Moving a machine shop is not easy. A decent knee mill is about 2000 lbs. Disassembly is possible but you need a hoist or crane of some sort. Then you have to lift that into a vehicle like a pickup truck, trailer or box/flat bed truck. Then repeat the process at the storage location, then all again to move it to the new location. It seems the people involved did not want to or have the ability to tackle this. Paying a rigger is possible but the cost is very high.
I'll just assume they sold below cost to get people to bring their own equipment to take the machinery away at zero cost to them.
Due diligence won't catch every single problem every time. Luck is as much a part of success in business as solving the right problem at the right time. Supporting small business matters to ensure that enough people try to succeed as is necessary to get over the multitude of challenges that impede progress.
I'll just assume they sold below cost to get people to bring their own equipment to take the machinery away at zero cost to them.