Wooley Auctioneers

What Wooley Auctioneers does

Wooley Auctioneers is a privately held, family-owned commercial and industrial auction company founded in 1950 by B.L. Wooley and headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. The firm operates as an online-only auction house serving clients across Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas, with partnership extensions into Utah and Nevada. Its primary customer segments are commercial real estate owners, businesses undergoing liquidation or closure, bankruptcy trustees and debtors-in-possession, and estate executors; named past engagements include restaurant chain closures (Buffalo Wild Wings, Applebee's, Stratton's Market), grocery and retail liquidations (Save-A-Lot, Pine Bluff Foods), and bankruptcy-driven industrial asset sales (ARK-Crete Block, Deep South Lumber & Tusk Hardwood, S&H Systems Chapter 11).

The company's technology stack centers on a proprietary online auction platform featuring a soft-close bidding system that extends auction close time when bids are placed in the final minutes to mitigate sniping, integrated with the Hibid online auction marketplace for national buyer reach. Wooley conducts all auctions online-only, distributing catalogs through its website and email/text marketing newsletters. Service breadth spans real estate (land, farmland, commercial, foreclosure), heavy machinery and industrial equipment, restaurant, grocery, retail, and hotel equipment, plus estate assets, vehicles, refrigeration, art, precious metals, and mineral rights. Formal partner programs for attorneys, real estate agents, and bankers source deal flow from professional intermediaries.

Revenue is generated entirely through a buyer's premium on auction gross merchandise value: a 10% premium on equipment and personal property and a 5% premium on real estate, with a 3.5% surcharge applied to credit card payments. The company is currently owned and operated by Brad Wooley and his son Bradley, representing second and third-generation family stewardship, and is bonded, licensed, and insured across its operating footprint. No external institutional capital, acquisitions, or public-market exposure are present in the company's structure.

Name

Wooley Auctioneers

Legal name

Wooley Auctioneers, Inc.

Website

https://wooleyauctioneers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Wooley Auctioneers is a family-owned commercial and industrial auction house founded in 1950 in Little Rock, Arkansas. It conducts online-only auctions of real estate, heavy machinery, bankruptcy assets, and business liquidations across five licensed states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Auction Services

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial Real Estate Auctions (BPAJAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bankruptcy, Probate & Estate Property Auctions (BPAJAEAG), Land & Farm/Ranch Real Estate Auctions (BPAJAEAD)

Keywords

• Commercial auction services
• Real estate auctions
• Bankruptcy auction services
• Industrial equipment auctions
• Liquidation auction services

Headquarters

HQ city

Little Rock

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Auction Commission (Buyer's Premium): Wooley Auctioneers charges a Buyer's Premium on all auction purchases. Standard rate is 10% on equipment and personal property, with a 5% rate on real estate transactions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Wooley Auctioneers is a family-owned auction company founded in 1950 that conducts online-only auctions for commercial and industrial assets. The company provides real estate auctions (land, farmland, commercial, foreclosures), bankruptcy auction services (Chapter 7 and Chapter 11), commercial liquidation (restaurant, retail, hotel, convenience store equipment), and heavy machinery auctions for farm, construction, and industrial equipment. Auctions are conducted exclusively online through the company's website and the Hibid auction platform.

Product overview

Wooley Auctioneers operates as a commercial and industrial auction company offering a comprehensive suite of auction services across multiple asset categories. The company provides real estate auctions (land, farmland, commercial, residential, and foreclosures), bankruptcy auctions (Chapter 7 and Chapter 11), commercial liquidation services (restaurant, retail, convenience store, and hotel equipment), heavy machinery auctions, and estate auctions. The core offering consists of online-only auction platforms for industrial equipment, restaurant equipment, grocery store equipment, furniture, art, vehicles, and mineral rights. The company specializes in serving businesses undergoing liquidation, bankruptcy proceedings, estate settlements, and commercial property sales across Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Real Estate Auctions Auction services for real estate properties including land, farmland, commercial real estate, residential properties, foreclosure properties, large estates, and recreational real estate such as golf courses and hunting/fishing properties across Arkansas and surrounding states. Targeted at property owners, real estate agents, foreclosure holders, and estate attorneys.
• Bankruptcy Auctions Specialized auction services for Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, handling asset liquidation for bankruptcy trustees, debtor-in-possession estates, and federal bankruptcy court compliance. Targets bankruptcy attorneys, trustees, and asset bankers.
• Commercial Liquidation Services Comprehensive auction-based liquidation services for commercial assets including restaurant equipment, retail store fixtures, grocery store equipment, hotel equipment, convenience store equipment, and complete business closures. Targeted at business owners, restaurant operators, retail chains, and commercial landlords seeking to liquidate commercial assets.
• Heavy Machinery Auctions Auction services for heavy machinery including farm equipment, construction equipment, industrial equipment, manufacturing plant equipment, forklifts, and warehouse equipment. Targeted at farm operators, construction companies, industrial manufacturers, and equipment dealers.
• Estate Auctions Online and in-person auctions for estate settlements, downsizing, and personal property liquidation including antiques, fine art, limited edition prints, furniture, gold coins, silver bars, precious metals, mineral rights, vehicles, and collectibles. Targeted at estate attorneys, heirs, executors, and individuals managing estate settlements.

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hibid (Online Auction Platform)coreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Hibid platform for online auction hosting and bidding capabilities. Wooley Auctioneers uses Hibid as their primary online auction platform for conducting online-only auctions.
• Seven Hills AuctionsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with Seven Hills Auctions for joint auction listings. Example: 10 Arkansas Homesites auction was conducted in association with Seven Hills Auctions.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Williams & Williams (Xome): Nationally recognized real estate auction company conducting online and live auctions of residential, commercial, and land properties. Direct peer to Wooley's real estate auction services with broader national reach.
• J.P. King Auction Company: Alabama-based auction firm specializing in commercial real estate, land, and luxury property auctions. One of the largest real estate auction companies in the US and the most direct peer to Wooley's commercial real estate and land auction services.
• United Country Real Estate (Auction Division): National real estate franchise network with an established auction services division handling land, farm, residential, and commercial property auctions. Direct peer to Wooley's farm and land auction services.
• PPL Group: Commercial and industrial asset liquidation firm handling restaurant, retail, grocery, and manufacturing equipment auctions. Direct peer to Wooley's commercial liquidation services across multiple asset categories.
• Tranzon Auction Group: Network of regional auction companies focused on real estate auctions including foreclosure, bankruptcy, and asset liquidation across multiple US regions. Closely comparable to Wooley's multi-state real estate auction model.
• Alex Cooper Auctioneers: Mid-Atlantic commercial and residential real estate auction firm specializing in estate, foreclosure, and bankruptcy property sales. Comparable to Wooley's specialization in distressed and bankruptcy-driven real estate auctions.

Emerging players

• Bid4Assets: Online-only platform specializing in government, bankruptcy, and tax-default asset auctions. Comparable to Wooley's bankruptcy and foreclosure auction focus but operating at a national rather than regional scale.

Broad incumbents

• Heritage Auctions: Texas-based large auction house handling collectibles, art, coins, jewelry, and estate contents. Larger incumbent with broader asset coverage but comparable on estate and asset auction services.
• Bonhams: International auction house handling fine art, jewelry, antiques, and luxury estate contents. Broader incumbent with limited overlap on Wooley's estate and fine art auction services.
• Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers: Global incumbent operating large-scale auctions and online marketplaces for heavy equipment, trucks, and industrial assets. Broader and much larger competitor to Wooley's heavy machinery and industrial equipment auction services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/wooleyauctioneers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wooley-auctioneers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Wooley Auctioneers