What equipment and herbal stock come with a TCM clinic sale?

When a TCM clinic is sold, the assets are often more varied than they look. There are tables, linens, small tools and a stock of herbs. Buyers and sellers sometimes assume different things come with the sale, so the safest approach is a clear list agreed before closing.

Treatment rooms and gear

Walk each room with the seller. Note the treatment tables, stools, lamps, cupping sets, moxibustion equipment and sterilizing supplies. Ask about age, wear and any maintenance records. Single-use needles and similar consumables are replaced constantly, so ask how much is on hand and how the clinic disposes of used ones. Your lawyer can tell you which rules apply to those items.

The herbal pharmacy

Herbal stock needs a careful count. Check quantities, expiry or best-before dates, labelling and storage, and ask to see purchase and dispensing records. Stock that is old or poorly stored may be of little use to you. Ask your lawyer what you need to confirm about the herbs before you take over the shelves.

Suppliers, leased items and ownership

Ask which suppliers the clinic buys from and whether those accounts transfer to you or must be reopened. Find out what is owned outright and what is leased or financed, such as a sterilizer or a point-of-sale system. Our page on what to check before buying an acupuncture clinic covers the people side of the deal.

Put it in the agreement

Attach a schedule to the purchase agreement that lists every item and notes its condition. Decide how herbal stock will be counted at closing and who pays for any shortfall. Ask your accountant how stock is treated, and have your lawyer check that the items are free of claims by lenders or others.