Sell Ltd distressed marketplace — how it works
Real-time UK administration listings sourced from Companies House, The Gazette and direct Insolvency Practitioner mandates — with verified-buyer messaging, AI fit-scoring and no monthly subscription. Built for the 15,000 UK companies entering administration each year.
The workflow
Live UK administration listings filtered by sector, region, revenue and headcount.
Proof of ID, funds and platform NDA — checked within 1 business day.
Direct contact with the appointed Insolvency Practitioner — no gatekeepers.
Median 18 days marketed sale, 3–5 days pre-pack. Success fee only on completion.
Data sources feeding the marketplace
| Source | What Sell Ltd pulls | Refresh |
|---|---|---|
| Companies House | CH07 appointment filings, SAIL address changes, latest accounts | Daily |
| The Gazette | Part 3 insolvency notices, appointment publications | Hourly RSS |
| Insolvency Service (BEIS) | Statistics, IP registration lookups, disqualification register | Weekly |
| Direct IP mandates | Off-market sale processes shared exclusively with Sell Ltd buyers | Real-time |
Companies House and The Gazette are Crown Copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence.
Honest comparison
| Feature | Sell Ltd | BusinessesForSale | The Gazette | Begbies Traynor listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Distressed-only | Yes | No | Yes | Yes (own firm only) |
| Live IP contact | Direct | No | Notice only | Direct |
| Buyer verification | Yes | No | N/A | Yes |
| AI fit-scoring | Yes | No | No | No |
| Monthly fee | £0 | £29–£99 | £0 | £0 |
Where competitors are stronger: Begbies Traynor listings give you total visibility of their in-house pipeline. If you only buy Begbies Traynor deals, go direct.
Related
Frequently asked questions
What is the Sell Ltd distressed business marketplace?
A UK-focused marketplace where verified buyers see live administration listings direct from Insolvency Practitioners (Interpath, FRP Advisory, Begbies Traynor, Quantuma, Kroll and independents) alongside The Gazette Part 3 feeds and Companies House filings. Every listing carries fit-scoring, financial snapshot, TUPE headcount and administrator contact — no ghost brokers or brochure-only teasers.
How is it different from BusinessesForSale or Daltons?
BusinessesForSale and Daltons index solvent SME sales and rarely surface administration deals. The Gazette publishes appointments without commercial context. Sell Ltd merges Gazette notices + Companies House appointment filings + direct IP feeds into one filtered stream — with buyer verification the others don't run.
Is the marketplace free to use?
Yes for browsing and initial contact. Sell Ltd charges a success fee on completion only, disclosed upfront on any listing where it applies. There is no monthly subscription for verified buyers. Free is possible because the platform is monetised on the sell-side and completion side, not on buyer subscriptions.
How does verification work?
Verified buyer status requires: (1) proof of ID, (2) proof of funds or a lender term sheet, (3) a signed platform NDA. Verification is checked by Sell Ltd's compliance team within 1 business day. Verification is what unlocks direct IP contact and the fit-scoring engine.
Are the listings real deals?
Every listing traces to a Companies House CH07 appointment filing, a Gazette Part 3 notice, or a direct IP mandate. Cross-checked twice. Sell Ltd has ~200 live UK administration listings at any point in 2026, refreshed daily against Companies House and hourly against The Gazette RSS feeds.
Do administrators use Sell Ltd?
Yes — appointed IPs at multiple UK firms use Sell Ltd as one of their marketing channels for administration sales. Direct mandates give the buyer a shorter path to the office-holder than a competitive market process. Listings marked 'Direct IP' are appointed-firm-approved.
Can I set alerts for specific sectors or regions?
Yes. Verified buyers can set filters on sector (9 categories), region (all 12 UK regions + Scotland + Wales + Northern Ireland), revenue band, headcount band and asset type. Alerts fire within 5 minutes of a matching listing publishing.
How does fit-scoring work?
Chris (Sell Ltd's AI deal adviser) scores each listing against your registered buying criteria — sector alignment, deal-size band, cash-vs-debt-vs-earn-out preference, headcount tolerance, geography and turnaround readiness. Score is 0–100 with a plain-English rationale. Not a black box.
How fast can a deal complete via the marketplace?
Median 18 days from first contact to completion on marketed deals; 3–5 days on pre-packs. Sell Ltd's benchmark: 60% of introductions that reach heads of terms complete inside 30 days. Compare to the sector average of 90 days on solvent SME deals.
What data feeds power the marketplace?
Companies House appointment filings (CH07 / SAIL / CH01), The Gazette insolvency notices (RSS), Insolvency Service published statistics, Sell Ltd's own confidential IP mandates. Refresh cadence: Companies House daily, Gazette hourly, IP mandates as they arrive.
Is my identity revealed to the seller?
Not until you approve. Initial expression of interest is under your platform alias with sector and cheque-size ranges. Identity, fund proof and full profile release only when both sides opt in — usually before the first NDA exchange.
Can I list a business on the marketplace as a seller?
Distressed listings only come from the appointed IP or via the appointed firm. If you're a director considering administration, use the Sell Ltd solvent-sale journey first — many businesses that look distressed still sell better through a solvent process.