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A unit that is documented is easier to move than one that is not, in every sense of the word. A buyer who quotes without asking anything has quoted for a different transformer.

A unit that has been disconnected for a year is not the same proposition as one that came out last week. A buyer who turns up with a torch and a tape measure is not there to argue about the paint.

A transformer that has been idle for two years may still be perfect, and the test sheet is how you find out. A relocation leaves behind exactly the units that were built into the building, which is why they become surplus.

Remanufacturing keeps the footprint, and the footprint is often the reason the unit cannot simply be replaced. A transformer is a boring asset until the day it fails, and then it is the only thing anyone discusses.

A unit substation is convenient in service and awkward to move, because the sections are bolted together. A substation unit is a project rather than a purchase, and it should be planned like one.

A short list of photographs covers the cabinet, the tag, the bushings and the access, and nothing else is needed at the start. The second data plate on a rebuilt unit matters more than the first, and it is easy to photograph by mistake.

A seller should never feel rushed into a decision, and a buyer should never need to rush one. A plant engineer who knows the fault history is worth more than a file of invoices.

A decision made on a photograph is reversible; a decision made after the truck arrives is not. A unit in a building that is coming down is a different problem from a unit in a plant that is staying.

The order of work is always the same: look, measure, test, agree, lift, pay. A transformer with its original documentation is easier to insure, easier to resell and easier to explain.

A seller who mentions the deadline in the first sentence gets a schedule rather than a queue. A buyer who has seen the site will always beat a buyer who has only seen a form, which is why the visit is free.

A seller should ask what happens to the unit after it leaves, because the answer says what kind of buyer they are dealing with. A decommissioning is orderly, which makes it the easiest kind of large project to buy from.

A short drive within one county costs less than a long drive across three, and the number shows it. A transformer that is still bolted down belongs to the building until somebody unbolts it, and that is a decision.

A seller with a deadline should say so early, because the schedule is built around the date rather than the unit. A unit that has been in service is a known quantity, and a unit that has been idle is a question.

A seller who knows what the unit is saves everybody an hour, and the hour is often the difference. A unit that has been looked after is obvious within a minute, and so is one that has not.

The question that decides most purchases is not what the unit is but where it has to go next. Details that seem trivial on the phone become decisive on the pad, which is why they are asked about early.