Built for the long haul: operational expertise across Australia and New Zealand

In Australia and New Zealand, a successful equipment sale is shaped long before bidding opens. For sellers deciding when and how to bring equipment to market, the operation behind the sale can be just as important as the final bid.

That is what Ritchie Bros. has built across two countries with a regional operations team of just 44 people – and it is increasingly part of what sellers look for when they consign.

Earlier this year, that team ran a full dispersal of close to 600 lots for a single seller. None of the equipment was located at a Ritchie Bros. yard, and the nearest company location was six hours away. Staff built a week-by-week plan, worked on site for the best part of a month, and sold the fleet simultaneously from the customer’s own locations and Ritchie Bros. yards.

“We ran that yard exactly as if it were a Ritchie Bros. site,” says John Collins, Regional Operations Manager for Australia South and New Zealand. “We planned for it, so delivering it wasn’t a surprise.”

Distance is part of the equation

Two challenges define the region. The first is distance.

Australia is almost the size of Europe, and moving a machine between regions can mean hundreds or thousands of kilometers on the road before it is even inspected. A journey of around 1,790 kilometres can cost thousands of dollars in transport alone.

Ritchie Bros. now operates eight yards across Australia and New Zealand, giving sellers options to deliver equipment closer to home and helping reduce the distance – and cost – involved in getting machines to market.

For larger consignments, the numbers can become significant. Ritchie Bros. has seen transport bills approaching A$100,000 included in purchase contracts, making logistics an important part of the economics of a sale.

Keeping equipment moving across borders

The second is biosecurity.

Australia and New Zealand enforce some of the strictest biosecurity regimes in the world. Equipment arriving with soil, plant material or grain can require additional cleaning, inspection or clearance before it can continue its journey.

For the operations team, that means managing requirements machine by machine, working with shipping agents, wash facilities and government inspectors – often without the seller ever seeing the complexity involved.

Ritchie Bros. carries the transaction through each stage, from contracts and documentation to customs, marketing, logistics and customer service, using a consistent operational standard across the region.

For buyers, that work is reflected in what they see online. Every lot is supported by 50 to 60 photographs, video and a full condition report, giving buyers the information they need to make an informed decision even when they cannot inspect a machine in person.

“Our inspectors are the eyes for buyers who can’t get down to see the machine in person,” Collins says.

Putting Australian equipment in front of global buyers

The operational work ultimately has one purpose: making it easier for local sellers to reach the right buyers, wherever they are.

At Ritchie Bros.’ August 19-20, 2026 Australian auction, 4,955 bidders registered and 2,910 lots were sold, with buyers from more than 10 countries. Equipment listings were viewed more than 330,000 times online.

That international reach matters particularly as the Australian market moves towards spring and the harvest season.

With the spring agricultural sale now behind us, attention turns to October, when Ritchie Bros. will bring construction and transport equipment to market in its next Australia National Unreserved Auction. For Australian sellers, that creates another opportunity to put locally consigned equipment in front of buyers well beyond the region.

For the operations teams on the ground, the measure is simple.

“Success looks like the results we deliver on the day,” says Andrew Chapman, Senior Regional Operations Manager for Australia and New Zealand, “and knowing every customer has been looked after well.”

Thinking of selling this spring?

Put your equipment in front of a global pool of buyers and let the local team handle the complexity.

Start a conversation with the Ritchie Bros. team at rbauction.com.au/selling.

See also

Finishing strong: why your equipment fleet deserves a year-end look