Who is an importer, who is a dealer?

 The average Nigerian who sells imported vehicles calls himself a dealer; however the man who imports the vehicle also calls himself a dealer.  The disagreement over the correct nomenclature of an automobile seller has really drawn a lot of attention.
Experts say: ‘’It is not everybody that sell fairly used or even new vehicles that are automobile dealers, but in the real sense most of the people that are in the business in the country are best known as auto trader ‘’.

 The average Nigerian who sells imported vehicles calls himself a dealer; however the man who imports the vehicle also calls himself a dealer.  The disagreement over the correct nomenclature of an automobile seller has really drawn a lot of attention.
Experts say: ‘’It is not everybody that sell fairly used or even new vehicles that are automobile dealers, but in the real sense most of the people that are in the business in the country are best known as auto trader ‘’.
Frontline importer and auto dealer, Alhaji Ahmed Mamudu disclosed this to Shipping Position Daily in Lagos that dealership is the title for those who have direct link with the manufacturers.
Mamudu described auto dealers as those that stuck vehicles after their importation from the manufacturers from foreign countries of Europe, Asia and America with credible franchise of their products and brands.
He cited a very good example of who a real dealer is in Nigeria as he pointing out that Elizade, Vaswani brothers, Scoa Group and Coscharis among others.
According to him, the term dealership is what actually differentiates both even as he affirmed an auto dealer is backed with support by the manufacturer of the brand with sales, training and seminar for staff for them to be educated about the vehicles ,advertising, campaign and promo  for the product.
The Festac Town based importer however disclosed that auto trader on the other hand has to do with someone who sells vehicles from one point to the other in order sale and to make ends meet.
He said that the auto trader is that individual that is solely involved in sales vehicles to make profit and to source for people that are in need of a particular brand at a particular time.
Mamudu also hinted that the auto trade sources for buyer like the conventional trader who sell commodity to the buyer who is in need adding that it is the duty of the auto trader to meet with other traders if the demand is not available at his disposal.
‘’The man you see at Berger, Festac Town, Ikeja and Surulere selling vehicles are all typical example of people that are referred to as auto trader whilst those that major in the sales of most new vehicles in large quantity like Elizade and the Vaswanni brothers that deals on Honda and Hyundai products are the ones better known as auto dealers.’’
‘’It is also important to note that we have a large numbers of auto traders in the country than dealers’’ Mamudu noted