Topic: Porsche buying thread

[Blueprint]

One of the Americans who contacted me now wants me to auction some of his cars on BaT... This side-gig thing is going to get out of hand soon 

[rrocket]

One of the Americans who contacted me now wants me to auction some of his cars on BaT... This side-gig thing is going to get out of hand soon 

Awesome!!

[JohnnyMac]

One of the Americans who contacted me now wants me to auction some of his cars on BaT... This side-gig thing is going to get out of hand soon 

Awesome!!

Agreed, this is the kind of side gig that I'm sure is more enjoyable than most.

[Blueprint]

I'm neg'ing with the top bidder and things appear to be going well. By lunch tomorrow I may have sold my first car on BaT, but off Bat (no buyer's fee this way!)

Bittersweet victory. Caught between buyer and seller, both a few $$ apart, I made it happen by working for free. Hopefully my contact will work out some for of compensation for my time. The number of hours on a listing like that creep up fast, and I actually wrenched on the car to remove the speedo to shed more light on its replacement date.

[Allen]

Congrats,, I trust the seller understands what you did for him and comes through with some $ for your time  & effort

[TheHire]

I'm neg'ing with the top bidder and things appear to be going well. By lunch tomorrow I may have sold my first car on BaT, but off Bat (no buyer's fee this way!)

Bittersweet victory. Caught between buyer and seller, both a few $$ apart, I made it happen by working for free. Hopefully my contact will work out some for of compensation for my time. The number of hours on a listing like that creep up fast, and I actually wrenched on the car to remove the speedo to shed more light on its replacement date.

Value your time higher. You're moving high-ticket cars, nobody else works for free, you shouldn't either. Unless these people are personal friends of yours, they are capitalizing quite literally at your expense.

[PJungnitsch]

Checking on the history of the bidders I was amazed at how much some of them spend. Multiple acquisitions, sometimes for huge money

Either they or the people they buy for have deep pockets

Sure rich people are often cheap as hell, but still

[Blueprint]

I'm neg'ing with the top bidder and things appear to be going well. By lunch tomorrow I may have sold my first car on BaT, but off Bat (no buyer's fee this way!)

Bittersweet victory. Caught between buyer and seller, both a few $$ apart, I made it happen by working for free. Hopefully my contact will work out some for of compensation for my time. The number of hours on a listing like that creep up fast, and I actually wrenched on the car to remove the speedo to shed more light on its replacement date.

Value your time higher. You're moving high-ticket cars, nobody else works for free, you shouldn't either. Unless these people are personal friends of yours, they are capitalizing quite literally at your expense.

I have a partner in this, a guy who does this full time but doesn't have the tact required by BaT, hence my role at the wheel while he interfaces with the client and supplies me with the pics and docs. This time, with the car in the same area as my media cars, I did some of the photography work myself, plus the speedo job, so yup I feel used a bit with this result. I could have turned down the buyer's final offer, but I'm not that kind of guy and made it happen for the client. I firmly asked my liaison to find us some for of compensation as I'm easily down $1k of "un-punching" from the day job while the client sells and leases high end cars at a profit every day of the week - their place reeks of money.

[Davep]

I'm neg'ing with the top bidder and things appear to be going well. By lunch tomorrow I may have sold my first car on BaT, but off Bat (no buyer's fee this way!)

Bittersweet victory. Caught between buyer and seller, both a few $$ apart, I made it happen by working for free. Hopefully my contact will work out some for of compensation for my time. The number of hours on a listing like that creep up fast, and I actually wrenched on the car to remove the speedo to shed more light on its replacement date.

Value your time higher. You're moving high-ticket cars, nobody else works for free, you shouldn't either. Unless these people are personal friends of yours, they are capitalizing quite literally at your expense.

I have a partner in this, a guy who does this full time but doesn't have the tact required by BaT, hence my role at the wheel while he interfaces with the client and supplies me with the pics and docs. This time, with the car in the same area as my media cars, I did some of the photography work myself, plus the speedo job, so yup I feel used a bit with this result. I could have turned down the buyer's final offer, but I'm not that kind of guy and made it happen for the client. I firmly asked my liaison to find us some for of compensation as I'm easily down $1k of "un-punching" from the day job while the client sells and leases high end cars at a profit every day of the week - their place reeks of money.

TheHire is absolutely correct. In my opinion, you should charge a flat fee up front, plus a small commission if sold. Nobody respects free. I was self employed in printing sales and if a client squeezed me down in price too much, I'd let the project go, and spend my time generating new client leads.

[rrocket]

while the client sells and leases high end cars at a profit every day of the week - their place reeks of money.

Typical.

The love money...except giving it to people who deserve it.

[Davep]

while the client sells and leases high end cars at a profit every day of the week - their place reeks of money.

Typical.

The love money...except giving it to people who deserve it.

You nailed it! 

[Blueprint]

I'm neg'ing with the top bidder and things appear to be going well. By lunch tomorrow I may have sold my first car on BaT, but off Bat (no buyer's fee this way!)

Bittersweet victory. Caught between buyer and seller, both a few $$ apart, I made it happen by working for free. Hopefully my contact will work out some for of compensation for my time. The number of hours on a listing like that creep up fast, and I actually wrenched on the car to remove the speedo to shed more light on its replacement date.

Value your time higher. You're moving high-ticket cars, nobody else works for free, you shouldn't either. Unless these people are personal friends of yours, they are capitalizing quite literally at your expense.

I have a partner in this, a guy who does this full time but doesn't have the tact required by BaT, hence my role at the wheel while he interfaces with the client and supplies me with the pics and docs. This time, with the car in the same area as my media cars, I did some of the photography work myself, plus the speedo job, so yup I feel used a bit with this result. I could have turned down the buyer's final offer, but I'm not that kind of guy and made it happen for the client. I firmly asked my liaison to find us some for of compensation as I'm easily down $1k of "un-punching" from the day job while the client sells and leases high end cars at a profit every day of the week - their place reeks of money.

TheHire is absolutely correct. In my opinion, you should charge a flat fee up front, plus a small commission if sold. Nobody respects free. I was self employed in printing sales and if a client squeezed me down in price too much, I'd let the project go, and spend my time generating new client leads.

Lesson learned indeed. My first three auctions went RNM and I was out for my time and effort. The commission-based revenues appear to be par for the course with brokers, but Canadian listings on BaT are always risky.

[Davep]

And like you suggested, you don't want it to adversely affect your day job.

[rrocket]

I'm neg'ing with the top bidder and things appear to be going well. By lunch tomorrow I may have sold my first car on BaT, but off Bat (no buyer's fee this way!)

Bittersweet victory. Caught between buyer and seller, both a few $$ apart, I made it happen by working for free. Hopefully my contact will work out some for of compensation for my time. The number of hours on a listing like that creep up fast, and I actually wrenched on the car to remove the speedo to shed more light on its replacement date.

Value your time higher. You're moving high-ticket cars, nobody else works for free, you shouldn't either. Unless these people are personal friends of yours, they are capitalizing quite literally at your expense.

I have a partner in this, a guy who does this full time but doesn't have the tact required by BaT, hence my role at the wheel while he interfaces with the client and supplies me with the pics and docs. This time, with the car in the same area as my media cars, I did some of the photography work myself, plus the speedo job, so yup I feel used a bit with this result. I could have turned down the buyer's final offer, but I'm not that kind of guy and made it happen for the client. I firmly asked my liaison to find us some for of compensation as I'm easily down $1k of "un-punching" from the day job while the client sells and leases high end cars at a profit every day of the week - their place reeks of money.

TheHire is absolutely correct. In my opinion, you should charge a flat fee up front, plus a small commission if sold. Nobody respects free. I was self employed in printing sales and if a client squeezed me down in price too much, I'd let the project go, and spend my time generating new client leads.

Lesson learned indeed. My first three auctions went RNM and I was out for my time and effort. The commission-based revenues appear to be par for the course with brokers, but Canadian listings on BaT are always risky.

Yep.

It's OK to run into stuff like this with a new venture until you figure it out.

You need something like a "Listing fee" if the vehicle doesn't sell to cover your time+a little something.

[Blueprint]

I'm neg'ing with the top bidder and things appear to be going well. By lunch tomorrow I may have sold my first car on BaT, but off Bat (no buyer's fee this way!)

Bittersweet victory. Caught between buyer and seller, both a few $$ apart, I made it happen by working for free. Hopefully my contact will work out some for of compensation for my time. The number of hours on a listing like that creep up fast, and I actually wrenched on the car to remove the speedo to shed more light on its replacement date.

Value your time higher. You're moving high-ticket cars, nobody else works for free, you shouldn't either. Unless these people are personal friends of yours, they are capitalizing quite literally at your expense.

I have a partner in this, a guy who does this full time but doesn't have the tact required by BaT, hence my role at the wheel while he interfaces with the client and supplies me with the pics and docs. This time, with the car in the same area as my media cars, I did some of the photography work myself, plus the speedo job, so yup I feel used a bit with this result. I could have turned down the buyer's final offer, but I'm not that kind of guy and made it happen for the client. I firmly asked my liaison to find us some for of compensation as I'm easily down $1k of "un-punching" from the day job while the client sells and leases high end cars at a profit every day of the week - their place reeks of money.

TheHire is absolutely correct. In my opinion, you should charge a flat fee up front, plus a small commission if sold. Nobody respects free. I was self employed in printing sales and if a client squeezed me down in price too much, I'd let the project go, and spend my time generating new client leads.

Lesson learned indeed. My first three auctions went RNM and I was out for my time and effort. The commission-based revenues appear to be par for the course with brokers, but Canadian listings on BaT are always risky.

Yep.

It's OK to run into stuff like this with a new venture until you figure it out.

You need something like a "Listing fee" if the vehicle doesn't sell to cover your time+a little something.

Indeed, now that I have four of these under my belt I realize that, unlike casual commenting, they demand a lot more time than you'd think initially.

[ktm525]

$$/hour with minimum 1 hour lol

[Firm]

Don't be so hard on yourself....Sometimes you need to invest your time to build up the credibility you need to be successful in something like this. Right now, I look at your BAT profile and I see a ton of comments, some great listings, but no sales. As a buyer, if I saw a successful sale or two, with happy buyers, I'd be even more inclined to buy from you. If that means having to sell a car or two without getting a good return on your time, so you can build the credibility, you do what it takes.

[TheHire]

Don't be so hard on yourself....Sometimes you need to invest your time to build up the credibility you need to be successful in something like this. Right now, I look at your BAT profile and I see a ton of comments, some great listings, but no sales. As a buyer, if I saw a successful sale or two, with happy buyers, I'd be even more inclined to buy from you. If that means having to sell a car or two without getting a good return on your time, so you can build the credibility, you do what it takes.

This is fair, but I also see that as something he should factor in when dealing with potential sellers. If the client seems unreasonable with a minimum reserve too high, or seems out of touch with the market, Blueprint should have the confidence to turn away the opportunity overall.

I get propositioned by people every single day of the week who want to sell me cars for market value. If you want market value, you sell the car yourself. Approaching a dealer to sell them your car means you're trading away some of the money for the convenience of getting it gone immediately, with no hassle on your end. I will need to recondition the car, spend the time to inspect it, do market research, and then turn a profit. I need to pay my staff for this, and hence after a reality check, many opt to not sell me the car. No hard feelings, I'm also here running a business.

Blueprint is going about this the right way from a networking perspective, but I feel like he's given away enough of his time now and should be able to tell anyone who's wasting his time to pound the proverbial sand. If he's selling this 930 Turbo for a high end dealer who turns a profit selling cars themselves, then they also have the staff to be able to broker this auction themselves. Sales guys are commission based; they're incentivized to get this car moved, and on this guy's payroll while Blueprint is not. He's an outsider brought in for some reason, and the reason he's brought in is because he is willing to do it for free. Hard no.

[Blueprint]

Don't be so hard on yourself....Sometimes you need to invest your time to build up the credibility you need to be successful in something like this. Right now, I look at your BAT profile and I see a ton of comments, some great listings, but no sales. As a buyer, if I saw a successful sale or two, with happy buyers, I'd be even more inclined to buy from you. If that means having to sell a car or two without getting a good return on your time, so you can build the credibility, you do what it takes.

This is fair, but I also see that as something he should factor in when dealing with potential sellers. If the client seems unreasonable with a minimum reserve too high, or seems out of touch with the market, Blueprint should have the confidence to turn away the opportunity overall.

I get propositioned by people every single day of the week who want to sell me cars for market value. If you want market value, you sell the car yourself. Approaching a dealer to sell them your car means you're trading away some of the money for the convenience of getting it gone immediately, with no hassle on your end. I will need to recondition the car, spend the time to inspect it, do market research, and then turn a profit. I need to pay my staff for this, and hence after a reality check, many opt to not sell me the car. No hard feelings, I'm also here running a business.

Blueprint is going about this the right way from a networking perspective, but I feel like he's given away enough of his time now and should be able to tell anyone who's wasting his time to pound the proverbial sand. If he's selling this 930 Turbo for a high end dealer who turns a profit selling cars themselves, then they also have the staff to be able to broker this auction themselves. Sales guys are commission based; they're incentivized to get this car moved, and on this guy's payroll while Blueprint is not. He's an outsider brought in for some reason, and the reason he's brought in is because he is willing to do it for free. Hard no.

The part in bold - the fact that one of the American contacts wants me to sell his car on BaT tells me I got this. And after four rodeos, I realize that my main issues on BaT are 1) cars located in Canada and 2) too-high reserves.

I realize that I'm also getting better at predicting the market. I knew very well that "my" 930 was reserved too high, but the fact that BaT did not blink and the possibility that the rare paint and odd pairing might lure in collectors made me curious. I'm flat-out impressed that I beat the gorgeous and fully restored '79 that went for $136k. The client is probably kicking himself for not taking the $160,930 final bid on Pcarmarket, my consolation.

From now on, no dreamers, I need to be comfortable with the reserve, even if the car is in the US. Still, I'd like to run a No Reserve just to log a sale prior to the offline deals!

[Firm]

I don't disagree with you guys; if the seller is unreasonable in their expectations, then absolutely don't waste your time when the chances of you logging the sale are slim. However, in your shoes, if you had the opportunity to bring a car to BAT that was highly likely to sell (low or no reserve, reasonable seller, etc) my advice is not to get hung up on the $...get it done, log the sale, build the credibility. Once you've got a bunch of sales to your name, then by all means, ask top dollar for your services.

Adi, your comparison to someone trying to sell you a car at market is totally different....you're a dealer with hundreds of sales, and a big existing inventory where your capital is invested. You don't need the experience, or credibility, you're beyond that. There's absolutely no reason for you to buy something where there's no profit in it. BP is simply providing a service, he's not investing any capital funds, nor has he logged any sales, the potential for him to attract clients and demand top $ for his services is solely hinged on his experience and reputation....and in these early phases, building concrete credibility through a couple successfully closed sales is invaluable imo. But again, if the potential client is dreaming - then you're not really building the experience you need, so pass.