Forklift selling questions

Three photos and two numbers. Photos: a full side view, the data plate, and the hour meter. Numbers: the hour reading and the capacity from the plate. Tell us any known faults up front — a disclosed problem is priced in, an undisclosed one gets found at pickup and slows everything down.

Both. Single machines are most of our volume. Fleets get handled as one transaction on one check with one pickup window, and larger groups are worth more per unit because our transport cost per machine falls.

All of them. Toyota, Hyster, Yale, Crown, Raymond, Caterpillar, Clark, Komatsu, Nissan and UniCarriers, Mitsubishi, Linde, Jungheinrich, Doosan, Hyundai, Taylor, Big Joe, Genie and SkyTrak. Brand affects the number but never whether we will buy it — obscure and orphaned brands still have core and steel value.

None. No inspection fee, no appraisal fee, no transport charge, no paperwork fee. If you accept our offer you are paid the full amount. If you decline, you owe nothing and we do not call you repeatedly.

Almost never. Repairs rarely return their cost at wholesale — a $2,800 transmission job might add $1,500 to the offer. Two exceptions are worth it: charge or replace a dead battery on an electric unit, and air up flat tires so the machine can be moved. Otherwise sell it as it sits and let us price the fault.

Include everything if you can. Tanks, spare forks, side shifters, fork positioners, clamps, rotators and man baskets all add to the offer. If you want to keep an attachment, say so before we quote so the number reflects the machine without it.

Yes — electric counterbalance trucks, reach trucks, order pickers, walkie stackers and rider pallet jacks. Battery condition drives the number heavily. A healthy pack with a matching charger can be worth more than the truck it sits in, so never scrap an electric unit without calling first.

Yes. Low doors, tight aisles, machines wedged behind racking and units on a second floor with a freight elevator are routine for us. We survey access from your photos before we send a truck so the right equipment shows up the first time.

A simple bill of sale that we prepare. Forklifts are not titled like road vehicles in most states, so there is no DMV process. If the unit is leased or has a lien, we need the payoff or release letter first — we can work directly with the lender if you prefer.

Sometimes, on a clean late-model machine in a strong month. But auctions charge seller commission plus lot fees, you pay to get the unit there, payment lands 30 to 45 days out, and there is no floor — we have seen good forklifts hammer at a third of expectation. Our number is fixed and paid at pickup, which is why most owners take it.

Regularly. Dealers sell us trade-ins they do not want to recondition, and rental companies sell us units coming off fleet. We can work on a standing arrangement with monthly pickups if you have consistent volume.

Common on older machines and not a problem. We estimate from tire wear, seat and floorboard wear, pedal rubber, mast chain stretch and general condition. Tell us it is out rather than guessing a number — an inaccurate hour claim discovered at pickup costs more trust than a broken meter ever would.

Yes, and they are among our highest-value purchases. Genie GTH, SkyTrak, JLG, CAT TL and Gehl units all sell well. On a telehandler we care about boom wear pads, frame and boom welds, hydraulic leaks and tire condition far more than the hour meter.

Yes. Good 24V, 36V, 48V and 80V industrial packs with usable capacity have real value, as do chargers and quality attachments. Send the pack's date code and voltage and whether it still holds a shift.