Preparing machinery and equipment for sale

The way equipment is presented on viewing day has a direct effect on what it sells for. Buyers pay more for machines they can see, walk around and believe have been looked after. Most of the preparation costs you nothing but a few days of effort. Here is what to do, and what not to do.

Isolate and make safe

Before anyone from outside walks the floor, every machine needs to be isolated from its power supply and left in a safe state. Lock off electrical isolators. Shut off compressed air at the receiver and vent the lines.

Close gas valves. If a machine has stored energy, hydraulic accumulators for example, release it.

Do not disconnect gas appliances yourself. Gas disconnection must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and buyers will expect to see that it was. In the same way, do not cut cables off machines to get them out of the way. A machine with its supply cable and plug intact is worth more and easier to sell than one with a stub of flex.

Lifting equipment (cranes, hoists, forklift trucks and the like) should have its current LOLER thorough examination report available. A lift with a report in date sells with more confidence. One without will still sell, but buyers will discount for the uncertainty.

Clean, but do not repaint

Wipe machines down. Clear swarf, coolant and offcuts from beds and tables. Empty bins and remove rubbish from around each lot so photographs show the machine and not the mess.

Do not repaint. Buyers of used machinery are suspicious of fresh paint because it hides wear and repairs. A clean machine in its original finish tells the truth about its condition, and that is what the buyer wants to see.

Do not fill cracks, weld broken castings or otherwise cosmetically repair anything. Lots are sold as seen. If a hidden repair is found after the sale, the buyer has no comeback, but they will also never bid with you again.

Gather manuals, tooling and records

Find the manuals. Find the tooling: chucks, collets, tool holders, dies, jigs, fixtures, spare parts. Put them with the machine they belong to, not in a box in the office. A machine with a full set of tooling and its documentation can sell for considerably more than the bare machine, because the buyer can put it to work the day it arrives.

If you have service history, hour meter readings, calibration certificates or the last inspection reports, put those together too. We photograph the paperwork alongside the lot.

Photographs and descriptions

We take the photographs, but you can make them better. Position the machine so its control panel and nameplate are visible. Leave the guards on and turn the lights on. If a machine still runs, tell us, because a short video of it under power is worth more than any description.

Give us honest information about faults. A known fault disclosed in the catalogue is priced into the bids. A fault found on collection day becomes a dispute.

Think about access

Before the sale, walk the route from each machine to the loading door as if you were the buyer's haulier. Is the door wide enough? Is there a ramp, a loading bay or level access for a lorry? Is the floor rated for a crane or a heavy forklift?

Machines that are bolted down, built into a mezzanine or trapped behind other equipment cost more to remove. Buyers price that in. If you can move a machine to a clear area near the door before viewing, it will attract more bids. If you cannot, tell us and we will describe the access accurately.

What not to do

• Do not sell items yourself in the run up to the sale without telling us. Withdrawn lots undermine the catalogue and may cost you a withdrawal fee under the agreement.
• Do not strip parts, motors or control units off machines to keep or sell separately. A stripped machine is scrap.
• Do not throw away tooling, fixtures or consumables because they look like clutter. They sell.
• Do not let staff or contractors take equipment home. Once the asset schedule is signed, it belongs in the sale.
• Do not switch off the heating and let the building go damp. Rust on a machine bed shows in photographs.

If you are unsure whether something is worth preparing or is just scrap, leave it where it is and ask us when we walk the site.