Things have slowed down a little bit in Southern Ireland, as they’ve had NOX emissions legislation on imports come in as of January. The higher the emissions of the vehicle the more of a tariff they have to pay. This takes big emitters off the table for many dealers, as they’re not looking for big petrol engines or vehicles that were registered earlier than 2016, so it’s changed their market.
In addition, they can no longer buy a vehicle without a V5. They were previously able to contact the DVLA, but government legislation that came in at the end of last year has put a stop to it.
One thing that’s helping dealers and having a positive effect is the accuracy of our vehicle descriptions. It’s clearly stated if a vehicle has a V5 and this is helping dealers to go into auction and buy with confidence.
Another important factor for Irish dealers is the condition of vehicles they’re looking to purchase. It can take up to two weeks for a vehicle to arrive on the forecourt in Ireland, from the UK, so the time to sale is really important for them. If a dealer has to refurb a vehicle or put them through any kind of prep, it just lengthens that timeframe, not to mention incurs a cost. So, when I’m speaking to dealers, I’m offering them vehicles that suit that need, with a minimal amount of preparation, so they can get that vehicle on their forecourt and sold.
There’s a huge element of trust involved when dealers from Ireland are buying from the UK mainland. This is the ultimate form of distance selling. As far as the UK market goes, they’re a ferry ride or a plane trip away. For them to buy online or remotely, they need to know that ADESA is selling accurately, transparently and with their interests in mind. And, I think we do a great job of that.
The old website wasn’t to everyone’s taste but after seeing the new look and feel, they’re all loving it. Some of the new additions and features on the website have made a world of difference, especially in how it looks and operates on mobile devices as well as the addition of CAP pricing on each vehicle.
In many ways, ADESA’s Irish customers are a lot further ahead in terms of the online space. I manage dealers in Scotland and parts of the North West of England and in comparison, physical auctions are a lot less prevalent in Ireland. They embrace the technology and it gives them a much larger and more varied pool of cars than they would have if they just relied on physical.
With having such a smaller physical auction option, they found themselves more reliant on buying online, and it’s almost habitual for them now. Not only that, but they’re finding they’ve got much more time to focus on selling vehicles.
With a pint of Guinness in Liverpool!