How do I show a buyer my scrap yard’s daily purchase and sales records?

A buyer wants to trace one day from start to finish. Pick a few recent days, including a slow one and a busy one, and lay out the purchase tickets, the scale records, the outgoing sales and the deposit. If the totals tie together without explanation, you have answered most of the questions before they are asked.

Be ready for the gaps. If you pay cash for material, explain how it is recorded and who counts the drawer. If some days were estimated or entered late, say so and show how you fixed them. A buyer who finds the problem first will wonder what else you missed.

Decide the sequence. Share a summary and a small sample early, and hold the complete daily detail until the buyer has signed a confidentiality agreement and shown they are serious. Your accountant can reconcile the records to your financial statements so the two tell the same story, and your lawyer can advise on what personal details of suppliers should be removed before you share anything. Keep a short note explaining how your tickets are numbered and filed, so the buyer’s own accountant can pick up the thread without calling you each time.

Key takeaways

• Trace a few full days from ticket to deposit before a buyer asks you to.
• Explain every late entry, estimate or cash payment in your own words.
• Share samples early and full detail only after a signed confidentiality agreement.