How we build our estimates
Every range on this site is our estimate. This page says what goes into it and what stays out.
Not an appraisal. Ranges come from published listings and reported deals, with sources shown.
What goes in
- The public deal reports in our Data Price Index: press articles on what records and content sold or licensed for.
- Court records and filings, such as bankruptcy sale notices and SEC filings.
- The rates buyers quote to us in market conversations. We do not publish or link them.
How a range is built
Each record type has a base range. Company size sets where you land in it. Years of history and the volume you keep move it a little. For recordings and video, we multiply a rate per hour by the hours you keep. The low end of your total is your strongest single record type. The high end assumes you license every type you keep.
Three confidence grades
- High. Deals for the record type are reported, the company owns the records outright, it keeps five or more years of them and it has ten or more staff.
- Medium. Reports and quoted rates agree for the record type, but few deals are public. Health and legal records never go above medium.
- Low. Few deals are public, we use our general range, the company has under two years of records, or ownership is not clear.
What we exclude
Customer and client records, protected health information, personnel files and material under a nondisclosure agreement stay out of every estimate and every deal. The rules behind this are on our sources page.
Why we do not link to buyers
We negotiate with them on your behalf, so we do not advertise for them. The price index cites only press articles, court records and filings.
How often we update
Monthly. Last updated .
What an estimate is not
An estimate is not an offer and not an appraisal. Only a buyer's written offer sets a price.