Machineseeker Group

What Machineseeker Group does

Machineseeker Group GmbH, founded in 1999 and headquartered in Essen, Germany, operates Europe's largest online marketplace for new and used industrial machinery. The platform lists over 200,000 machines across 45+ categories — including metalworking, woodworking, printing, construction, food processing, and automation — contributed by more than 8,100 dealers and sellers. The company reaches 11 million monthly visitors and 250,000+ monthly buyer inquiries across its flagship Machineseeker.com, the German-language Maschinensucher.de, and the commercial-vehicle marketplace TruckScout24.com.

The platform combines classified listings, an integrated timed-auction module, and a Trust Seal dealer-verification program (covering trade license, address, banking, phone, credit, and complaint history). Its technology stack centers on multi-criteria search and filtering across manufacturer, category, price, year, location, and condition, with an AI-driven recommendation engine that matches buyer queries to relevant listings. Distribution is supported by multi-channel digital marketing (SEO, blog, social) and sustained sports sponsorships including EHF Champions League, German Masters snooker, Team Germany Olympics 2026, Morlock Motors, and the Darts European Championship.

Revenue is generated through a tiered subscription model for sellers (listings starting at €4.49/month), transaction-based auction fees, annual Trust Seal certification subscriptions, and banner advertising through the Incredible Outreach product. The business is asset-light, operates with a small team of 11-50 employees, and is privately held with no disclosed external investors.

Name

Machineseeker Group

Legal name

Machineseeker Group GmbH

Website

https://machineseeker.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Machineseeker Group operates Europe's largest online marketplace for new and used industrial machinery, listing over 200,000 machines across 45+ categories from 8,100+ dealers. It serves machinery dealers, manufacturers, and commercial-vehicle buyers via Machineseeker.com, Maschinensucher.de, and TruckScout24.com.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Industrial Machinery Marketplace

NAICS

Packaging Machinery Manufacturing (333993), Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing (33351)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550), Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559)

akta.pro primary industry

Blister, Skin & Thermoform Packaging Machines (IMAHAOAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Filling & Dosing Machines (Liquid/Powder/Solid) (IMAHAOAF), Bagging, Pouching & Sachet Packaging Equipment (IMAHAOAH)

Keywords

• Used machinery marketplace
• Industrial equipment trading
• Machinery classified listings
• Online auction platform
• Commercial vehicle marketplace

Headquarters

HQ city

Essen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Listing Fees: Sellers pay recurring fees to publish classified listings on the platform. Pricing starts at €4.49 per listing per month with various tariff plans offering different visibility and feature levels.
2. Auction Services: Revenue from auction proposal submissions where sellers list machinery for competitive bidding.
3. Trust Seal Certification: Fees for dealer certification program that verifies trusted sellers with badges displayed on their listings.
4. Advertising & Banner Ads: Premium advertising placements and banner ads on the platform for increased visibility.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Machineseeker Group operates Europe's leading online marketplace for new and used industrial machinery, connecting machinery dealers and buyers through searchable classified listings and timed auctions across 45+ categories including metalworking, woodworking, printing, construction, food processing, and automation. The platform additionally monetizes through tiered seller subscription plans, the Trust Seal dealer verification program, and banner advertising via the Incredible Outreach service, while running dedicated Maschinensucher.de and TruckScout24.com properties for the German market and commercial vehicles respectively.

Product overview

Machineseeker Group operates a multi-platform marketplace ecosystem for industrial machinery and commercial vehicles, with Machineseeker.com as the flagship European marketplace featuring over 200,000 machinery listings. The core offering combines classified listings with auction functionality, enabling buyers to purchase and bid on equipment across 40+ industrial categories including metalworking, woodworking, printing, food processing, construction, and automation machinery. The platform serves over 8,100 verified sellers and attracts 11 million monthly visitors. Seller services include tiered pricing plans starting at €4.49/month, the Trust Seal certification program for dealer verification, and advertising services through the Incredible Outreach platform. The group also operates TruckScout24.com for commercial vehicles and Maschinensucher.de (German market).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Machineseeker.com Marketplace Europe's leading online marketplace for new and used industrial machinery, with over 200,000 listings from 8,100+ sellers across 45+ categories including metalworking, woodworking, printing, construction, food processing, forklifts, automation, and plastics processing. Buyers self-serve to search, compare, and contact sellers directly.
• Machinery Auctions

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 11 million visitors per month on the platform
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• World Snooker Tour (WST)flagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 3 September 2025Machineseeker renewed its partnership with the World Snooker Tour as lead partner of the 2026 German Masters in Berlin. The event features 64 top snooker players with global broadcasting, providing high-profile brand exposure for Machineseeker in the European market.
• EHF (European Handball Federation)flagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerTitle sponsor of the EHF Champions League and EHF Finals Men. Machineseeker is the third consecutive title sponsor of the EHF Champions League, providing extensive brand visibility in European handball.
• Team Germany (German Olympic Team)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with the German Olympic Team through the 2026 Winter Olympics. Supports Team Germany athletes and provides brand association with elite Olympic sport.
• Morlock MotorsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMotorsport sponsorship connecting with the machinery audience through motorsport events and brand visibility.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Surplex: German-headquartered specialist for used machinery and industrial equipment, combining online listings with auction-house capabilities. Directly overlaps Machineseeker's product, geography (DACH region), and customer base of dealers and industrial buyers.
• TradeMachines: Online marketplace for used industrial machinery with a similar classified listings model and European focus. Operates the same core buyer-seller matching proposition and was absorbed into the Surplex Group, making it the closest head-to-head competitor to Machineseeker.
• Mascus: Online marketplace for used heavy machinery, trucks, and agricultural equipment, now owned by Caterpillar-owned Caterpillar Used. Operates a comparable classified/listing model across Europe and beyond, directly competing for dealer inventory and buyer traffic.
• Kitmondo: Online marketplace dedicated to used industrial machinery across categories such as metalworking, plastics, food processing, and printing. Closely mirrors Machineseeker's horizontal product breadth and dealer-led supply model.
• Truck1.eu: European online marketplace for commercial vehicles, trucks, and trailers. Directly comparable to Machineseeker's TruckScout24 brand, competing for the same commercial-vehicle dealer supply and buyer demand.

Regional players

• AutoScout24: European online marketplace for new and used vehicles. Not a machinery peer, but uses a near-identical classified listings and subscription tariff model in an adjacent vertical and is a useful structural / business-model comparable for Machineseeker's monetisation approach.

Broad incumbents

• Alibaba.com: Global B2B marketplace with a large industrial machinery category. Not specialised, but relevant for international cross-border machinery sourcing and competitive pricing pressure on Machineseeker's European seller base.
• Caterpillar (Cat Used Equipment): OEM-operated used equipment portal for Caterpillar and allied brands, integrating listings from Mascus and dealer networks. A broad incumbent with deeper supply in construction and heavy equipment categories where it overlaps with Machineseeker.
• Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (IronPlanet): Global auction house and online marketplace for heavy equipment, trucks, and industrial machinery. Significantly larger and more globally diversified than Machineseeker, with a stronger auction tilt; competes for the same industrial buyer pool across Europe and beyond.
• eBay Industrial: Global general-purpose marketplace that includes a substantial used industrial machinery category. Far broader in scope than Machineseeker but overlaps for SMB buyers and occasional sellers, particularly in cross-border equipment transactions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Maschinensuche
• Facebookfacebook.com/Machineseeker/?fref=ts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/maschinensucher.de-machineseeker.com

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Machineseeker Group