Who Buys Used Forklifts
Research stage — comparing dealers, auctions, scrapyards and direct buyers. We buy directly with our own money, quote within 24 hours, cover the freight, and pay you at pickup — anywhere in the United States.
- Any brand and any capacity
- Running, broken or scrap condition
- Single units and fleet buyouts
- No fees of any kind to the seller
Offers in 24 hours · Paid at pickup · Transport included
Your four options, compared honestly
There are really only four ways to move a used forklift: trade it to a dealer, list it at auction, sell it for scrap, or sell it to a direct buyer. Dealers want the trade against a new purchase, so the credit is usually soft and tied to you spending money. Auctions can beat us on a clean late-model machine in a strong month, but you pay seller commission and lot fees, you pay to get it there, settlement lands 30 to 45 days later, and there is no floor under the hammer.
Scrapyards are the fastest and the worst — they weigh the machine and pay by the ton, which ignores every salvageable component on it. We sit between auction upside and scrap certainty: a fixed number, committed the same day, paid at pickup, with freight already inside it.
Attachments are worth calling out separately. Side shifters, fork positioners, rotators, carton clamps, paper roll clamps and man baskets all add to the offer, and owners frequently forget to mention them.
How the sale works
- 01
You send the basics
Brand, capacity off the data plate, hour meter reading, and whether it runs. Three photos help: full side view, the data plate, and the meter. Call or use the form — either works.
- 02
We price it the same day
Capacity, hours and condition set the range. Brand, tire type, mast height and attachments move it inside that range. You get a firm written number, normally within 24 hours.
- 03
You accept, we schedule
Pickup is typically two to seven business days out. We survey access from your photos first so the right truck and loading gear arrive the first time.
- 04
Paid on site, we haul it
Cash, certified check or same-day wire before the machine is loaded. Bill of sale is prepared by us. Transport is ours — it never comes off your number.
Offer ranges by capacity and condition
| Capacity | Typical offer range | Common application |
|---|---|---|
| 3,000 lb | $1,800 – $6,500 | Light warehouse, retail backroom, single-pallet work |
| 4,000 lb | $2,400 – $8,500 | General warehouse, light manufacturing |
| 5,000 lb | $3,200 – $12,000 | The default American warehouse forklift |
| 6,000 lb | $3,800 – $14,000 | Heavier pallets, lumber, building supply |
| 8,000 lb | $5,000 – $19,000 | Steel, masonry, container unloading |
| 10,000 lb | $6,500 – $24,000 | Heavy manufacturing, pipe, precast |
| 15,000 lb | $9,000 – $34,000 | Mills, marble, heavy fabrication |
| 16,000 lb | $9,500 – $36,000 | Lumber mills, coil handling |
| 20,000 lb | $12,000 – $48,000 | Ports, steel service centers, rail |
| 30,000 lb and up | $18,000 – $95,000 | Container handling, shipyards, heavy industry |
Four reasons owners take our number
We are the end buyer
Not a broker taking a percentage and not a dealer wanting a trade-in. We buy with our own money and take title, which is why we can commit to a number the same day.
Condition is not a disqualifier
Roughly a third of what we buy will not start. A dead engine lowers the number; it does not zero it out. Mast, carriage, hydraulics, drivetrain and frame steel all carry value.
Transport is on us
Quoted numbers already include freight. We bring the gear to load a machine with flat tires, a dead battery, or one parked behind racking.
Payment happens at pickup
Before the forklift leaves your property. No consignment, no waiting on resale, no retainage held back.
What raises and lowers an offer
Raises it: a straight mast with tight chains, a powertrain that starts cold and lifts without hesitation, tread left on the tires, low hours for the vintage, a brand with deep parts support, and worthwhile attachments included. Service records help more than owners expect because they let a rebuilder skip diagnostic time.
Lowers it, roughly in order of severity: a bent or twisted mast, a cracked or repaired frame, flood or fire damage, a blown transmission, and a dead battery pack on an electric unit. Cosmetics barely register — faded paint, dents, a torn seat and a broken hour meter cost very little. Straight steel and a working powertrain are what carry the number.
Who Buys Used Forklifts by state
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Alabama
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Alaska
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Arizona
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Arkansas
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — California
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Colorado
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Connecticut
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Delaware
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — District of Columbia
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Florida
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Georgia
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Hawaii
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Idaho
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Illinois
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Indiana
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Iowa
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Kansas
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Kentucky
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Louisiana
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Maine
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Maryland
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Massachusetts
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Michigan
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Minnesota
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Mississippi
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Missouri
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Montana
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Nebraska
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Nevada
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — New Hampshire
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — New Jersey
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — New Mexico
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — New York
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — North Carolina
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — North Dakota
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Ohio
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Oklahoma
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Oregon
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Pennsylvania
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Rhode Island
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — South Carolina
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — South Dakota
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Tennessee
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Texas
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Utah
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Vermont
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Virginia
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Washington
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — West Virginia
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Wisconsin
- Who Buys Used Forklifts — Wyoming
Largest markets we buy in
- New York, NY
- Los Angeles, CA
- Chicago, IL
- Houston, TX
- Philadelphia, PA
- Phoenix, AZ
- San Antonio, TX
- San Diego, CA
- Jacksonville, FL
- Indianapolis, IN
- Columbus, OH
- Charlotte, NC
- Detroit, MI
- Memphis, TN
- Boston, MA
- Seattle, WA
- Baltimore, MD
- Washington, DC
- Denver, CO
- Milwaukee, WI
- Portland, OR
- Oklahoma City, OK
- Las Vegas, NV
- Albuquerque, NM
- Tucson, AZ
- Kansas City, MO
- Virginia Beach, VA
- Atlanta, GA
- Omaha, NE
- Colorado Springs, CO
- Raleigh, NC
- Miami, FL
- Tulsa, OK
- Cleveland, OH
- Minneapolis, MN
- Wichita, KS
- New Orleans, LA
- Honolulu, HI
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Anchorage, AK
Brands we buy
- Toyota forklift buyers
- Hyster forklift buyers
- Yale forklift buyers
- Caterpillar forklift buyers
- Crown forklift buyers
- Raymond forklift buyers
- Clark forklift buyers
- Nissan / UniCarriers forklift buyers
- Mitsubishi forklift buyers
- Komatsu forklift buyers
- Linde forklift buyers
- Jungheinrich forklift buyers
- Doosan / Bobcat forklift buyers
- Hyundai forklift buyers
- Taylor forklift buyers
- Big Joe forklift buyers
- Genie forklift buyers
- SkyTrak / JLG forklift buyers
Questions we get asked
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.
Because used forklifts are a national and export market, not a local one. Our buyers are dealers, rebuilders and overseas importers, so we are not limited to what a single the United States operator will pay this month. That is exactly why we can beat local scrap and local trade-in numbers.
Tell us what you have and take a number
Tell us what you have
Fastest route is a phone call — most owners get a number in the first conversation. If you would rather write it out, fill this in and we will reply within 24 hours.
(954) 740-1983