Know which company will buy and pay
Ask for the legal purchasing entity, a business contact and the representative authorized to agree terms. Match those details to the offer and proposed sale documents. Determine whether your contact is the direct purchaser or arranging a sale for another party. Use independently obtained business contact information to resolve discrepancies.
If a party identifies itself as a Texas dealer, confirm the relevant license information through TxDMV’s dealer resources. A trading name alone does not establish the purchasing entity or an applicable license. Ask the agency or your advisor about the requirements for the actual transaction.
Give every buyer the same proposed fleet
Use a dated inventory with identifiers, included equipment, known condition, sites and availability. Check that each offer matches that version. If a buyer excludes the oldest truck or assumes shelves will stay, record the difference before comparing totals.
A market estimate, an initial indication and a written purchase offer are different. Identify inspection and title conditions, price-change triggers, fees and expiration. Use the offer comparison worksheet and calculator only after the same units and stated costs have been confirmed.
Agree how payment and vehicle release will be checked
Ask your company’s authorized payment contact to review the proposed payment method and confirmation process. Document how payment, lender instructions, title documents and keys relate to release. A proposed collection appointment is not evidence that these conditions are complete.
Confirm changed payment or account instructions through a known contact channel. The FBI describes changed invoice and payment instructions as a business email compromise risk; its guidance recommends independently verifying requests. See FBI business email compromise guidance. Keep banking details outside the website inquiry and use your business’s established payment controls.
Buyer-evaluation checklist
- The legal purchasing party and its representative match the offer and sale documents.
- The same dated unit list, condition notes and included equipment are used.
- Inspection, title and price conditions are written down, with remaining questions identified.
- All seller-paid costs are stated; an unanswered cost is not entered as zero.
- Payment verification, document handling and vehicle release are agreed by authorized people.
- Each site has a collection window, access contact and an identified release authority.
- Offer expiry, changes to scope and the plan for excluded units are clear.
An example of a question to resolve
Two hypothetical buyers quote for a ten-unit list. One offer excludes a truck; the other includes it but leaves transport costs unanswered. Neither headline total establishes which proposal fits better. Request the revised scope and written transport costs, then compare the same units. Retain the revised documents with the version your company accepts.
Read how our direct purchase review works and compare the selling channels before requesting terms. The sale checklist helps assign your own preparation tasks.
Request terms you can compare
Send count, vehicle types and locations to begin a direct purchase review. Include the scope and conditions of an existing offer if you have one.