A spot sale is grain priced and delivered in the same short window, often today. It is the simplest sale and still easy to botch, because the board price is not the check and the truck is already running. Slow down for one page. How the board price was built is explained at https://goodsandgrain.trade/how-elevators-build-a-cash-bid. Comparing two houses fairly is covered at https://goodsandgrain.trade/mistakes-comparing-elevator-bids.

Start from the sample you have

Use a moisture and a grade that came from the bin you will load, not from a bin you wish you were loading. Apply the buyer's discount schedule yourself. If you are near a breakpoint, a small error in moisture changes the net more than a small move in futures. Shrink on wet grain is the usual surprise, described at https://goodsandgrain.trade/grain-moisture-shrink-explained.

If you do not have a sample, you do not have a net. You have a hope. Probe before you lock, using a real pattern rather than a handful at the door.

Know which bushels are leaving

A spot sale of a round number that is larger than the bin creates a short delivery and a scramble. Measure, or at least bound, what is in the bin. Keep identity if the bid depends on it. Mixing a poorer lot underneath to finish the truck changes the grade and can change the relationship with the buyer.

If someone else has a claim on the grain, a lender or a landlord, know whether this delivery needs their awareness. A clean ticket that surprises a lienholder is not a clean sale.

The bid has a clock and a door

Ask until when the quote is firm and whether the pit will still take you. Harvest receiving fills, as described at https://goodsandgrain.trade/harvest-scale-bottlenecks. A price you cannot dump is not collected. Ask what happens if you arrive after the deadline: is the bid re-opened at their option, or are you in line at a new price?

Confirm the unit and the crop. A bid for a different class, or a price per ton overheard as a price per bushel, is a costly kind of almost.

Write three numbers before you say yes

Write the futures reference if they will tell you, the basis, and the net after your discounts. You do not need the futures number to be paid. You need it later, when you try to remember whether you caught a good basis or merely a loud board. File it with the scale ticket the same day. Memory after harvest is a poor ledger.

If a fee sits outside the bid, write that too. Then say yes or no. The checklist is not a reason to refuse every sale. It is a reason to know the sale you accepted.

Frequently asked questions

Is a spot sale just the board price?

The board price is the start. Moisture, test weight, damage, and fees change the check. Compute the net first.

What if the bid might be higher tomorrow?

Tomorrow is a different sale. If you need the bin or the cash today, judge today's net. A checklist does not forecast tomorrow.

Should I lock grain I have not sampled?

No. Sample the bin you will ship. A different bin can carry a different discount.

Steps

Compute the net: Apply your moisture, test weight, and damage to the posted bid before you accept it.
Name the bushels: Sell grain from a known bin. Do not promise a quantity you have not measured.
Check the clock: Confirm the bid is still firm and the house will receive you before it closes.
Keep the ticket: File the scale ticket with the futures and basis you were quoted so the sale can be compared later.