Know the role.
Then know the economics.
Ask for the full compensation map—without confusing an agent's disclosed fees with a dealer's principal resale spread.
Compensation follows the transaction structure.
A commission is only one possible revenue stream. Buyer premiums, documentation, financing or service fees, expense markups, referral arrangements and dealer resale margin may create different incentives.
Facts to establish
- Legal and commercial role in the transaction
- Commission rate, tiers, minimum, maximum and calculation base
- Buyer premium and other buyer-paid charges
- Seller-paid fixed fees, expenses and markups
- Related-party services, referrals, rebates or shared compensation
- Dealer purchase price and whether any later resale economics are disclosed
Documents and deliverables
- Written role statement
- Complete seller and buyer fee schedules
- Expense reimbursement and markup policy
- Conflict and related-party disclosure
- Illustrative settlement at multiple sale prices
- Final settlement and supporting invoices
Ask before the decision becomes expensive.
A useful answer identifies a person, document, number, date, scope or acceptance test. Replace assumptions with evidence.
Are you acting as principal or agent?
If the company buys the machine, its return may be a resale spread; if it represents the seller, compensation and duties should be defined.
What amount is the commission calculated on?
Specify sale price, hammer price, total buyer invoice or another base, including treatment of premium, taxes and services.
Who pays every fee?
Map seller charges, buyer charges and third-party costs even if only one side sees the invoice.
Do you earn money from related services?
Ask about logistics, rigging, financing, warranty, inspection, platform, advertising or referral economics.
Pause when the scope is vague.
- Compensation described only as 'standard'
- No written distinction between principal buyer and seller representative
- Commission base changes with buyer premium
- Related-party services not disclosed
- Seller cannot receive a complete settlement statement
What a controlled file contains.
- Role and duty statement
- All-side compensation map
- Pricing and expense scenarios
- Conflict and related-party disclosures
- Final intermediary revenue known to the seller
Use the source that controls the question.
These links provide a starting point. The exact machine, agreement, site, jurisdiction and qualified professionals control the final decision.
Connect this question to the whole machine.
Machine ownership is a chain. Use the next relevant guide instead of treating any one checkpoint as the complete answer.
Compare transaction structures
Choose direct sale, dealer purchase, brokerage, consignment or auction knowingly.
Open the guide →GROSS TO NETCalculate what remains
Apply every disclosed fee and deduction to the offer.
Open the guide →TERMSPut compensation in writing
Control authority, expenses, conflicts and settlement.
Open the guide →Direct answers, with the boundary intact.
Machine Blue Book organizes research. It does not replace engineering, legal, tax, insurance, safety, appraisal or trade advice.
Is dealer margin the same as commission?
No. Commission compensates an intermediary under an agency-style arrangement; a dealer buying as principal may earn an undisclosed resale spread and bears different risks.
What is a buyer premium?
It is an amount charged to the buyer in addition to the base or hammer price under the sale terms. Its effect on bidding and other fees should be analyzed.
Can I demand to know a dealer's future resale price?
That depends on the negotiated transaction and applicable law. The practical control is to know whether the company is buying as principal and compare the cash offer with alternatives.
Why model compensation at several prices?
Percentage tiers, minimums, premiums and fixed expenses can change effective cost as the sale price changes.
Selling a CNC Machine
Carry this evidence into the rest of the decision—from machine identity through handover and final economics.