Is it safe to buy a used crane online? How to verify the seller

What actually goes wrong

Most losses in used-crane deals fall into four patterns: a listing built from photos stolen from another sale; a deposit paid to an account that does not belong to the seller; a real crane that is not as described (missing counterweight, jib or documents); and a crane that is still financed or leased and cannot legally be sold. Each pattern is caught by one of the checks below.

Verify the company

Get the full legal name, company registration number, VAT or tax ID and physical address, and check them in the public company register of the seller country. Look at the address on a map: a crane dealer has a yard, not a mailbox. Call the landline listed on the company website, not only the mobile number from the listing, and ask for the person you have been writing to.

• Registration number and VAT ID match the public register and the invoice
• Company website domain is established, with the same address and phone
• The person you talk to appears on the company site or professional networks
• The bank account name matches the legal entity exactly

Verify the machine

Ask for a clear photo of the manufacturer serial plate and of the chassis or VIN plate, and check that the same serial number appears on the inspection documents and the registration papers. Ask for a photo taken today with a specific item in frame, for example a newspaper or your name on paper, and for a live video call at the crane. Reverse-image search the listing photos; stolen photos usually appear on an older sale.

Then compare the configuration in the photos with the specification you were sent: boom length, jib, counterweight slabs, winches. Anything visible in photos but not written in the offer is not part of the deal until it is.

Verify ownership and finance

Ask for the registration papers or title and the original purchase invoice in the seller name. Ask, in writing, whether the crane is free of finance, leasing and liens, and whether the seller will confirm that in the sales contract. In several countries a lien or encumbrance check on the serial number is possible through a public register or a lawyer; for a high-value crane the fee is worth it.

Pay safely

Never pay the full price before an inspection. A small, refundable deposit against a pro-forma invoice is normal once documents are verified; a large non-refundable deposit before inspection is not. For cross-border purchases use escrow or a letter of credit so that payment is released against agreed documents and inspection.

Pay only to the bank account of the legal entity on the invoice. Treat any last-minute change of bank details, even from the same email thread, as fraud until confirmed by phone with the company.

Put it in the contract

A pro-forma invoice or sales contract should carry the serial number, the exact configuration (boom, jib, counterweight, winches), the documents that will be delivered, the delivery term (EXW, FOB, CIF or similar), the payment schedule, the inspection right and what happens if the crane does not match the description.

Red flags

Any one of these is a reason to pause; two together are a reason to walk away.

• Price far below comparable listings for the same model, year and hours
• Pressure to pay a deposit quickly, or a "another buyer is waiting" story
• Refusal of a live video call or an independent inspection
• Bank account in a personal name or a different company or country
• Serial number missing from photos, documents or the invoice
• Photos that appear on other listings, or watermarks from another seller
• Vague answers about ownership, finance or why the crane is for sale

How GST Cranes fits in

GST Cranes is a marketplace with direct seller contact: company pages show the seller public company record, and companies that claim their page confirm their contact details. That is a starting point, not a substitute for your own checks. There is no success fee and no buyer premium, so the price you negotiate with the seller is the price you pay.