Beyond the Net

1. What remains?Define the starting price, deductions, separately paid costs and financing payoff.
2. What binds?Match important promises to the actual agreement, schedules and written changes.
3. What moves?Separate payment, inspection, possession, ownership, risk and removal.

• Compare a quoted net against the costs and obligations the seller still retains.
• Connect important promises to the governing agreement, trigger and evidence.
• Record what must be resolved before payment, payout, possession or machine release.

Use the guide in three passes: read pages 3–17; record the asset, proceeds and charges on pages 18–20; compare offers and map the paper on pages 21–22; then document timing and release checks on pages 23–25.

• p. 1801 · Asset and evidence recordIdentify the actual asset, its authority chain and the evidence that will travel with the transaction.
• p. 1902 · Your settlement bridgeKeep unknowns visible. Reconcile every total to the agreement and the line-item charge schedule.
• p. 2003 · Line-item charge scheduleDo not hide costs inside one total. Record each charge, its authority and whether it is included or separate.
• p. 2104 · Compare three offers on one basisStated seller amount less separate seller-paid costs, before financing payoff and seller income tax.
• p. 2205 · Promise-to-paper contract mapMap the complete contract set first, then connect important promises to the controlling paper.
• p. 2306 · Transaction clock and evidence logGive each financial or decision event its own trigger, proof, deadline and control path.
• p. 2407 · Handover timing and responsibility matrixPossession, ownership, risk, insurance and physical removal can change at different times.
• p. 2508 · Payment, release and handover checkpointSelect Verified, Unresolved or N/A for every line. A status entry is not a legal, financial, insurance or safety certification.

Before the worksheets

• pp. 3–4First, identify the arrangementDealer purchase, broker, consignment, auction, direct sale or trade-in: the parties take on different work and risk. Then ask what “net” is net of.
• pp. 5–7Proceeds and chargesWhy the larger headline can leave less, how the money reaches your account, and the basis, authorizer, cap and timing of every charge.
• pp. 8–10Contracts and deadlinesWho can change the deal, where each promise sits in the paper you sign, and what a deadline is counted from.
• pp. 11–13Inspection, payment and releaseThe parking lot is not the test floor, a screenshot is not settlement, and selling a machine is not the same as being able to transfer it.
• pp. 14–17Evidence and handoverDescribe the machine you are selling, treat removal as a project, write down the uncomfortable cases and close the gaps beyond the iron.

Plus the cover, the start page, the sources (pp. 26–27), a state-law appendix (pp. 28–30: how to find the rules that apply, payment-before-inspection and inspection references for Florida, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania, and their primary sources) and the back page. 158 fillable fields, including seven status selectors (Verified, Unresolved, N/A). No JavaScript, automatic calculations or remote submission in the PDF: what you type stays in your copy.

Pages shown as they appear in the PDF. The figures on pages 5 and 6 are invented examples, not observed market prices or fee benchmarks. Get the free PDF

• Owners selling a machine comparing a dealer purchase, a broker, consignment, an auction, a direct sale or a trade-in.
• Shops selling equipment or a production asset who need payment, release, removal and handover written down before the truck arrives.
• Whoever signs or reconciles the deal and needs every charge, promise and deadline tied to the paper.

Independent educational information, not a valuation, appraisal, brokerage service or transaction-specific legal, tax, insurance, financial or safety advice. Examples are jurisdiction-specific. Apply the governing agreement and obtain qualified advice for the transaction. An accessible browser version of the text and the worksheets comes with the PDF; for another format, write to research@themachinebluebook.com.

1. S1 MDNA Code of Ethics
2. S2 Ritchie Bros. Seller Terms, August 2026
3. S10 IRS Publication 544, Sales and Other Dispositions of Assets
4. S11 FBI Business Email Compromise
5. S12 U.S. Consolidated Screening List
6. S13 OFAC Sanctions Programs and Country Information

About the legal examples (S3–S9). The guide uses Florida statutes as worked examples of payment, inspection, acceptance and security-interest questions; they are listed in full in its source notes, and its appendix compares the payment-before-inspection and inspection sections of four states (Florida, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania) without settling which law governs a sale. In the United States these questions are governed by state law: each state has enacted its own version of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), a model law, not a federal statute, and wording and exceptions differ between states. The governing agreement and the applicable state's law decide the outcome. Background: the Uniform Commercial Code, Uniform Law Commission.

Sources reviewed October 15, 2026. Florida statutes are jurisdiction-specific examples, not universal transaction rules. The governing agreement, other law and the actual facts may change the result. Figures on pages 5 and 6 are invented examples, not observed market prices or fee benchmarks. Worksheets make no calculations and submit nothing remotely. Cover art is AI-generated editorial illustration, not a real machine or engineering drawing. Not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by any organization named in the field guide. MBB evidence standard · Methodology

Buying a machine? Field Guide 01 — Beyond the Quote (for buyers): the costs beyond the quote, the evidence to ask for and three fillable decision sheets.