Frequently asked questions
The questions buyers and suppliers ask us most often.
About the co-operative
What exactly is UNIMA?
A European trading co-operative without a profit motive. We connect suppliers of vehicles, machinery and vessels in Europe with buyers elsewhere, and take on everything in between: inspection, paperwork, payment and transport.
Are you a marketplace?
No. A marketplace lets you search and then leaves you alone. You buy it yourself, but not on your own. We find the unit, have it inspected, arrange the export documents and the shipping, and payment runs through a client account. The purchase is between you and the supplier; the co-operative handles everything around it and stays alongside until the equipment arrives.
What does without a profit motive mean?
There is no shareholder wanting a return. We take no margin on the equipment itself. Our income is the membership fee, a commission per transaction, and a stated mark-up on services we buy in.
Why is membership closed?
Our suppliers only sell to parties that can be vetted. That is the condition on which we get stock that is not listed anywhere else. And a mark is only worth something if not everyone gets it.
Admission and membership
How do I become a member?
You do not become a member straight away. You apply for admission, we vet your company, and then you go through an introductory period. If that goes well, you are admitted and receive the mark.
Why can I not simply pay and join?
Because a membership you can buy proves nothing. It works in your favour too: you see what we are worth before you commit.
What do you check?
Company registration in your country, a reachable contact person, your purchasing requirement and your sales market, and whether what you are looking for may be imported into your country. No bank guarantee, no minimum turnover.
I was rejected. What now?
You are told why. In most cases something is missing that can be supplied.
I want to both buy and supply.
That is possible, but you then build two separate files with two separate ratings.
Buying
How does a purchase work end to end?
You tell us what you are looking for. We search the network and send you what fits, with photographs, specifications and price. You choose; we have the unit inspected and send you the report. You pay into the client account in advance — as you pay for an air ticket before you fly — and with that you buy the unit yourself. The money only reaches the supplier once the documents and the unit check out. We arrange export documents, transport to the port and shipping. After arrival you rate us and the supplier.
Why will you not say who the supplier is?
Because that network is the only thing we have. What you do get: that the company has been checked in the trade register, how many transactions it has done through us, its rating, its country and the port of export. For as long as the unit is on offer it stays anonymised; once you reserve it and the payment is in the client account, you hear who you are dealing with.
Can I come and see it myself?
Yes. Let us know and we will arrange the appointment. You may also send your own inspector.
What if the unit is not what was described?
Report it after arrival, with photographs. We hold the inspection report, and the supplier has a rating and a mark to lose. If we cannot resolve it, the complaints and disputes procedure applies.
What if you do not have what I need?
Then you post a request. We put it to the network, including to parties with nothing advertised at that moment. That is where the co-operative makes the difference.
Payment, shipping and import
Why would I send money to Europe?
You do not send it directly. The money goes to a client account and is only released once the agreed condition is met. We cannot draw on it freely.
Is transport included in the price?
No, and that is deliberate. You get the price of the unit and the transport cost separately, so you can see where your money goes.
Is the mileage genuine?
For Dutch vehicles we verify the odometer against the national RDW register, in which garages and dealers record the reading at every service, inspection and transfer. That is a verifiable mileage history that equipment from almost no other origin can offer. For vehicles from other countries we tell you what could and could not be verified.
May I import this model year?
We check that before we offer you anything. The limits vary widely and change. See the page on your country.
What documents do I receive?
Registration certificate or equivalent, export declaration, sales agreement, bill of lading, inspection report, and where required a certificate of conformity.
For suppliers
What does it cost me?
Nothing up front. You pay per unit sold. If you sell nothing, you pay nothing.
Who am I actually selling to?
To a buyer we have vetted in advance, not to the co-operative itself: we do not buy in our own name. What we do is take the credit risk away. The buyer pays into the client account before delivery; you release the unit only once the money is there.
Will my company name be mentioned?
Not while it is on offer. For as long as a unit is in the selection, buyers see only anonymised attributes: that you have been checked, how many transactions you have done, your rating, your country and the port of export. Once the sale is agreed and the payment is in the client account, buyer and supplier know who they are dealing with — as they must, because the sales agreement and the export papers carry names.
Why would I want that?
Because you are not creating a competitor to yourself. Your units reach a market where you have no channel, without your name and your prices circulating there.
I have a batch of forty units at once.
Get in touch. Different terms apply to batches than to single units.
Not the question you had?
Send us a message. We reply within two working days, in Dutch, English or French.