Guide · 5 min read
Should you use a broker or go direct to an AI data buyer?
Go direct if your team can research programs, manage scoping and evaluate the contract. An advisor can help organize those steps and seek alternatives. Compare its actual services, fees, conflicts and access to buyers; neither route guarantees an offer.
What does a data broker or advisor actually add?
- Research and outreach to more than one potentially relevant program, with no guarantee of multiple bids.
- Fit: knowing which buyers accept your size, language and region before you spend time with them.
- Scope: an exclusion checklist so client, HR, privileged and NDA material stays out.
- Negotiation: exclusivity pricing, approval windows, payment timing and deletion of raw data.
How are brokers paid?
Fee models differ: an intermediary may charge the seller, receive a buyer-paid referral fee or earn a margin on a separate license. Some buyer programs require referrers to disclose that relationship clearly (for example micro1’s referral terms). We disclose ours on every page: buyers may pay QuoteMyData when a deal closes, and it is paid by the buyer, not deducted from your payment. Ask any broker how it is paid and by whom.
Seller-paid or buyer-paid: which broker model is better?
There are two honest models. A seller-paid broker charges your company under its engagement agreement; ask whether it also receives any buyer-side compensation. A buyer-paid advisor, like QuoteMyData, is free to you because buyers pay a referral fee when a deal closes.
| Criterion | Seller-paid broker | Buyer-paid advisor (QuoteMyData) |
|---|---|---|
| Who pays | You, from the deal proceeds | The buyer, on top of your offer |
| Cost to you | A share of your payout | Nothing |
| Possible conflict | A closing incentive can favor a deal over declining | Fees differ by buyer: could favour one buyer |
| How we handle it | Not applicable | We show offers from more than one buyer where possible, disclose applicable buyer-paid fees before introductions, and tell you when going direct is better |
We only refer a company with its written consent. If you prefer an agent paid by you, that is a reasonable choice; ask for the fee in writing and how it is calculated.
When should you go direct?
- You already have an offer you are happy with and only need legal review.
- Your company clearly fits one buyer’s published criteria and you do not want to talk to others.
- You have in-house counsel and time to run the scoping yourself.
What should you ask a broker before you sign up?
Questions for any broker
- Which buyers will you approach, and why those?
- How are you paid, by whom, and does it differ by buyer?
- Will you share every offer you receive?
- Do you ever present yourself as a buyer’s employee or agent? (You should not.)
- What do you need from us, and what do you never need?
Worked example: two paths for the same company (fictional)
Ridgeline Logistics, a fictional 90-person 3PL, receives an unsolicited offer from one buyer. Going direct, it negotiates one price with one counterparty and signs in about six weeks.
Through an advisor, the same profile goes to three buyers that accept its size and data. Two respond; one offers a non-exclusive license on better payment terms. Ridgeline keeps the option to license elsewhere, pays no fee, and the advisor discloses which buyer would pay it.
When not to do it
- Skip any broker that will not tell you how it is paid, asks for your raw data before a buyer is chosen, or claims to work for a buyer.
Sources
Content revised November 1, 2026. Buyer profiles show program review dates; historical reporting is identified separately.
Figures are each buyer’s published range or reported values, labelled as such, and are not offers. This is general information, not legal advice. QuoteMyData may be paid by buyers when a deal closes; see our disclosure.
