Do Medical Equipment Liquidators Charge Fees?
Short answer: it depends entirely on the model — and the fee is not always called a fee.There are three basic structures in this market. Two of them take their compensation out of your side of the transaction; one doesn't. Here is how to tell which one you're looking at.
The three fee models
Commission / auction models.
The company sells your equipment to other buyers and keeps a percentage of what each item sells for. Some platforms also charge the buyer a premium on top of the winning bid — which affects what buyers are willing to bid in the first place. You typically pay nothing up front; the compensation comes out of the proceeds when items sell, and items that don't sell return nothing.
Consignment / revenue-share models.
The company takes the equipment (or lists it from your facility), sells it over time, and splits the revenue with you on terms set in your contract. The split percentage is the fee. Two things to check in any consignment agreement: how long the company may hold your equipment before it sells (some agreements have no time limit), and which costs — transport, storage — are advanced and then recouped from your share.
Direct purchase.
The company is the buyer. There is no commission or split because there are no proceeds to divide — you receive a stated amount, and the company's economics are its own business after that. The questions to ask here are different: is the offer in writing, is anything deducted from it, who pays for removal, and does payment happen before or after the equipment leaves.
What "no upfront fees" actually means
Almost every company in this market can truthfully say "no upfront fees," because in every model the compensation comes later — from commissions, from the consignment split, or from the buyer's own margin. The useful question is not "are there upfront fees?" but "what comes out of my side before I'm paid?" In commission and consignment models, look for shared transportation costs, advanced expenses recouped from proceeds, storage charges, and buyer premiums that shape bids. In a direct purchase, look for whether the written amount is the paid amount.
Questions that surface the real answer, whatever company you're talking to
Is your compensation a percentage of what my equipment sells for, or are you buying it yourselves? Is the amount I'll receive stated in writing before removal? Is anything deducted from that amount — transport, handling, anything? Who pays for removal, packing, and freight? And if items don't sell (in a commission or consignment model), what happens to them and what do I receive?
Where we stand
Surgical Liquidations is a direct buyer. There are no fees and no commissions, nothing is deducted from the written offer, and removal, packing, and transport are at no cost to the facility. The offer arrives in writing within one business day of receiving your equipment list, and payment is confirmed before removal begins. This is not an auction and not consignment — nothing about your outcome depends on a later sale.
FAQ
- Are auction commissions negotiable?
- Terms in commission and consignment models are set by contract and vary by company and situation. Whatever the terms, ask for them in writing before equipment moves — the structural questions above matter more than any single number.
- Is a direct purchase always the right choice?
- It's the model built for certainty and fixed timelines, which is why closing facilities tend to prefer it. The honest comparison is about sequence and structure — see auction vs. direct sale for how the two paths actually run.
- Who pays for removal?
- Model-dependent — it gets its own full answer here: who pays for equipment removal when a facility closes.
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