1. Prove the machine identity
Record the manufacturer, exact model, serial number, year, control, travels, spindle, axis configuration, table or chuck size and installed options. Small model suffixes can represent materially different machines.
2. Define the value question
Retail asking range, orderly-sale expectation, auction exposure, trade-in value, insurance value and formal appraisal are not interchangeable. Name the purpose before choosing evidence.
3. Select real comparables
Prefer the same model and configuration. Expand to adjacent years or closely related models only when exact evidence is thin, and document every difference rather than silently averaging unlike machines.
4. Normalize the evidence
Separate current observations from historical records. Distinguish asking prices from completed-sale evidence. Note whether currency, tooling, freight, commission, loading or other terms are included.
5. Adjust for the exact unit
Account for operating condition, spindle or motion hours, service history, alarm history, accuracy evidence, control age, probing, rotary axes, automation, chip management, tooling and known repair needs.
6. Account for geography and removal
A machine's location, access, electrical state, foundation, loading requirements and regional buyer density affect what a buyer can pay and what a seller can net.
7. Publish a range with assumptions
Use a low, central and high working range. List the facts supporting each boundary and the unknowns that could move it. A single unsupported number hides risk.