Where should a UK business sell trailers, plant, tools and vans online?

UK businesses selling trailers, plant, tools and vans have several different online routes to buyers: general marketplaces built mainly around private-style listings, a large retail marketplace built around new-product categories, and a specialist plant-machinery marketplace. Fee structures, seller verification and review systems differ significantly between them, and not every platform publishes fixed pricing for business or trade-volume selling. This comparison uses only what each platform states on its own fees, help or seller pages.

Last reviewed 13 September 2026

Declare an interest: GetBrent is one of the options below. Every other platform is described from its own published pages or dated independent sources, and each one is linked so you can check it.

GetBrent

This is us

Hire and sales directory: a free business profile with items listed for sale or hire

Who it is for: UK hire, sales and trade businesses; local buyers
How to join: Free self-service listing, or claim an existing one
Pricing: Free listing with up to 5 items; paid plans remove the limit - see our pricing page for current rates. No commission on sales
Verification: Companies House check the business completes itself, plus owner claim of the listing
Reviews: Yes, with review requests sent to real enquirers, and checked before they appear

Why GetBrent

+No commission and no listing fee on the free plan
+Hire and sale of the same item on one profile
+Buyers search by place, which suits items collected locally

Source

eBay UK (business sellers)

General online marketplace and auction site for new and used goods, with a dedicated business seller framework

Who it is for: Business sellers of all sizes plus private sellers, across a wide range of categories including vehicles, parts, tools and equipment
How to join: Register or upgrade to an eBay business account; eBay states it will ask for 'business name, type, and address' during setup, and sellers must add an automated payment method for fees
Pricing: Insertion fee for extra listings beyond free allowance: 30p each. Shop subscriptions: Basic 27 GBP/month (250 free fixed-price + 100 free auction listings), Featured 77 GBP/month (1,500 + 600 free listings), Anchor 437 GBP/month (unlimited fixed-price + 1,000 free auction listings). Final value fee ranges by category, e.g. Books/Comics/Magazines 9.9%, Clothes/Shoes/Accessories 11.9%, Jewellery & Watches 14.9% up to 1,000 GBP then 4% above that, plus a per-order fee of 30p (orders up to 10 GBP) or 40p (orders over 10 GBP). A regulatory operating fee of 0.35% of the total sale amount applies, and an international fee of 1.05% to 2.0% applies on sales shipped outside the UK, per eBay UK's fees for business sellers page.
Verification: eBay's business account page states it collects 'business name, type, and address' at signup; it does not detail identity, tax or bank verification steps
Reviews: Buyers leave an overall positive/neutral/negative rating plus 1-5 star Detailed Seller Ratings covering item description, communication, postage time, and postage/handling charges. Feedback is marked 'Verified purchase' when tied to an actual eBay transaction, and a seller's feedback score is shown as a percentage beneath their username, per eBay's seller ratings page

Strengths

+Vehicle, parts and plant categories sit alongside general merchandise, giving access to a large existing buyer base
+Published, tiered Shop subscriptions let high-volume sellers reduce per-listing costs
+Detailed seller ratings and verified-purchase feedback give buyers visible seller history before purchase

Limitations

-Final value fees, a regulatory operating fee and (for overseas sales) an international fee all stack on top of the sale price
-The final value fee percentage varies by category, so total cost depends heavily on what is listed
-eBay's business account page does not publish the identity or bank verification steps behind registration

Source

Gumtree

General UK classifieds and listings site covering motors, property, jobs, services and general items

Who it is for: Both private individuals and businesses; Gumtree states businesses must select the business posting option rather than post as private sellers, citing UK unfair trading legislation
How to join: Create an account and select the business option when creating ads; frequent posters can move to a Gumtree for Business account, which Gumtree describes as including a dedicated account manager, tailor-built packages, a dedicated phone line and a 'pro-account console'
Pricing: 'There are no seller fees or costs when using payments on Gumtree', per Gumtree's own fees page. A Buyer Protection fee (a flat 0.70 GBP plus 5-10% of the item price, depending on value and category) is charged to buyers, not sellers. Optional paid ad promotions exist (e.g. a Bump Up feature and a 14-day Featured Ad, priced at 1.49 GBP and 3.99 GBP respectively as shown on Gumtree's ad charges page, dated correct as of July 2023). Business account package pricing is described as 'tailor-built' and is not published with fixed figures - Not published - you have to contact them
Verification: Gumtree's Business Account page requires selecting the business option when posting but does not detail any identity or company verification steps
Reviews: Sellers can be rated after messages have been exchanged with the other party; a seller's profile shows an average star rating, with reviews sorted newest to oldest and a reviewer able to select reasons for the rating. A review appears once the other party reciprocates or after a 5-day window closes. Gumtree's page does not state that reviewers are confirmed as genuine buyers

Strengths

+No seller fee is published for using Gumtree's own payments feature
+A dedicated business account option exists, with an account manager and console aimed at frequent posters
+A star-rating review system gives buyers a visible seller feedback history

Limitations

-Fixed pricing for business/trade packages is not published; sellers must request a tailored quote
-The Buyer Protection fee charged to buyers is variable (5-10% plus a flat fee), which can affect buyer cost expectations
-Gumtree's own pages do not describe how, or whether, reviewers are verified as genuine buyers

Source

Amazon UK (Seller Central)

Large online retail marketplace where third-party sellers list products, including a Tools and Home Improvement category, alongside Amazon's own catalogue

Who it is for: Individual and business sellers, from low-volume Individual plan sellers to higher-volume Professional plan (business) sellers
How to join: Register through Seller Central: provide a government-issued ID and personal details, a proof-of-address document (bank statement or utility bill), business registration documents and proof of a business relationship for business sellers (e.g. employment contract, shareholder certificate or letter of authorisation), bank account details, and a credit/debit card; identity is verified through photo, video or document upload, per Amazon's registration guide
Pricing: Individual plan: 0.75 GBP per unit sold, no monthly fee. Professional plan: 25 GBP (excl. VAT) per month plus additional selling fees. Referral fees vary by category, e.g. Tools and Home Improvement 13% (0.25 GBP per-item minimum), Automotive and Powersports 15% on the portion of the price up to 45 GBP then 9% above that (0.25 GBP minimum), and Clothing & Accessories 5% up to 15 GBP, per Amazon UK's seller pricing page
Verification: Registration requires government-issued ID, a proof-of-address document, and for business sellers a government-issued company registration document plus proof of a business relationship; Amazon states 'most verifications complete within a few business days' after documents are submitted
Reviews: Not detailed on the Amazon seller pages used for this entry (the registration guide and pricing page). Amazon's product listings separately show customer reviews of items, but seller-specific feedback mechanics are not described on those two pages

Strengths

+Access to an established retail customer base, including a dedicated Tools and Home Improvement category
+The Professional plan is a fixed, published monthly fee (25 GBP excl. VAT) rather than a percentage of turnover
+Registration verification requirements (ID, address, business documents) are clearly documented as a checklist

Limitations

-Referral fees are charged per item on top of any plan fee and vary widely by category, from single digits up to 45%
-Full identity, address and business document verification is required before selling, which Amazon says can take a few business days
-The Individual plan's 0.75 GBP per-unit fee is fixed regardless of item price, which is proportionally larger on lower-value items

Source

Auto Trader Plant

Specialist UK online marketplace for used plant machinery and equipment, run as a dedicated section of Auto Trader

Who it is for: Both private sellers and trade/dealer businesses selling plant machinery; Auto Trader's plant 'sell' page is oriented toward single-item sellers, with a separate route for trade sellers
How to join: Single-item sellers list directly via the 'Sell my plant machinery' page. Businesses become a Trade Seller by switching on the 'Trade Seller' toggle in their account's Personal Details and adding a trading name and address, per Auto Trader's trade-seller help article; trade accounts then choose between Pay As You Go (for those listing fewer than 5 vehicles/items a month) or a bespoke Monthly Contract arranged with an account manager
Pricing: Standard advert: 22.50 GBP + VAT for a 2-week listing, with 'no commission' taken on the sale price, per Auto Trader Plant's own 'Sell' page. Trade/dealer Monthly Contract pricing is described as 'bespoke to your needs' and set by an account manager, with Auto Trader's help page directing businesses to call or complete a form for a quote - Not published - you have to contact them
Verification: Not detailed on the Auto Trader Plant pages fetched for this entry; becoming a Trade Seller is described as toggling an account setting and adding a trading name and address, with no ID or company-document check described there
Reviews: Not described on the Auto Trader Plant pages fetched for this entry; no seller rating or review system for plant listings is mentioned on its sell or advertising-price pages

Strengths

+Reaches a buyer audience specifically looking for plant and machinery, rather than general classifieds browsers
+Publishes a flat, no-commission price for a standard advert (22.50 GBP + VAT for 2 weeks)
+Has a distinct Trade Seller account type for businesses listing more than occasional single items

Limitations

-Trade/dealer Monthly Contract pricing is not published and requires contacting an account manager for a quote
-No seller verification process or buyer-facing ratings/reviews system is described on the plant-specific pages
-The published sell/pricing pages are oriented to single-item or private-style selling, with less detail available for higher-volume trade listing

Source

Facebook Marketplace

Free peer-to-peer marketplace built into Facebook for local buying and selling

Who it is for: Private sellers and local buyers of household goods, tools and equipment
How to join: List an item from an existing Facebook account under Marketplace, choosing a category, price and photos
Pricing: Free for local, in-person sales; a 2 percent selling fee applies only when a seller uses Facebook's own shipping/checkout for a shipped sale
Verification: Relies on the seller's existing Facebook account identity; no independent buyer or seller vetting
Reviews: Basic buyer/seller ratings exist on some categories, but coverage is inconsistent and not universally shown

Strengths

+No fee for the typical local, in-person sale
+Very large local audience via existing Facebook users
+Direct messaging makes contacting sellers fast

Limitations

-No dedicated seller verification or escrow system
-Limited recourse from Facebook if a deal goes wrong
-Listings can be removed or hidden without much seller control

Source

What the table actually says

•Only eBay UK and Amazon UK publish detailed, tiered fee schedules (subscription or plan fees plus category-based percentage fees) on their own sites; Gumtree publishes no seller fee for its payments feature, and Auto Trader Plant publishes only a flat single-item advert price, with trade/dealer contract pricing available by request.
•eBay and Gumtree both run buyer-facing star rating or feedback systems tied to a transaction or message exchange; Amazon's own registration and pricing pages do not describe seller-specific review mechanics, and Auto Trader Plant's plant pages describe no seller rating system at all.
•Amazon UK is the only one of these four platforms whose own pages set out a document-based identity and business verification checklist for becoming a seller; the others describe registration steps (business name/type/address, or switching on a trade-seller option) without detailing ID or company-document checks.

Every figure here was taken from the named company's own published pages on the review date shown, and is linked. Pricing and features change - check the source before making a decision. Company names are the trademarks of their owners, used here to identify the services they refer to. If you run one of these and something is wrong or out of date, tell us and we will correct it.