Sullivan Auctioneers
Sullivan Auctioneers is a family-owned Midwest auction house founded in 1979 that conducts farmland, farm equipment, and collector car auctions for retiring farmers, landowners, and equipment sellers across the U.S. Midwest.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1979
- HeadquartersHamilton, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Sullivan Auctioneers does
Sullivan Auctioneers is a family-owned professional auction house founded in 1979 and headquartered in Hamilton, Illinois, that conducts live, virtual, and timed online auctions for farmland, farm machinery, trucks and trailers, and collector vehicles across the U.S. Midwest. The company serves a fragmented base of consignors — primarily retiring farmers, estate executors, farmland owners, and farm equipment dealers — accepting consignments from a single tractor to full equipment lines and from one acre to 10,000+ acres, and running dedicated farm retirement, weekly equipment, land, and collector car events. Technology infrastructure is built on the BigIron Auctions online platform for equipment listings and internet bidding, supplemented by interactive digital auction brochures delivered via FlippingBook and live virtual online auction formats that allow remote participation.
The business operates from three physical locations — Hamilton, IL (headquarters), Huntington, IN, and Bird Island, MN — providing regional consignment coverage across Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Oklahoma, while buyer reach extends globally through its online channels. The company is controlled by the Sullivan family, with six family members (Dan, John, Bill, Matt, Luke, and Michael Sullivan) listed as general managers alongside additional professional management for real estate, equipment, and collector car divisions. No external investors, private equity ownership, or parent-company relationships are disclosed.
Sullivan generates revenue through commission fees charged to sellers on completed auctions (transaction-based take rate), with buyer terms requiring a 10% non-refundable down payment at the auction and the balance due at closing, typically within 30 days. Specific commission rates are not publicly disclosed, and the firm markets its services through its own website, direct phone and email outreach, and the integrated BigIron.com marketplace.
Sullivan Auctioneers firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sullivan Auctioneers
- Legal name
- Sullivan Auctioneers
- Website
- https://sullivanauctioneers.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1979
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Sullivan Auctioneers is a family-owned Midwest auction house founded in 1979 that conducts farmland, farm equipment, and collector car auctions for retiring farmers, landowners, and equipment sellers across the U.S. Midwest.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sullivan Auctioneers industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Farm Equipment & Real Estate Auction Services
- NAICS
- Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (53121)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Construction & Mining (No Petro) Machinery & Equip (5082)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Land & Farm/Ranch Real Estate Auctions (BPAJAEAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Luxury & High-Value Property Auctions (BPAJAEAE), Residential Real Estate Auctions (BPAJAEAA)
Keywords
Where Sullivan Auctioneers is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hamilton
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Sullivan Auctioneers business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Auction Commission Fees: Sullivan Auctioneers generates revenue through commission fees charged to sellers for auctioning their farm equipment, real estate, and other assets. The company offers full-service auction capabilities including marketing, internet bidding platforms, and closing services. Sellers pay a percentage of the sale price as commission.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Custom auction services tailored to seller needs |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Sullivan Auctioneers product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sullivan Auctioneers is a professional auction house conducting land, farm real estate, farm machinery and equipment, truck and trailer, and collector car auctions across the U.S. Midwest. The firm offers full-service auction execution including marketing, photography, aerial mapping, internet bidding through the BigIron platform, and closing services, charging sellers a commission on the sale price. Sellers may consign anywhere from a single item up to full farm retirements and 10,000+ acres of land.
Product overview
Sullivan Auctioneers operates as a professional auction service provider specializing in land, real estate, farm equipment, and collector car auctions across the Midwest United States. The company has been conducting auctions since 1979 and partners with BigIron Auctions for online bidding infrastructure. The company operates multiple physical locations in Illinois, Indiana, and Minnesota. Auction categories include land and real estate auctions, farm machinery and equipment auctions (weekly equipment auctions, farm retirement auctions), truck and trailer auctions, and collector car auctions. The company conducts both live on-site and online virtual auctions, with items listed through the BigIron platform for internet bidding.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Farmland and Real Estate Auctions
Companies that use Sullivan Auctioneers
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Sullivan Auctioneers technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Sullivan Auctioneers partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- BigIron AuctionscoreSullivan Auctioneers uses the BigIron Auctions online platform for listing and conducting equipment auctions. The partnership provides internet bidding infrastructure, online catalog management, and access to BigIron's buyer network. Equipment auctions redirect to BigIron.com for bidding while land auctions remain on Sullivan Auctioneers' own platform. Sellers can deliver consignments to BigIron-affiliated facilities.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Sullivan Auctioneers competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- BigIron Auctions: Online auction platform for farm equipment, land, and heavy machinery; both Sullivan's primary technology partner and a directly competing auctioneer running its own equipment auctions.
- Steffes Auctioneers: Midwest-based auctioneer specializing in farm equipment, land, and commercial asset auctions; competes head-to-head with Sullivan in the same regional agricultural market.
- Auction.com: Online real estate auction marketplace; competes directly with Sullivan for residential, land, and commercial property auction mandates, albeit at a national scale.
- Williams & Williams Auctions: Real estate auction company running live and online auctions for residential and commercial properties across the U.S.; direct competitor to Sullivan's land/real estate auction vertical.
Broad incumbents
- Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (RB Global): Global incumbent in heavy equipment and transportation auctions with growing farmland and ag-adjacent exposure; broader portfolio than Sullivan but overlaps on farm and construction equipment auctioneering.
- Mecum Auctions: Largest collector car auction house in the U.S. with multi-day no-reserve events; directly comparable to Sullivan's emerging collector car auction line.
- Heritage Auctions: Large diversified auction house covering collectibles, fine art, and specialty assets; comparable to Sullivan's collector car auction line as a broader auction house operating at national scale.
Emerging players
- TractorHouse: Online marketplace for new and used farm equipment listings, including auction listings from third parties; adjacent competitor influencing how farmers discover and transact equipment.
- Proxibid: Online auction platform serving heavy equipment, farm equipment, and government liquidation sellers; alternative online infrastructure and indirect competitor to Sullivan/BigIron.
Regional players
- Land And Farm: Online marketplace and auction channel for farmland, ranches, and rural properties; competes with Sullivan for both listings and buyers in the farmland-for-sale market.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Sullivan Auctioneers social profiles
Digital presenceSullivan Auctioneers financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sullivan Auctioneers leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Sullivan Auctioneers funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sullivan Auctioneers M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sullivan Auctioneers
What does Sullivan Auctioneers do?
Sullivan Auctioneers is a professional auction house conducting land, farm real estate, farm machinery and equipment, truck and trailer, and collector car auctions across the U.S. Midwest. The firm offers full-service auction execution including marketing, photography, aerial mapping, internet bidding through the BigIron platform, and closing services, charging sellers a commission on the sale price. Sellers may consign anywhere from a single item up to full farm retirements and 10,000+ acres of land.
Is Sullivan Auctioneers a public or private company?
Sullivan Auctioneers is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Sullivan Auctioneers founded?
Sullivan Auctioneers was founded in 1979. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Sullivan Auctioneers based?
Sullivan Auctioneers is headquartered in Hamilton, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sullivan Auctioneers make money?
One revenue line is on record: auction Commission Fees.
Who are Sullivan Auctioneers's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are BigIron Auctions, Steffes Auctioneers, Auction.com and Williams & Williams Auctions. Broad incumbents are Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (RB Global), Mecum Auctions and Heritage Auctions. Emerging players are TractorHouse and Proxibid. Land And Farm is listed as a regional player.
Does Sullivan Auctioneers have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sullivan Auctioneers.
What industry is Sullivan Auctioneers in?
Sullivan Auctioneers's product category is Farm Equipment & Real Estate Auction Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAJAEAD, Land & Farm/Ranch Real Estate Auctions, with a secondary code of BPAJAEAE, Luxury & High-Value Property Auctions. Its NAICS code is 53121 and its SIC code is 5082.