How to Buy Used Farm Machinery Online: A Buyer's Checklist

Buying machinery online saves days of driving between yards and sales, and it opens up stock from every state. The trade-off is that you have to do your homework before you commit. This checklist covers what experienced buyers check before they bid or make an offer.

1. Work out what you actually need

• Horsepower, working width and capacity that suit your acreage and your other gear.
• Hitch, PTO and hydraulic requirements, so the machine works with what you already run.
• Your total budget, including the buyer's premium, GST, freight and any repairs.

2. Read the whole listing

Look past the headline photo. Check the hours or kilometres, year, location, whether GST is added, and whether the seller can help with loading. Zoom into the photos of tyres, the hour meter, the serial plate and any damage. If the listing is in an auction, note the closing time and whether the lot has a reserve.

3. Ask the seller the right questions

• Why are you selling, and how long have you owned it?
• When was it last serviced, and are there records?
• Are there any known faults, leaks or recent repairs?
• Can you send a video of it starting from cold and working?
• Is there any finance owing on it?

On AuctionsNOW you can ask questions straight from the listing, and the answers help other buyers too.

4. Inspect before you buy

For anything of real value, inspect in person or send someone you trust. A local mechanic or dealer can do a pre-purchase inspection for a modest fee, which is cheap insurance on a five or six figure machine. See our used tractor inspection checklist for what to look at.

5. Check it is free of finance

Search the Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) using the VIN or serial number. If a lender has a security interest registered, it can follow the machine to you.

6. Know the real price

Listing is free for sellers. Buyers pay a 5% buyer's premium plus GST on top of the price when they buy. If the seller is registered for GST, 10% GST is added to the price as well, and the listing says so. For example, a $10,000 item from a GST-registered seller costs $10,000 + $1,000 GST + $500 premium + $50 GST, or $11,550 in total.

7. Make an offer or bid

Most listings accept offers, and every offer made is shown on the listing (amounts only), so you can see where interest sits. The seller can accept, decline or counter. In an auction, bidding is binding: only bid what you are prepared to pay. Lots that do not reach their reserve stay listed afterwards, so you can still make an offer.

8. Plan payment, collection and freight

Once a purchase is confirmed you receive a tax invoice by email. Pay by the due date, then arrange collection with the seller. Unless the listing says otherwise you are responsible for loading and transport, so plan freight before you buy, not after.

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