General FAQ

The most common questions about Haubot the platform. For role-specific questions, see the Buying, Selling, Payments, Cross-border and Disputes & safety FAQs.

What is Haubot?

Haubot is a global B2B trade ecosystem for equipment, components, vehicles, machinery and parts. It combines a marketplace and auctions with the infrastructure that complex cross-border deals actually need — escrow-protected payments through SecureTrade, independent on-site inspections through Haubot Inspect, structured cross-border logistics, asset-based financing through partners, a verified business directory in TradeHub, and a hash-verified document vault for every listing in UnitVault. It's not just "a marketplace with extras" — those pieces are designed to work together as one workflow.

Which sectors does Haubot cover?

All of them, by design. Aviation and ground support, marine and offshore, energy and power generation, oil and gas, industrial machinery, construction and earthmoving, transport and heavy trucks, agriculture, mining, forestry, defence (subject to compliance review), components and parts across every category. The search, filters and structured parameters adapt per category — drilling rigs, aircraft, dump trucks and excavators each get the technical specs that actually matter for them.

Is Haubot only for big companies?

No. The platform is built for businesses of any size doing B2B trade — a single-truck logistics operator, a small specialist parts supplier and a multinational manufacturer all use the same tools. The only requirement is that you transact as a business: every active seller and buyer needs a verified business profile.

Who runs Haubot?

Haubot is operated by Haubot International B.V., registered in the Netherlands (Diemerhof 42, 1112 XN Diemen). It's an independent company, not affiliated with any specific OEM, dealer group or trade body. The team is distributed across multiple countries to cover the regions our users actually trade in.

Is Haubot a broker?

No. Haubot is a platform — it doesn't take ownership of assets, doesn't act as a counterparty in any transaction, and doesn't get paid based on which deal closes with whom. Deals happen between businesses on the platform. Haubot provides the infrastructure (marketplace, escrow, inspections, logistics coordination, documents, dispute process) but is not a party to the underlying commercial agreement.

How does Haubot make money?

A combination of optional service fees and transaction fees:

• SecureTrade charges a small percentage of transaction value when used.
• Haubot Inspect charges per inspection, paid by the requester (usually the buyer).
• Haubot Managed Auctions charge a success fee on hammer.
• Logistics coordination is billed at standard freight rates by the partner carrier.
• Featured listings and subscription tiers for high-volume sellers are available but optional.

Browsing the marketplace, posting listings, posting inquiries in TradeHub, building TradeCircles and using Messenger are free.

Is it free to use?

Yes for browsing, creating an account, building a business profile, posting listings, posting open inquiries and connecting with counterparties. Fees apply only when you use specific services — SecureTrade, Haubot Inspect, managed auctions, logistics coordination. You always see the fee before committing.

Where does Haubot operate?

Globally. The platform handles transactions across borders by design, with localised marketing pages and documentation in nine languages (English, German, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, French, Dutch, Arabic, Hindi). Whether specific country pairs are supported for a given transaction depends on sanctions, export controls and the nature of the asset — see the Cross-border FAQ.

How is Haubot different from a regular marketplace?

A regular marketplace ends at "buyer and seller found each other." Haubot starts there. The differentiators:

• Escrow + inspection + logistics in one workflow. SecureTrade releases payment against milestones, Haubot Inspect produces the verifiable condition report those milestones reference, logistics coordination keeps the physical delivery in step.
• Documents are first-class. Inspection reports, titles, service records live with the listing in UnitVault, with access controls, audit trail and SHA-256 hash verification.
• Multi-sector parameters. Filters and technical specs change per category — drilling rigs and aircraft engines are not treated the same as bulldozers.
• TradeHub. Beyond listings, an open-inquiry board where buyers post what they need and verified providers respond.

Do I need a business profile to browse?

No. Anyone can browse the marketplace, search, and read public documentation without an account. To save listings, follow businesses, message sellers, bid in auctions, post inquiries or transact, you need an account and a verified business profile.

What languages does Haubot support?

Marketing pages, the marketplace UI, the dashboard and notifications are available in nine languages: English, German, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, French, Dutch, Arabic, Hindi. Documentation in this Knowledge Base is being translated incrementally. Listings can be in any language — buyers can switch the platform UI language independently of the language a specific listing was written in.

Can I integrate Haubot with my ERP or CRM?

Programmatic integration is on the roadmap. Today, listings can be exported as CSV from the dashboard and the platform offers webhook notifications for key events (new message, new bid, transaction state change). For high-volume sellers with custom integration needs, the technology partnerships side of the Partner program is the right entry point.