Cherished Numbers: Buying and selling
Discussion
Often wondered if there is a good market in buying and selling Cherished Numbers from DVLA auction? I bought a cheap 4-digit number from a chap on ebay for £1250 (knocked him down from £1600) and according to 'past auction results' he had just paid £700+fees for it. This was in 2013 and most 4-digit plates are £2000+ now so seem to have appreciated in value.
I'd of thought if you avoid the real naff plates and concentrate on the cheapest 3-5 digit ones it could become a worthwhile investment. What do you guys think - too much investment needed or simply not as easy as it sounds?
I'd of thought if you avoid the real naff plates and concentrate on the cheapest 3-5 digit ones it could become a worthwhile investment. What do you guys think - too much investment needed or simply not as easy as it sounds?
def. a possibility - download all the past auction records from the DVLA and do some analysis...
there can be some good value in NI plates which don't appear to be NI - e.g. avoid the Z ones (BAZ etc.
) and go for ones with an 'I' in them - e.g. DIG / RIG / etc. - then target the construction industry
there is a timed auction running online at the moment (finishes tomorrow) and a live auction (better plates) in Chesterfield c. 22nd of Feb ish...
then just start by buying one or two and go from there - be aware though that there are only a few auctions per year from the DVLA and therefore you need to bulk buy at those to have sales through the year...
there can be some good value in NI plates which don't appear to be NI - e.g. avoid the Z ones (BAZ etc.
) and go for ones with an 'I' in them - e.g. DIG / RIG / etc. - then target the construction industry there is a timed auction running online at the moment (finishes tomorrow) and a live auction (better plates) in Chesterfield c. 22nd of Feb ish...
then just start by buying one or two and go from there - be aware though that there are only a few auctions per year from the DVLA and therefore you need to bulk buy at those to have sales through the year...
voicey said:
If you register for an auction then you get offered the unsold plates for the reserve price at the end of the day - might be a way of buying a number of plates without getting into a bidding war.
I noticed this and will deffo have a look at the 'unsold' stuff - It'll be interesting to see what is on offer. However, I'd imagine the unsold plates are unsold for a reason - overpriced / undesirable.akirk said:
def. a possibility - download all the past auction records from the DVLA and do some analysis...
there can be some good value in NI plates which don't appear to be NI - e.g. avoid the Z ones (BAZ etc.) and go for ones with an 'I' in them - e.g. DIG / RIG / etc. - then target the construction industry
there is a timed auction running online at the moment (finishes tomorrow) and a live auction (better plates) in Chesterfield c. 22nd of Feb ish...
then just start by buying one or two and go from there - be aware though that there are only a few auctions per year from the DVLA and therefore you need to bulk buy at those to have sales through the year...
I've had a look at the last auction results - it seems plates are making much more today than previous auction results = more people dabbling in the business?there can be some good value in NI plates which don't appear to be NI - e.g. avoid the Z ones (BAZ etc.
) and go for ones with an 'I' in them - e.g. DIG / RIG / etc. - then target the construction industry there is a timed auction running online at the moment (finishes tomorrow) and a live auction (better plates) in Chesterfield c. 22nd of Feb ish...
then just start by buying one or two and go from there - be aware though that there are only a few auctions per year from the DVLA and therefore you need to bulk buy at those to have sales through the year...
Re 'timed auction - I have registered but nothing much catches my eye - seems these are the jalopy of plates DVLA have to offer. Admittedly only had a very brief glance so might need a more detailed scan..
One of the best investments i've made.. but choose the plate carefully, Good 2/3 digit with 2/3 letter plates have defiantly increased in value over the last say 10 years,I've bought and sold a few not as a business more found something more interesting/suitable,I have several on retention now.. it's also easier now the retention document lasts 10 years.. imo better than money in any bank..!
CRA1G said:
One of the best investments i've made.. but choose the plate carefully, Good 2/3 digit with 2/3 letter plates have defiantly increased in value over the last say 10 years,I've bought and sold a few not as a business more found something more interesting/suitable,I have several on retention now.. it's also easier now the retention document lasts 10 years.. imo better than money in any bank..!
Wow, great plate - CRA1G!re documents - do you have to pay a regular fee to retain the number? Always wondered this - how do companies like regtransfers retain all those numbers? (appreciate they don't personally own them all)
It isnt that easy though I bought SO10 MON thinking it would go to http://www.solomoncommercials.co.uk/ but they are not interested - buggers! Its on retention.
DSLiverpool said:
It isnt that easy though I bought SO10 MON thinking it would go to http://www.solomoncommercials.co.uk/ but they are not interested - buggers! Its on retention.
I think the idea is to buy a plate which is marketable to more than one person/business 
AyBee said:
DSLiverpool said:
It isnt that easy though I bought SO10 MON thinking it would go to http://www.solomoncommercials.co.uk/ but they are not interested - buggers! Its on retention.
I think the idea is to buy a plate which is marketable to more than one person/business must be someone who will want it - presumably depending on price...
Phooey said:
Re 'timed auction - I have registered but nothing much catches my eye - seems these are the jalopy of plates DVLA have to offer. Admittedly only had a very brief glance so might need a more detailed scan..
Have a closer look... I am watching (out of interest - not intending to buy, so fill your boots
)DIG 340 - £490
FIG 36 - £460
454 NAG - £430
969 PUP - £410
RIG 750 - £300
All of those are better than many of the plates being sold on ebay for quite a bit more...
you do have to factor in fees etc. which are disproportionate on lower priced plates, but with a bit of work you could make some money there...
NAG / PUP - sell to animal lovers
FIG 36 is a 3/2 really only worth £460 plus fees?
If you plan to play in the big priced plates then you will have a lot of competition
If you play in the very cheap plates then you will be up against companies such as Speedy Reg who have virtually cornered the cheap Irish market - very little profit margin and you need a lot of capital to maintain plates - they have something like 6,000 motorbikes with plates held on them, plus a team to maintain and MOT the bikes!
Where there is probably a space is finding the mid price plates which are overlooked and working out ways to sell them...
It is also worth bearing in mind that if the DVLA have them up for auction, their algorithm has already calculated that they are possibly worth a little bit...
You also have to start thinking why plates are valuable or not - so the two highest on the timed auction at the moment are:
YAA 114H - YA ALLAH? at £5020
BR06 KES - BROOKES? at £4020
there there is W45 TER - WASTER? only selling for £2010 - could see that selling for more elsewhere - bear in mind that most people buying plates for themselves will not be on the DVLA auctions...
Could you though look at those not selling for anything at all? e.g.
VLW 11F - VL WILF?
lots of options and that is from a list of plates which as you say are not the most exciting...
As above though do also register for the live auction to be offered unsold plates at reserve price afterwards...
akirk said:
AyBee said:
DSLiverpool said:
It isnt that easy though I bought SO10 MON thinking it would go to http://www.solomoncommercials.co.uk/ but they are not interested - buggers! Its on retention.
I think the idea is to buy a plate which is marketable to more than one person/business must be someone who will want it - presumably depending on price...
Phooey said:
Wow, great plate - CRA1G!
re documents - do you have to pay a regular fee to retain the number? Always wondered this - how do companies like regtransfers retain all those numbers? (appreciate they don't personally own them all)
No.. you pay the £80.00 retention fee upon purchase in your name and that then lasts for ten years when you sell the number you add the purchasers name (the nominee) to the certificate (no charge) and they can put it straight on to thier vehicle online with no additional fee's..re documents - do you have to pay a regular fee to retain the number? Always wondered this - how do companies like regtransfers retain all those numbers? (appreciate they don't personally own them all)
akirk said:
If you play in the very cheap plates then you will be up against companies such as Speedy Reg who have virtually cornered the cheap Irish market - very little profit margin and you need a lot of capital to maintain plates - they have something like 6,000 motorbikes with plates held on them, plus a team to maintain and MOT the bikes!
Mmmm.. what do you need to do to maintain the plates and why have they got them on 6000 motorbikes!? Is there some kind of loophole to keeping them on a vehicle rather than retaining them 
Appreciate the reply and the examples from the timed auction - thanks. Personally I'm not feeling them numbers but will keep an eye out for them reappearing - be interesting to see if they are bought by a trader.
CRA1G said:
No.. you pay the £80.00 retention fee upon purchase in your name and that then lasts for ten years when you sell the number you add the purchasers name (the nominee) to the certificate (no charge) and they can put it straight on to thier vehicle online with no additional fee's..
Ah, gotcha! Cheers. As ever with gov's the goalposts can move, but if not do you just pay another retention fee after the 10yrs? Sorry for all the questions 
It isn't always simple...
Buying from DVLA
- DVLA sends you a retention certificate for your £80
- when you wish to sell it you either transfer it to their vehicle immediately online, or put purchaser's name on as nominee
- if purchaser is on as nominee they can then transfer it to a vehicle, but can't sell it on - technically the right to set the nominee is still held by the grantee of the original retention certificate (you) - so the purchaser has no means of selling 'their' plate
Buying from Joe Public
- Joe Public takes the number from their car onto a retention certificate - in their name
- Joe Public sells it to you and adds you as nominee
- you (your registration plate business) can't now sell it as Joe Public still technically owns it - the only way for you to get hold of that plate is to transfer it onto a vehicle and then back onto a retention certificate making you the grantee and now able to add as nominee the person to whom you sell that number...
Therefore you need a vehicle to manage that process - and bear in mind that until recently there was no registration cost to keeping it on a vehicle, but to take it back off it would cost you the £80 + £25 p/a - so if you were stock piling registrations it could certainly prove to be an interesting equation to have 6,000 motorcycles than one on which you keep putting numbers and taking them off - there is of course the cost of MOT and tax for the motorbikes, but if they were old enough to have no tax cost and you have staff to MOT them - you could save quite a bit of money, plus have a great tax efficient scheme for pursuing your hobby of old motorbikes through the business So those 6,000 motorbikes could have saved £150,000 p/a in retention fees - and c. 1/2 million in taking numbers back off to give you the number on its new retention certificate - a cost that would be needed when selling - but for cash flow, not needed up front...
Of course, now that the £80 covers you for 10 years, the maths is very different - however it could still be a good excuse for owning cars / bikes you collect...
and all because there is technically no real way to actually sell a registration plate per se...
Buying from DVLA
- DVLA sends you a retention certificate for your £80
- when you wish to sell it you either transfer it to their vehicle immediately online, or put purchaser's name on as nominee
- if purchaser is on as nominee they can then transfer it to a vehicle, but can't sell it on - technically the right to set the nominee is still held by the grantee of the original retention certificate (you) - so the purchaser has no means of selling 'their' plate
Buying from Joe Public
- Joe Public takes the number from their car onto a retention certificate - in their name
- Joe Public sells it to you and adds you as nominee
- you (your registration plate business) can't now sell it as Joe Public still technically owns it - the only way for you to get hold of that plate is to transfer it onto a vehicle and then back onto a retention certificate making you the grantee and now able to add as nominee the person to whom you sell that number...
Therefore you need a vehicle to manage that process - and bear in mind that until recently there was no registration cost to keeping it on a vehicle, but to take it back off it would cost you the £80 + £25 p/a - so if you were stock piling registrations it could certainly prove to be an interesting equation to have 6,000 motorcycles than one on which you keep putting numbers and taking them off - there is of course the cost of MOT and tax for the motorbikes, but if they were old enough to have no tax cost and you have staff to MOT them - you could save quite a bit of money, plus have a great tax efficient scheme for pursuing your hobby of old motorbikes through the business
So those 6,000 motorbikes could have saved £150,000 p/a in retention fees - and c. 1/2 million in taking numbers back off to give you the number on its new retention certificate - a cost that would be needed when selling - but for cash flow, not needed up front...Of course, now that the £80 covers you for 10 years, the maths is very different - however it could still be a good excuse for owning cars / bikes you collect...
and all because there is technically no real way to actually sell a registration plate per se...
akirk said:
It isn't always simple...
Buying from DVLA
- DVLA sends you a retention certificate for your £80
- when you wish to sell it you either transfer it to their vehicle immediately online, or put purchaser's name on as nominee
- if purchaser is on as nominee they can then transfer it to a vehicle, but can't sell it on - technically the right to set the nominee is still held by the grantee of the original retention certificate (you) - so the purchaser has no means of selling 'their' plate
Buying from Joe Public
- Joe Public takes the number from their car onto a retention certificate - in their name
- Joe Public sells it to you and adds you as nominee
- you (your registration plate business) can't now sell it as Joe Public still technically owns it - the only way for you to get hold of that plate is to transfer it onto a vehicle and then back onto a retention certificate making you the grantee and now able to add as nominee the person to whom you sell that number...
Therefore you need a vehicle to manage that process - and bear in mind that until recently there was no registration cost to keeping it on a vehicle, but to take it back off it would cost you the £80 + £25 p/a - so if you were stock piling registrations it could certainly prove to be an interesting equation to have 6,000 motorcycles than one on which you keep putting numbers and taking them off - there is of course the cost of MOT and tax for the motorbikes, but if they were old enough to have no tax cost and you have staff to MOT them - you could save quite a bit of money, plus have a great tax efficient scheme for pursuing your hobby of old motorbikes through the business So those 6,000 motorbikes could have saved £150,000 p/a in retention fees - and c. 1/2 million in taking numbers back off to give you the number on its new retention certificate - a cost that would be needed when selling - but for cash flow, not needed up front...
Of course, now that the £80 covers you for 10 years, the maths is very different - however it could still be a good excuse for owning cars / bikes you collect...
and all because there is technically no real way to actually sell a registration plate per se...
Wow, that's interesting, and some good bits of info I didn't know. Cheers Buying from DVLA
- DVLA sends you a retention certificate for your £80
- when you wish to sell it you either transfer it to their vehicle immediately online, or put purchaser's name on as nominee
- if purchaser is on as nominee they can then transfer it to a vehicle, but can't sell it on - technically the right to set the nominee is still held by the grantee of the original retention certificate (you) - so the purchaser has no means of selling 'their' plate
Buying from Joe Public
- Joe Public takes the number from their car onto a retention certificate - in their name
- Joe Public sells it to you and adds you as nominee
- you (your registration plate business) can't now sell it as Joe Public still technically owns it - the only way for you to get hold of that plate is to transfer it onto a vehicle and then back onto a retention certificate making you the grantee and now able to add as nominee the person to whom you sell that number...
Therefore you need a vehicle to manage that process - and bear in mind that until recently there was no registration cost to keeping it on a vehicle, but to take it back off it would cost you the £80 + £25 p/a - so if you were stock piling registrations it could certainly prove to be an interesting equation to have 6,000 motorcycles than one on which you keep putting numbers and taking them off - there is of course the cost of MOT and tax for the motorbikes, but if they were old enough to have no tax cost and you have staff to MOT them - you could save quite a bit of money, plus have a great tax efficient scheme for pursuing your hobby of old motorbikes through the business
So those 6,000 motorbikes could have saved £150,000 p/a in retention fees - and c. 1/2 million in taking numbers back off to give you the number on its new retention certificate - a cost that would be needed when selling - but for cash flow, not needed up front...Of course, now that the £80 covers you for 10 years, the maths is very different - however it could still be a good excuse for owning cars / bikes you collect...
and all because there is technically no real way to actually sell a registration plate per se...
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