Frequently Asked Questions for Buyers Registering with BusinessesForSale.com  |
Anyone can view and browse the thousands of businesses for sale advertised on BusinessesForSale.com. However, if you wish to make contact with a seller or use the services designed to help you buy a business, then you must register as either a Standard or Premium Buyer.
Register as either a Standard or Premium Buyer |
Changing or updating your account details |
In order to change or update your account details you will need to sign in to your account with your username and password.
Once you sign in, click on ‘Edit My Personal Information’ to update your contact details, such as email address, or change your username and password details.
Sign into your account Forgotten your username or password? |
I have to pay to access a listing | Some of you seem confused about paying to view some of the adverts. We have two types of buyer membership – Standard and Premium. If you are registered as a Standard Buyer, you will not be able to access a new advert, without paying or upgrading your membership, during the first 14 days it is advertised on the site. However, after this two week period, both Premium and Standard buyers will be able to access all details. Premium Buyers can access new business adverts the moment a business is listed on the site. |
Upgrading from Standard to Premium status |
If you wish to upgrade your membership from Standard to Premium, you must first sign into your account using your username and password.
Once you have signed in, click on the Upgrade link in your ‘Welcome’ panel located at the top of your personalised homepage.
Sign into your account Forgotten your username or password? |
Using the site to find a business for sale |
BusinessesForSale.com has invested heavily in connecting buyers and sellers of businesses for sale. There are a number of ways you can use the site to help you find and buy your ideal business.
Key Word Search and Browse
You can find businesses by typing your key word search (e.g. Restaurant For Sale) into the text box found on the homepage. Browse allows you to drill down through the sectors and categories of businesses for sale and can be found on the homepage under ‘Browse Sector’.
Advanced Search
Advanced Search allows you to narrow down your search criteria by location, price and location.
Use Advanced Search Business Wanted
Reach 1000s of sellers by advertising your ‘Business Wanted’ requirements for free. Tell them the business you are looking to buy and sellers will contact you.
Post a ‘Business Wanted’ ad Email Alerts
Let us email you the businesses for sale that match your requirements. Email Alerts is a free service.
Create an Email Alerts profile RSS Feeds
Sign up for RSS Feeds and have businesses you are interested in delivered directly to your PC via a feed. You’ll know about them as soon as we do.
Sign up for RSS Feeds |
Getting more details about a business for sale |
If you want further information about a business for sale you must contact the seller or the seller’s representative (an agent, broker or intermediary) directly via the site.
BusinessesForSale.com does not have any more information about a business for sale than is currently available on the site. We are not a broker or an intermediary. We are an advertising medium, like a newspaper or magazine but on the web.
Therefore, to contact a seller please click the ‘Contact Seller’ button on the advert. This will take you through to a registration page. Once you register as a buyer your message will be sent directly to the seller.
If you are already registered, simply sign into your account with your username and password.
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There wasn’t enough information on the business/information was inaccurate/financial information was incorrect/location wasn’t clear |
While we do our best to ensure that all businesses advertised on the site are genuine, we do not create the adverts. All the information provided comes from the brokers and private sellers. We encourage them to provide as much information as possible, especially when it comes to the location of the business.
We have also provided feedback of your comments to our brokers and sellers, therefore we hope the quality of the information they provide will improve in the future.
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The business has been sold |
Again, brokers and private sellers are responsible for their own listings and it is down to them to update their listings if a price or any of the other information about the business should change. Unfortunately we have no control over this, although this is something we are looking at changing. We are constantly working with our brokers and other sellers to ensure their adverts are as informative as possible.
In addition, the following system is in place at the moment – if an advert has not been updated in any way during a 12 month period, it will ‘expire’, i.e. it will be removed from the site. We realise this isn’t much help if the business has been sold during this time, therefore once again we have asked our brokers and sellers to be more vigilant in maintaining their listings.
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Contacting a business for sale |
To contact the seller of a business for sale you must click the ‘Contact Seller’ button on the advert. You will then need to either register as a buyer or sign into your account using your username and password.
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Why hasn’t the seller got back to me? |
There are a couple of reasons why sellers don't, or take ages to reply. Mostly it is because it takes time to get to your enquiry and send the appropriate information through to you. This can also be hindered further if the broker or seller is out of the office or on holiday.
Some business brokers send their information through the post, some may try and call you and some may email you, so keep your eye on voicemail messages and your junk mail folder. Most brokers are excellent at replying and we recommend you continue to request the information you want and don't get put off it you don't hear from one.
You may also find that some brokers require you to sign a confidentiality agreement prior to any further information being sent out. Please remember this is sometimes a critical requirement and it is often needed to protect the seller and the business being sold. If you put yourself in the seller’s shoes, you might not want to send out all your financial records etc. to people you don't know (particularly your competitors) or you may only want the broker to release confidential information once you have spoken or met the potential buyer.
Also, we want to encourage you to include as much information about yourself and why you are requesting the details of that business when you enquire. This is so that you distinguish yourself from others who may not be as serious about the business as you are. Brokers should, and often do, send information to every request but the more information you provide such as 'I have looked into finance and this business would be a viable option for me' or 'I am in a position now that if I find the right business I can move immediately', would place your enquiry as a higher priority.
It can take up to one week before you hear from the seller in this way. If you have still heard nothing after one working week and would like Customer Services to chase the seller up for you, you need to be a Premium Member. (Customer Services assistance is only available to Premium Members.) You can find instructions in Your Account area to upgrade to Premium Membership.
When you contact us as a Premium Member, Customer Services will investigate why the seller has not got back to you. We will try contact the seller for you or send you their direct contact details if they are available.
Contact the Customer Services Team |
Email alerts contain too much information | Please remember you can create as many or as few email alert profiles as you wish. Please also remember you can drill right down into the categories by both business sector and geography. The more information you include in your email alert profiles, the more likely you are to receive the information on businesses you might be interested in. |
Can’t search by business ID number |
If you have visited the site and seen a business you like, you can make a note of the advert id and search for it in the quick search box on the homepage when you return.
Please also be aware of our shortlist – this feature allows you to create a list of the businesses you are interested in, and is accessed through the My Account tab in the navigation bar. You can also place an advert in your shortlist by selecting ‘Place advert in my shortlist' in the ADVERT TOOLS menu on the advert pages.
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BusinessesForSale.com doesn’t respond to my queries |
Customer Services assistance is a Premium Buyer benefit. The majority of buyer queries can be solved by visiting our Frequently Asked Questions page.
If after reading the FAQs you haven’t found what you are looking for, please feel free to contact us. However please note, it may take some time for us to respond due to the high volume of queries we receive.
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