Questions and answers

Nothing until the handover: valuation, checks, listing and deal room are free. Only if you hand over to a successor found through Erbelo do you pay 2% of the purchase price, at least €6,500 plus VAT. Successors pay nothing.

The total purchase price agreed in the purchase agreement, including liabilities taken over by the buyer and any seller note. Details are in the terms.

Then there's no cost. You can keep your listing online as long as you like, pause it or delete it.

Yes. You can pause or delete your listing and end conversations at any time. Costs only arise on a handover to a successor found through Erbelo.

No. Your listing shows only industry, state and ranges for size, years in business, revenue, earnings and value. A successor sees exact figures only once you both want to meet; your business name, city, your own name and documents only after they accept the NDA.

No. It is an indicative estimate based on typical industry multiples, shown with every step of the calculation. For the actual sale we recommend a professional valuation, for example under IDW S1 or, for skilled crafts, the AWH standard offered through the chambers.

Rough figures are enough for the valuation. To publish, you upload your latest financial statement or management accounts; we match revenue and earnings and then delete the document. Tax returns, P&L, contracts and lists are shared only in the deal room after the successor has signed the NDA.

We match your figures as soon as your document arrives and let you know in your dashboard. Your listing goes live once that's done.

A business broker usually represents the seller and negotiates for them. Erbelo represents neither side and doesn't negotiate. We provide the valuation, figure checks, a confidential search and a structured process to the contract. Owners pay only on success: 2% of the price, at least €6,500 plus VAT.

Taxes depend on legal form, age, timing and how the sale is structured. Erbelo's report gives first orientation but doesn't replace tax advice. Talk to your tax advisor early.

Ideally three to five years before you want to step back. That leaves time to reduce dependence on you, document processes and find the right person. The handover readiness shows what to improve first.

Plan in years rather than months: preparing, searching, meeting, checking, financing and training all take time. Starting early keeps your options open. This is experience, not a promise.

Yes. Erbelo prepares and organizes the handover, but does not give tax or legal advice and does not negotiate on your behalf. In Germany, transferring shares in a GmbH must be notarized (§ 15 GmbHG).

Banks usually expect a share of the price as equity; Erbelo's calculator assumes 10%. A seller note, where the owner lets you pay part of the price over time, can lower that. In Germany, KfW and state development banks offer start-up and succession loans, and guarantee banks (Bürgschaftsbanken) can back them; in the US, the SBA 7(a) program is common.

To protect owners, employees and customers. You see the name, the location and documents once you and the owner are both interested and you have accepted the NDA in the deal room.

From five parts with fixed weights: skills and industry 30, region 20, financial fit 25, timing 10 and shared values 15. Every part is shown with its reason. The full method is published on the methodology page.

Yes, completely during launch: profile, listings, fit scores, verification and contact requests are free. The success fee is paid by the owner, not by you.

Before a listing goes live, we match revenue and owner earnings to the latest financial statement or management accounts. Owners can also document ownership; successors their financing and qualification. This is not an audit and no guarantee that figures are correct; it does not replace your own due diligence. Only Erbelo sees the documents, and they are deleted right after the decision.

Only what is strictly necessary: one keeps you logged in, one remembers the market you chose, and in demo mode one remembers your persona. No advertising or analytics cookies, no third-party trackers, which is why there is no cookie banner. Your questionnaire answers stay in your own browser so you don't lose progress; you can delete them at any time.

All data is stored on servers in the European Union (Frankfurt am Main). The privacy policy names every provider and explains any transfers outside the EU.

Only you and the one successor in your deal room, and only after they accept the NDA. Every download is checked and logged: you see when a document was opened. Documents for “Verified by Erbelo” are seen only by Erbelo and deleted right after the review.

Yes, at any time and without asking us: in My Erbelo you can download everything we store about you as a file, or delete your account permanently.

Only in two places and only when you click: a wording suggestion for the anonymous listing, and reading figures from an uploaded financial statement. You check every result yourself. Value, handover readiness and fit are always calculated by a published formula, never by AI.