RB Purchase vs. RB Guarantee: Which Guaranteed Selling Option Is Right for You? 

You’ve decided you want certainty when you sell your equipment. You’re not interested in showing up to a sale and hoping for the best. You want to know what you’re going to get before the ink is dry.

Ritchie Bros. has two options built exactly for that: RB Purchase and RB Guarantee. Both fall under our Guaranteed Selling Options. Both protect you from unwanted market risk. But they work differently, suit different situations, and deliver different outcomes.

Here’s how to decide which one is right for you.

The Core Difference

At its simplest:

• RB Purchase is a direct sale. Ritchie Bros. buys your equipment at a fixed price. The transaction is clean, fast, and final. You receive a specific amount, we take ownership, and it’s done.
• RB Guarantee is a protected auction. Ritchie Bros. guarantees you a minimum payout before the sale. If the market delivers more than that minimum, you share in the upside. If it doesn’t, your guaranteed amount is protected.

Think of it this way: RB Purchase answers the question “What am I definitely getting?” with a fixed number and a closed transaction. RB Guarantee answers it with a floor, and keeps the ceiling open.

How RB Purchase Works

The process is intentionally simple. Your Territory Manager evaluates your equipment and Ritchie Bros. presents a direct purchase offer. You review it. If the number works, you approve it.

From there, we handle everything: logistics, paperwork, and transfer of ownership. Responsibility for the equipment, including all resale risk, shifts from your balance sheet to ours. And you get paid faster than any other Ritchie Bros. selling option.

No sale events. No waiting for buyer demand. No variability.

RB Purchase is best for sellers who:

• Need cash quickly: funding a contract, covering payroll, or responding to a time-sensitive need
• Want the simplest possible process with minimal involvement
• Are willing to trade upside potential for speed and certainty
• Are repositioning a fleet and need clean, fast asset disposal

How RB Guarantee Works

With RB Guarantee, you and your Territory Manager agree on a guaranteed minimum payout before your equipment goes to market. That’s your floor: the minimum you’ll receive regardless of what happens on sale day.

Your equipment then enters one of Ritchie Bros.’ 400+ annual live and online sales. If buyer demand drives the final sale price above your guaranteed amount, you share in a percentage of those additional proceeds. If the sale price falls at or below the guarantee, you still receive your guaranteed amount.

You also get to choose which sale event you’d like to enter, allowing you to align timing with your business calendar.

RB Guarantee is best for sellers who:

• Want price certainty for budgeting but don’t want to leave upside on the table
• Have some flexibility on timing and can wait for the right sale event
• Are planning around financial milestones and need a known minimum for forecasting

The Decision in Plain Terms

If you need to answer the question “How do I get cash in hand as fast as possible with zero uncertainty?” then RB Purchase is your answer.

If your question is more like “How do I protect my minimum while leaving the door open for a strong market?” then RB Guarantee fits better.

And if you’re genuinely unsure, that’s a conversation worth having with your local Territory Manager. They can walk through your specific equipment, your timeline, and your goals, and help you make a call that actually fits your situation, not a hypothetical one.

Why Sellers Trust Ritchie Bros. with Guaranteed Selling Options

A guarantee is only as strong as the company standing behind it. With Ritchie Bros., that guarantee is backed by:

• 190+ countries in our buyer network: ensuring your equipment reaches the right buyer wherever they are
• 400+ live and online sales annually: consistent transaction activity across every equipment category
• $50B+ in active buyer purchasing power: deep liquidity that makes guarantees credible, not aspirational
• 65+ years of market leadership: the experience and expertise to deliver on what we promise

When an Unreserved Auction May Still Be Your Best Option

Guaranteed Selling Options exist for sellers who want certainty, but certainty has a cost. RB Purchase trades away upside for speed. RB Guarantee protects your downside but shares the upside above your floor. If you don’t need that trade-off, an unreserved auction can still be the strongest option on the table.

At an unreserved auction, every item sells to the highest bidder on sale day. There’s no ceiling on price and no guarantee capping your share of the proceeds: just full market competition deciding what your equipment is worth.

Unreserved auction is best for sellers who:

• Want maximum competition and market-driven pricing, with no cap on what they can earn
• Have equipment likely to draw strong buyer demand
• Are comfortable with typical auction timing and market variability.
• Don’t need a fixed number or guaranteed floor to plan around

With 400+ live and online sales annually and a buyer network spanning 190+ countries, Ritchie Bros. unreserved auctions put your equipment in front of real, global demand.

Sometimes the simplest path to the best price is letting the market decide.

Talk to your Territory Manager about whether an unreserved auction, RB Purchase, or RB Guarantee fits your equipment and goals best.

Not sure which option is right for you? Reach out today to get connected with your local rep who can walk you through your options.

See also

Real Results: Government Agencies Sell Surplus With Ritchie Bros.