Sell what will not make the move

Moving heavy equipment is expensive. A machine tool or press has to be isolated by a competent person, lifted and loaded with handling equipment that suits its weight and dimensions, and transported, with the same again at the other end. Add a new foundation, a power supply and recommissioning, and the total can come close to the price of a replacement.

The question to ask for each item is whether it earns its place at the new site. If the answer is no, or the machine would sit unused for a year, it is usually better to sell it before the move. The buyer takes on the removal. You keep the transport budget for the equipment you need.

The same logic applies when you reduce floor space. Equipment that has no home at the smaller site is a cost until it is sold.

We visit the site, list the lots and photograph them in place. You tell us which items are moving and which are for sale, and we tag the sale lots so there is no confusion on the shop floor.

The catalogue goes online as a timed auction. Bidding stays open for a set period, usually one to two weeks, and each lot closes at a fixed time with an extension if a bid arrives in the last minutes. We hold a viewing day at your premises, and lots are offered as seen under the auction terms, with buyers expected to inspect first.

After the sale we invoice the buyers and take payment. You are paid once the sale is reconciled and the collection window has closed, from cleared funds, less the agreed commission and any agreed costs. Buyers arrange and pay for removal, and our staff attend to release lots against paid invoices.

The best time to sell is the last few weeks at the old premises, once you have decided what is moving and before the site is handed back. Lots can be photographed and catalogued while production continues. Viewing and collection are then arranged for the days after your own move, when the building is quieter.

If the lease ends on a fixed date, tell us at the first call. The collection window has to finish before the keys go back. Where the timetable is tight we can shorten the bidding period, though that leaves buyers less time to find the sale.

Some businesses run two sales: one for the items that can go early, and a second for the equipment that must work until the last day. That avoids selling a machine you still need.

A list of the equipment that is not moving, with serial numbers where you have them, saves time at the first visit. It does not need to be a formal asset register.

Gather the paperwork that adds value. Service records, tooling lists, software licences and operator manuals all help buyers bid with confidence. Where an item is on finance or lease, we need to know before it is catalogued, because it belongs to the funder until it is settled and can only be sold with their agreement.

Machines that can be run safely stay connected for the viewing day so they can be demonstrated, where that is agreed with you. Everything else is isolated and left safe. Every lot is isolated by a competent person before collection, and buyers arrange and pay for removal.

We give an estimate for each lot before the sale, based on condition, age and current demand for that type of equipment. Estimates are a guide, not a promise. The market sets the final price on the day.

Reserves are agreed with you before the catalogue goes live. A reserve protects a valuable lot from selling too cheaply, but a reserve set above what buyers will pay leaves you with the item after the sale. For lower value lots the cost of holding on to them is usually more than the risk of selling without a reserve.

The buyer pays a buyer's premium on top of the hammer price, and VAT is charged where it applies and shown separately on the buyer's invoice. Ask us and we will explain the specifics for your sale. Your charge is a separate commission, with any agreed costs, deducted from the proceeds.

Where a lot does not reach its reserve we discuss the options with you: offer it to the underbidder, or hold it over for our next collective auction. A single valuable machine can also be sold by private treaty to a buyer approached directly.

Anything with no resale value can be included in a site clearance, so the premises are left empty and swept once the buyers have collected. Tell us at the outset if the landlord has set conditions for handover, such as making good floor bolts or capping off services to machines. We build that into the plan rather than find out on the last day.