Why do they hide license plates when selling a car?

Why cover the license plates when selling a car?

Many car owners, when photographing their car to place images in advertisements, try to hide the registration numbers. Each owner has his own reasons for such a decision. Some people cover their license plates just because everyone else does it, while others try to protect themselves from fraud and theft in this way. Each person has the right to independently decide whether numbers should be displayed publicly or whether it is better to hide them. However, a secret, even if it is connected with such a trifle, can alienate a potential buyer who will see it as a deception or a dirty trick.

The main reasons for closing state signs in the photo

License plates on photos of cars intended for publication in sales advertisements are painted over by car owners for objective reasons. Most often, they are afraid of fraud, since publicly accessible databases on the Internet allow them to find out information not only about the car, but also about its owner, using the state registration number. Despite the closed status of traffic police databases, they are often hacked and sold to criminals or given free access to them. However, it is not only the fear of scammers that drives car owners to cover up their license plates. The main reasons for hiding license plates in photographs are:

Actions according to a pattern, because everyone does it;
Selling in secret from relatives and friends;
Fear of fraud and theft before selling a car or after completing the procedure;
Hiding the data of the vehicle being sold;
Fear of creating a car double.

Often car owners do not want to disseminate information about the sale of their car among friends, relatives and acquaintances. Such actions are usually associated with a preference for selling to a stranger, since you will have to make discounts for close people, and subsequently listen to them about the poor condition of the car and inappropriate care for it. Registration numbers are often hidden for a trivial reason related to the lack of desire to talk about the transaction, as well as to inform strangers about its financial side.

Covering up vehicle license plates in photographs can be done due to fear of the car owner. It is usually associated with the fear of providing information about the car so that attackers do not break into the database and find out the home address of the seller in order to rob him after transferring the money. Concealment of registration plates in the photo of the car is carried out if there is an expensive configuration and its detailed description in the ad. This decision of the seller is associated with protecting the object of sale from theft at night.

The license plates of cars that are sold by resellers are often hidden. Such cars are purchased under a general power of attorney. For a reseller, secrecy is important so that the former car owner does not recognize his car and does not see the price that is being asked for it, since it significantly exceeds the amount he received in the transaction.

At the same time, by hiding the number in the photo, it is impossible to protect yourself from robbery. Fraudsters may use more advanced criminal schemes. Information about the car and its owner can be found out after meeting with the seller as a buyer. The fear of theft due to posting an advertisement with a photo of a car is not justified, since there is no point in offenders wasting time searching for a specific car, since for these purposes they can use any car that is parked in the courtyards at night. The fear of creating a car double is also not justified, since the standard procedure does not provide for the use of a car being sold as an object.

How can hiding your license plate number drive away buyers?

By posting a photo of a car with a blacked-out license plate in an ad, sellers don’t think about the fact that many potential buyers don’t even read it. Despite the understandable reasons for hiding registration marks, human psychology is such that on a subconscious level, he cuts off obviously unreliable or false information from himself. The fear of being deceived causes a corresponding psychological reaction in people with different incomes and social status. It does not occur in all people interested in buying a car, but such a reaction is common enough to be taken into account.

You can sell a car quickly and profitably only by inspiring trust among potential buyers. If the value of the object of sale does not exceed a million rubles, then it is not recommended to paint over the vehicle’s license plates. By leaving the numbers visible, the seller will attract many customers for whom honesty is important. He will also stand out from other sellers who initially form relationships with buyers based on deception.

Conclusion

Having assessed the cost of the car, as well as its components and equipment, and compared the risks, the car owner has the right to decide independently whether to hide the license plate number or not. To prevent theft, it is recommended to store the car in a garage or parking lot at night. When completing transactions and making financial settlements, it is better to accept payment for the cost of the object of sale in non-cash form. Many fears and prejudices of drivers are far-fetched and unfounded. Therefore, it is better not to hide information from potential buyers, since in their eyes its absence is equivalent to deception.

Is it worth hiding the license plates of a car when selling it?

Looking through advertisements in newspapers or on the Internet, we constantly come across photographs of cars on which the license plate number is carefully hidden. Some resort to Photoshop, some simply cover the license plates with a rag, but due to the abundance of such advertisements, it seems that this is a necessary ritual when selling cars. Let's find out why they cover the car's license plates when selling them and whether it's worth doing.

What types of sales require photographs of cars?

Nowadays, taking photographs costs next to nothing. For this reason, they take a lot of photographs now, and those who sell any product almost always accompany advertisements for its sale with photographs. Car owners strive to be in trend no less than other groups of the population.

Photos of cars are usually placed in advertisements when the owner is personally selling the car. Most often, advertisements on the Internet are illustrated with photographs. There are also situations when a potential buyer is in another region and, in order not to spend money on a trip, asks to send photos of the car from different angles.

Indeed, a high-quality photograph of a car in good condition can attract potential buyers and speed up the selling process. On the other hand, a photograph of a cheap car can save its owner from many pointless car shows.

Having seen the rusted body and comparing it with the cost, the client will either agree that at this price you can’t buy anything better anyway, or he will not waste his time and the owner of the car. Thus, using a photo of a car in its advertising is undoubtedly useful.

Reasons why sellers hide car numbers

As it turned out, no one knows for sure why the numbers on the photographs are painted over. Surveys among sellers show that most of them do not have a clear answer to the question of why they hid the number. The most popular answer options were: “Everyone does it” and “Showing your number is a bad omen.” However, there is also a rational grain in the decision to close the number. The reasons may be the following:

Should you keep your car number secret?

To answer the question of whether it is good or bad that sellers hide the car number, it should be considered from the point of view of:

Transaction security.
Does keeping the number secret help sell a car?

Let's look at them in more detail and try to draw conclusions about how reasonable it is to hide numbers.

What can you find out about a car and its owner if you know the registration number?

Using the vehicle number you can get a lot of information about the car and its owner. And while friends and relatives may be interested in the fact that a car is being sold, strangers are more interested in information about the car’s involvement in an accident, the owner’s passport details and his home address.

All this information is contained in the traffic police databases. However, if you have an accomplice in the traffic police, it is quite simple to obtain the necessary information, but often even this is not required. Traffic police databases are stolen quite often, and it will not be difficult for interested parties to buy the necessary information. If we are talking about criminals, they can, for example, organize surveillance of a car and rob the seller after concluding a deal to sell it.

Can hidden license plates slow down car sales?

The buyer rightly believes that if some information is hidden from him, then the rest of the information from this source cannot be trusted. Therefore, many, looking through advertisements for the sale of cars, instinctively skip advertisements with a closed license plate. There are a lot of ads and they just move on to the next one.

However, it is difficult to say that a hidden license plate greatly reduces the chances of a quick sale. Most of these ads are like this. People choosing a car are looking for a specific model within a certain amount. Ultimately, if the car fits all the parameters, the buyer will definitely return to your ad.

How scammers can use car license plate information

There are a great many different methods of fraud in the sale of vehicles. One of them is the creation of twin machines.

Let's say criminals have a car - stolen or not cleared through customs. They are interested in money. If false documents are made for a car, it can be sold. To do this, a number is selected from advertisements for the existing make and model. Now you can order the sign itself without documents in an elementary way.

With the help of unscrupulous traffic police officers and notaries, fake documents are created - and the car is sold, sometimes by changing the VIN. As a result, two identical cars with different owners appear on the country's roads. Such a car passes a superficial check easily, but during a more serious one, for example, when selling, the fact of the presence of a double becomes clear. In this case, problems arise both for the buyer of a duplicate car and for the owner of a legal car.

Finally

Hiding vehicle license plates in advertisements for its sale is now more likely to be the rule than the exception. Most owners are afraid of theft of personal data and its use for personal gain. In a sense, they are doing the right thing. On the other hand, the number can also be seen on the road. You can also identify the car and owner by number after inspecting the car. Therefore, there is little point in hiding this information.

Why do they hide numbers in advertisements for the sale of used cars and what can you find out from them: Video

Specialist in lending to individuals and small and medium-sized businesses. Experience in the banking sector - more than 15 years.

Why do they hide license plates when selling a car?

Author Mikhasya, 06/12/2014 18:47 in Archive - Everything about everything

15 messages in this thread

There are currently 0 users on the page

There are no users viewing this page.

All activity

home
Club communication
Everything about everything
Archive - Everything about everything
Why do they hide the number when selling a car?

Fast passage

All-Ukrainian club LANOS CLAN - created with the goal of establishing communication between car enthusiasts, organizing a club community for thematic communication, meetings and other events.

All-Ukrainian Club LANOS CLAN - A club that united completely different people from completely different parts of Ukraine, and even Russia and Belarus.

The All-Ukrainian club LANOS CLAN was created on March 1, 2005 by a small group of people who made a huge contribution to its development.

Why do they cover the license plates when selling a car? Buying a car second-hand: what you need to know

Have you ever wondered why the license plates are covered when selling a car? As a rule, it is not possible to obtain a clear answer to this question from a person. In most cases, the owner of the car will say something like: “Just in case” or “To avoid fraud.” However, there are almost never any serious reasons for such a procedure. Or is it still necessary to close the numbers? Let's figure it out.

Reasons for closing state signs on cars

Why do they cover the license plates when selling a car? Most of the time, people just mindlessly follow a pattern because everyone else does it. However, in some cases there are quite objective reasons for such actions. For example, the owner wants to protect himself from fraud. The fact is that the traffic police database is often subject to hacker attacks and hacking. If information about the owner falls into the hands of criminals, they may begin to extort money under various pretexts. Although this explanation is rather dubious, since in the event of a hack, hackers will still find out all the ins and outs about the owner.

Also, some motorists simply do not want to disseminate information about the sale of a vehicle among relatives or friends - this is an objective reason. Quite often, people, stumbling upon advertisements from their friends, call the owner of the car and say that they would not mind buying a vehicle. This is where conscience comes into play, which does not allow you to sell a car to a friend at too high a price. That is why the owner simply hides his number in photographs in order to avoid communication on this topic with friends. Even a banal question: “Why are you selling? Problems with money? hardly anyone will like it.

Why do resellers hide car license plates?

Why do dealers cover the license plates when selling a car? Similar actions are carried out so that the previous owner of the car does not recognize his vehicle and does not see at what price the “huckster” and “speculator” resells the former owner’s car.

Many motorists are seriously offended by people who make money from their ability to bargain, even though no one forced them to sign a sales contract. However, most resellers still prefer to remain anonymous in order to avoid unnecessary calls, questions or threats.

Also, do not forget that after purchasing a car, the owner can make serious adjustments to its structure - adjust the engine, replace old parts, change tires, and so on. However, this does not mean at all that if the seller has closed the numbers, then he is necessarily a reseller.

Can hiding your number turn off a buyer?

Now you know a lot about why license plates are covered when selling a car. However, many car owners are concerned with the question: “Can hiding the number somehow affect the number of potential customers?” By itself. After all, a person at a subconscious level will simply cut off information that is incomplete or inaccessible. However, if a person knows why owners usually hide numbers, he is unlikely to pay attention to such a trifle.

If you want to sell your car as quickly and profitably as possible, you must first instill trust in people. Many buyers simply do not look at advertisements where the numbers on the car are covered up. People are accustomed to the fact that such a feature is characteristic, as a rule, of resellers. It is unlikely that any buyer will want to take a car that actually costs several times less than what is indicated in the ad.

How to keep old license plates when selling a car?

According to the regulations on the procedure for registering vehicles, the owner of a car can keep his license plates if he submits an application to the traffic police in advance. In addition, you will need to collect a lot of documents that confirm the owner’s rights to own state license plates (vehicle registration certificate, vehicle passport, MTPL policy, passport). The plastic itself will still have to be returned (in return you will receive a new one).

Formally, the procedure for submitting such an application is no different from registering a new vehicle after purchase. However, every car owner who wants to keep his old license plates should know that their storage period should not exceed 180 days from the date of submission of the application. During this time, it is necessary to register the vehicle with them.

Is it possible to check a car for theft yourself?

Checking the car according to the state. number when purchasing is a very important procedure that every person who decides to purchase a used car should resort to.

It's quite simple to do this:

We go to the website avtobot.net.
We indicate the vehicle registration number and region.
If you have registration data, also enter them in the window.
Press the “Check” button and wait for the result.

It is worth noting that with the help of such a service you can not only find out whether the car is stolen, but also whether the previous owner was involved in accidents, how many owners it had before, whether the car has a ban on registration, etc.

Checking the condition of the car upon purchase

How to check a car when buying it second-hand? This question interests many motorists, because not in all cases those involved in an accident call the traffic police for investigation, preferring to clarify all the differences on the spot and leave in peace. Such incidents are not registered in any way on avtobot.net, but checking a car for involvement in accidents will not be difficult for a person who knows well what to look for.

First, carefully inspect the bumper for dents, scratches, cracks and other damage. Some car owners prefer to cover up visible defects with putty before selling them, and then paint the vehicle. Of course, the building material will wash away after the first rain, so pay attention to the paint and condition of the bumper from the inside. If something bothers you about the appearance of the car, then it’s better not to take risks.

Fast and profitable car sale

Have you thought about how to sell your car quickly and profitably? Then you should know that the main factor influencing the speed of sale is a correctly composed ad. Ideally, it should comply with the following principles:

contain several high-quality photographs of the vehicle from different angles;
have detailed information about previous owners and participation in road accidents;
the price should be adequate and not overpriced.

It is also strongly recommended not to paint over the numbers, as this may discourage potential buyers. Any experienced car enthusiast, when purchasing a vehicle, will definitely go to the site and check the accuracy of the information provided. However, without state numbers this will not be possible.

Conclusion

We hope you now better understand the basic rules of buying a car, and also understand the question of why people cover up license plates during the sale. As a rule, the anonymity of the seller only scares off potential buyers, but in some cases there may be quite objective reasons for hiding the number. But what you definitely shouldn’t do is repeat after others and be afraid of becoming a victim of fraud, unless you are some large and well-known businessman.

How to close a car number on Avito

There are several ways to close your car number on Avito. This can be done using a computer, smartphone or improvised means.

Why hide your car number?

There are 6 common reasons:

Personal reasons, for example, reluctance to inform relatives and friends about the sale.
Fear of encountering scammers or criminals. A common but unfounded reason, since other personal data (telephone, address, name) will remain unprotected. In this case, covering up is a useless measure: if the buyer comes to a meeting with the seller for selfish reasons, he will find out the car’s license plate number on his own.
The desire to hide information about the car. A favorite motive of resellers who try to hide information about the owners, the number of accidents, mileage and cost of the car. The license plate number is a source of information: the more car data on the site, the more ways to check the legality of the transaction and the history of the vehicle.
Fear that they will create a clone of the car. Fraudsters have found a way to sell stolen cars: they copy vehicle identification data from a bulletin board, and then fake the title and sell a duplicate of the car. If a person is afraid to show his license plate number for this reason, he should know that cases of such deception are rare, since they require large financial investments and complex preparation.
Danger for the car owner. Using the numbers, you can find out not only the history of the vehicle, but also information about its owner: full name, date of birth, residential or registration address, driver’s license and STS details.
Lack of awareness of the motives for hiding the license plate number. Not all car owners know why they need to hide vehicle license plates, but they do it like everyone else.

How to cover up a car number in an ad

Hideframe website

To cover up a car license plate in Hideframe, you need to select the hiding area, click the “Apply” button, wait for the result and save the finished photo to your computer.

Inettools website

The service allows you to retouch numbers online. To do this, you need to upload an image and select the desired area on the photo. To download the finished image, you need to click the “Create” button (it is located at the bottom of the page).

Adobe Photoshop application

To erase a license plate in Photoshop, select the Rectangle tool, then select the license plate area and use a fill or gradient. To rotate and rotate the shape, you need to go to the “Edit” menu and click on the “Free Transform” item.

The second way is to select the “Filter” tab, which has the “Gaussian Blur” effect, and then adjust the degree of blur using the sliders.

You can also paint over license plates with the Brush tool or smudge them with the Smudge tool in Photoshop. These tools are located on the work panel on the left.

Blur Number Plate utility

The program automatically paints the desired area when you upload a photo from your computer.

Photo Eraser

You can also hide your car number using your smartphone. To cover up a license plate in Photo Eraser, you need to select an image from your mobile device's gallery and then select the license plates using the Lasso tool. After this, the program will paint over the selected area in the photo. The application can be downloaded to a smartphone with an iOS or Android operating system.

Afterlight

The program is supported by mobile devices on iOS, Android and Windows Phone platforms. In Afterlight, you can blur out license plates using the Blur tool.