Found a machine in Europe? Have it checked before you pay.
You have found the machine. It is two thousand miles away, the photographs look fine, and the seller wants a deposit. Before any money moves, someone who has bought and sold this kit since 2003 can go and stand next to it — on your side, not the seller's — and tell you honestly what he finds.
You do not need to be a sourcing client. This is a standalone service on a machine you found yourself, whether that is a dealer's yard, a private seller or a listing you have been sent.
An experienced trader's honest read, backed by evidence.
A written condition evidence report on that specific machine, with the photographs and video to support it. Not a sales document, and not a tick-box template — a plain account of what the machine is actually like.
What this is not. It is not an engineer's certificate and we do not call it a technical inspection. Where a machine genuinely needs engineering measurements or specialist diagnostics — structural condition on a large crusher, crane certification — we say so plainly in the report and refer that element out at cost rather than putting our name to an opinion that belongs to a qualified engineer. Import compliance, customs entry and biosecurity clearance remain the importer's responsibility; the report is about the machine, not the paperwork. Every report is prepared for you alone and is not to be relied upon by any other party, and our liability is limited to the fee you have paid, under English law.
Four steps, and you know where you stand at each one.
Send us the listing. A link, a dealer's advert, a set of photographs from a private seller — whatever you have, plus where the machine is.
We confirm the scope and the fee. In writing, before anything is booked: what we will look at, what we will not, the travel position and the total cost.
We inspect it in person. We arrange access with the seller and attend the machine ourselves, with a camera.
You get the report. Written up and sent to you within the turnaround agreed with you up front, then talked through if you want to go over it.
If you are looking at several machines at the same sale or the same dealer, tell us — one journey covering more than one machine is cheaper for you than three separate trips.
£195 per day, plus 45p per mile. A fixed fee, agreed with you up front.
A day rate, quoted and agreed as a fixed fee before we travel — so you know the total cost before anything is booked, whatever we find when we get there.
The fee is not credited against a sourcing fee if you later ask us to find you something else. Inspection and sourcing are different pieces of work and the invoice says so. A specialist third-party inspection firm typically charges €750–880 for a comparable visit.
Buyers who cannot go and look themselves.
You are in Australia, Canada, Ireland, the Gulf or anywhere else, the machine is in the UK or Europe, and flying over to look at it costs more than the report does.
The machine is a long way from you and you would rather send someone than lose two days to it.
You know machinery perfectly well. You would still rather someone with no interest in the sale looked at this one before the money leaves.
The seller is unknown to you, the price looks good, and something about it deserves a proper look first.
Tell us what you have found.
Send the listing and where the machine is. We will come back with the scope and the fee — in writing, before anything is booked. We aim to respond within one working day.
What buyers ask before booking an inspection.
Is this a technical or engineering inspection?
No, and we are careful not to call it one. It is an experienced trader's honest read of the machine, backed by photographic and video evidence — the judgement of someone who has bought and sold this kit since 2003, not an engineer's certificate. Where a machine genuinely needs engineering measurements or specialist diagnostics, we say so plainly in the report and refer that element out at cost. Every report also carries a prominent section setting out what could not be checked on the day.
What does it cost, and do I pay if I decide not to buy?
It is a day rate: £195 per day, plus 45p per mile, agreed with you in writing before we travel, so you know the cost before anything is booked. For machines outside the UK, travel is agreed with you up front. The fee is payable once you have agreed it, whether or not you go on to buy the machine — you are paying for the visit, the evidence and the report, and those are delivered either way.
Do I have to use Euro Plant Finder to buy the machine afterwards?
No. This is a standalone service on a machine you found yourself, and you are free to buy it, walk away from it or negotiate it down using the report — that is the point of it. If you later ask us to source something else, the inspection fee is not credited against the sourcing fee, because inspection and sourcing are different pieces of work and the invoice keeps them separate. Import compliance, customs entry and biosecurity clearance remain the importer's responsibility.