These rules apply to buyers, potential buyers, investors, advisers and anyone making an enquiry about a business listed on Buy a Business Ltd.
They're designed to protect sellers from time-wasting and misuse of confidential information, to help buyers act professionally, and to keep the marketplace a place where genuine transactions can happen.
1. Make Genuine Enquiries Only
Only enquire about a business if you have a genuine interest in buying it.
The marketplace exists to connect real buyers with real sellers. It's not a tool for collecting competitor intelligence, scraping listings, copying business models, harvesting contact details or misrepresenting your identity.
Don't enquire if you are gathering competitor information, scraping or copying listing content, trying to understand how a competing business operates, seeking confidential data with no intention to buy, harassing a seller, sending spam, or promoting your own unrelated services.
Sellers may ask you to confirm your identity, your seriousness, your funding position and your adviser involvement before sharing anything sensitive. That's a reasonable and professional request — not an obstacle.
2. Be Honest About Who You Are
When you make an enquiry, be straightforward about who you are and what you're looking for. Sellers need to know:
Your name and whether you're buying personally or through a company
Your relevant business background
Why you're interested in this particular business
Whether you have finance available or need to arrange lender funding
Whether you have professional advisers in place
Your expected timetable
Whether you've bought a business before
Don't pretend to be a different person, a different type of buyer, another company, or an adviser when you're not. Misrepresenting yourself is not only contrary to the platform rules — it can have serious consequences if it affects the terms on which information is shared with you.
3. Respect Confidentiality
Business sales are often sensitive. A seller listing their business doesn't want their staff, customers, suppliers, landlord or franchisor to find out before the time is right. Your job as a buyer is to respect that.
Unless the seller explicitly gives permission, do not contact staff, customers, suppliers, landlords, franchisors, regulators, competitors, contractors, lenders or agents connected to the business.
Don't share listing details, seller information, financial figures, documents or screenshots with anyone except the professional advisers who genuinely need them to assist you. Information shared with you during an enquiry is shared in confidence, even if there's no formal NDA in place yet.
4. Do Not Misuse Confidential Information
Information given to you by a seller during the enquiry and due diligence process should be used for one purpose only: assessing whether you want to buy the business.
It must not be used to compete unfairly, approach the seller's customers or staff, approach their suppliers, copy their pricing or marketing, replicate their systems, damage the seller's business during or after the process, publish private information, mislead others, or harass the seller.
Even after an enquiry ends — whether or not a deal is made — the confidential information you received remains confidential.
5. Carry Out Your Own Due Diligence
A listing is not proof that the business is safe, profitable, fairly priced or right for you. Buy a Business Ltd does not verify listings. A business appearing on the marketplace does not mean it has been checked, approved or endorsed.
You are responsible for checking the opportunity properly before committing. That means reviewing seller authority, company records, accounts and management accounts, VAT and tax position, lease and property documents, staff records and TUPE implications, customer contracts, supplier agreements, assets and stock, licences and registrations, debt and finance arrangements, customer concentration, supplier dependency, disputes or claims, data protection compliance, and sector-specific risks.
Use professional advisers. The Due Diligence Checklist in the Knowledge Centre is a useful starting framework, but it does not replace an accountant, solicitor or tax adviser reviewing the actual documents.
6. Verify Before Paying Any Money
One of the most important rules for any buyer: do not pay a deposit, reservation fee, holding fee or any other amount without proper checks and clear written terms.
Before sending any money, check the seller's identity and authority to sell, confirm the business actually exists, review company records, confirm the bank details through a trusted and independent route, ensure a solicitor is involved, get written confirmation of what the payment is for, understand the refund position, and know what happens if the deal doesn't complete.
If bank details change suddenly during a transaction, stop and verify through an independent channel before paying. Fraudulent bank detail changes during conveyancing and business sale processes are a known risk. Call the solicitor directly using a number you've independently sourced, not one supplied in the same message as the changed details.
7. Use Staged Information Requests
It's entirely reasonable to ask questions — that's part of any buying process. But not everything should be requested at once, and requesting highly sensitive information before you've been properly screened is not appropriate.
In the early stages of an enquiry, it's reasonable to ask for a business summary, broad financial figures, the asking price basis, the reason for sale, a high-level overview of lease and staff and assets, what is included in the sale, and high-level risks.
After being screened and signing an NDA, you can reasonably ask for more detailed financial summaries, lease documents, contract summaries, an asset list, staff summaries, stock records, licences and initial data room access.
At the formal due diligence stage, with professional advisers involved, full supporting documents and detailed financial, legal, tax and operational evidence become appropriate.
Don't pressure sellers to share highly sensitive data — including staff names, customer lists or payroll detail — before you've been screened and your seriousness established.
8. Proof of Funds May Be Required
A serious seller is not being unreasonable when they ask whether you can actually fund the purchase. Sellers invest considerable time in the sale process. Qualifying buyers early protects that time.
You may be asked to provide proof of available funds, a lender's decision in principle, solicitor or accountant confirmation, a written finance plan, evidence of investor backing, or an explanation of the source of funds.
You can redact personal details that aren't necessary for the purpose — account numbers, for example. But a clear, honest picture of your funding route is a reasonable and normal part of any serious buying process.
9. Make Offers Clearly and Conditionally
Don't make vague or misleading offers. A serious offer should set out clearly who the buyer is, what is being offered and on what basis, what is included in the offer (including whether stock is included), how the purchase will be funded, what conditions apply, whether finance needs to be arranged, whether due diligence is required and on what timetable, and what the handover expectations are.
The vast majority of early offers should be made subject to contract, due diligence, finance, lease review, tax and accounting review, and legal documentation. An offer that isn't conditional gives you very little protection if something significant is discovered later.
The Business Purchase Offer Letter Template in the Knowledge Centre gives you a practical structure for putting an offer in writing correctly.
10. Prohibited Buyer Behaviour
The following behaviours are not permitted and may result in account restriction or removal:
Harassing or sending abusive messages to sellers. Threatening sellers. Pretending to have funds when you don't. Demanding confidential data without going through the appropriate screening process. Contacting staff, customers or suppliers without consent. Scraping or copying listings. Using false identities. Sending spam or promoting unrelated services. Encouraging fraud, tax evasion or illegal activity. Attempting to access seller systems without permission. Sharing confidential information publicly. Misusing seller data in any way.
Buyer Checklist Before Enquiring
Before making your first enquiry, be honest with yourself about these questions:
Do you know what type of business you want to buy?
Do you understand your budget — including working capital, not just the purchase price?
Can you clearly explain your funding route?
Are you ready to sign an NDA if required?
Do you understand that you must not contact staff, customers or suppliers without permission?
Are you prepared not to pay money without proper checks?
Do you have professional advisers in place, or plans to involve them?
Do you understand that Buy a Business Ltd is a marketplace, not a broker?
Do you understand that you are responsible for your own due diligence?
A Final Word
A good buyer is serious, respectful, prepared and careful. They don't rush. They ask the right questions at the right time. They protect the seller's confidentiality. They get proper professional advice before committing. And when they find a business they want to buy, they approach the process in a way that gives both sides a genuine chance of reaching completion.
If a business looks attractive, slow down and check it properly before committing to anything.
*Buy a Business Ltd is a marketplace, not a broker, corporate finance adviser, M&A adviser, law firm, accountant, tax adviser, lender, valuation firm, fraud investigation service or investment adviser. Information, rules, policies, guides, templates and examples on this site are for general guidance only and do not constitute legal, tax, financial, investment, lending, valuation, employment, data protection, brokerage, corporate finance, M&A, fraud, cyber-security or regulated advice. Buyers and sellers must carry out their own checks and seek independent professional advice before sharing sensitive information, paying money, signing documents or completing a transaction.*