PreHammer

Margin before the hammer · UK motor trade

UK motor trade · Chrome extension

Know the marginbefore the hammer.

PreHammer overlays the listing you're already on: live comps, MOT history, auction premium and a BUY or PASS before you bid.

No card · BCA, Manheim, Copart, AutoTrader, eBay, Gumtree, Marketplace

What you see on every listing

Appraisal
Live comps
BuyLY21 ABC

Ford Focus ST-Line · 2021 · 38,400 mi

Ask £12,995 · Grade 2 · 1.5 EcoBoost

DVLA · Petrol · Blue · MOT Mar 2026 · Taxed
MOT · Pass · last recorded 38,389 mi · no clocking

Retail (live UK comps)

£13,500 – £15,200 · mid £14,300

Margin

Buy + premium + prep£13,295
Realistic sell£14,200
Profit+£905
Watch · EcoBoost wet belt service due ~£450 · eBay parts linked

How it works

Three steps. Same on every site.

No dashboard to learn. It lives on the tab you already have open.

1

Install the extension

Chrome Web Store. Paste your API key from the welcome email. Five full appraisals free, no card.

2

Open any listing

BCA, Manheim, Copart, AutoTrader, eBay, Gumtree or Marketplace. Click the PreHammer button on the page you are already on.

3

Read the sheet

Live comps, MOT trail, margin table and a BUY, PASS or DEPENDS before you bid or message the seller.

The appraisal sheet

Everything you'd scribble on a notepad

One click. Same sections whether you're on an auction lot or a retail ad.

Verdict

BUY, PASS or DEPENDS, first

Not a wall of data. A straight call on whether the lot is worth your hammer, with the reasons underneath.

Retail comps

UK retail comps pulled now

Median and price band for that make, model and year, fetched when you click from live UK listing data, not a stale guide.

DVLA + MOT

Plate check and MOT history

Make, fuel, tax status and recorded mileage from MOT tests. Listing says 67k but MOT says 94k? Flagged in red before you bid.

Margin table

Hammer to forecourt maths

Buy price, buyer's premium on auctions, prep, selling costs and a realistic ask. One profit number at the bottom.

Known faults

Expensive surprises, upfront

Model-specific fault list with typical UK repair bands and eBay parts links. DSG, timing belt, EGR, the usual killers.

Pass early. Bid with a number.

Real decisions the sheet is built for.

Pass£8,500

Vauxhall Corsa 1.2 · 2019 · 67,200 mi

Auction · Grade 3

MOT trail shows 94,100 mi at last test. Listing under-reported mileage. Retail mid £7,200. Walk.

Buy£12,995

Ford Focus ST-Line · 2021 · 38,400 mi

Auction · Grade 2

Clean MOT, no clocking flags. Retail mid £14,300 after premium and prep. Est. +£905 margin.

One flip pays for the year

5 free full appraisals to start. Pick a plan when you're buying regularly.

Free trial

5 full appraisals · any listing · no card

Install extension

Starter

£9.99/mo

or £99/yr · save 2 months

200 appraisals / mo

Side flips & one-offs

  • Full sheet on any listing
  • Live UK retail comps
  • DVLA, MOT & clocking check
Subscribe monthly
Most traders

Trader

£19.99/mo

or £199/yr · save 2 months

500 appraisals / mo

Regular buying days

  • Everything in Starter
  • 2,000 retail comp lookups / mo
Subscribe monthly

Ex VAT · Cancel anytime via Stripe

FAQ

What counts as a scan?+

One full appraisal, one scan. Re-opening the same listing uses cache and doesn't count. Allowance resets on the 1st of each month.

Does the profit table change for auction lots?+

Yes. On BCA, Manheim and Copart we add buyer's premium and adjust sell-side estimates for auction-bought stock.

How fresh are the retail comps?+

Pulled when you click from live UK sold and active listing data matched to make, model, year and mileage, not a printed price guide.

What if there's no reg plate on the listing?+

Margin and comps still run from the ad text. DVLA/MOT sections stay empty and the verdict flags what's unverified.

Any setup beyond installing the extension?+

Paste your API key from the welcome email. We host DVLA, MOT and comp lookups. You don't configure data feeds.

Can I cancel any time?+

Yes. Open the billing portal at prehammer.com/billing with your checkout email. Access continues until the end of your billing period.

Lost your subscription key?+

Open Account in the footer and sign in with your checkout email. You can copy your key there anytime. If you cannot sign in, use Recover key (email plus last 4 characters of your key).

Run it on your next lot

Install, open a listing, hit appraise. You'll know if the margin works before you bid.

Chrome Web Store →