Home » Think an offsite auction only reaches local buyers? Think again

Think an offsite auction only reaches local buyers? Think again

Buying & SellingJuly 27, 2026

One of the most common misconceptions about an offsite auction is that the audience will be limited to buyers from the surrounding community. After all, if the equipment stays at the seller’s property and the auction is held in a smaller regional market, only local buyers will know about it, right?

The results from Ritchie Bros. prairie offsite auctions tell a very different story.

Across the offsite auctions included in our spring/summer events, registered bidders participated from 46 countries. Buyers came from across Canada and the United States, as well as Mexico, Bolivia, Egypt and Nigeria. More than 15,000 bidders registered to participate, demonstrating that an auction may be local in location without being local in reach.

Your equipment stays local. The audience does not.

An offsite auction allows equipment to be sold from the owner’s property or place of business. This can make the process more convenient for sellers, particularly when selling a large equipment package, retiring or transitioning an operation.

What does not change is the marketing support behind the auction.

Every Ritchie Bros. consignment receives the support of one of the industry’s largest and most experienced marketing teams. Dedicated auction pages and detailed equipment listings give prospective buyers the information they need, including descriptions and photos. Digital advertising, search marketing, social media, email campaigns and industry publications help put the auction in front of relevant equipment buyers.

Targeted emails can also be sent according to geography, equipment type and previous buyer activity. Instead of waiting for someone nearby to discover the auction, Ritchie Bros. actively markets the equipment to customers who are more likely to be interested in it.

Built-in access to a global buyer network

Ritchie Bros. attracts millions of registered bidders annually and generates more than 170 million visits to its websites each year. That established audience gives an offsite auction immediate access to buyers who already use Ritchie Bros. to search for equipment — as seen in this Iowa auction that drew buyers from around the world.

Online bidding removes distance as a barrier. A buyer does not need to travel to the seller’s property to participate. They can review the listings, register and bid online from their office, jobsite, farm or home—whether they are located in the next town, another province or another country.

That reach matters because demand for a particular machine may extend well beyond the region where it is currently located. Equipment that is familiar locally may also be exactly what a contractor, farmer, dealer or fleet owner is searching for somewhere else.

Local service backed by worldwide reach

An offsite auction combines two important advantages: local support from people who understand the seller’s equipment and market, and the worldwide reach of the Ritchie Bros. buyer network.

Your local Ritchie Bros. representative helps coordinate the auction, while the broader organization handles listings, marketing, bidder registration, the online auction experience and settlement. Sellers receive personal, on-the-ground service without limiting their equipment to a local audience.

The numbers make the message clear: an offsite auction may happen at your location, but the bidding can come from around the world.

When it is time to sell, you should not have to choose between local expertise and global exposure. With Ritchie Bros., you get both.

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