Anyone bought a truck, utility (or dump!) trailer, or other equipment (golf cart, skid steer, tractor, etc) from one of those online equipment auctions? Some seem to have good deals now and then and with how expensive everything has gotten they are more and more appealing. I’m only nervous as I don’t have any personal experience doing so, and don’t know anyone who has bought through one either.
Not me but a friend bought a Deere tractor that way. He got it home and when he was ordering some parts for it a few weeks later from the local dealer he discovered that it had been stolen. Since the things you are asking about buying do not generally have titles like trucks do it may not be until it needs service and a dealer’s shop runs the serial number that you learn that. I’d get a serial number pre-purchase and ask a local dealer to run the number for you first.
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I have. As a rule of thumb, you are only are buying what you have seen. If you’ve seen it start up, drive around, etc, that’s what you are buying. If they say it works, but you never see it, it doesn’t work.
It depends on your location, but a lot of these equipment auctions put on sales several times a year. They do not want to screw over their buyers. And if you purchase stolen goods from them, they can loose their license (and their livelihood).
Most times if they claim it does X, they will hold their word to that.** So let’s say they sell a lawnmower and they say it runs and cuts, but after you win the bid it won’t even start to get on the trailer, most places will just immediately refund you. They don’t own the product so they don’t loose money from that; they just won’t make their fee. Any reputable place will honor that.
** listen to their wording. ‘It runs well and cuts grass’ = it works, and we will put our word on that. ‘The owner said it works, but we haven’t tested it’ = no guarantee.
I bought my little MF tractor at an online auction but at a local dealer so that I could see it first. Ironically the day I went to pick it up it didn’t start despite it running great when I stopped by prior to the sale. The auction house fixed it, seat sensor, and delivered it for me once it was fixed. Not sure how it would have worked out if I wasn’t a local. I stalked prices online for almost a year and it took a while but I found a pretty similar deal locally. But, I’m in a pretty ag friendly area. Good luck with your search.
