PIC 1:
"Toowong"
Number Plates
bring just $1750
- much less than the
across-the-counter
price from PPQ
PIC 2:
A number plate not
auctioned tonight but
showing on the PPQ
website as available
for purchase for $2295 -
a combination fit for the
bosses of PPQ!
PPQ (Personalised Plates Queensland) officials would not have been happy with the prices brought for the majority of personalised Queensland number plates at tonight's annual auction at the Victoria Park Golf Club.
The halcyon days of personalised number plates in the Sunshine State which saw plates sell for $100,000 only 25 years ago appear to be gone forever - and that was with Russ Hinze as the auctioneer!
Most of tonight's plates brought very poor results with TOOWONG selling for $1750 which is $2000 below the normal PPQ across-the-counter price!
NEW FARM was not much better bringing in just $3500.
350 CHEV was passed in at $2500 when it failed to reach the undisclosed reserve price with a similar fate falling on PAINTER, Q31 and V.
There were a few notable exceptions to the less-than-spectacular auction with Q70 selling for $80,000 with SOLD going for $25,000.
You only have to go onto eBay to see that the bottom has completely fallen out of the personalised plates market in Queensland.
People are seeking crackerjack prices on eBay with most auctions attracting not a single bid.
It seems that PPQ may have almost reached saturation point in Queensland with almost all of the top alphabetical and numerical combinations and sequences gone forever!
Some of PPQ's prices are outrageous, with the cost of simply changing the plate registration from a large trailer to a sedan almost $140.
$137.80 for a junior PPQ officer to tick one box on the computer - a complete and utter consumer ripoff!
If you switch from personalised plates on a sedan to a large trailer, you have to forfeit one of the plates.
What they don't tell you is that you will be slugged almost $140 plus a remake fee to change back.
"Tough luck" is basically what customers are being told who query the ripoff.
How can PPQ justify charging $57.20 for an identical re-make of 2 plates and $195 to re-make 1 plate plus a simple computer change from "large trailer" to sedan.
Same owner in both cases, same plate design, no other changes - just a 10 second computer entry changing from "large trailer" to a sedan - and they want almost $140 for the privilege.
They charge only $76.60 to change the name of the owner of a set of personalised plates but almost double that for a simple computer change - with the SAME owner - from large trailer to sedan.
PPQ are legalised ripoff merchants with their customer skills almost non-existent.
If you are planning to buy personalised number plates in Queensland, expect to be ripped off by PPQ and don't expect your purchase to be a good, long-term investment.
You would be better off buying Penny Black stamps or 1930 pennies than placing your hard earned cash on a couple of bits of metal from PPQ.
The full list of auction results from tonight's auction:
BNE 01 - $3000
COOPER S - $4500
V8S RULE - $3750
CAYENNE - $4500
ANTHONY - $2500
CAMERON - $3000
NEWFARM - $3500
TOOWONG - $1750
SURFERS - $10,500
SOLD - $25,000
BUILDER - $13,000
FINANCE - $6000
PLUMBER - $7000
DENTIST - $9500
Q70 - $80,000
YY - $4750
Q387 - $11,000
Q410 - $10,000
Q425 - $6500
Q625 - $10,500
Q2010 - $4500
Q4011 - $2750
Q4007 - $3750
Q4101 - $3500
Q4006 - $3250
Q8808 - $4500
One Lot:
Q1012
Q1013
Q1014
Q1015 - $16,000 (a real bargain)
Q88880 - $50,000
4 other lots were passed in after failing to reach the reserve price.
Till next year!
