# What should a data broker do for you?

> What a data broker should do for your company: a records inventory, a price that holds up and terms in plain words. What it shouldn't do, and what to ask.

By Matt Burns, Vaultfish. Canonical: https://vaultfish.com/answers/what-does-a-value-add-data-broker-do  
Published: 2026-07-06  
Updated: 2026-10-14

## The short answer

A data broker should do more than pass your name to a buyer. Ryan Lock of Polyshares says a useful broker builds a records inventory, sets a price that holds up and explains the terms. That is one view from a firm that works with brokers. Ask who pays them.

A broker who only passes your name to a buyer adds little. This page covers what a broker should do for your company, what it shouldn't do, and what to ask before you agree to a fee.

## What should a broker do for you?

Ryan Lock, listed as Managing Partner on the [Polyshares homepage](https://polyshares.com/), wrote that plain introductions will be competed away as more brokers arrive ([X article](https://x.com/RyanLockAI/status/2107864069105389717)). His firm works with brokers, so weigh his view that way. Read as what you should get, his list has four items:

- **An inventory.** Each tool, the years you can export from it, and the total size.
- **A price that holds up.** He says unrealistic asking prices kill deals.
- **Terms you understand.** Exclusivity, acceptance, payout timing, scope of use, sublicensing, de-identification and liability caps.
- **Plain words.** Most owners have never read a data license.

He says he is not an attorney and tells readers to consult one.

1. **Inventory** Tools, years, size.
2. **Fair price** Ask for what holds up.
3. **Terms** Explain each clause.
4. **Close**

## What shouldn't a broker do?

- **Keep quiet about who pays them.** A fee from the buyer gives a broker a reason to steer you, so ask before anything else.
- **Rush you past your lawyer.** Nobody should ask you to sign a license your lawyer hasn't read.
- **Ask for your files first.** An inventory needs tool names, years and sizes. It doesn't need the records themselves.
- **Name a price before the inventory exists.** A figure with nothing behind it is a sales line.

## How is a broker paid?

By commission or a success fee. That gives the broker a reason to close, which may not match your goal. Read [data broker commission](/answers/data-broker-commission) and the [red flags page](/answers/ai-data-broker-red-flags).

_A broker who explains the clause that cuts their own fee is worth keeping._

## How does an advisor compare?

Our advisor page lists similar work: inventory your records, line up rights facts, match you to buyers and compare terms. See [what a data licensing advisor does](/answers/data-licensing-advisor). The [inventory template](/answers/company-data-inventory-template) shows the first task.

## What should you ask a broker?

1. Who pays you, and how much?
2. Do you work for me or for the buyer?
3. Will you show me the contract before I commit?
4. Are you a lawyer?

For picking one, see [how to choose an AI data broker](/guides/how-to-choose-an-ai-data-broker).

Our only referral relationship is with micro1, an AI data company. It may pay us a fee if a company we introduce goes ahead with it. You pay nothing extra. [How we are paid](https://vaultfish.com/disclosure)

Have a lawyer read any contract before you sign. They like that.

_Vaultfish helps you run the process. We are not lawyers and this is not legal advice. If you need counsel who knows this area, we can point you to one._

## Sources

- [Polyshares homepage](https://polyshares.com/)
- [X article](https://x.com/RyanLockAI/status/2107864069105389717)