Top Heavy Equipment Auction Companies in the US (2026 Buyer's Guide)
Where international buyers source used construction, ag, and trucking equipment in the US — from Ritchie Bros to government surplus — and how to ship your wins overseas.
Seaway Project Cargo Team
Project Cargo & Heavy-Lift Specialists
The United States is the world's deepest market for used heavy equipment, and much of it changes hands at auction. If you're buying to export, knowing the major platforms — and how each handles out-of-state and international buyers — saves time and money.
Major equipment auction houses
- Ritchie Bros. — the largest industrial auctioneer, with unreserved live and online sales at permanent yards nationwide.
- IronPlanet (part of the Ritchie Bros. family) — online-only, with inspection reports.
- J.M. Wood Auction — large Alabama-based construction equipment sales.
- Alex Lyon & Son — nationwide live construction and ag auctions.
- Yoder & Frey — long-running construction equipment auctions.
- Purple Wave — online-only, strong in ag and trucking.
Government and fleet surplus
- GovDeals and Public Surplus — state, county, and municipal surplus.
- GSA Auctions — US federal government surplus.
- Copart and IAA — primarily salvage/insurance vehicle auctions (title status matters for export).
We maintain a directory of the major yards and platforms on our auction yard logistics page, grouped by company and category.
From "you won" to "it's overseas"
Winning the lot is the easy part. To export it cleanly:
- Confirm the title and lot details — salvage/non-running status affects what some countries will admit.
- Arrange pickup from the yard — auction yards have firm removal deadlines and storage fees.
- Choose a method — running, wheeled units often ship RoRo; non-running or tracked machines containerize (sometimes dismantled).
- Estimate landed cost — use the Import Duty & Tax Estimator for your destination.
For a full walkthrough, see shipping a car or equipment from a US auction overseas, or request a quote with the auction location and your destination port.
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