There are two completely different ways to buy used medical equipment in the UK: auction, or direct at a fixed price. Both are legitimate. This guide explains how each works, including where an auction will beat us on price.
How the auction route works
The UK has a well-established medical equipment auction market. Houses such as Hilditch Group, Pro Auction and Asset Auctions run regular timed sales of decommissioned NHS and private hospital stock. Hilditch alone runs around 30 auctions and a couple of thousand lots a month.
What auctions are good at
- Price, if you are patient. An unglamorous lot with no other bidders can go for very little.
- Volume. Fitting out a whole department, or buying to export, a job lot is hard to beat.
- Choice. Thousands of lots a month across every category.
What to watch out for
- The hammer price is not the price. Add buyer premium, plus VAT on both lot and premium, and you commonly pay 25 to 35 percent above your winning bid.
- Collection is on you, on a deadline. Often from a live hospital, restricted hours, no forklift. For heavy items that is a real cost.
- Condition notes are brief by necessity. At 2,000 lots a month you get untested, sold as seen. That is throughput, not dishonesty, but the risk transfers to you.
- You might lose. You can research it, plan transport, and be outbid in the last thirty seconds.
How buying direct works
The alternative is buying from a dealer who has already collected that stock, checked it, photographed it and priced it.
- One price, and it is the price. No premium, no bidding.
- Detailed condition per item. What was tested, what was not, what is included, what is missing.
- You can ask. Message us and we will go and look at the item.
- Shipping handled. Priced at checkout, quoted for heavy items. No loading bay, no deadline.
- It is certain. If it is listed and in stock, it is yours.
The honest trade-off
You will usually pay more than an auction hammer price. That difference is collection, transport, checking, storage, photography and honest description, plus the risk of buying before knowing who wanted it. If your only priority is the lowest number and you have time, staff and a van, auction is the better route. We would rather say that than pretend otherwise.
A note on purchase orders
This is where the routes differ most for institutional buyers. Auctions generally want payment immediately after the sale closes. For an NHS trust, university or local authority that rarely fits a procurement cycle needing a quote, a raised PO and approval. We accept purchase orders, issue quotes and pro-forma invoices, and supply a full VAT invoice with every order. See our guide to buying on a purchase order.
Whichever route you take
Confirm what is included, not just the headline item, because leads, probes, cuffs and trolleys are where the value hides. Establish what has actually been tested. Budget for electrical safety testing, calibration and decontamination before clinical use, because that is your responsibility regardless of who you buy from. And compare total landed cost, not the sticker price.