Warehouse and logistics equipment sales in Plymouth

Industrial Warehouse with Forklift and Shelving

Warehouse equipment for businesses in Plymouth and the surrounding Devon area, including Saltash, Tavistock, Ivybridge, Torpoint. We catalogue and sell on your premises, so nothing has to be moved before the sale.

A warehouse move, a contract loss or a change in how you store goods can leave you with equipment you no longer need. Forklifts, racking and conveyors take up floor space and lose value while you decide what to do with them.

We sell warehouse and logistics equipment by online timed auction, either from your site or from our premises. Buyers are other warehouse operators, dealers and fit out contractors who want working kit at trade prices. Use the contact form to tell us what you have and when the site needs to be clear.

What these sales usually include

Counterbalance forklifts
Reach trucks
Powered pallet trucks
Hand pallet trucks
Pallet racking
Mezzanine floors
Longspan and cantilever shelving
Conveyors and sortation
Roll cages and stillages
Stretch wrap machines
Pallet scales
Battery chargers
Order pickers and stackers
Dock levellers and loading equipment

Racking sells, but it must come down

Pallet racking is one of the largest items by value in most warehouses, and it sells well because new racking is expensive and slow to deliver. Buyers want to know the manufacturer, the frame heights, the beam lengths and load ratings, and how many bays there are. A racking survey or the original installation drawing gives them this in one go.

Dismantling is the main question. Racking can be sold in situ for the buyer to dismantle, or taken down and stacked before the sale. Selling in situ saves you the cost but limits the buyers to those with the labour and the time. Where the site must be handed back on a fixed date, having the racking dismantled and stacked usually gives you a wider audience and a cleaner exit.

Mezzanine floors follow the same logic, with the added issue of building control and fire protection on removal.

Forklifts and the records that matter

Forklifts, reach trucks and other lifting equipment must be thoroughly examined at set intervals under LOLER. Buyers ask for the latest report of thorough examination and the hour meter reading, and a truck with both to hand sells for more than one without. Gather the service history, the operator manuals and the keys.

For electric trucks, battery condition sets much of the value. Note the battery age, whether the charger is included and whether it is single or three phase. A truck with a tired battery still sells, but describe it as such.

Gas trucks should be sold with empty cylinders removed. Diesel trucks should be run before the photographs are taken so buyers can see them working.

The small equipment adds up

Between the forklifts and the racking sits a large amount of equipment that is easy to overlook. Sold together in lots, it adds a meaningful amount to the sale total:

hand pallet trucks and powered pallet trucks
roll cages, stillages and pallet boxes
conveyors, sortation and packing benches
stretch wrap machines and strapping tools
pallet scales and platform scales
sack trucks, trolleys and steps
warehouse label printers and scanners
mobile safety steps and access platforms

We lot the small items in sensible groups so that they attract buyers who want a quantity, rather than leaving single items unsold. Consumables such as pallets, cartons and stretch film also sell when there is enough to make a lot worth collecting.

How the sale runs

After a site visit we agree what is in the sale and what stays. We catalogue and photograph each lot, list the sale online and market it to warehouse operators, dealers, contractors and end users. Bidders view on a set day, then bid online over the sale period, with lots closing in sequence.

Every lot is sold as seen and without warranty. The buyer pays the hammer price plus a buyer's premium, and VAT is added where it applies. We collect payment from buyers before release.

Collection runs over an agreed window after the sale. Buyers remove their own lots. Riggers or contractors handle large or fixed items. We supervise collection so that racking is dismantled safely and the site is left as agreed.

Timing a sale around a site handover

Most warehouse sales run over two to four weeks from instruction to final collection, but the date that matters is the one your landlord or the incoming occupier has set. Work backwards from that. Racking dismantling and mezzanine removal take longest, so those decisions come first.

If the site is still trading, we can sell in phases so that the equipment you still need is sold last. If the site is already empty, a single sale with a short collection window clears it fastest.

Tell us about any restrictions: loading bay hours, shared access, lift capacity or insurance requirements for contractors. These affect how we plan collection more than anything else.

Businesses in Plymouth

Plymouth's industry is shaped by the naval dockyard and the sea. Marine engineering, ship repair and boat building firms are spread along the waterfront and the Tamar. Fishing and seafood processing work from Sutton Harbour. Advanced manufacturing and medical device firms are found at Estover, Langage near Plympton and the Roborough and Southway estates. Marsh Mills, Faraday Mill and Valley Road have trade counters, vehicle workshops and smaller industrial units.

The A38 Devon Expressway runs across the north of the city and connects to the M5 at Exeter. The A386 heads north to Tavistock and the A38 continues west over the Tamar Bridge into Cornwall. Plymouth railway station is on the main line between Exeter and Penzance. Some older sites near the water have tight access, so a site check before collection is sensible.

We regularly handle warehouse equipment in Plymouth and across Devon. 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

Can racking be sold while it is still in use?: Yes. We can catalogue and photograph racking while it is loaded, and sell it for collection after you have emptied it. The buyer dismantles it during the collection window, or you have it dismantled and stacked beforehand. What we need is a firm date by which the racking will be empty and accessible. Buyers will not bid confidently on racking they cannot be sure of removing.
What do buyers want to know about a forklift?: Make, model, capacity, lift height, mast type, fuel type and hours. They want the date of the last thorough examination under LOLER and whether the truck has any known faults. For electric trucks they want the battery age and whether a charger is included. Attachments such as side shift or fork positioners add value and should be listed. Photographs of the data plate and the hour meter answer most questions.
Who removes the equipment after the sale?: The buyer does, at their own cost, within the collection window. Small items go out on a van. Forklifts go on a transporter. Racking and conveyors are dismantled by the buyer or their contractor. We attend collection days, check payment before release and make sure removal is done safely. You are not asked to dismantle or load anything, though someone will need to give access.
What happens to equipment that does not sell?: Very little goes unsold in a well marketed warehouse sale, because most items have a clear trade value. Where a lot fails to reach its reserve we can offer it to the underbidder or the next highest interest. Anything left after that can be relisted in a collective sale or cleared at your instruction. We agree the approach for unsold lots before the sale, not after.
Is VAT charged on warehouse equipment at auction?: Where the vendor is VAT registered, VAT is charged on the hammer price of each lot and the buyer pays it. VAT is also charged on the buyer's premium. We issue the VAT invoices to buyers and account to you for the VAT on the hammer price, which you then declare in the normal way. If you are not VAT registered, tell us at the outset so the lots are listed correctly.

All questions people ask