What to check before you buy a trailer

This site does not inspect trailers, check who owns them or check whether one has been reported stolen. The checks below are ones you can make yourself.

This page is our own general advice, not legal advice. It does not cover the rules on what you may tow: check those with the official guidance before you buy.

Last reviewed 10 October 2026.

Before you travel

Ask for a photo of the plate. The plate on the chassis gives the maker, the serial number and the gross weight. We suggest checking that the gross weight matches the advert.
Ask what comes with it. Ramps, a spare wheel, straps, a cover, a winch, a hitch lock and keys are often sold separately. Get the list in a message.
Ask for proof of purchase. We suggest asking the seller for the receipt or invoice from when they bought it, and for any service records.
Check it suits your vehicle. Your vehicle handbook gives the most it can tow. Compare that with the gross weight on the plate, not the weight of the empty trailer.

When you see it

See it at the address the seller gave. We suggest not meeting in a lay-by or a car park, and taking someone with you.
Read the plate yourself. We suggest walking away if the plate is missing, or the serial number has been ground off or altered, and the seller cannot explain why.
Look at the chassis, the floor and the hitch. Look for rust and cracks in the chassis and around welds, soft or rotten boards in the floor, and wear or play in the coupling.
Look at the tyres, the wheels and the lights. Look at the tread and for cracks in the sidewalls, including the spare. Plug the trailer in to your vehicle and try every light.
Try the brakes if it has them. Try the handbrake, and ask when the brakes and wheel bearings were last looked at.

Paying

Pay when you collect, not before. We suggest not sending a deposit for a trailer you have not seen.
Get a receipt. We suggest one that names you both, gives the make, model and serial number, the price and the date, and is signed by the seller.
If the price is shown "+VAT". The seller has said VAT is added to the price shown. Ask for the full amount in a message before you travel.
This site takes no part in the payment. It does not take, hold or pass on money, and it does not arrange delivery. Anyone who says it does is not acting for us.
If something looks wrong, stop. Report the advert or the person to us from the advert or the report page. If you have already sent money, we suggest telling your bank straight away.

Report an advert or a person

Every advert has a "Report this advert" link. For anything else, the report page says what to send and where.

Report a problem

What to have ready before you sell a trailer

Before you travel

Ask for a photo of the plate. The plate on the chassis gives the maker, the serial number and the gross weight. We suggest checking that the gross weight matches the advert.
Ask what comes with it. Ramps, a spare wheel, straps, a cover, a winch, a hitch lock and keys are often sold separately. Get the list in a message.
Ask for proof of purchase. We suggest asking the seller for the receipt or invoice from when they bought it, and for any service records.
Check it suits your vehicle. Your vehicle handbook gives the most it can tow. Compare that with the gross weight on the plate, not the weight of the empty trailer.

When you see it

See it at the address the seller gave. We suggest not meeting in a lay-by or a car park, and taking someone with you.
Read the plate yourself. We suggest walking away if the plate is missing, or the serial number has been ground off or altered, and the seller cannot explain why.
Look at the chassis, the floor and the hitch. Look for rust and cracks in the chassis and around welds, soft or rotten boards in the floor, and wear or play in the coupling.
Look at the tyres, the wheels and the lights. Look at the tread and for cracks in the sidewalls, including the spare. Plug the trailer in to your vehicle and try every light.
Try the brakes if it has them. Try the handbrake, and ask when the brakes and wheel bearings were last looked at.

Paying

Pay when you collect, not before. We suggest not sending a deposit for a trailer you have not seen.
Get a receipt. We suggest one that names you both, gives the make, model and serial number, the price and the date, and is signed by the seller.
If the price is shown "+VAT". The seller has said VAT is added to the price shown. Ask for the full amount in a message before you travel.
This site takes no part in the payment. It does not take, hold or pass on money, and it does not arrange delivery. Anyone who says it does is not acting for us.
If something looks wrong, stop. Report the advert or the person to us from the advert or the report page. If you have already sent money, we suggest telling your bank straight away.