Mid-sale

Data buyers that will work with you mid-sale

Being under offer does not stop a business from trading, and trading businesses are exactly who data buyers look for. What changes is the calendar, the exclusivity question and how headcount looks once the deal closes.

Below is how the buyers we track sort on those questions, so you can talk to the right ones before your closing date.

AI Data Offers research deskChecked against our methodology Updated October 28, 2026 3 min read 12 sources

In this guide

Buyers open to a company mid-sale

Nearly every buyer on our list works with trading companies, sale or no sale. Staff floors usually fall between 20 and 30, with a few publishing none. A handful currently exclude sectors such as healthcare or law.

Direct buyers (micro1, Mercor)
What they take
Operating companies with real history
Worth knowing
Single buyer, fast first call
Licensing brokers (Pewter)
What they take
Operating, downsizing, winding down or closed
Worth knowing
Counts staff at its peak
Marketplaces (Grepped)
What they take
Companies in many states, including closed
Worth knowing
Read the referral and exclusivity terms
Exclusive-by-default buyers (Polyshares)
What they take
Operating companies
Worth knowing
Exclusivity matters to your acquirer

Buyer type	What they take	Worth knowing
Direct buyers (micro1, Mercor)	Operating companies with real history	Single buyer, fast first call
Licensing brokers (Pewter)	Operating, downsizing, winding down or closed	Counts staff at its peak
Marketplaces (Grepped)	Companies in many states, including closed	Read the referral and exclusivity terms
Exclusive-by-default buyers (Polyshares)	Operating companies	Exclusivity matters to your acquirer

If headcount drops after closing

Integrations often cut staff. Pewter takes firms that are operating, shrinking, winding down or closed, and counts employees at the company's peak. Most others count today's team, so ask each buyer how it measures before the cuts begin.

Exclusivity is the term the acquirer reads

Exclusivity runs the full spectrum: default exclusive, exclusive for a set period, or non-exclusive forever. One buyer says it pays extra for exclusivity. Diligence will surface whichever you choose, so keep the precise clause on paper.

Fine print worth reading twice

How long the buyer keeps the copy, and whether models trained on it are ever deleted
When the delivery counts as accepted, since that can start the payment clock
Where disputes are heard
How much work the export takes (buyers describe roughly 1 to 3 hours plus an intake form)

Questions to put to any data buyer

Is this a license of a copy, or a sale of the records outright?
Is it exclusive, and for how long? Can I license the same data elsewhere later?
Which systems and date ranges are in scope, and can I leave folders or whole tools out?
Who removes names and personal details, how, and do I approve a sample before anything leaves?
When does payment arrive, and does the clock start at signing or at your acceptance of the delivery?
Do I pay anything, and does anyone in the chain take a cut?
How long do you keep the copy, and what happens to it if you are acquired?

FAQ

Questions, answered

Will a data buyer still deal with us if we are under offer?

Most will, because you are still trading. Some even accept businesses that are closing or have shut.

Who moves fastest?

Offers usually arrive in days to two weeks. Payment typically follows three to six weeks after signing, and some buyers only pay after they accept the data.

How much work is it for me?

Buyers estimate 1 to 3 hours, mainly exporting data, plus a brief intake questionnaire.

Who owns the data while my sale is pending?

You do, until the sale closes and the purchase agreement transfers it. That is why a license signed before closing has to be disclosed to the acquirer.

Do I pay anything to license?

Typically no. Direct buyers rarely charge sellers. Middlemen are different: brokers and marketplaces may keep anywhere from 8% to 30%. Have any fee written down before a sample changes hands.

Find the buyers that fit your company

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Sources

Every number on this page links back to one of these.

Spot something wrong? See our corrections policy. Some buyers pay us a referral fee. How we make money.