Hirer or Buyer? Antiques Transport Choices
From travelling around the various antique and collectors fairs and auctions we attend, it has become apparent that some dealers own and some dealers rent.
I refer of course not to their stock but to their means of transporting it - the indomitable van.
It’s a choice we’ve been faced with in the past, as it gradually became completely impossible to fit all our stock, shelves and tables into even a large car. This left us with two realistic options:
- Sell the car and buy a van
- Hire a van whenever we needed one and keep the car for everyday use
In the end, we decided to sell the car and buy a van. This had two advantages - unlimited usage and lower costs. The question was question of cost was determined by considering whether the extra fuel costs of a van would exceed the costs of renting one when we needed it. For us they didn’t - making it cheaper to buy a van and run it as our only vehicle.
Of course, this does have some restrictions - car parks with height barriers are out, it only has three seats (including the driver’s) and it’s a bit thirsty and agricultural to drive compared to a car.
These downside - plus the sometimes thorny issue of residential parking - are probably the reasons why some dealers obviously just rent a van to use when they are standing at a fair and manage without the rest of the time.
Sometimes I’ve felt tempted by that path too - but for now, I’m going to stick with my trusty Transit. What do you do?
Note: If you are not sure where to start with vans, these links might be useful: