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This page contains the menu to my various trade/sale pages as well as information about how to request a trade or to purchase plates from me. Latest noteworthy updates to this page
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These real, expired license plates are for collecting purposes only, and are not legal for street use on any vehicle, except possibly in some specific cases under state Year of Manufacture laws. I make no claim that any of these license plates qualify for Year of Manufacture use.
Please note that this is not some fancy e-commerce online store where you can put items in a "shopping cart" and then "check out" and pay, all in one visit. You will need to make a list of the items you want, and then send that list and your zip code or country to me in an e-mail, so that I can verify that the plates you want are still available and give you a final price to pay and payment instructions.
I'm always interested in working out a trade if possible. However, while I do enjoy trades, trading usually will only be worthwhile for both of us if you can offer something in trade that's on my want list. Otherwise, there's no point. I would only be sending you plates I don't want in exchange for different plates I don't want. I'm really not interested in trading to acquire plates that aren't on my want list. If you have nothing on my want list, you're welcome to buy what you want instead.
Also, I will only do long-distance trades with certain people, and under certain conditions. Frankly, I'm not going to just mail a license plate to someone I've never heard of, and hope that they will send me the license plate they say they have. In order for me to trade with you via mail, you need to be someone I can implicitly trust. Therefore, you must be either someone I know personally, a fellow ALPCA member, or someone otherwise well-known and respected in the license plate collecting community.
I'm not nearly as demanding if we can arrange to trade plates in person, or if you're just buying plates. Read more about this below.
If the trade is roughly balanced in terms of number of plates, then you pay to mail yours to me, and I'll pay to mail mine to you. If the trade isn't balanced, then we'll need to work something else out with regard to postage. For postage calcultion purposes, my zip code is 27527.
I live and work in the greater Raleigh, North Carolina area in the United States. I also periodically drive up and down the east coast, so if you're located anywhere reasonably along my route and aren't in a hurry, we might be able to meet the next time I pass through. I also travel to the St. Louis, Missouri area, and elsewhere, on occasion. Or, if you're going to be at a license plate collectors' event or antique car show in the mid-Atlantic or southeastern U.S., I might also be planning to attend the same event.
Doing business in person offers some advantages if we're able to do so. If neither of us have to go too far out of our way, one or both of us can save money by not having to pay for postage, PayPal fees, etc. There are no worries of plates getting lost or damaged in the mail. You get to physically see the plates before we finalize the deal, and I can either see the plates I'm getting in trade, or get paid in cash. There's no risk of only one of us holding up our end of the deal. For these reasons, I'm much more willing to trade with someone I don't know if we can do it in person. I generally require cash payment for plate sales conducted in person.
In addition to the cost of the plates themselves, you will also need to pay for shipping. I have simplified the process of calculating shipping charges by charging fixed amounts based on the number of plates being shipped, as shown below. These rates are subject to change without notice, and probably will change to correspond to USPS postage increases.
Effective Monday, January 23, 2023:
The above amounts are only applicable for standard sized (12" by 6") or smaller full-sized plates, shipped to U.S. addresses. Pairs count as two plates. Motorcycle plates will cost less; oversized plates may cost more. Shipping outside of the U.S. will cost more. In some cases I might be able to ship for less than the listed amounts, but I will need to know your zip code to determine this; I will then let you know if this is the case before you send payment. If the standard rates don't apply to your situation, contact me for a quote on the shipping cost.
I strive to find the most appropriate balance between cost, safety, and speed in determining the shipment method. If you have any preferences or specific requriements with regard to packing methods, shipping methods, etc., please let me know about these. However, depending on the request, I reserve the right to charge a higher amount for shipping.
I accept payment in U.S funds only. I accept payment (in no particular order of preference) either via PayPal, Venmo, personal check, or money order. Cash is fine too, but mail it at your own risk. If you have a different payment method in mind, I'll consider it but I make no promises. However, I will not accept stamps or postage meter strips as payment for either the plates or the postage. Sign up for PayPal here. Sign up for Venmo here.
If you are an ALPCA member in good standing, a personal friend, or a family member, just let me know which plates you want, and normally I'll get them sent out within a day or two. You can send payment at your convenience, within reason, of course.
For all others, I will normally ship within a day or two after receipt of a PayPal instant payment, a Venmo payment, a U.S. Postal money order, or cash. PayPal e-checks and personal checks must clear your bank account before shipping. For other money orders, or any other forms of payment, I'll determine how soon I will ship on a case-by-case basis.
I will gladly ship plates internationally, and have done so on numerous occasions. Outside of North America, to minimize the risk of your package being unduly delayed, I will only ship using some form of airmail, however. If you know of any special requirements or restrictions with regard to sending a package to your country, please inform me of such. Since I accept payment in U.S funds only, most often international customers find PayPal to be the most convenient method of payment. I have also received payment from outside the U.S. via Western Union money transfer without difficulty.
I will NOT falsify customs forms to declare the item as a "gift" or show the value to be less than the purchase price. Please don't ask!
If you are a resident of a country that does not use the Roman or Western alphabet (A-Z), such as Russia, Greece, Japan, Korea, Israel, Arabic-speaking countries, etc., please be prepared to send me your name and mailing address (including country name) in the language of your country using a method that is not subject to being corrupted by e-mail software or word processing software that cannot support your alphabet or language. For example, send your name and address in a graphic file (such as .gif or .png format) e-mail attachment, or take a digital photo or digital scan of your written name and address and send the image (in .jpg or .pdf format) in an e-mail attachment. Also send your name and address in English in the e-mail itself.
Although I strive to keep this page up-to-date, there are times when some of the plates shown have already been reserved, traded, or sold. Also, it's possible that some plates may be currently listed on eBay, which, if they're being auctioned, would make them unavailable for trades or non-eBay sales during the listing period. Any of my plates on eBay as Buy-It-Now listings may be traded or purchased here, even if they're not actually shown on these pages.
Please e-mail me with the following information so that I may determine whether the desired plate(s) are available, accurately calculate the shipping charges to provide you with a total amount to pay, and give you appropriate payment instructions:
Normally, I'll respond via e-mail within one or two days. Occasionaly, I may extremely busy for longer than that, so please be patient. Once we reach an agreement, I'll then hold the plate or plates for up to 15 days to give you time to send payment. But, if you change your mind after reserving a plate, please show common courtesy and inform me of your change in plans, so that I may make the plate available to others who may be interested.
I regularly receive e-mails from people who want to know if I have such-and-such a license plate available for sale. If you're looking for an older plate, and the plate in question isn't shown on these trade/sale pages, almost always the answer will be "no". However, I also have a fairly large number of older plates that I'm wanting to sell but haven't yet listed on these pages. So, e-mail me; I might just have what you need.
I do not sell to the general public any recent-issue license plates in styles that are still used for current registrations. However, I usually have expired, recent-issue plates that I'll trade or sell to people whom I can verify are bona-fide license plate collectors, and whom I feel reasonably confident will not re-sell them to non-collectors. If you're such a person and you're looking for a recent plate, please e-mail me with the specifics.
Please refer to the Where can I find old license plates? section of my FAQs page for some suggestions of where else you might be able to find the plate you're looking for.
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