All FAQs
| Question | Answer |
| Can you advertise, but not in the location of my business? | Surprisingly, we get this question A LOT, hence the FAQ. The answer is simple, "Yes, we can advertise in locations other than the business location". The real reason for asking the question though is probably more so that Sellers are concerned that people in their location (notably staff and customers) will learn that the business is for sale and this can mean loss of staff and/or customers while waiting for the business to sell. Not advertising in the business location though, does not strictly address the reason for the question (as asked) as people do not just read advertisements in their own location.
A chef, for example, working in your restaurant in (say) Singapore, could in fact subscribe to international channels (let's say a culinary Facebook group in the USA). Guess what? That chef will most likely see the advertising. To assist you the best we can, and accommodate your requirement to not be known to be selling in your location, our Listings and advertising do not state your business name, nor EXACT location. We also try to use images that do not divulge your business name nor exact location. There is no hiding (in this example though) that you are a restaurant and you are in Singapore. There is a chance that someone in your local area may recognize this. In terms of advertising on our own website, we have the ability to show a region (like South East Asia or Australasia or Melanesia, etc), but not specify a Country and/or Province and/or District and/or Location. |
| Can I submit a Blog to this Site? | Sorry, you can't. Our blogs are written by management, staff, franchisees and brokers in the Asia Business Brokers' network. If you have a subject you would like us to cover, please let us know. |
| Can you tell me the name of the business or its exact location? | We cannot give you either until such time as you provide us with a Non-Disclosure Agreement and a copy of your local ID or a copy of the front page of your passport (so as we can establish your identity). There are many reasons for this, but the reason that actually prevents us from doing so is that the listing contract we have directly with Sellers to sell for them requires us to maintain confidentiality about the fact that the business is actually being offered for sale (among other things). If we were to give you the name of the business and/or its exact location, we would be breaching our contract with the Seller, and be liable to civil action (and damages). |
| Can I purchase or lease without having inspected? | You CANNOT purchase or lease without having first inspected what you intend to purchase or lease. Both sales and leases require contracts. Any contract we prepare for you to buy or lease is required by law to be reasonable for both buyer and seller, and the courts will not see you entering into a sales or leasing agreement without having (at least) inspected it first, as being reasonable. |
| Can you send me more detailed information while I’m overseas if I sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)? | The purpose of an NDA is to provide a prospective buyer with information they need in order to properly assess the purchase viability of an offer. It is usually required prior to inspection, or (at least) prior to undertaking due diligence. The same agreement provides the seller with a promise (from the prospective buyer) for this information not to be made known to others not directly involved in the purchase assessment. The fact that a particular business is for sale is, in itself, sensitive information that cannot be divulged without proper authority from the Seller (hence, the NDA).
Asia Business Brokers administers NDA’s on behalf of Sellers. We are therefore responsible to Sellers for maintaining the level of confidentiality they require and we have agreed upon when they list with us. In the event an NDA is breached, Asia Business Brokers’ only course of redress is through the court, and we can actually be taken to court by the Seller for not maintaining the agreed confidentiality. If you are not in the country where the NDA is relevant, we cannot do anything other than provide you with information that has been agreed by the Seller to be released without an NDA. Please note, however, the Asia Business Brokers website has (for Buyers) THREE levels of information access:
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| How do I place an advertisement on this website? | 1. Create an ad, or multiple ads 2. Order you ad space by clicking on the red Advertisement Number below the space you want, when you are logged in. This will create an order. Do this for as many locations as you want. 3. When you have all the spaces identified and ordered, goto your orders module and process your order. When your ad spaces are paid, your ads go live in the locations you chose for a period of 90 consecutive days. Please read more about website advertising in our Website Advertisement page, and also in our Terms and Conditions page. |
| Why list with Asia Business Brokers? | Asia Business Brokers is a specialist business brokerage and M&A brokerage. Businesses are our business and we have been selling and leasing businesses and commercial properties for a long time. We know how to process business sales from preparation and listing right through to transfer and settlement. Our quality management processes have been developed and improved over time, which have enabled us to achieve hundreds of sales and become the dominate business brokerage in South Asia and South East Asia in a very quick time.
Selling businesses is very different to selling residential real estate like houses and condos. More often than not, selling a business tends to follow a reasonably set process over a period of time. They generally take a lot longer to sell quite simply because there are significantly less buyers looking to buy businesses (compared with residential real estate). The price is generally linked to the viability (profitability) of the business, not so much like houses where it is more so linked to location, and supply and demand. Most Sellers don't particularly want the fact that their business is for sale made known publicly, so this makes advertising more difficult and subject to strict processes to validate potential Buyers and manage release of information, while maintaining an appropriate degree of confidentiality. Arguably, the most important aspect of selling a business is actually finding a Buyer and this is where we excel as our entire client database consists only of people looking to buy and sell businesses and commercial property, and only in the Asia-Pacific region. Our database consists of over 20,000 regular email clients and over 400,000 social media clients spread over 200 social media platforms and accounts. We have an enviable reputation of being able to pitch our Listings to the right people very quickly. We only offer one listing plan and it is a contracted commission-based non-exclusive listing service direct with Owners. Our commission is equal to or lower than most other specialist brokerages, and our Standard Listing Plan consists of a comprehensive core marketing and advertising service without any up-front charges. We do however, offer Extra Listing Services if you feel you need for them at very competitive prices. These are, of course entirely optional and at your discretion. Very importantly, we understand that your primary goal is to sell and because of this, all of our listings are non-exclusive. Unlike many other commercial real estate brokerages who seek to obtain exclusivity, we do not. We actually encourage you to list yourself also and/or list with other brokers as you choose. It's all about finding you a Buyer and obtaining a successful transfer and this is our primary goal. |
| What is the Sale/Purchase Value of a Business? | We all know that there are many methods used to determine the value of a business. Different formulae producing different values, so let's be clear right from the outset. We are talking value in terms of how much you should expect to receive when selling, and how much you should expect to pay when buying.
And, we are talking about the 'business' component ONLY. If the sale offer includes property (freehold or strata title), this gets added to the business value. For start-ups and small businesses, typically a multiplier of net profit is used to calculate the sale value. The multiplier changes with changed economic conditions and Buyer trends because it represents what Buyers are willing to pay at that time given the conditions at that time. There can be additional factors which may be added like allowance for recent significant capital acquisitions or recent award of supply/service contracts, or a significant value of stock on hand or other assets. These factors are often applicable to larger businesses and M&A's, but may apply to small business also. We have more information about value in our information sheet Valuing a Business for Sale which you can download from our Downloads page. For the purpose of this FAQ however, the current multiplier for Asia-Pacific is 2 to 3 years ROI (ie, what the business has demonstrated it has made in net profit over the last 2 to 3 years). Updated: 4 April 2022 |
| Will you provide a Broker to conduct settlement when a Buyer is found? | Where possible and as we deem appropriate, we provide a Broker to be in attendance for all aspects of a sale. In reality though, it is not always possible or necessary to do so and we have settled many sales remotely without physically being in attendance at settlement.
The most significant part of the sales process is the preparation of the sale conditions and terms which precedes the signing of the Sales and Purchase Agreement at the time of receiving a deposit. The settlement phase of the sale, by comparison, is somewhat easier. Our Account Managers have processed many sales without being physically present for some or all of the sales process. They are experienced and they make themselves available to Buyers and Sellers through-out the entire life of the Listing and especially during the transfer process. We have detailed and step-by-step processes we can send to assist and ensure a smooth transition in the event we cannot be in attendance ourselves. |
| Sole Trader or Company? | How you buy a business (the structure of it - sole trader, partnership, company, family trust) is more of a question for your Accountant than your Business Broker. It depends upon your personal and taxation situation and there are many other issues that may apply specifically to you but not to other people (risk, need for residency, purpose of the business, etc).
For a more detailed explanation of business structures please see our blog titled Common Business Structures in Thailand |
| Is there a minimum commission? | Yes, there is a minimum commission. We charge a commission based upon a percentage of the sale, but for sales where the calculated percentage commission is equal to or less than USD 3,000, the minimum commission due is USD 3,000. For rental only, if the calculated commission is equal to or less than USD 1,500, the minimum commission due is USD 1,500. All commissions are inclusive of VAT - VAT is not added to commissions.
Details of our Standard Listing Plan and a Commission Calculator can be seen at our our Standard Listing Plan page. |
| Can I phone or chat with you? | Yes of course. Our contact details are on our Contact page along with a contact form that you may wish to use after hours or instead of phoning or chatting.
Sellers are allocated an Account Manager, with direct contact details provided at the time of listing with us. Please note, when contacting us by phone or chat, our business hours are between 10am and 5pm (UTC +07:00) Monday to Friday excluding public holidays gazetted for Thailand. |
| How do I subscribe to your Email Newsletter? | We don't actually have an email newsletter. When you create an account with us (Register), we give you your own Dashboard which contains, among other useful features, a dynamic news feed. You just set your preferences to what you want to see in your feed and that is what you see - when it happens! It's a bit like a Facebook feed, and you can save or hide posts from your feed as you choose.
Basically, we find a dynamic news feed more useful than an email produced once or twice a month. You are given all of the same information you would expect to receive in a newsletter, but we don't clog up your inbox and you get to see it when it's posted. We do use emails extensively for other marketing purposes, but not to send newsletters. |
| Do you offer discounts on the Standard Listing Plan commission or Extra Listing Services? | Sorry, we do not offer any discounts as our rates of commission and cost of optional extra services are already comparable or lower than industry standard.
Our Standard Listing Plan is commission-based and comprehensive. There are absolutely no up-front payments required. We provide this service in anticipation of being responsible for identifying and introducing you to the Buyer. In this situation, if we don't deliver the Buyer, we don't get paid - it is entirely performance-based. We do, however, offer various promotions from time to time including Loyalty rewards, Incentive offers and Free offers details of which may be seen at our Specials page. |
| What is the difference between FOR SALE and FOR SALE AND RENT? | 'For Sale' is reasonably well-known as it is used extensively in the real estate industry to advertise property for 'freehold' sale. That is to say, you will be buying the title to the land (and any improvements on that land), or in the case of strata property, the title to that level of the building. Commercial real estate is the same when it comes to 'for sale' advertisements.
When talking businesses, partnerships, franchises and commercial properties though, there is another category that (generally) does not apply with residential real estate - 'For Sale and Rent' (not 'For Sale OR Rent' - this is very simply saying it is available for sale or for rent). 'For Sale and Rent' is where you buy the business component of the listing (this is the 'for sale' part) and then you rent the business premises (the rent part). Typically, in for sale and rent offers, the 'for sale' component includes assets like:
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| Do I need to sign a contract to list with Asia Business Brokers? | Yes, you do. The Listing Agreement is either completed in paper or online and prior to any work being undertaken. You may read about our Listing Service at our Services page.
Listing conditions, along with all other services are also covered in our Terms and Conditions page, which we encourage you to read prior to listing. If you do not agree with our terms and conditions, please do not create an account, or deactivate your account (as the case may be) and cease using this website. Importantly, listing with Asia Business Brokers is NOT an exclusive service. Please feel free to also advertise yourself and/or with other Brokers. If you have engaged another Broker to assist you to sell under an EXCLUSIVE arrangement, please consult with that Broker before listing with Asia Business Brokers. |
| Can I sell/lease my business if it is not trading? | Yes, you can. It is best to advertise it quickly after closing and the advertisement should state that the business is closed and the reason why. Buyers will understand this and if interested (many will see it being recently closed as a good opportunity) they will still show interest.
If a Buyer attends an inspection expecting an operational business and finds the business closed because it was not stated in the advertisement, they will (quite rightly) think you are hiding information and will be easily turned off buying your business. If you cease trading after you begin advertising, or indeed change any aspect of your business offer which makes the advertisement inaccurate, you need to amend the advertisement immediately. |
| How Long does it take to sell a business? | This question is not one that can be reliably answered as a 'one answer fits all' because businesses vary considerably in terms of location, viability, desirability, etc. Many Sellers think it's all about price, but this is not true. Price is important, but is just one of the many considerations which will affect how long it takes to sell.
Regardless, to provide an answer that may be of assistance to you - assuming you get your marketing and advertising right, you present a viable option at a realistic price, our data shows us that a sale will occur between six months to three years after advertising commences. |
| If I buy an Extra Listing Service (for example a Feature Listing) for 90 days and I sell my Listing (say) a week after, do I get a pro-rata refund? | Unfortunately no, you don't and the reason is because when you order and pay for a Service, we too order and pay for it from other Vendors. Most of the Vendors we use do not have a refund policy (or even pro-rata refund policy). Some of the Services we provide ourselves, we often have to pay commission on them up-front and with a no-refund policy. |
| How much does it cost to put a listing in the Business Assistance section of the website? | It is totally free. We hope you use it and we hope it helps your business. You just need to be logged in to use it and comply with our Terms and Conditions
If you choose to use any of the Business Assistance services listed in this website, please understand that they are not necessarily endorsed in any way by Asia Business Brokers and you will be doing so at your own discretion. We provide this business assistance directory listing only because the services offered are stated by their contributors as being related to buying and selling businesses and so, may be of assistance to you. |
| Is Asia Business Brokers an MLS Agency? | No, we are not. A Multiple List Service (MLS) is where a Listing is made available for co-brokering with other Brokers and Agents also designated as MLS-Agents.
By way of example, if we advertise a business for sale and we state that it is an MLS Listing (or that we are an MLS Agency), then other MLS Agents, who may or may not have potential buyers for that listing may request additional information with a view to entering into an agreement with us to sell that business in an MLS partnership arrangement by finding or providing a potential Buyer. On the surface, it offers a Seller (potentially) multiple brokers or brokerages all working to sell one listing. The reason we do not subscribe to an MLS is that we believe our Sellers should make the decision to share listing information and that this should not be done simply because other brokerages state they may have a Buyer. We do, underlyingly, support the concept of MLS, but it works much better for residential real estate as it presents many issues for commercial real estate and businesses because of the confidential nature of the listings. Because ALL of our listings are non-exclusive, our Sellers are entirely at liberty to list themselves and/or with other brokerages so we see this as as a much better option as it puts the control over information being shared (what and by whom) with the Seller as we believe it should be. |
| Who has access to my data? | Broadly speaking, our policy is that only people employed or authorized by Asia Business Brokers who need to access your data do so. Additionally, your data is never sold, given or intentionally released to any company, business or individual without your express written consent.
Full details of our privacy policy are detailed in our Privacy Policy page, and we encourage you to read this. |
| Can I post my own Listing/s in this website? | Sorry, no you can't. This website is for providing information about buying and selling businesses, business partnerships, commercial property, franchises and land for commercial use in the Asia-Pacific region. It is also used to showcase the many listings we have on offer to potential Buyers under contract to sell/lease directly with Owners. The site is not a portal service. The only way your Listing can appear in this website is for you to contract with Asia Business Brokers to sell and/or lease via our Standard Listing Plan.
Because of the confidential nature of selling businesses, some information is only available to logged in registered users. To access this information you need to have a current User account with us and be logged in. Register login |
