One machine, or a few
Have a machine standing idle?
Consign it with American Plant & Equipment. You ship it to our warehouse in Roebuck, South Carolina. We receive it, photograph it, write it up, list it to buyers worldwide and market it. When it sells, you are paid the agreed share.
First
You send the list and we say whether it is something we can sell, and what we would expect the market for it to be.
Then
Every term is agreed in writing, and the machine ships to our warehouse in Roebuck, South Carolina.
After that
We photograph it, list it, market it and handle every buyer. When it sells, you are paid the agreed share.
Will you take it
Usually, if a second user for it exists. We accept production machinery in the 18 industries we have traded in since 1975, from single machines up to complete lines. Age is not the disqualifier. A machine with sound mechanics and a live second-hand market outsells a newer machine nobody wants.
What we will not take is anything with no realistic second user, anything stripped for parts, anything we cannot describe honestly, and anything with an unresolved ownership or lien question. We say so before you spend money shipping it, which is the point of asking first.
What we accept, industry by industry
What it costs you
You are paid an agreed share of the sale price and we are paid the rest as commission. The commission, and everything else that carries a cost, is set out in writing before the machine ships. There is nothing to discover afterwards.
We do not publish a percentage, a rate or a figure on this site, for the same reason we publish no prices for machines: a number written on a page is not the number in your agreement. Ask, and you get the answer in writing before anything moves.
What you have to do
- Send the list. Make, model, year, serial number where you can find it, quantity, condition, whether it is still under power, and what tooling goes with it.
- Agree the terms in writing. Commission, payment timing, storage, the minimum period, inbound freight and rigging, insurance and what happens if it does not sell. Nothing ships until you have that in front of you.
- Run it and record it, if it still has power. 2 minutes on a phone is worth more to a buyer than a page of description, and it can never be made again once the cables are cut.
- Keep the tooling with the machine. Dies, change parts, formats, spare rolls, manuals, wiring diagrams and program backups. On many machines the tooling is a large share of what it sells for.
- Drain it and clean it. Machines arrive drained, cleaned and safe to handle.
- Book the truck.
Who this is for
A line was replaced and the old one is standing beside the new one, still under power, taking up the bay you wanted back. This is the best consignment machine there is: complete, demonstrable, and nobody is in a hurry.
A product was discontinued and left its tooling and its machines behind. Often 1 to 5 machines, often complete, often forgotten in a corner for a year.
You are a dealer holding a machine outside your own market, or one that has sat for 2 seasons. You do not need consignment explained. You need reach and terms, and the reach is 18 industries and a catalog that buyers already search.
Why consign rather than auction, list or scrap
The 4 questions we are asked most
What does it cost me?
You are paid an agreed share of the sale price, and we are paid the rest as commission. The commission, and everything else that carries a cost, is set out in writing before the machine ships.
Who pays to get the machine to Roebuck?
Inbound freight and rigging are one of the items agreed in writing before the machine ships. We help arrange both, and we can put you in front of crews and carriers who move this kind of equipment.
How long will you keep it?
There is a minimum period and a storage arrangement, both agreed in writing before the machine ships. Some machines sell in weeks. Some take longer, because the right buyer is the one who needs that exact width or capacity, and we would rather wait for that buyer.
Will you tell me what it is worth before I ship it?
We will tell you what we think the market for it is and whether we can sell it. We do not publish figures for machines anywhere and we do not guarantee a price, because a machine is worth what a buyer pays for it. What we will do is be straight with you before you spend money on freight.
The terms, before anything moves
The written agreement covers all 8 of these, and you have it before the machine leaves your floor.
- The commission, and the share you are paid
- When you are paid after the machine sells
- The storage arrangement while it is with us
- The minimum period the machine stays with us
- What happens if it does not sell
- Who pays inbound freight and rigging
- How the machine is insured while it is in our care
- What preparation and cleaning we do at our end
Do this before you disconnect anything
If the machine still has power, run it and record it. A machine a buyer can watch running is a different asset from a machine on a pallet with its cables cut, and that recording is the one thing you cannot get back afterwards.
How it works
The 6 steps, end to end
From your first email to the day you are paid. One point of contact the whole way through.
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Tell us what you have
Send the list, however rough. We say plainly whether it is something we can sell.
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Terms agreed in writing
Commission, payment timing, storage and the rest, in writing before anything moves.
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Ship it to Roebuck
The machine comes to our own warehouse in South Carolina.
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We receive, inspect, photograph and list it
Checked against your list, photographed properly, and written up the way a buyer reads it.
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We market it to buyers worldwide
Our buyer network in that industry, and every inquiry handled by us.
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It sells, and you are paid the agreed share
On the timing set out in your agreement. We handle the paperwork and the shipment.
Send us the list
A rough list is enough to start. Half a list this week beats a complete one next month, and we will tell you what needs filling in.
- A person reads it, and a person answers it.
- We say whether we can sell it, and what kind of buyer we would be selling it to.
- We say so if we think it is a hard sell, before you pay for freight.
- Nothing is published, and nothing is shared.
Would rather talk it through?
Start a consignment
One form, and then a person reads it. Nothing you send is published and nothing is shared.
Not sure consignment is the right route?
Send the list anyway. If an auction or scrap is the better answer for what you have, we will say so, because sending you to the wrong route costs us a reputation.
Or call (864) 574-0404 and ask for the consignment desk.