Bizarre Financing: Experts reveal the strangest financed assets
Financing goods is an understandable practice – especially for high-value items that you or your business may struggle to pay off in one go.
As time has gone on, financing has become increasingly popular. Checkout repayment services such as Klarna, PayPal Credit and Sezzle have made even the most mundane items financeable – from toothbrushes to shampoo.
But what about the less mundane, the specialist and the downright bizarre financed items? We spoke to the asset finance specialists at Anglo Scottish to get an insider perspective into the occasionally strange world of B2B financing.
These are the financed items that have stuck in their minds.
Equine saltwater treadmill
Financed for a whopping £200,000, this treadmill is a little different from your standard gym equipment. An equine water treadmill is used for the rehabilitation and training of horses, particularly to help improve aerobic muscles.
Financing this kind of specialist equipment is understandable – they don’t come cheap, and if you have an injured horse then it’s likely you’ll need one in a hurry. It’s still a really niche item and definitely deserves a spot on the list.
Diving equipment
Some of the most popular items to finance are cars – getting from A to B quickly is a must for many with commuting jobs. Unless you work in Atlantis, you’re far less likely to finance diving equipment, but that’s exactly what a few businesses have done.
Diving equipment is expensive, but it really adds up once you take into account the full gear. Underwater cameras and video lights, torches, dive computers, scuba gear and more can quickly rack up a huge price tag – so financing this equipment seems much more normal once you consider the full cost.
1927 Fairground organ
Coming up to a century old, a 1927 fairground organ was bought on finance by one lucky buyer. Often auctioned, these instruments can be incredibly expensive (one eBay listing has a vintage organ listed for almost £19,000!) and are sought after by collectors and enthusiasts alike.
They’re either charming or creepy, depending on who you ask. One thing’s for sure, it’s definitely not your usual financed purchase.
Cow pop
One of the more disgusting concoctions you could dream up, cow pop is essentially a cow slurry that’s converted into energy via renewables. As gross as it might seem, there are plenty of positive ways in which a cow pop biofuel could be used.
There’s plenty of demand for green finance solutions from modern businesses looking to reduce their carbon footprint or become more sustainable – but these finance agreements are usually reserved for more traditional forms of green energy like solar panels…
We’ll trust in the process with this one.
Inflatable obstacle course
Who doesn’t love an obstacle course? This bit of kit was financed by a company looking to organise an action-packed team-building day.
A team-building activity that can also be done at a child’s birthday party is usually a good sign that your company does work outings correctly. Next time your office’s Christmas party organiser is getting worried about costs, point them to a reliable broker!
100 portable toilets
Ideal for pairing with your big obstacle course team-building day, one company financed 100 portable toilets. Your bog-standard portable toilets are usually hired for around £50 a fortnight, rather than being bought outright.
For businesses that organise lots of large-scale events, it makes sense to buy portable toilets to save on hiring costs. As strange as it seems at first glance, financing may be the best way to go when organising events in a hurry.
Ferris wheel
The largest item on this list, one company bought a £300,000 Ferris wheel on finance. Probably one of the more difficult items to repossess if payments stopped, financing a Ferris wheel is a testament to how far financing has come in recent years.
If you can buy it – you can probably finance it.
Fish insemination machine
Saving the strangest for last, a company bought an artificial insemination machine for use on fish. Research equipment is very expensive, so financing is a good option when a substantial outlay like this can hurt the company’s cash flow.
The machine in question used injections to inseminate fish eggs – lovely. Financing such an item certainly makes explaining your company’s direct debit statement a bit easier for the finance team.
There we have it, the weirdest and most unexpected financed items recalled by industry experts. Financing has become so versatile that it’s worth considering for the needs of any business or individual, especially when in a hurry.
Next time you’re unsure if your business card can take the strain, perhaps it’s time for you to consider financing.
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash
