Flipping Cars - Trade Buying Service Reviews Required!!
Discussion
Hi All,
Has anyone selling cars used Flipping Cars (Solihull, Birmingham) - Chris Laing's Trade Vehicle Buying Service?
I have watched the Flipping Cars YouTube videos and looked at the website. Chris comes across as a geniune, likeable chap and the idea appears to look like a very useful, money saving service but i am curious as to why there are no online reviews from the Trade community. Chris claims to supply vehicles to Motor Traders as well as private customers. There are very mixed reviews from private customers who have used the car buying service but as i say no mention from Trade customers. Private customers have reviewed that they had to do all the legwork and Flipping Cars merely submit the bids on your behalf. However, Chris in the YouTube videos and on the website claims that his Buying Team do all the work from sourcing you a car, to doing all the pre-bidding vehicle checks to ensure all is in order and as described to finally biidding on it for you - "saving you time and money".
The Trade Buying Service looks appealing to a startup, part-time trader like myself; whereby it could possibly save me time, money and importantly give me reassurance that if a vehicle supplied via auction through Flipping Cars was not as described, then with them being top level card holders, my purchase could be returned for a refund or replaced with another car.
If you are Trade and have used the Flipping Cars Trade Buying Service, please can you kindly provide an honest, straight-up review on the service? Is it as good as it appears to be or is it too good to be true? Shall i use the service or leave it?
Many Thanks.
Has anyone selling cars used Flipping Cars (Solihull, Birmingham) - Chris Laing's Trade Vehicle Buying Service?
I have watched the Flipping Cars YouTube videos and looked at the website. Chris comes across as a geniune, likeable chap and the idea appears to look like a very useful, money saving service but i am curious as to why there are no online reviews from the Trade community. Chris claims to supply vehicles to Motor Traders as well as private customers. There are very mixed reviews from private customers who have used the car buying service but as i say no mention from Trade customers. Private customers have reviewed that they had to do all the legwork and Flipping Cars merely submit the bids on your behalf. However, Chris in the YouTube videos and on the website claims that his Buying Team do all the work from sourcing you a car, to doing all the pre-bidding vehicle checks to ensure all is in order and as described to finally biidding on it for you - "saving you time and money".
The Trade Buying Service looks appealing to a startup, part-time trader like myself; whereby it could possibly save me time, money and importantly give me reassurance that if a vehicle supplied via auction through Flipping Cars was not as described, then with them being top level card holders, my purchase could be returned for a refund or replaced with another car.
If you are Trade and have used the Flipping Cars Trade Buying Service, please can you kindly provide an honest, straight-up review on the service? Is it as good as it appears to be or is it too good to be true? Shall i use the service or leave it?
Many Thanks.
It’s not at all dodgy, I used Chris’ service on a few occasions when starting out trading and as you say, it is ideal for that purpose until you are in a position to get your own account.
I am not too sure how easy it would be to return a car though, I have never had an issue the large auction groups but I believe it can be tough to get post purchase issues dealt with satisfactorily.
I am not too sure how easy it would be to return a car though, I have never had an issue the large auction groups but I believe it can be tough to get post purchase issues dealt with satisfactorily.
Edited by Nickp82 on Tuesday 8th December 22:28
Edited by Nickp82 on Tuesday 8th December 22:29
Hi Nick,
Thank you for your reply and feedback.
If you don't mind me asking, how long ago did you use Chris's service and how long for?
Did you have to do the legwork like searching for the cars yourself through the Flipping Buddy website or did the buying team do as claimed?
Would you recommend i use it?
Is there any advice or feedback you can give which could benefit me using the service? I am new, so would be very grateful for any help you can provide.
Many Thanks.
Thank you for your reply and feedback.
If you don't mind me asking, how long ago did you use Chris's service and how long for?
Did you have to do the legwork like searching for the cars yourself through the Flipping Buddy website or did the buying team do as claimed?
Would you recommend i use it?
Is there any advice or feedback you can give which could benefit me using the service? I am new, so would be very grateful for any help you can provide.
Many Thanks.
Hi, the last time was around a year ago . I found the cars I wanted as I look for a few specific models only and gave Chris my max bid. As a trader, I want to be making my own decisions on what to buy.
So all FC needed to do was log on to the auction at the appropriate time and submit the bid, money for old rope really! But given they can provide access that I didn’t have at the time and the lowest level of auction fees (where applicable) it made sense overall.
I always got an answer to emails and had no real issues so would recommend. The fee was £250 inc vat at the time I think, in case that has changed at all.
So all FC needed to do was log on to the auction at the appropriate time and submit the bid, money for old rope really! But given they can provide access that I didn’t have at the time and the lowest level of auction fees (where applicable) it made sense overall.
I always got an answer to emails and had no real issues so would recommend. The fee was £250 inc vat at the time I think, in case that has changed at all.
I used it once as a private buyer.
Very easy to use and seems like a nice chap.
His fee plus the trade auction fee was less than I would have paid if I had bought at auction as a private non trader.
Not sure how it works with traders but I directed him to three cars I had seen on Manheim/BCA with limits for each. The first went above my limit but bought the second.
I would use him again and was going to until I spotted the car I was looking for at a main dealer for £700 over CAP clean with a two year warranty.
Very easy to use and seems like a nice chap.
His fee plus the trade auction fee was less than I would have paid if I had bought at auction as a private non trader.
Not sure how it works with traders but I directed him to three cars I had seen on Manheim/BCA with limits for each. The first went above my limit but bought the second.
I would use him again and was going to until I spotted the car I was looking for at a main dealer for £700 over CAP clean with a two year warranty.
Nickp82 said:
Hi, the last time was around a year ago . I found the cars I wanted as I look for a few specific models only and gave Chris my max bid. As a trader, I want to be making my own decisions on what to buy.
So all FC needed to do was log on to the auction at the appropriate time and submit the bid, money for old rope really! But given they can provide access that I didn’t have at the time and the lowest level of auction fees (where applicable) it made sense overall.
I always got an answer to emails and had no real issues so would recommend. The fee was £250 inc vat at the time I think, in case that has changed at all.
Hi Nick, thank you for coming back to me, much appreciated. So all FC needed to do was log on to the auction at the appropriate time and submit the bid, money for old rope really! But given they can provide access that I didn’t have at the time and the lowest level of auction fees (where applicable) it made sense overall.
I always got an answer to emails and had no real issues so would recommend. The fee was £250 inc vat at the time I think, in case that has changed at all.
bassanclan said:
I used it once as a private buyer.
Very easy to use and seems like a nice chap.
His fee plus the trade auction fee was less than I would have paid if I had bought at auction as a private non trader.
Not sure how it works with traders but I directed him to three cars I had seen on Manheim/BCA with limits for each. The first went above my limit but bought the second.
I would use him again and was going to until I spotted the car I was looking for at a main dealer for £700 over CAP clean with a two year warranty.
Hi Bassanclan, thank you for your reply, much appreciated. Very easy to use and seems like a nice chap.
His fee plus the trade auction fee was less than I would have paid if I had bought at auction as a private non trader.
Not sure how it works with traders but I directed him to three cars I had seen on Manheim/BCA with limits for each. The first went above my limit but bought the second.
I would use him again and was going to until I spotted the car I was looking for at a main dealer for £700 over CAP clean with a two year warranty.
As a long established garage and car sales business who are finding it increasingly difficult to source good decent cars in the "Economic" sector of the market (£1k -£4K) I approached FC to check out the viability of them sourcing cars - having checked out the figures - cost of their service / Auction Costs / Margin VAT / repairs and servicing - I came to the conclusion it is simply not worth it - there would be virtually no - if any - profit margin left. The service they provide is very much designed for the Private buyer who does not need to take into account a return on capital.
In the current climate I have stopped actively looking to source cars - Not only are Auction prices and costs high but being unable to view increases the risk element to the extent the risk outweighs the potential reward - any idiot can work for nothing.
I would also make clear I have the resources and knowledge to service and repair cars in-house - yet despite this the figures still do not add up.
With respect to FC their business is not about buying and selling cars it is about earning fees from providing various services.
If my kids informed me they were going to attempt to make a living from "flipping cars" - my advice would be - find something much easier and far more financially rewarding.
In the current climate I have stopped actively looking to source cars - Not only are Auction prices and costs high but being unable to view increases the risk element to the extent the risk outweighs the potential reward - any idiot can work for nothing.
I would also make clear I have the resources and knowledge to service and repair cars in-house - yet despite this the figures still do not add up.
With respect to FC their business is not about buying and selling cars it is about earning fees from providing various services.
If my kids informed me they were going to attempt to make a living from "flipping cars" - my advice would be - find something much easier and far more financially rewarding.
There were a few companies operating in the space, i decided against it as all wanted the full purchase funds to be lodged with them in advance of the auction - which in my case was a fair chunk of cash i wasn't happy passing to a third party. They all wanted a non refundable fee of several hundred pounds to be lodged.
Factor in that many dealers push munters through the auctions also that prices at the auctions are sky high at the moment which means you wont bag a bargain and will have incurred a fee and you'd be better off buying privately subject to a dealer health check.
Factor in that many dealers push munters through the auctions also that prices at the auctions are sky high at the moment which means you wont bag a bargain and will have incurred a fee and you'd be better off buying privately subject to a dealer health check.
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