December 13, 2005 — Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers held its largest North American auction week December 4-10, brining in gross sales of more than $105 million. Two-day unreserved auctions were held in Montreal; Olympia, Wash., Fort Worth, Texas; and Sacramento, Calif., with one-day unreserved auctions held in Kansas City, Mo.; Statesville, N.C.; and Vancouver, British Columbia. Previously, the company's one-week North American gross auction sales record was more than $96 million.
The Sacramento unreserved public auction broke a record for being the largest auction ever held by Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers in the western United States, with gross auction sales of more than $30 million. More than 2,000 people from 16 countries and 44 U.S. states registered to bid on over 1,550 lots in the December 9 and 10 auction. More than 530 Internet bidders, using the real-time bidding service, purchased more than $4.5 million worth of trucks and equipment. The Internet participants were buyers or runner-up bidders on 37% of the lots available for online bidding.
The Fort Worth, TX unreserved public auction brought in gross sales of more than $27 million. More than 2,400 people from 32 countries and 46 U.S. states registered to bid in the December 8 and 9 auction. Internet bidders purchased 17% of the sale, using the company's real-time bidding service, rbauctionBid-Live, and were buyers or runner up bidders on 33% of the lots offered for online bidding.
