quite rare and the only one is with a 'private dealer' or whatever they call themselves these week to skirt around the fact they are trade.

Just treat it as a private sale - and pay no more than you would privately.

[SubaruSteve]

Fox- said:

SubaruSteve said:

There is no difference if either of those people are selling to a private individual.

Legally, no. In reality, there is a huge difference.

Good luck getting any of those rights from most (not all) 'trade sellers' from home in the event of a problem without resorting to court.

Buy privately.

Or, to balance that, buy from a reputable dealer and pay the extra.

[Fox-]

SubaruSteve said:

Or, to balance that, buy from a reputable dealer and pay the extra.

Quite - which is why I caveated my responses with 'If nobody else has the car you are after'.

Sometimes one of these guys stand between you and the only suitable car. This is irritating.

[POORCARDEALER]

A few points:

If you want proper hand holding/back up go to an established garage and pay a proper price.

Many private sellers ask more for cars than traders working from home.

If you are going to buy from a home trader I would presume its because they are the cheapest out there....do not expect them to be cuddly in the event of a problem...on the margins they are working to they really dont want to see you again once you have driven away (despite what the SOGA says).

I think people need to change the notion that trading standards/SOGA is going to sort things out if it gets sticky...the reality is its a very long drawn out affair, and it is not a given that you will get money back.

My view is if you are buying from anything other than an established retail outfit, treat the transaction as buying privately regarding levels of back up, that way you wont be disapointed.

[bazking69]

People often think that they will have some sort of comeback by buying from a trader. The reality is often that they have the same rights as they would buying privately.

[Fox-]

bazking69 said:

The reality is often that they have the same rights as they would buying privately.

No, they don't. Traders wish this was the case but sadly it's not.

[bazking69]

SOGA is all very well to quote, but the onus is on the new owner to prove that any problems/issues that may unravel were there at the time of purchase (after just a very nominal period of ownership), or that any fault/niggle is unreasonable to expect of a used car. There is no legal obligation to provide a warranty or RTB for rectification FOC like people seem to think. This is what alot of people don't seem to realise.

In any case, if a trader wants to shirk responsibility then it is the owner that finds himself having to persue protracted, expensive and time consuming options to recover monies or prove liability. This is the reality.

I am well aware of the SOGA and motor trader obligations, but my point was that the reality is often not as straightforward as buyers think it is, especially if the dealer doesn't want to be as cooperative as he was when he was selling you the car, with very few exceptions worth any note (deliberate misrepresentation or falsification of something etc is a criminal offence for private sellers and traders alike).

'Acceptable quality' on used cars is a very very grey area legally and technically, hence my point that I don't see the point in paying a premium to buy from a 'trader' over a private seller.

If some sort of comeback is what you crave, buy privately and take your pick of a suitable third party warranty policy rather than get given a basic warranty with a tiny capped claim limit from a trader, the cost of which is passed on in the sale price anyway.

Satisfying a customer that 'may' buy a car from you again years later and eating your small margin to do the right thing versus disappointing/upsetting a customer and never hearing from him again once he has had his rant, quoted SOGA and threatened legal action....

[CYMR0]

bazking69 said:

SOGA is all very well to quote, but the onus is on the new owner to prove that any problems/issues that may unravel were there at the time of purchase (after just a very nominal period of ownership), or that any fault/niggle is unreasonable to expect of a used car. There is no legal obligation to provide a warranty or RTB for rectification FOC like people seem to think. This is what alot of people don't seem to realise.

In any case, if a trader wants to shirk responsibility then it is the owner that finds himself having to pursue protracted, expensive and time consuming options to recover monies or prove liability. This is the reality.

I am well aware of the SOGA and motor trader obligations, but my point was that the reality is often not as straightforward as buyers think it is, especially if the dealer doesn't want to be as cooperative as he was when he was selling you the car, with very few exceptions worth any note (deliberate misrepresentation or falsification of something etc is a criminal offence for private sellers and traders alike).

'Acceptable quality' on used cars is a very very grey area legally and technically, hence my point that I don't see the point in paying a premium to buy from a 'trader' over a private seller.

If some sort of comeback is what you crave, buy privately and take your pick of a suitable third party warranty policy rather than get given a basic warranty with a tiny capped claim limit from a trader, the cost of which is passed on in the sale price anyway.

Satisfying a customer that 'may' buy a car from you again years later and eating your small margin to do the right thing versus disappointing/upsetting a customer and never hearing from him again once he has had his rant, quoted SOGA and threatened legal action....

Most of the post is good advice but the onus is on the seller to prove that any fault that develops within six months was NOT present; and faults include faults relating to quality and durability. If your tyres drop below the limit after 10k miles in five months, there's no chance of any comeback - if the timing belt snaps after 200 miles then in all but the sheddiest of sheds, that's the dealer's problem, legally, although as you say, that is a grey area. I also agree that your practical remedy might be a small claim and having to obtain and enforce that judgement is not always easy.

[McHaggis]

Personally I would treat a trade seller working from home in the same way I would treat a private seller. Carefully and based on the premise of no recourse.

[Fox-]

bazking69 said:

SOGA is all very well to quote, but the onus is on the new owner to prove that any problems/issues that may unravel were there at the time of purchase

Sadly this isn't the case.

bazking69 said:

I am well aware of the SOGA

It would seem not.