Pewter review: what sellers actually get

Eligibility: a US firm that has (or once had) 20+ staff, three or more years of records, files and email, and English as its main working language. Its stage does not matter, from growing to fully closed.

The sectors it calls most in demand: logistics, accounting, engineering, construction, distribution, manufacturing, trades and professional services. Larger companies of 1,000+ people get a separate enterprise track.

The examples Pewter shows come from its licensing partner: $350,000 (accounting, 60 staff), $450,000 (engineering, 70 staff) and $650,000 (freight brokerage, 100 staff). Enter 100 staff and ten years into its calculator and it returns $385K to $895K, which Pewter labels only a scenario.

Its deals page lists 15 published deals from across the market, from about $110,000 to $1.2 million. Pewter says plainly that these are not its own deals, that many firms are offered less, and that some get no offer at all.

A sample on Pewter's site shows names, numbers and account details swapped for placeholders. Pewter admits no technique eliminates all risk. Privileged, regulated and third-party records can be carved out of a deal, and you review a de-identified sample before release.

Before an offer, Pewter may ask for a small quality sample. Its security page says Pewter or the licensing partner may read that sample as you provide it, before de-identification. You choose what goes in it and can refuse.

The licensing firm is not named on the site. Pewter says you learn who it is before you sign. Ask for the name before you send any sample: that firm signs your license and holds your data. Pewter also says it is neither a law firm nor a registered broker-dealer, and because the partner pays its fee, it is not acting as your agent.

Introducers earn 10% of the seller's payment, capped at $100,000 a business. The commission comes out of Pewter's own fee as Pewter receives it, and Pewter says that fee usually arrives after the data is resold, which can be months after the business is paid. Our own arrangements are listed on our disclosure page.

Pewter coordinates deals and does not buy data itself. It sizes your records, brings you a written offer from a single licensing partner, and runs the export, de-identification and closing through to payment. The partner pays Pewter's fee, so owners pay nothing. Pewter is operated by Buzzlead.io LLC, the outbound sales agency two of its three partners founded in 2022.

1. 1

   Get an estimate

   Answer a few questions in about two minutes. No files or logins. A partner calls within one business day.

2. 2

   Two or three calls

   About 30 minutes each, plus a short inventory of which systems you use and for how many years.

3. 3

   Optional quality sample

   If you agree, you share a small sample you choose. Pewter or the partner may read it before de-identification.

4. 4

   Written offer

   The licensing partner sets out price, scope, permitted use, exclusivity and payment milestones. Your lawyer reviews it.

5. 5

   Sign and export

   Nothing beyond the sample leaves until you sign. Your IT person runs the export, identifying details are replaced, and you approve a de-identified sample.

6. 6

   Delivery and payment

   The de-identified copy goes to the recipients named in your agreement, and payment follows its milestones.

Best for US owners who would rather hand the whole process to someone else, including owners of closed firms that once had a large team. Compare its partner's written offer with a buyer that names itself, such as Polyshares or micro1.

We run the same checks on every buyer we rank. They take an afternoon and they protect the one thing you cannot take back: the copy of your records.

• Find the legal entity. A registered company name, an address and at least one named person. A Facebook form alone is not enough.
• Get the offer and the contract in writing before any export. A sample agreement tells you more than a sales call.
• Ask who strips personal data, how, and when. You should approve the method and see a sample before anything leaves your systems.
• Ask where the data goes. Which AI companies receive it, whether you are told, and whether it can be resold.
• Ask how everyone is paid. By you, by the buyer, or out of your deal. Referral fees are normal; hidden ones are not.
• Get a second quote. Terms from at least one other buyer is the fastest way to know if an offer is fair.