In 1924, Thomas P. Scanlan published the first Surplus Record Machinery & Equipment Directory, which boasted 5,000 listings. That was undoubtedly an impressive catalog for its day and age, but today’s Surplus Record website far outstrips it with more than 90,000 listings that span some 2,000-plus categories — and our reach only continues to expand.
Of course, having a large selection can prove more frustrating than fulfilling if you can’t find what you’re looking for. Fortunately, our site features search functionality that’s both powerful and easy to use. Read on to learn how you can perform regular searches, electric motor searches, and dealer searches. You’ll also learn how to sell with us and how to post wanted ads.
Regular Search
Once you’re on the Surplus Record homepage, click on the search bar at the top of the page to begin your search. From there, you can type whatever you’re searching for into the search bar. As you type, a dropdown menu will appear with suggestions for the type of machine or equipment that might fit your query. Clicking on one of these topics will take you to the category results page.

Once on the results page, you can easily filter the results by manufacturer, model, current online auction listings, and/or location. (In the near future we will be adding even more filters to each category page such as filtering by Ton ranges for Press Brakes) For right now, you can search within the category for certain keywords, i.e. searching “250 Ton” would bring up all the 250 Ton Hydraulic Press Brakes. Clicking on the specific listing you’re interested in will show you details about the item, including pictures and the seller’s contact information. You can also contact the seller via an inquiry form located on the page.

You may also view all listings on one page instead of only 100 at a time by clicking “View All Listings”.
As a reminder, the website’s header features a search bar, which can be accessed on all pages of the site.
Electric Motor Search
Because motors play an important role in so many industrial applications, Surplus Record has included an electric motor search form on our site. In addition to searching by motor type (AC or DC), you filter results by horsepower, RPM, frame type, voltage, and manufacturer. You can also filter on relevant motor categories to further refine your search. Results will display the following:
- Horsepower
- RPM
- Frame
- Volts
- Specific motor listing

Sell With Us
Purchasing isn’t the only thing that you can do at Surplus Record. Dealers can also list their items on the website to generate more sales and market their specialties such as remanufacturing.
To list your items with Surplus Record, hover over the “Sell with Us” section on the black navigation bar at the top of the site and click on the “List your Items” selection. From there you’ll see the options available to you with an SR Dealer Basic membership and an SR Dealer+ membership.
Alternatively, if you’re an auctioneer, you can request more information about our auction options by visiting our contact page, selecting “Auctions” as your reason for contact, and providing us with your business information.
Finally, Surplus Record offers even more sales and advertising options, such as:
- Featured Auctions
- Banner Ads
- Book Display Ads
- Appraisers
- Freight
- Websites
Wanteds & For Sales
Are you a manufacturer or an individual that is just trying to get rid of one or two machines that are taking up inventory space in your plant that are no longer being used? Or maybe you need a certain machine but can’t find it on Surplus Record.
Head over to our Wanted/For Sale section and you can post the machine you want to buy or sell for FREE. After stating which option you’d like, you’ll indicate which industry the item or items belongs to, type in the item’s category, and provide a description of the item.
Keep in mind this will not put your listing on Surplus Record permanently or in our catalogue. It will generate an email blast to our SR Dealers that have subscribed to receive these messages. This is a great way to sell your machine fast to a used machinery dealer who specializes in selling used machinery and equipment.
If you’re a machinery dealer and want access to these emails, please email us at surplus@surplusrecord.com
Dealer Search
Finally, you can look at the items offered by specific machinery and electrical equipment dealers by clicking “Dealer Search” in the navigation bar. This section will provide the option to search for dealers by the following:

If you’d like a visual demonstration on how to use the Surplus Record website, check out the following video on how to find machinery on Surplus Record.