Industrial Recovery Service, Inc.

What Industrial Recovery Service, Inc. does

Industrial Recovery Service, Inc. (d/b/a IRS Auctions) is a privately held Pennsylvania corporation founded in 2001 that operates irsAuctions.com, an online auction platform dedicated to the liquidation of used industrial machinery, complete plants, and related equipment. The firm serves two customer types on a single marketplace: (i) industrial sellers — typically manufacturing companies undergoing plant closures, operational downsizing, or leasing repossessions who need to monetize surplus or displaced assets; and (ii) industrial buyers — companies and individuals seeking used machinery at auction prices across verticals including woodworking, metalworking, ceramics, food processing, furniture, heavy construction, material handling, sawmills, textiles, vehicles, and transportation equipment.

The core technology is a self-serve online auction platform (irsAuctions.com) with features including lot-level listings, online bidding, an auction calendar, search and filter by manufacturer, and industry-specific categorization across 500+ equipment brands. The company also maintains related category-specific websites for lumber, forklifts, tooling, material handling, and metal equipment, forming a small ecosystem of marketplaces. Inspection of physical assets is conducted by appointment at asset locations prior to auction close.

IRS monetizes through a 15% buyer's premium on winning bids (the primary revenue stream) and seller-side auction services for plant closures, asset liquidations, and leasing repossessions. The go-to-market is sales-led, with a team of dedicated auction-listing agents who onboard sellers and manage auction events; distribution occurs entirely through the proprietary web platform. The company is federally registered for its IRS logo and irsAuctions.com mark and self-describes as a recognized leader in the sale of used industrial machinery and complete plants in the United States.

Name

Industrial Recovery Service, Inc.

Legal name

Industrial Recovery Service, Inc.

Website

https://irsauctions.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Industrial Recovery Service, Inc. (IRS Auctions) is a Pennsylvania-based online auction platform, founded in 2001, that liquidates used industrial machinery and complete plants for US manufacturers undergoing closures or downsizing, monetizing via a 15% buyer's premium.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Equipment Auctions

SIC

Misc Industrial & Commercial Machinery & Equipment (3590), Wholesale-Industrial Machinery & Equipment (5084)

akta.pro primary industry

Asset Recovery, Surplus & Decommissioning Services (EUAIANAD)

Keywords

• Industrial machinery auctions
• Used equipment auctions
• Plant closure liquidations
• Asset liquidation services
• Online industrial auctions

Headquarters

HQ city

Providence

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

Revenue model

1. Buyer's Premium: IRS charges buyers a 15% premium on all winning bids. Payment is required within 48 hours via bank wire transfer or bank check. This is the primary revenue stream.
2. Auction Services for Sellers: IRS offers services to sell industrial machinery and complete plants for clients, including plant closures, asset liquidations, and leasing repossessions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Industrial Recovery Service operates irsauctions.com, a timed online auction marketplace that sells used industrial machinery and complete plants on behalf of sellers facing plant closures, asset liquidations, or leasing repossessions. The firm handles inspection, marketing, and asset removal for each sale and charges a 15% Buyer's Premium on winning bids.

Product overview

Industrial Recovery Service, Inc. operates IRS Auctions (irsAuctions.com) as its core online auction platform for industrial machinery and equipment. The company functions as a liquidation auction service, not a product manufacturer. Their platform enables online bidding on used industrial assets across multiple categories including woodworking, metalworking, material handling, and related industrial equipment. The company also maintains related auction websites for specific categories (lumber, forklifts, tooling, material handling, and metal equipment).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Online auction listings contain 585+ lots across woodworking industry category alone

Named customers9 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Proxibid: Online auction platform enabling sellers of industrial equipment, heavy machinery, and business assets to run timed online auctions — competes for the same seller and buyer audiences as IRS Auctions.
• Liquidity Services: Operates online marketplaces (GovDeals, GovPlanet, Liquibid, AllSurplus) for surplus and asset disposition across industrial, commercial, and government categories — directly overlaps with IRS's plant closure and equipment liquidation use cases.
• AuctionTime: Online auction platform operated under RB Global for trucks, construction, and agricultural equipment — competes with IRS for industrial-asset consignors and online-only buyer flow.
• BidSpotter: Online auction platform for industrial machinery, printing, and woodworking equipment across multiple verticals — directly comparable in targeting equipment-rich buyer/seller communities similar to IRS's.
• IronPlanet: Online auction marketplace for used heavy equipment and industrial machinery, now part of RB Global — competes head-to-head with IRS Auctions for sellers liquidating industrial assets via timed online auctions.
• MachineryNetwork: Online marketplace for buying and selling used industrial machinery, including CNC and metalworking equipment — targets the same industrial buyer/seller base as IRS Auctions with a different business model.

Broad incumbents

• Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (RB Global): Largest global industrial equipment auctioneer, operating multi-vertical online and live auctions for heavy equipment, trucks, and machinery — directly comparable to IRS's industrial asset disposition model but at vastly greater scale and geographic reach.
• Heritage Auctions: Large specialized auction house covering multiple collectible and equipment categories — comparable as a multi-category auction operator, though its industrial exposure is narrower than IRS's.
• GovDeals: Online auction marketplace for government-surplus and commercial assets, operated by Liquidity Services — overlaps with IRS on industrial and equipment disposition, though primarily government-skewed.
• eBay Business & Industrial: Massive general-purpose online marketplace with a large used industrial equipment category — competes with IRS for both casual and professional buyers of used machinery at lower specialization but vastly larger traffic.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/industrial-recovery-service

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Industrial Recovery Service, Inc.