Buying Related FAQs

Question Answer
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.
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:

  • If you are not logged in, you are given about the same (or more) information than is routinely provided on most other business for sale websites,
  • If you are logged in, you will be given access to significantly more information than is routinely provided on most other business for sale websites, and
  • If you provide us the necessary declarations and information we need for you to be given a ‘Registered User’ login, you will receive as much information as we can provide to you without the submission of an NDA.
If you are already in-country or just prior to your arrival, you may complete an NDA prior to your appointment to inspect so that we can provide you with the information you need.
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).
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.
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
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:
  • furnishings, plant and equipment
  • ownership of company and current contracts
  • licenses and Permits
  • trademarks and use of brand
  • goodwill
  • suppliers and customers databases
  • online and social media accounts
  • stock/inventory
  • the right to obtain the lease
  • transition assistance
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