Before founding Jet Acquisitions, I spent many years representing aircraft sellers as both a stocking dealer and an aircraft broker. That vantage point taught me something about how this market actually works — including a phenomenon almost no one talks about, and one that costs aircraft buyers money every single year.
I call it Artificial Market Stimulation.
The term is borrowed from the financial world, and the parallel holds better than you’d expect. Values in the aircraft market rise and fall on perception, rumor, and speculation, much as they do in equities. But what I’m describing here isn’t rumor. It’s something buyers create themselves, without ever realizing they’ve done it.
What Artificial Market Stimulation Looks Like
A prospective buyer decides to be thorough. Rather than relying on one source, they contact several brokers about the type of airplane they want.
It feels like diligence. It feels like casting a wide net and letting the market compete for the business.
What actually happens is that each broker, hoping to earn the commission, begins calling other brokers, dealers, and sometimes aircraft owners directly — searching for an airplane to present to that buyer. Before long, multiple brokers are working the phones about what is, in reality, one potential purchaser.
How It Happens, Step by Step
- A buyer contacts three or four brokers about the same aircraft type.
- Each broker starts calling dealers, other brokers, and owners to source an airplane.
- Owners of matching aircraft begin receiving inquiries from several directions within days.
- From the seller’s chair, it appears demand is climbing sharply.
- The seller concludes either that the market is heating up or that the airplane is priced too low.
- The asking price firms up — or rises.
- The buyer, still the only buyer, now negotiates against a seller who believes they have options.
Note what never happened in that sequence. No one made an offer. No second buyer ever existed.
Without ever making an offer, a buyer can unintentionally increase the price of the very airplane they’re trying to purchase.
Why the Seller’s Read Is Reasonable — and Wrong
If several brokers call about the same airplane within a matter of days, most owners naturally assume one of two things: demand is increasing, or they priced the airplane too low.
Neither may be true.
There is still only one buyer.
The only thing that changed is that the buyer unintentionally created the appearance of increased demand by engaging multiple brokers on a non-exclusive basis. The seller isn’t being unreasonable. They’re responding rationally to signals the buyer generated by accident.
Why We Built Jet Acquisitions This Way
This is one of the biggest reasons the firm exists.
Our clients hire one firm to represent them. We don’t compete with other brokers for a commission, and we don’t advertise our buyers to the marketplace. Instead, we quietly approach the right aircraft and negotiate directly with the seller or the seller’s listing broker.
If one of our clients happens to speak with a broker or seller directly, that’s perfectly fine. We simply ask them to let everyone know they’re represented by Jet Acquisitions, and we handle the acquisition process from there.
This approach does three things at once:
- Prevents unnecessary excitement in the marketplace
- Eliminates the daisy chain of brokers each expecting a commission
- Protects our client’s negotiating position
We Don’t Shop Airplanes
Just as importantly, the discipline runs in the other direction too.
We don’t call owners fishing for listings. We contact an owner only when we have a legitimate acquisition client who has retained us to locate and negotiate the purchase of an aircraft on their behalf.
Over the years, aircraft owners have come to understand that when Jet Acquisitions calls, we’re not trying to create activity. We have a real buyer with a clearly defined mission.
That credibility is not a marketing point. It’s an asset that belongs to our clients — it keeps unnecessary attention off the market, avoids artificial market stimulation, and helps preserve the strongest possible negotiating position.
Common Mistakes That Signal Demand You Don’t Have
- Engaging multiple brokers on a non-exclusive basis for the same aircraft type
- Letting several parties contact the same owner on your behalf
- Discussing your search openly at hangars, FBOs, and industry events
- Telegraphing urgency or a hard timeline before negotiations begin
- Allowing brokers to name you, rather than simply confirming representation
What This Means for Your Negotiating Position
The less the market knows about your intentions, the stronger your negotiating position.
Whether you’re buying your first King Air or your fifth Gulfstream, that principle doesn’t change.
Jet Acquisitions represents aircraft buyers exclusively. We don’t accept listings, represent sellers, or receive compensation from dealers or maintenance facilities. Our only responsibility is protecting our client’s interests throughout the acquisition process.