Part of RB Global, Inc. (renamed from Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers in May 2023)Shipping equipment bought at Ritchie Bros. overseas
Also searched as Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, Ritchie Brothers, RB Auction, rbauction.com, RB Global
Ritchie Bros. sells equipment Ex Works from its own auction yards: you pay within about 7 days, collect a release, and your carrier must load and remove the machine by the auction's removal date. We book the yard appointment, load with a carrier that meets Ritchie Bros. insurance rules, and ship by container, flat rack, RoRo or breakbulk from the closest suitable port.
How Ritchie Bros. works for export buyers
Ritchie Bros. is the world's largest seller of used heavy equipment and is now part of RB Global, which also owns IronPlanet, GovPlanet and, since May 2026, BigIron. Most U.S. lots sit in permanent Ritchie Bros. yards, so pickup follows the same yard procedure at every site.
Lots are sold Ex Works, which means everything from the yard gate onward is the buyer's job: loading, trucking, export filing and ocean freight. Ritchie Bros. will not be named as the exporter on shipping documents and does not issue certificates of origin.
Ritchie Bros. buyer terms
- Payment
- Due within 7 days of the auction; items cannot be collected until paid in full, and non-certified funds are held until they clear. Source
- Removal deadline
- Set per auction (for example, 7 days after the payment date). Lots not in a Ritchie Bros. yard must be removed within 8 business days of the release notice. Source
- Storage fees
- $25 per day in the U.S. after the removal deadline; items left more than 45 days after the auction may be treated as abandoned. Source
- Release
- The yard office issues a release ticket once payment is received; the driver must show it before loading. Source
- Loading
- Ritchie Bros. does not load or secure equipment and will not load machines that can be driven; loading is in daylight hours only. Source
- Carrier requirements
- Scheduled pickup appointment, and general liability, workers' compensation and cargo insurance. A bill of lading is required for equipment going to another country. Source
- Titles
- Prepared for the state where the lot sits and sent within about 14 banking days of cleared payment; a document fee applies per titled item. Source
- Export
- Sold Ex Works; you may not list Ritchie Bros. as shipper or exporter, and it does not provide certificates of origin or EUR.1 certificates. Source
Checked October 2026. Terms vary by sale, so confirm them on your invoice.
After you win at Ritchie Bros.
- 1Pay the invoice in full within the payment window (usually 7 days). Wire transfers clear fastest; other funds hold the release until they clear.
- 2Download the invoice and wait for the release. The yard office issues the release ticket our driver needs at the gate.
- 3Send us the invoice, the lot numbers and the yard. We book the pickup appointment with the yard.
- 4We collect the machine, load it with our own carrier and take it to the port, or first to our facility if it needs partial disassembly to fit a container.
- 5We file the export declaration (EEI) in the Automated Export System. It is required when any Schedule B line is worth more than $2,500 or needs an export license, and its ITN confirmation goes to the carrier at least 24 hours before the vessel loads.
- 6For titled machines and vehicles, the original title and the EEI go to U.S. Customs at the port at least 72 hours before export. Without them the unit cannot sail.
- 7We send you the bill of lading and the documents your customs broker needs to clear the machine at destination.
How we work with Ritchie Bros.
- We book the pickup appointment with the yard's transport desk; Ritchie Bros. yards do not accept unscheduled pickups.
- Our carriers carry the general liability, workers' compensation and cargo insurance Ritchie Bros. requires, and every driver signs in at the yard office with the release ticket.
- Our driver loads and secures the machine: Ritchie Bros. staff do not load drivable equipment, and loading is in daylight only.
- We use the yard's truck entrance and loading area, and plan the haul so the machine is out before the removal deadline and storage fees start.
- For export, we prepare the bill of lading the yard asks for on international shipments and file the export declaration in our name as forwarder, never in Ritchie Bros.' name.
- When a machine has to be partly disassembled to fit a container, we confirm with the yard whether it can be done on site or move it to a facility near the port.
Ritchie Bros. Logistics (and VeriTread for North American trucking) or an independent forwarder?
Ritchie Bros. Logistics quotes door-to-door shipping on its own lots. An independent forwarder can compare carriers and methods across every auction you buy at, consolidate machines from different yards or auction companies into one shipment, and containerize with partial disassembly when that is cheaper than a flat rack or RoRo.
Ritchie Bros. locations and their best export ports
22 yards, each with the closest port that takes containers and flat racks, and the closest RoRo port, by road miles.
| Yard | Container and flat rack | RoRo |
|---|---|---|
| RB PhoenixPhoenix, Arizona | Port of Los Angeles / Long Beach378 mi, about 7.5 h | Port of Los Angeles / Long Beach378 mi, about 7.5 h |
| RB Los AngelesLos Angeles (Perris), California | Port of Los Angeles / Long Beach72 mi, about 1.5 h | Port of Los Angeles / Long Beach72 mi, about 1.5 h |
| RB SacramentoSacramento (Dunnigan), California | Port of Oakland88 mi, about 2 h | Port of Hueneme433 mi, about 8.5 h |
| RB DenverDenver (Mead), Colorado | Port of Los Angeles / Long Beach1,062 mi, about 21 h | Port of Los Angeles / Long Beach1,062 mi, about 21 h |
| RB OrlandoDavenport (Orlando), Florida | Port of Jacksonville (JAXPORT)181 mi, about 3.5 h | Port of Jacksonville (JAXPORT)181 mi, about 3.5 hOr Brunswick, the busiest U.S. RoRo gateway: 236 mi |
| RB AtlantaAtlanta (Newnan), Georgia | Port of Savannah253 mi, about 5 h | Port of Brunswick (Colonel's Island)281 mi, about 5.5 h |
| RB ChicagoMorris, Illinois | Port of New York and New Jersey823 mi, about 16.5 h | Port of Baltimore741 mi, about 15 h |
| RB North East MDNorth East, Maryland | Port of Baltimore44 mi, about 1 h | Port of Baltimore44 mi, about 1 h |
| RB DetroitDetroit (Carleton), Michigan | Port of New York and New Jersey586 mi, about 11.5 h | Port of Baltimore503 mi, about 10 h |
| RB MinneapolisMinneapolis (Medford), Minnesota | Port of Houston1,146 mi, about 23 h | Port of Baltimore1,104 mi, about 22 h |
| RB Kansas CityKansas City (Odessa), Missouri | Port of Houston783 mi, about 15.5 h | Port of Houston783 mi, about 15.5 h |
| RB BillingsBillings, Montana | Port of Seattle819 mi, about 16.5 h | Port of Tacoma828 mi, about 16.5 h |
| RB Las VegasLas Vegas, Nevada | Port of Los Angeles / Long Beach292 mi, about 6 h | Port of Los Angeles / Long Beach292 mi, about 6 h |
| RB Raleigh-DurhamRaleigh-Durham (Butner), North Carolina | Port of Wilmington161 mi, about 3 h | Port of Virginia (Norfolk)183 mi, about 3.5 h |
| RB ColumbusColumbus (South Vienna), Ohio | Port of New York and New Jersey562 mi, about 11 h | Port of Baltimore458 mi, about 9 h |
| RB Oklahoma CityOklahoma City, Oklahoma | Port of Houston475 mi, about 9.5 h | Port of Houston475 mi, about 9.5 h |
| RB PittsburghPittsburgh (Frankfort Springs), Pennsylvania | Port of Baltimore281 mi, about 5.5 h | Port of Baltimore281 mi, about 5.5 h |
| RB NashvilleNashville (Lebanon), Tennessee | Port of Savannah493 mi, about 10 h | Port of Brunswick (Colonel's Island)522 mi, about 10.5 h |
| RB Fort WorthFort Worth (Lake Worth), Texas | Port of Houston307 mi, about 6 h | Port of Houston307 mi, about 6 h |
| RB HoustonHouston (Humble), Texas | Port of Houston42 mi, about 1 h | Port of Houston42 mi, about 1 h |
| RB Salt Lake CitySalt Lake City (Lake Point), Utah | Port of Oakland711 mi, about 14 h | Port of Los Angeles / Long Beach725 mi, about 14.5 h |
| RB ChehalisChehalis, Washington | Port of Tacoma60 mi, about 1 h | Port of Tacoma60 mi, about 1 h |
Road miles from OSRM (OpenStreetMap), calculated October 2026. Truck hours assume a 50 mph average for a loaded lowboy, including stops.
Container is usually the cheapest option, and we do the partial disassembly needed to make the machine fit. How we containerize heavy equipment
Container, flat rack, RoRo or breakbulk?
We quote in this order because it is usually cheapest first. Most machines that look too big for a box fit once our crew takes off the bucket, boom, cab or wheels; larger ones are taken further apart across several containers, and pieces too big or heavy for a flat rack or roll trailer go breakbulk.
01Container
Best fit- Work needed
- We partially disassemble when needed (bucket, boom, cab, wheels), or take larger machines further apart across several high-cubes and open-tops, then crate, block and lash every part.
- Destinations
- Widest: almost every port worldwide, plus inland delivery by rail.
- Typical cost
- Usually the lowest, with no out-of-gauge surcharges.
- Protection
- Sealed steel box; loose parts and attachments travel locked inside.
- Best for
- Most machines: compact ones as they are, others after partial disassembly, and large ones split across several containers.
02Flat rack
- Work needed
- Ships assembled, blocked and lashed. Surcharges apply when wider than 2.4 m or taller than about 1.95 m.
- Destinations
- Most container ports, on the same vessels as containers.
- Typical cost
- Moderate; rises with every centimetre out of gauge.
- Protection
- Open to the weather; we protect cabs, electronics and hydraulics.
- Best for
- Excavators, dozers and loaders too wide for a container door.
03RoRo
- Work needed
- Drives on assembled; non-runners go on a roll trailer.
- Destinations
- Fewer destinations: regular lanes to Europe, West Africa, the Middle East, Oceania and parts of Latin America.
- Typical cost
- Often competitive for large self-propelled machines where a lane exists.
- Protection
- Below deck, but loose items and attachments cannot ride inside the cab.
- Best for
- Running machines going to a port with regular RoRo sailings.
04Breakbulk
- Work needed
- Lifted aboard piece by piece by ship’s or shore cranes, on its own skids or cradle, then stowed and lashed in the hold or on deck.
- Destinations
- Ports with breakbulk berths and heavy-lift cranes; sailings are booked voyage by voyage.
- Typical cost
- Usually the highest for a single small machine; often the only option for the largest pieces.
- Protection
- In the hold or lashed on deck; we crate, wrap and protect exposed parts.
- Best for
- Pieces too large or heavy for a flat rack or roll trailer: transformers, process modules, mining trucks, crane sections.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Booking a truck before the release ticket exists. Without it the driver is turned away at the gate.
- Sending a carrier without the required insurance certificates, or without an appointment.
- Assuming yard staff will load the machine. They will not load anything that can be driven.
- Missing the removal date. Storage at $25 per day adds up quickly while you arrange ocean freight.
- Listing Ritchie Bros. as the exporter on shipping documents, which their terms prohibit.
Ritchie Bros. export questions
Is Ritchie Bros. the same company as RB Global?
Yes. Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers renamed itself RB Global, Inc. in May 2023. The auctions still run under the Ritchie Bros. name at rbauction.com, alongside IronPlanet and GovPlanet.
How long do I have to pick up from a Ritchie Bros. yard?
The removal date is set for each auction and shown on the auction page; it is often about a week after the payment date. After it, storage is $25 per day in the U.S.
Will Ritchie Bros. load the machine onto my truck?
No. Their transport rules say they are not responsible for loading or securing equipment and will not load machines that can be driven across the yard. Our driver loads and secures it.
Can Ritchie Bros. be the exporter on my shipping documents?
No. Their terms of sale say you may not list them as shipper or exporter without written permission. We file the export as your forwarder.
Should I use Ritchie Bros. Logistics or a forwarder?
Either works. A forwarder is usually better value when you buy at more than one auction, want several machines in one shipment, or a machine can be containerized after partial disassembly.