UAE number plates on sale for Dh130m on dubizzle

Dubizzle’s Number Plates category has organically reached over 4,500 ads with a gross market value of over Dh130 million since its launch in mid-July. In that time, the category has become the second largest for dubizzle Motors after Used Cars, overtaking Accessories and Parts.

The UAE’s leading classifieds platform receives an average of 1.68 million monthly active users on its motors section per month; the Number Plates category received huge interest from dubizzle users, receiving over 100 thousand visits in the space of the last 30 days.

The time between the upload and deletion of an ad is four days, suggesting that transactions are occurring at a rapid pace and there is a large market for unique and personalized number plates.

“Dubizzle is enabling buyers and sellers of number plates to transact in a liquid secondary market, giving buyers an opportunity to search and be notified when their dream plate becomes available, and sellers a path to monetize their valuable and previously illiquid asset,” commented Jean-Pierre Mondalek, General Manager Motors at dubizzle.

“The average asking price per plate is Dh32,000 and we have already seen several plates listed worth over Dh1 million, including a 2-digit plate for Dh7 million,” adds Mondalek.

The most searched number plate on dubizzle is 786 in the past three months.

According to the Abjad numerals – a decimal number system where the 28 letters of the Arabic alphabet are assigned numerical values – 786 is the sum of the Arabic letters of the opening phrase of the Quran, "Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim" (in the name of Allah, the most Merciful, the most Beneficent).

The dedicated Number Plates category enables sellers to distinguish their plates by Emirate, plate type, number of digits, and the plate number, making it easier for buyers and sellers of number plates to get connected and transact.

“The Number Plates category is all about being local and understanding the needs of the UAE’s motoring community. Distinguished number plates are very popular in the UAE, however are not always accessible. What was previously reserved to those in the know or those that were lucky to have inherited a unique plate, is now available to the wider community through dubizzle,” concluded Mondalek.

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