Surplex
Surplex is a Düsseldorf-based B2B online auction platform, founded in 1999, that enables industrial sellers and buyers across Europe to trade used metalworking, woodworking, and construction machinery. Now a subsidiary of TBAuctions, it operates within Europe's largest capital goods auction network spanning 15+ countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersDüsseldorf, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Surplex does
Surplex is a B2B online auction house for used industrial machinery, founded in 1999 and headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany. The company operates a digital marketplace where industrial sellers — including manufacturers, factory liquidators, and insolvency administrators — list used metalworking, woodworking, construction, transport, and agricultural equipment, while qualified buyers from over 175 countries place bids in real time. The platform supports eight languages and multiple European currencies, and is accessible via web and dedicated iOS/Android mobile applications. Specialized service lines extend the platform beyond standard auctions into insolvency asset disposition, complete factory closures, and a Direct Sales channel for fixed-price transactions on high-value machinery.
The underlying technology is a conventional multi-tenant auction platform with bidding workflows, category taxonomy, and account management — there is no evidence of proprietary AI, ML models, or data flywheels in the disclosed materials. Surplex augments its digital infrastructure with a network of local auction brokers who provide on-the-ground valuation, marketing, and transaction support. The company earns revenue primarily through commission fees calculated as a percentage of the final hammer price on successful auctions, supplemented by fixed-price direct sale transactions. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with the platform emphasizing no upfront seller costs and seller-set reserve prices.
Following its acquisition by TBAuctions on August 7, 2024, Surplex operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary within Europe's largest capital goods auction alliance. The combined entity reaches nearly 200 million annual site visits, sells over 1.6 million assets per year from sellers in 20+ European countries, attracts 750,000+ bidders across 175 countries, and generates combined hammersales exceeding €1.6 billion. Surplex maintains its brand identity and specialized focus on industrial machinery while benefiting from the TBAuctions multi-brand network's expanded geographic footprint, which now includes Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Serbia.
Surplex firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Surplex
- Legal name
- Surplex GmbH
- Website
- https://surplex.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Surplex is a Düsseldorf-based B2B online auction platform, founded in 1999, that enables industrial sellers and buyers across Europe to trade used metalworking, woodworking, and construction machinery. Now a subsidiary of TBAuctions, it operates within Europe's largest capital goods auction network spanning 15+ countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Surplex industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Used Industrial Machinery Auctions
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Hardware (5072)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Wholesale/B2B Generalist Marketplaces (CRAFAAAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- B2B Marketplaces & Wholesale Platforms (BPAMAGAD)
Keywords
Where Surplex is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Düsseldorf
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Surplex business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Auction Commission Fees: Surplex charges commission fees on successful auctions of industrial machinery and equipment. Sellers pay a percentage of the sale price for the auction service, while the platform handles marketing, valuation, and transaction management.
- Direct Sales Service: High-value machines can be sold at fixed prices through the Direct Sales channel, providing sellers with immediate liquidity options beyond the auction format.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Auction services with commission-based pricing |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Direct sales at fixed prices |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Surplex product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Surplex operates an online B2B auction platform for used industrial machinery, connecting industrial sellers (manufacturers, factories, insolvency administrators) with international buyers through time-bound digital auctions and fixed-price direct sales. The offering covers metalworking, woodworking, construction, transport/logistics, agricultural, and plastic processing equipment, with end-to-end services spanning asset valuation, professional marketing, auction management, transaction settlement, and on-site dismantling for factory closures. As part of the TBAuctions network, Surplex leverages shared digital infrastructure to reach over 750,000 active bidders across 175 countries.
Product overview
Surplex operates as an industrial auction house and digital B2B marketplace for used machinery, functioning as both a platform and service provider. The core product is the Surplex Auction Platform, an online marketplace where industrial buyers and sellers conduct real-time auctions for used machinery across multiple categories. The offering includes Direct Sales as a complementary fixed-price channel for high-value items, along with specialized services for insolvency proceedings and factory closures. The platform spans equipment categories including metalworking (CNC machining centers, presses, lathes, grinding machines), woodworking, construction equipment, transport/logistics, agriculture, and plastic processing machinery. As part of the TBAuctions network, the platform leverages combined scale while maintaining its specialized focus on industrial machinery for metal and woodworking.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Surplex Auction Platform Online B2B auction platform enabling industrial sellers (manufacturers, factories, insolvency administrators) to list used machinery and buyers to bid in real time across categories including metalworking (CNC machining centers, presses, lathes, grinding, milling, sawing, EDM machines), woodworking, construction, transport/logistics, agriculture, and plastic processing. Available in 8 languages with multi-currency support, accessible via web and mobile apps.
- Direct Sales Fixed-price sales channel offering high-value industrial machinery for immediate purchase outside the auction format, providing sellers with faster liquidity and buyers with quicker acquisition without waiting for auction timelines.
- Insolvency Services (Insolvenzdienstleistungen) Specialized auction and liquidation services tailored for companies undergoing insolvency proceedings, including professional valuation, multi-channel marketing, and managed auction execution to maximize creditor recovery.
- Factory Closures (Werksschließungen) End-to-end plant liquidation service for factory closures, covering asset valuation, dismantling, marketing, auction coordination, and removal. Used by major corporations for complete production-site liquidation such as the SAAB and SKF factory dissolutions.
Quantifiable outcome
- Surplex reported approximately 5% sales growth in 2024 despite declining industrial production (Germany machinery output down 8.5%)
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Surplex
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Surplex technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Surplex partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- TBAuctionscoreTBAuctions, Europe's leading multi-brand online B2B marketplace for used industrial goods, completed the acquisition of Surplex on August 7, 2024. The deal accelerates TBAuctions' expansion into new countries including Spain, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Serbia while strengthening presence in Germany, France, and Italy. The combined entity reaches nearly 200 million annual site visits, sells over 1.6 million assets from sellers across 20+ European countries, attracts 750,000 bidders in 175 countries, and generates hammersales exceeding €1.6 billion.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Surplex competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Troostwijk Auctions: Troostwijk is Europe's largest independent business auctioneer, conducting industrial machinery, vehicle, and equipment auctions online across the continent — directly overlapping with Surplex's core used-machinery online auction business.
- NetBid Industrial Auctions: NetBid runs online industrial machinery and factory-equipment auctions across Europe with a similar asset-disposition and plant-liquidation focus to Surplex, competing for the same seller base of industrial manufacturers.
- BVA Auctions: BVA Auctions is a European online auction platform for business-to-business assets including industrial machinery, providing a comparable B2B auction alternative to Surplex across multiple European countries.
- Go-Dove / GoIndustry: Go-Dove (formerly GoIndustry) is a global online marketplace specializing in used industrial equipment and asset disposal, with comparable auction-format transactions and a similar target audience to Surplex.
Regional players
- Kupp GmbH (Industrial Auction House): Kupp is a German-based industrial auction platform for used machinery, closely overlapping with Surplex's core Germany/Europe metalworking and woodworking categories.
- Perfection Industrial Sales / Perfection Equipment: Perfection Industrial is a US-focused used machinery dealer and auctioneer; comparable in product category but operating primarily in North America rather than Europe.
Emerging players
- Machineseeker: Machineseeker is a European online marketplace for used machinery listings; it overlaps with Surplex's buyer-facing discovery layer but leans more classified-style than full-service auction orchestration.
Broad incumbents
- Liquidity Services: Liquidity Services operates online marketplaces (e.g., GovDeals, IronPlanet-adjacent) for surplus and used industrial assets worldwide; broader category but addresses the same B2B buyers and sellers of used industrial capital goods.
- Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers: Ritchie Bros. is a global incumbent auctioneer of heavy equipment and industrial machinery; broader portfolio and offline heritage, but competes for the same enterprise customers seeking online disposition of capital assets.
- Hilco Industrial: Hilco Industrial is a global asset disposition and valuation firm for industrial machinery and plants; broader portfolio and geographic scale, but directly competes for Surplex's enterprise factory-liquidation mandates.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Surplex social profiles
Digital presenceSurplex financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Surplex leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Surplex funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Surplex 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 Surplex
What does Surplex do?
Surplex operates an online B2B auction platform for used industrial machinery, connecting industrial sellers (manufacturers, factories, insolvency administrators) with international buyers through time-bound digital auctions and fixed-price direct sales. The offering covers metalworking, woodworking, construction, transport/logistics, agricultural, and plastic processing equipment, with end-to-end services spanning asset valuation, professional marketing, auction management, transaction settlement, and on-site dismantling for factory closures. As part of the TBAuctions network, Surplex leverages shared digital infrastructure to reach over 750,000 active bidders across 175 countries.
Is Surplex a public or private company?
Surplex is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Surplex founded?
Surplex was founded in 1999. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Surplex based?
Surplex is headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Surplex make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Auction Commission Fees are the primary driver. The others are direct Sales Service.
Who are Surplex's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Troostwijk Auctions, NetBid Industrial Auctions, BVA Auctions and Go-Dove / GoIndustry. Regional players are Kupp GmbH (Industrial Auction House) and Perfection Industrial Sales / Perfection Equipment. Machineseeker is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Liquidity Services, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers and Hilco Industrial.
Does Surplex have an API?
No public API is recorded for Surplex.
What industry is Surplex in?
Surplex's product category is Used Industrial Machinery Auctions. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAFAAAF, Wholesale/B2B Generalist Marketplaces, with a secondary code of BPAMAGAD, B2B Marketplaces & Wholesale Platforms. Its NAICS code is 518 and its SIC code is 5072.