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That is according to the team at Shepparton’s Nutrien Harcourts Land and Water business, who say the future of clearing sales has shifted online.
Business director Rob Bruns said buying and selling online was proving to be a great success for farmers who embraced the change.
“If organised properly, the vendors selling their equipment can arrange for inspections to take place prior to the auction commencing — so there is still the opportunity to thoroughly inspect and ask questions regarding the items on offer,” Mr Bruns said.
“Nowadays all facets of our business have a presence and can be conducted online, water sales, real estate auctions and clearing sales.”
He also said the main benefit for vendors was that an online auction opened up the sale to a much broader buying group, resulting in increased buyer activity achieving better results for the vendor.
The last online clearing sale generated interest from all over Australia, with numerous lots selling to Queensland, NSW, South Australia and various parts of Victoria — differing substantially from the usual 50-100 km reach of a standard paddock clearing sale.
“As far as purchasers go, we had a lot of positive feedback saying they liked the fact that (it) took the urgency out of having to make quick and uncalculated decisions when bidding on a particular item,” Mr Bruns said.
“In fact, some even said that because the auction ran over a few days, they could take their time to weigh up the pros and cons of paying a little extra or not, they could step away from the auction for a while and then come back to it.
“They also liked that they didn’t know who it was they were bidding against.”
He said a lot of time and effort went into photography, making videos and creating detailed descriptions of each lot, to prepare a catalogue that would be uploaded to AuctionsPlus.
“Presentation is everything with an online auction, the better the quality of equipment, backed up with a good service and maintenance history, the more people will compete to purchase the items,” he said.
With the recent success of online clearing sales, the team are now conducting monthly, multi-vendor machinery auctions as a valuable service for their farming clients.
“This idea is being embraced by many vendors which are contacting us wishing to list various items for sale when they don’t have enough equipment to justify having their own clearing sale,” Mr Bruns said.
To host an online clearing sale with Shepparton Nutrien Harcourts Land and Water, phone the office on 5833 0221, specialist staff Michael Downie on 0428 241 242 or Robert Bruns on 0457 830 779.
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