Question 1

What is Acquire Marketplace?

Accepted Answer

Acquire Marketplace is a confidential marketplace for Collection Agency acquisitions and other accounts-receivable-management (ARM) businesses. We give agency owners considering a sale, and the buyers, investors, and operators evaluating acquisitions, a focused place to connect and explore a transaction.

Question 2

Who operates Acquire Marketplace?

Accepted Answer

The Service is operated by Buy Sell Hub LLC, doing business as Acquire Marketplace, located at 251 W Garfield Rd Suite 289, Aurora, Ohio 44202.

Question 3

Is Acquire Marketplace a debt collection agency or a debt buyer?

Accepted Answer

No. Acquire Marketplace does not collect consumer debt, does not buy debt portfolios, and does not sell collection-management software. We are a marketplace where ARM-industry businesses change hands. We are also an independent company, unaffiliated with any similarly named business.

Question 4

Are you a business broker or our advisor?

Accepted Answer

No. Acquire Marketplace is a marketplace and information service. We do not act as your broker, agent, or fiduciary, we do not represent either side in negotiations, and we do not provide legal, tax, accounting, valuation, investment, or securities advice. You should retain your own advisors before entering into any transaction.

Question 5

Does it cost anything to list my agency?

Accepted Answer

No. Registering as an owner and submitting a Basic Service listing is free. Optional services are available if you would rather have help assembling your diligence package, and those are quoted based on scope. You owe nothing for an optional service unless you have accepted its fee in writing.

Question 6

Will buyers see that my agency is for sale?

Accepted Answer

Under Basic Service, only a limited subset of the information you submit is displayed. The identity of your business, your contact details, and detailed financials are not shown publicly, and buyer communications are routed through Acquire Marketplace. We cannot guarantee that a determined third party will not deduce your identity from information you choose to disclose, so think carefully about what you include.

Question 7

Do I pay a commission when my agency sells?

Accepted Answer

No. Under the Buyer Terms of Service, the Success Fee on a completed acquisition is the buyer's obligation, not the seller's. Nothing in the Owner Terms of Service obligates you to pay a commission or success fee on the sale of your business.

Question 8

Can I withdraw my listing?

Accepted Answer

Yes, at any time, by emailing info@acquiremarketplace.com. Withdrawing does not end the confidentiality and notification obligations that survive under the Owner Terms of Service, and it does not affect a transaction already in progress with a buyer introduced through the Service.

Question 9

What do I have to tell you if I sell?

Accepted Answer

Within 30 days of entering into a definitive agreement with a buyer during the Success Fee Window, and again within 30 days of closing, you agree to notify Acquire Marketplace at info@acquiremarketplace.com. Our compensation depends on knowing when a transaction happens.

Question 10

Do I need to pay to browse listings?

Accepted Answer

A limited Free-View Service is available and does not include the same features as a paid subscription. To use the features that let buyers connect with sellers, you must enroll in a paid Buyer Subscription.

Question 11

What does a Buyer Subscription cost?

Accepted Answer

$500 per month with a three-month minimum commitment, or $5,000 per year. Fees are due in advance and renew automatically for successive periods of the same length until you cancel.

Question 12

What is the Success Fee and when is it due?

Accepted Answer

If you complete an acquisition, a Success Fee is due at closing, calculated on the Lehman Formula: 3% of the first $2,000,000 of Transaction Value plus 2% of the remainder. A Success Fee is owed for each business acquired. On a $3,000,000 transaction that works out to $80,000.

Question 13

What counts toward Transaction Value?

Accepted Answer

All cash and non-cash consideration paid or payable by or on behalf of the buyer to the owner in connection with the purchase, whether before, at, or after closing. That includes bridge loans, seller financing, and the full present value of earn-outs, even if the earn-out targets are later not met.

Question 14

Do you vet the sellers and their numbers?

Accepted Answer

Sellers represent that the information they submit is accurate and not misleading, but we do not independently audit or verify it, and we do not endorse or vouch for any counterparty. Your own diligence is essential, and Acquire Marketplace is not a party to any transaction.

Question 15

Where can I see all the fees in one place?

Accepted Answer

On our pricing page, which lists the seller tiers, the Buyer Subscription plans, and worked examples of the Success Fee calculation. The controlling language is in the Buyer Terms of Service and the Owner Terms of Service.

Question 16

Are fees refundable?

Accepted Answer

Fees are in U.S. Dollars and are non-refundable except as required by law, including subscription fees already paid for a current period.

Question 17

What happens if a Success Fee is paid late?

Accepted Answer

A one-time $500 late fee applies, plus interest of 1.5% per month or the maximum the law allows, whichever is lower. The Buyer Terms of Service also provide for liquidated damages that escalate the longer the fee goes unpaid.

Question 18

Can the fees change?

Accepted Answer

We may change fees for any feature other than the Success Fee, with notice before the change takes effect. Promotions may be offered to some users and do not apply unless offered to you.

Question 19

How does a transaction typically move through the Service?

Accepted Answer

An owner submits a listing and chooses what to disclose. A subscribed buyer reviews listings and expresses interest. Communications are routed through Acquire Marketplace so the owner's identity stays protected until the parties are introduced. From there the parties conduct their own diligence and negotiate directly, with their own advisors.

Question 20

What has to be reported once an offer is on the table?

Accepted Answer

Within 5 days of submitting or signing a Letter of Intent, the buyer notifies Acquire Marketplace and provides a copy. Within 30 days of entering a definitive agreement, and again within 30 days of closing, both the owner and the buyer notify us.

Question 21

Can the parties take a deal off the platform?

Accepted Answer

No. Both the Buyer Terms of Service and the Owner Terms of Service prohibit acting to circumvent the Service in order to defeat the Success Fee, including moving negotiations off the Service or routing a transaction through an affiliate or nominee to characterize it as unrelated.

Question 22

How are disputes with Acquire Marketplace resolved?

Accepted Answer

Both agreements are governed by Ohio law and require confidential, binding, individual arbitration administered by JAMS, seated in Cleveland, Ohio, with a waiver of jury trial and of class or representative proceedings. Either party may still seek injunctive relief in court to protect confidential information or intellectual property.

Frequently Asked Questions

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