You’d be forgiven for thinking that when it comes to a subject as specific and targeted as plant machinery, there wouldn’t be a great many dodgy dealers out there. In reality however this isn’t the case at all – the UK’s less-than above-board plant machinery market is booming like never before.

In terms of why, it all comes down to the way in which demand for quality construction machinery and accessories at the lowest possible price has never been higher. As such, record volumes are being stolen and sold on every week, unscrupulous sellers are peddling worn out wares as ‘nearly new’ bargains and the poor buyers on the receiving end of these goods are learning the hard way that taking things for granted isn’t a good idea.

According to the experts at www.ukforks.com, there’s never been a greater need for vigilance when it comes to the plant machinery buying process. But at the same time, it’s also generally quite easy to spot the dodgy machinery on the market long before you come close to handing over the cash and taking it away.

Proactivity pays, so here’s a look at the five most common signs the machinery you’re looking at is dodgy:

1 – They’re Desperate to Shift It

First of all, when you come across a seller that’s well and truly desperate to get rid of their gear in a hurry, this doesn’t usually bode well for the buyer. It’s not to say that this means it’s guaranteed to be a 100% dodgy deal, but is nonetheless a trademark warning sign that something isn’t right. After all, if it’s a quality piece of kit they’re selling and the price is right, it’s not like it’ll take them long to find another buyer even if you back out. So, if it seems like they’re in too much of a hurry, you might want to slow down yourself.

2 – It’s Far too Cheap

When and where you come across any piece of quality plant machinery for a price that’s too good to be true, trust your instincts and avoid the temptation to dive in. The reason being that there’s a set industry standard price for pretty much everything across the board when it comes to any given make and model of plant machinery – freebies and bargains are really non-existent. As such, when you find yourself presented with something that’s exponentially cheaper than it should be and with no real reason for the low price, you can probably work out why it might be priced so low. It might be stolen, it might not work or it might be a fake – in any case, you don’t want anything to do with it.

3 – No Paperwork

It’s not like you have to hand over a million reams of paperwork just to buy or sell plant machinery – just a simple piece of paper confirming the sale and its details will do. As such, if you encounter a seller who for any given reasons is not willing/insistent upon offering receipts, invoices or any other standard bits of paperwork, chances are there’s a good reason for this…and not one that’s in your favour. They might be trying to cover their tracks or avoid any headaches when you discover you’ve been duped, so be careful.

4 – No Warranties Even on New Machinery

If they’re looking to sell a brand new piece of equipment from a leading brand that’s never been used, why on Earth is it that they cannot offer some form of guarantee with it? All new equipment like this comes with an extensive warranty as standard whereby it will be repaired or replaced free of charge by the seller should something go wrong. So, when it’s brand new yet on sale with no warranty, what does this tell you? Exactly…nothing good.

5 – The Seller Can’t Tell You Anything About It

Last but not least, perhaps the most obvious sign of all that someone is selling something that they really shouldn’t be selling is when they clearly have no idea what it is they have or where it came from. Actually, it’s even worse if they do very well know where it came from but are unwilling to tell you – anything they keep hidden about its past should be a very real cause for concern for the buyer. So if they cannot tell you what you need to know at least to the necessary extent to ease your mind, you might want to think about heading to a seller that’s more liberal with the information.