There was a time just a couple of decades ago when private number plates were something of an exclusive commodity the likes of which wasn’t within the reach of the general public. The reason for this was the fact they were in much shorter supply than they are today, which in turn meant that each and every one had a fairly high value which tended to appreciate with time. Of course, this all changed when the DVLA rolled out its last couple of major syntax changes to UK number plates, which added tens of millions of possible number and letter combinations to the mix.
This has benefited the UK motorist no end as the once-exclusive commodity of the private plate is now a unique treasure everyone can enjoy. Plates have in general never been more affordable despite being 100% unique across the board and something of a cherished asset for life. At the same time however, it’s still perfectly possible to pay over the odds for a private plate, either by choosing a genuinely sought after registration or by making the wrong choice when it comes to choosing a seller. You can also reach the number plates maker for this solution.
So, with this in mind, here’s a quick look at just a few of the most important tips of all for making sure you don’t pay more than necessary when picking up your own private number plate:
1 – Choose a Reputable Retailer
So right off the bat comes the all-important point mentioned above – choosing the right retailer in the first place. Now, this may sound like something that’s easier said than done for newcomers to the subject, but is in fact a pretty simple process on the whole. Basically, all you’re looking for is an experienced and established private plate-selling specialist with a reputation for getting the job done right. This is genuinely easy to figure out simply by having a good look over the information on their website and by looking up a few customer reviews. There should be plenty of feedback out there to help you make the right decision, so be sure to use it.
2 – Make Sure Transfer Fees Are Included
Do be aware of the fact that with certain retailers there will be a fair few hidden charges to take into account that may not be apparent from the get-go. More often than not, the price you see is the price you pay – that’s pretty much it. However, there will always be those who do all they can to bump up their own takings, which could mean anything from credit card processing fees to transfer fees to other kinds of commission of any sort. Generally speaking, each and every one of these fees is 100% unnecessary and doesn’t actually buy you anything you need, so it’s in your best interests to only ever go to those that promise no added fees or charges.
3 – Shop Around
When looking for that plate of your dreams, you’ll probably notice that the same plate appears to be on sale across a bunch of sites all at the same time. Now, this might be the kind of thing that makes you assume one or more of these sites are looking to scam you, but in reality this is rarely the case. Online vendors are not in most cases the actual owners of the plates, but rather private brokers that sell the plates on behalf of others and take care of the admin side of things. And it is for this exact reason why it’s a very good idea to shop around to your heart’s content before settling on the vendor of your choosing. After all, the last thing you want is to make a payment only to find out about 30 seconds later that you could have saved hundreds of pounds by buying from a different website.
4 – Check Similar Alternatives
Last but not least, if you’re looking to make the biggest savings of all, then it’s definitely in your best interests to check out a whole bunch of similar alternatives to your first plate of choice, just to see what kinds of prices they’re going for. For example, if your chosen plate features somewhere among the mix ‘1T’ you might find that changing this to ‘T1’ alters the price radically…in one direction or the other. It’s all about how much demand there is for any given plate, which in turn means that making very minor and indeed creative changes here and there can result in an exponentially lower price.