Selling your Aston Martin
Making the decision to sell your Aston Martin is difficult enough, but not as difficult as the sales process. At Byron International, we are in our third decade of helping members of the Aston Martin owners club and other Aston Martin owners by acting as brokers on the sale of their cars.
Best Price
Once you have decided to sell, then we take away all the problems of dealing with what can be an Internationally traded product. That’s important because currency exchange and import duty can affect the perceived price of your car and our understanding of those differences means that you will get the best price for your car.
Trust
The car remains under your control in a secure store while we advertise the car and deal with prospective buyers. And we work only for you – unlike an auction sale, there is only one commission. Nor are we a dealer using your car to boost our stock on sale or return, we only sell our clients’ cars. We raise a sale / purchase agreement between the buyer and seller so you know exactly what your car has sold for.
No Risk
We have taken all the risk out of the process for you – if we demonstrate a car, it is comprehensively insured by us for the duration of that demonstration – the car is only released to a new owner when cleared funds are in YOUR bank account. Remember, most auction houses only pay out a month after the car is sold.
The Detail
Whether a car needs to be checked with a specialist, if the car needs financing, if it needs shipping from one part of the world to another, we take care of all the detail and negotiation.
Like the owners, we are passionate about Aston Martins, but we have created a process – almost clinical in its efficiency – to ensure that you have no problems with the sale of your car.
Sometimes, making the decision to sell your Aston Martin is not easy, particularly if it has a long association with your family. Then there is the question of how, when and where will I achieve the best return for such a very valuable and internationally traded asset whilst protecting it. At Byron International, we understand these emotional and practical concerns. We are in our third decade of helping Aston Martin owners and in particular members of the A.M.O.C. (Aston Martin Owners Club) by acting as brokers in the sale of their cars. Please visit our Archives where you will find approximately 500 Astons we have sold or valued over the years.
But before you commit to using our services, you may have questions – we have a number of the most frequently asked questions, but if there is something we haven’t covered, just e-mail sales@allastonmartin.com.
How do you establish the asking price for my car?
Call us and describe your Aston Martin. Based on your description, our sales of the same model and knowledge of others available, we will estimate its market value. If you are happy with our estimate and the car is located in Europe, we will follow up with a personal visit to view your car and agree a price. We will also visit other countries if it is a significant or high value car.
What happens when you sell my Aston Martin?
When a transaction is agreed by you we raise a sales / purchase agreement between the seller and the buyer who makes direct payment to the seller. The exceptions are when either seller or buyer, require anonymity and when the buyer requires finance because as Licensed Credit Brokers we usually have to invoice the finance company. The car is only released to a new owner when cleared funds are in your bank account.
What about insurance when my Aston Martin is being driven?
When a representative of Byron International is driving your car or accompanying a prospective buyer on demonstration, your car is fully comprehensively covered under our insurance with Aon. A copy of our Insurance Certificate is available on request.
How will my Aston Martin be presented?
We will compile an extensive written presentation about your Aston Martin that details fitted options, upgrades and enhancements. With your permission we will also include ownership history, concours achievements, race or rally results, restoration, service, and maintenance invoices plus MOT history. In short we will draw out all the selling aspects of your car. All documentation is date collated and displayed in a leather bound folder which is shown to all prospective buyers that view your car. In addition, your car will be extensively photographed and when appropriate in a studio by a Professional Photographer. This combination will form the foundation of our presentation.
How will my Aston Martin be promoted?
- On our own website, www.allastonmartin.com, as well as other significant specialist advertising web sites.
- By advertisement in various specialist magazines (link to a section on web site that displays copies of previous adverts).
- By telephone, e-mail or letter to recent enquiries for your model Aston Martin that we have recorded in our extensive database.
Where will my Aston Martin be kept?
Your car will be held to your order at Bullbridge Storage - www.bullbridgestorage.co.uk. This means you remain in control of your asset yet enables us to show your car to a prospective buyer. All of the Astons we are representing are located in one area, which as you can imagine is impressive.
The store was purpose built in 2005 so it is in first class condition.
It is ideally located for visitors being just 40 minutes from Gatwick Airport and just over an hour from London Victoria by train or from the Channel Tunnel by car. The local roads are not as congested as London and therefore make them ideal for demonstrating your car. It may also be possible for you to achieve a saving on insurance by reducing cover to ‘laid-up’ status.
What do you offer that I cannot or may not be able to offer?
- A long established reputation and trusted forum for business to take place easily.
- A data base of current prospective buyers.
- Confidence in debating values based on experience.
- Comprehensive insurance cover during demonstration.
- Finance for buyers.
- Information for buyers, Shipping, Insurance
- Up to the minute experience of how a change in currency exchange rates is influencing overseas buyers.
- How different country import regulations can work in your favour. For instance, Australia does not charge duty on cars over 30 years old so we pay particular attention to enquiries for an early AM V8 from 'down under'. Similarly, some Aston Martin models can be imported to the U.K. under the historic car scheme which means they only attract 5% VAT not 17.5%.
Your car will be held to your order at Bullbridge Storage - www.bullbridgestorage.co.uk. This means you remain in control of your asset yet enables us to show your car to a prospective buyer. All of the Astons we are representing are located in one area, which as you can imagine is impressive.
Commission
We vary our charge for commission which is based on the sale price. 7% for current production models and 10% for all others, plus VAT. We only receive a payment from one party in any transaction. With the exception of studio photography which is optional, we do not charge expenses.
The cost of storage
This varies dependant on value. It is from £28.00 per week plus VAT and includes a battery conditioner.
How does that compare with an auction or a dealer?
If we take the example of a vehicle with a sale price of £100,000, we can compare the main marketing platforms:
- Brokerage
- Auction companies
- Dealers
The seller will meet storage charges but will have absolute control on the realised price – a sale of £100,000 will return the seller £88,250.
Auction Companies:
Auction House |
Sellers Commission |
Buyers Premium |
Source |
Payment to Seller |
Buyer Pays** |
Seller Receives** |
Bonhams |
10% of hammer price |
15% of 1st £30,000 |
Catalogue |
21 days after auction |
£100,000 |
£77,571.75 |
BCA |
4% of hammer price |
10% of hammer price |
BCA website |
3-5 working days of sale |
£100,000 |
£85,048.97 |
Charterhouse |
£100 entry fee + |
15% of 1st £30,000 |
Catalogue |
Not Stated |
£100,000 |
£82,618.38 |
Coys |
10% of hammer price |
15% of 1st £30,000 |
Catalogue |
35 days after auction |
£100,000 |
£77,571.75 |
H & H |
5% of hammer price + min £150 entry fee |
10% of hammer price |
Catalogue |
8 working days after payment |
£100,000 |
£84,056.22 |
R & M* |
10% of hammer price + expenses |
10% of hammer price |
Catalogue |
28 days after auction |
£100,000 |
£78,974.93 |
** The buying price includes Buyer's Premiums as any buyer's budget would inevitably include their costs.
** Sellers, must also consider the time delay for payment.
Commission rates published in auction catalogues or online – correct at time of publication
Dealers
From personal experience of running a large used car operation within a franchised dealership, we worked on a gross margin of around 20% to return a net of 11%. So, working with our £100,000 car, the seller would receive £80,000.