Private treaty sales in Nottingham

A Man in Gray Jacket Using an Industrial Equipment

Private treaty for businesses in Nottingham and the surrounding Nottinghamshire area, including Derby, Mansfield, Beeston, Ilkeston. We catalogue and sell on your premises, so nothing has to be moved before the sale.

Auction is not always the right route. A single high value machine, a sale that must stay confidential, or a buyer who is already interested may all be better served by a negotiated sale. Private treaty means we market the asset, handle the offers and agree a price on your behalf, without a public sale date.

The fee is agreed with you at the start and does not change with the outcome. Tell us about the asset and your reasons for wanting a quiet sale through the contact form, and we will give you a straight view on whether private treaty is the better option.

What these sales usually include

CNC machining centres and lathes
Printing presses
Injection moulding machines
Packaging lines
Large generators and switchgear
Cranes and heavy lifting equipment
Specialist process plant
Laboratory and test equipment
Complete production cells
Late model plant and vehicles
Marine and rail equipment
High value catering and bakery lines

When private treaty beats auction

Auction produces the best result when there are many buyers, a fixed date and a quantity of lots to attract them. Private treaty is the better route in a few specific situations.

A single machine of high value, where the pool of buyers is small and known, and each one wants time to inspect and negotiate.
A sale that must stay confidential. A public auction announces that a business is selling assets. A private sale does not.
An asset that is still in use and cannot be committed to a sale date until a replacement is installed.
A buyer who has already approached you, where you want an independent view of the price and someone to manage the deal.

Where none of these apply, auction usually returns more, and we will say so rather than take the instruction.

How we market the asset

We inspect the asset, or have it inspected, and prepare a description with photographs, specification, condition and any service history. We then approach buyers directly: dealers who trade in that type of machine and end users we know are looking. The asset can be advertised openly or offered only to selected parties. How open we are depends on how much confidentiality you need.

Interested buyers inspect by appointment. We attend or arrange access, answer questions and take offers. You are kept informed at each stage but do not have to deal with the buyers yourself.

There is no fixed end date. A private treaty sale takes as long as it takes to find the right buyer at the right price, which is one of its advantages and one of its costs.

How offers are handled

Every offer is put to you in writing, with our recommendation. You decide whether to accept, reject or counter. We do not accept an offer on your behalf without your instruction.

Where more than one party is interested we can run a sealed bid process with a closing date, which gives the discipline of an auction without the publicity. Where there is one serious buyer, we negotiate directly.

Once a price is agreed, the buyer pays in full before the asset is released. We issue the invoice and collect payment, then arrange or supervise removal. Riggers and hauliers are the buyer's responsibility unless you have agreed otherwise. Sale is on the same basis as at auction, as seen and with no warranty, unless a different basis is written into the agreement.

Fees and what you receive

The fee for a private treaty sale is agreed before we start and set out in writing. It is usually a percentage of the agreed sale price, and it may include a fixed element to cover marketing where the asset is specialist. There are no other charges unless you have agreed them in advance, for example an independent inspection or transport to a buyer.

Unlike an auction there is no buyer's premium, so the buyer pays the agreed price plus VAT where it applies. You receive the agreed price less our fee and any agreed costs.

If the asset does not sell, the fee is not payable. Any marketing costs you have agreed to cover are payable whether or not the asset sells.

What to prepare

A private treaty buyer is paying a negotiated price and will want more detail than an auction bidder. Gather the original purchase invoice, the specification sheet, the service records and any recent inspection reports. For machinery, note the hours or cycle count, the software version and the tooling included. For vehicles and plant, the same paperwork applies as at auction.

Decide in advance what your minimum acceptable figure is and tell us. It stays between us and it shapes how we negotiate.

If the asset is on finance, obtain a settlement figure. If it is fixed to the floor or wired in, get a quotation for removal so the buyer's cost of taking it away is known before offers come in.

Businesses in Nottingham

Nottingham has a mixed industrial base with logistics, pharmaceuticals, engineering, food and drink and printing firms. The main industrial areas are Lenton Lane along the A52 ring road, Colwick to the east by the River Trent, Blenheim Industrial Estate at Bulwell near junction 26 of the M1, and Bestwood Business Park to the north. Beeston to the south west has engineering and pharmaceutical sites. Fairham Business Park at Clifton is a newer development with manufacturing and warehouse space.

The M1 passes to the west of the city, with junctions 24 to 27 serving different parts of the conurbation. The A52 links the city to Derby and to junction 25, and the A453 runs south west to junction 24 and East Midlands Airport. Nottingham railway station is on the Midland Main Line. Most estates have good access for articulated lorries, and the ring road makes it simple to move between them.

We regularly handle private treaty in Nottingham and across Nottinghamshire. Sales are run on site, with viewing and collection at your premises, and the online catalogue reaches buyers well beyond the area.

Questions people ask

Is private treaty slower than auction?: It can be. An auction has a fixed date and the sale is over within weeks. A private treaty sale continues until a buyer is found and a price agreed, which may be quicker if a buyer is already known, or slower if the market for that asset is thin. If you have a hard deadline, tell us. We may recommend a sale by auction with a reserve instead, or run private treaty for a set period and then auction.
Can I keep using the machine while it is marketed?: Yes. Private treaty suits assets that are still in production, because there is no fixed date by which the machine must be stopped and made available. Buyers inspect by appointment while the machine runs, which often helps the sale. Agree with us how much notice you need before removal so this is written into the sale terms. Once a price is agreed, the buyer will want a firm date.
How is the sale price agreed?: We give you a written opinion of value before marketing begins, based on the asset, its condition and recent trade prices. You tell us the minimum you will accept. We then market the asset, take offers and negotiate. Every offer is passed to you with our recommendation, and nothing is agreed without your instruction. Where several parties are interested, sealed bids with a closing date usually produce the best price.
Will the sale be confidential?: As confidential as you need it to be. We can approach selected buyers without naming your business, and require a confidentiality undertaking before any inspection. The asset is not listed in a public catalogue unless you choose that. Staff and suppliers do not need to know a sale is happening until it is done. Tell us who must not find out, and we will plan the approach around that.
What if a buyer approaches me directly?: Refer them to us. We will confirm their interest is genuine, check they have the funds and handle the negotiation on your behalf. Having a third party between you and the buyer usually produces a better price, because the buyer cannot rely on your need to sell. If you have already agreed a price with someone, we can still manage the payment and the removal, and the fee for that is agreed up front.

All questions people ask

Related services

Guides

Auction or private treaty: which route to choose
Auction gives you a fixed date and an open market. Private treaty gives you a negotiated price and privacy. This guide sets out when each route suits, what you give up with each, and why many sales use both.
What happens to unsold lots
Not every lot sells, but the site still has to be cleared. This guide covers why lots go unsold, private treaty after the sale, lowering or removing the reserve, a later sale, scrap and WEEE recycling, and what disposal costs.