FleetNow Marketplace is our used equipment platform of choice, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only choice. In fact, there are more options than ever before, making the buying decision a bit tough.

When we meet with prospective clients who aren’t already using FleetNow, we get asked about a few different marketplaces, and Machinery Trader is one of the most common.

Don’t get us wrong, Machinery Trader has a solid reputation and is effective, but there is a lot more to consider when comparing used equipment marketplaces than just price and features.

In this article, we’ll give you an overview of Machinery Trader and their pricing, a general comparison between FleetNow Marketplace and Machinery Trader, and let you know if we think the high price is worth it.

What is Machinery Trader?

Machinery Trader is one of the world’s leading used equipment marketplaces, offering a variety of solutions to help equipment owners sell old construction equipment.

The website started as a magazine in 1978 and the website was registered in 1996.

Screen shot of Machinery Trader as it appeared on November 3, 1999, courtesy of archive.org’s Wayback Machine.

With a strong emphasis on print, Machinery Trader features five regional publications that come out weekly.

Machinery Trader’s companion website features comprehensive auction results, heavy-hauler information, and a messaging system that enables buyers to ask about a particular product or piece of inventory. Machinery Trader is owned by Sandhills Publishing.

Machinery Trader’s solutions include:

• Equipment Listings
• Auction Results
• A machine Parts Search
• Database of Machine Dealers

Machinery Trader shines by offering many listings and attracting a large audience of browsing shoppers, in August, 2020, it attracted 1,075,615 visitors to their site according to SEMRush.

So, how does Machinery Trader Compare to FleetNow Marketplace?

As two competing marketplaces, dealers looking to sell their equipment want to know about their similarities and key differences.

Both are similar in that they exist to help companies promote their equipment sales across the internet.

Both have standard lead generation and messaging tools.

Both help manage inventory, with software to help organize machines for sale.

Where they differ

Machinery Trader Focuses Heavily on Print

Machinery Trader focuses heavily on print, pushing those selling construction equipment to be included in their physical catalogs. While high-quality, with glossy pages and full color, the print side feels dated in today’s smartphone world.

FleetNow Marketplace provides tools to help rental yards

Long story short, FleetNow Marketplace is easy to implement, learn and use. It’s “Average Price Difference” tool and Utitlization Reports, along with its ability to import information from Machinery Trader, Point of Rental, or from an API, means updates on your equipment listings can happen smoothly and quickly.

Analytics

Though FleetNow Marketplace is actively improving their reporting each quarter, one area that Machinery Trader has a clear edge on is analytics.

How Much Does Machinery Trader Cost?

One of the most notable differences between FleetNow Marketplace and Machinery Trader is price, which you’ll see in a second is significantly higher for Machinery Trader than for FleetNow Marketplace.

While both marketplaces offer packages for businesses of all sizes, Machinery Trader tends to focus on packages that include print and their website — a fact that can be easily seen in its pricing.

Like many websites, Machinery Trader is not as transparent with its prices. Instead of being listed on their website, the company requires you to speak with a sales rep first.

Fortunately, with a little digging, you can find their estimated prices of its packages, with typical monthly fees ranging from $799 to over $3,000. Fees can vary based on how many additional offerings, like website hosting, a rental yard chooses to buy.

So, Is the Price of Machinery Trader Worth it?

By now, you know our answer to this question.

For smaller yards, Machinery Trader’s entry-level price isn’t as cost-effective as FleetNow Marketplace.

Machinery Trader has a large audience and many of the tools that FleetNow Marketplace does. With customized, responsive service and a free trial, FleetNow Marketplace is a great choice for local and regional yards.

Larger enterprises often need custom solutions, which could make the cost of Machinery Trader more reasonable.

We recommend listing your equipment for a fraction of what Machinery Trader charge with FleetNow Marketplace — sell just one piece of equipment every three months and FleetNow more than pays for itself.