Ritchie Bros Sold 18% More Lots While Owners Delayed Replacing Machines

The auction group reports growth across EMEA and Asia-Pacific in the first half of 2026, in a market where uncertainty is pushing fleets to hold on longer

Ritchie Bros, the global asset disposal and auction group, reports an 18 per cent year-on-year increase in lots sold at its auctions across EMEA and Asia-Pacific between January and June 2026.

That number is more interesting than it first appears, because of the conditions underneath it. The company describes a market where operating costs are rising, economic uncertainty persists, and many businesses are keeping machines longer and postponing replacement while they wait for clearer conditions.

Two readings of the same figure

More lots sold during a period of delayed replacement can mean two different things, and the release does not separate them. It can mean fleets are disposing of surplus machines they no longer need, which is what happens when work slows. Or it can mean the used market is where equipment is being sourced, because a second-hand machine avoids the commitment of a new one.

Either way, the auction channel gains volume. What the figure does not tell us is what happened to prices, which is the number that would settle the question. Lots sold and money realised are not the same measure, and a market can grow in volume while values soften.

The argument the company makes

Ritchie Bros uses the growth to make a point about operations rather than reach. Its case is that a larger marketplace only creates value if the work behind it is handled: inspections, logistics, customs paperwork, documentation, and large-scale fleet disposal projects.

“A bigger marketplace only creates value if there is a solid, structured operations team behind it,” says Shane Eshuis, vice president of operations at Ritchie Bros International.

For a seller, that is the practical difference between listing a machine and completing a cross-border sale. Selling an excavator from Italy to a buyer in another market involves inspection standards, transport and customs work that determine whether the transaction actually closes.

What comes next

The company is heading into Super September, the busiest period of its auction calendar, with what it describes as a particularly full international schedule.

For anyone planning to buy or sell used equipment this autumn, that concentration matters in a straightforward way: more lots in a short window tends to mean more choice for buyers and more competition among sellers, and both are reasons to decide the timing deliberately rather than by default.

Ritchie Bros Sold 18% More Lots While Owners Delayed Replacing Machines published on The HeavyQuip Magazine.