Buying number plate while car is off-road

DVLA are NOT notified of number plate sales. The shops have to keep records of who the plates are sold to, that is all.

Mrcheerful

In other words, no one cares as long as you have a V5 and some ID.

Alan

...or if you're in Scotland, all you need to do is sign a book. No V5 required (with the exception of Halfrauds).

...or if you buy off the guy I bought off on eBay, you don't need anything. I give him the reg and the money, he sends me the plate. Couldn't believe it. Fortunately it was a perfectly legitimate plate replacement I was getting.

Most don't even care about either of those and a lot make illegal plates to appear different due to incorrect spacing.

Or you look on ebay for scottish dealers who make them up for you. I got a pair for £11.50 including postage, no questions asked.

I thought the machine for making number plates was linked up by some connection to the DVLA.

The guy in the shop seems to think it is and to me he sounded as if he might know. Weird. What is he mixing up?

Could the shop be part of some vouluntary scheme run by the DVLA to have the plate numbers sent up to them electronically?

I am not aware of any system of electronically reporting number plates made.

All we have to keep is a manual register and no-one has ever been to check up on us.

It would be pathetic if we didn't have to pay to be registered suppliers! It doesn't cost much but it is just another pointless tax on my business.

Alan

With the minute amount of numberplates I assume you sell, is it really worth it?

Actually most suppliers in England won't as they can get fined for it.

It would be difficult. I've watched them being made, it's very much "by hand" - the only machine involved is a roller like a mini-mangle to sandwich the sheets together.

How about if you've got an I5 and some VD? ;-)

Is that some sort of insult?

We may only be small fry but we made around 1,000 plates last year so it is not an insignificant figure.

I would have thought that if anyone is worth enforcing it is more likely to be smaller dealers such as us.

Alan

Even with it being from Connor, I don't think it is. I think he means that you probably don't sell as many number plates, as you do say, oil filters.

Even with it being from Conor, I don't think it is. I think he means that you probably don't sell as many number plates, as you do say, oil filters.

Err, no.

More than I thought. Don't see many people asking for plates in my local shop so with what you were saying about registering, I assumed some sort of fee was involved and was wondering if that fee negated any profit.

Then your life is far too interesting and you should be taxed accordingly.