What Auction News does

Auction News Ltd. is a privately held UK family business founded in 1958, headquartered in Derby, that operates a two-sided online marketplace connecting buyers with over 150 auctioneers across the UK. The core platform allows buyers to discover auctions across 9 major categories and 50+ sub-categories (machinery, construction, vehicles, agriculture, food industry, home and leisure, industrial, commercial, and property) via keyword, category, auctioneer, and postcode-radius search, with free buyer accounts offering tailored email alerts, saved searches, and a weekly digital magazine that has been published continuously since 1958. On the supply side, auctioneers access either a managed full-service advertising offering or a self-service Auctioneer Dashboard for listing management, with premium positioning, email campaigns, and social media promotion available as upsells.

Under the BidHarvest® sub-brand, the company offers a unified cloud-based auction software platform for auctioneers, combining back-office, live and timed bidding software, website CMS, mobile apps, invoicing, and settlements, with integrations including DVLA/HPI checks, what3words location capture, Xero accounting, and BidSpotter for international buyer reach. The Services Hub extends monetisation into a directory of dismantling, transport, refurbishment, and software service providers across the auction lifecycle. Revenue is generated primarily through auctioneer advertising and featured/premium listing packages, complemented by BidHarvest software subscriptions; buyer access is free. The company is privately held, has no disclosed external funding, and employs a small team (11-50 employees).

Name

Auction News

Legal name

Auction News Ltd.

Website

https://auctionnews.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Auction News Ltd. is a UK-based, family-owned online auction marketplace founded in 1958 that connects thousands of buyers with over 150 UK auctioneers across 9 categories, monetising via auctioneer advertising, premium listings, and BidHarvest® auction software subscriptions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Auction Marketplace

NAICS

Web Search Portals and All Other Information Services (519290), Media Buying Agencies (541830)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Auction-based Generalist Marketplaces (CRAFAAAC)

Keywords

• Online auction marketplace
• Auctioneer advertising services
• Auction software solutions
• Digital auction listings
• UK auction discovery

Headquarters

HQ city

Derby

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Auctioneer Advertising: Auctioneers pay to advertise their auctions on the Auction News platform, with options for managed services or self-service listings. Pricing includes email campaigns, social media promotion, and premium website positions.
2. Featured Listings & Premium Positioning: Auctioneers can purchase premium marketing packages that include featured positions on the website, featured spots in the weekly digital magazine, and enhanced visibility through targeted marketing campaigns.
3. BidHarvest Software Subscriptions: Auction software platform offered to auctioneers with unified back office, bidding software, website and mobile apps. Offers utility billing for cashflow flexibility.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Auction News operates an online auction marketplace that connects buyers with more than 150 UK auctioneers across categories including machinery, construction, vehicles, agriculture, food industry, home & leisure, commercial, industrial, and property. The platform offers free buyer accounts with postcode-based search and tailored alerts, while auctioneers access managed advertising services or a self-service dashboard. Complementing the marketplace is BidHarvest®, a cloud-based unified auction software suite providing back-office, live/timed bidding, website CMS, and mobile app capabilities for auctioneers.

Product overview

Auction News operates as an online auction discovery platform that connects buyers with auctioneers across the UK. The core product is the Auction News Platform, supplemented by BidHarvest®, a unified cloud-based auction software solution for auctioneers that combines back office, bidding software, website CMS and mobile apps. Additional offerings include a Weekly Digital Magazine and an Auctioneer Dashboard for self-service listing management. The Services Hub provides a directory of auction industry specialists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BidHarvest®: A unified auction software solution built for plant, agri, salvage and retail auctions, combining back office, bidding software, website CMS and mobile apps into one platform.

Products and services

• Auction News Marketplace Platform Online auction discovery and listing marketplace that connects buyers with 150+ UK auctioneers across machinery, construction, vehicles, agriculture, food industry, home & leisure, commercial, industrial, and property categories. Buyers can search by category, keyword, location, or auctioneer, set tailored alerts, save searches, and access a Weekly Digital Magazine.
• BidHarvest® Unified Auction Software Cloud-based unified auction software for plant, agri, salvage, and retail auctions that combines back-office inventory management, bidding software, website CMS, and mobile apps into one platform. Includes live/timed bidding, contracts, invoicing, settlements, mobile capture with what3words location data, DVLA/HPI integrations, and Xero accounting integration. Sold as a recurring subscription to auctioneers.
• Auction News Weekly Digital Magazine Weekly digital magazine covering the UK auction industry, containing insights and updates on the auction world, auction listings, industry news, and market insights. Delivered to registered users.
• Auction Services Hub Directory connecting users with auction industry service providers including dismantling, transportation, installation, refurbishment, recruitment, asset recovery and auction software specialists. Supports the full auction lifecycle.

Quantifiable outcome

• Marketing campaigns achieve 48% email open rates and 66,400 page views for featured auctions
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BidHarvestcoreTechnology or IntegrationBidHarvest is a unified auction software solution integrated with Auction News platform. It provides auctioneers with inventory management, live/timed bidding, contracts, invoicing, settlements, and mobile capture with what3words location data. The partnership enables seamless auction management for platform users.
• Over 150 UK AuctioneerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuction News partners with over 150 leading UK auctioneers who list their auctions on the platform. Partners include BPI Auctions, William George, John Pye, Lambert Smith Hampton, Burnley Auctions, Williams Auctions, and many more across machinery, construction, vehicles, agriculture, and commercial sectors.
• Lyn Bishop (Auction Marketing Executive)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLyn Bishop is an auction marketing expert with 25+ years experience in industrial, commercial and heavy equipment auction industry. Available for freelance and consultancy projects through the Auction Services Hub, offering strategic marketing planning, digital marketing, email marketing, and bidder engagement strategies.
• CK Beckett GroupminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCK Beckett Group provides dismantling, transformer refurbishment, metal recycling, and oil processing services. Listed in the Auction Services Hub for site clearance, machinery removal, and asset recovery projects supporting auction operations.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Christie's: Global auction house with online bidding infrastructure — comparable as a broad incumbent auction operator using digital marketplaces, though focused on art and luxury rather than the machinery/industrial verticals Auction News serves.
• Heritage Auctions: Large US-based auction house running a high-volume online bidding platform for collectibles, coins, sports, and luxury — comparable as a digital-first broad incumbent that has built proprietary marketplace and SaaS-like auction technology.
• Bonhams: International auction house with online timed-auction capability across multiple categories including motors and luxury — comparable as a multi-category auction incumbent leveraging online channels, though brand-led rather than marketplace-aggregator led.
• eBay: Global generalist online marketplace with significant auction-format listings in vehicles, equipment, and consumer goods — a broader incumbent that competes for the same buyer attention but lacks Auction News's specialist UK auctioneer focus and trade-publication audience.
• Sotheby's: Global auction house operating its own online and timed-auction platform — a broad incumbent in the auction industry that overlaps with Auction News's audience but operates in fine art, luxury, and premium collectibles rather than industrial/vehicular assets.

Direct peers

• Proxibid: Online auction marketplace for heavy equipment, industrial machinery, and commercial assets — a direct marketplace peer to Auction News's machinery and industrial categories, and the same audience that BidHarvest® integrations extend Auction News's reach into.
• Invaluable: Online aggregator and marketplace for auctions across art, antiques, jewellery, and collectibles — comparable as a multi-category auction discovery platform connecting buyers with auction houses, though skewed toward fine art and premium goods.
• Sandhills Global: Private operator of TractorHouse, AuctionTime, Machinery Trader, and Truck Paper — a multi-category marketplace for agricultural, construction, and transportation equipment that overlaps directly with Auction News's machinery, vehicles, and farming categories.
• Auction Technology Group: Public LSE-listed owner of The Saleroom, BidSpotter, i-Bidder, and Proxibid — the most directly comparable multi-brand online auction marketplace and SaaS provider, with overlapping UK auctioneer and buyer audiences (BidSpotter is even integrated via BidHarvest®).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AuctionNewsUK
• Facebookfacebook.com/AuctionNews
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/auction-news-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Auction News