Why buy livestock and machinery online with AuctionsPlus?

AuctionsPlus is Australia’s largest online agricultural marketplace, where registered buyers can bid on assessed livestock and machinery from vendors across Australia without leaving the farm. AuctionsPlus runs more than 1,900 auctions a year, and in FY26 more than 641,000 cattle, 2.7 million sheep and $95 million worth of machinery were traded through the platform.

This article explains how buying on AuctionsPlus works, what is available on the platform, how lots are assessed and verified, and the tools buyers can use to find, bid on and finance livestock and machinery.

Figures in this article are for the 2025 to 2026 financial year (FY26, July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026) unless otherwise stated. Last updated November 2026.

AuctionsPlus key facts for buyers

• History: First pilot sales in June 1986 as CALM, rebranded to AuctionsPlus in July 2000

• Auctions held: More than 1,900 a year, averaging over 150 a month

• Listings: More than 2,200 a month on average

• Cattle throughput: More than 641,000 head

• Sheep throughput: More than 2.7 million head

• Machinery sales: $95 million

• Assessors: More than 1,300

• Delivery agents: More than 900

• Agency branches: More than 1,750

• Registration time: Under five minutes on average

How do you buy livestock online in Australia with AuctionsPlus?

To buy on AuctionsPlus, a buyer registers an account, searches the published catalogues, reviews each lot’s assessment, photos and data, and then bids online or uses Buy Now or Make an Offer, with settlement handled through the agent.

1. Register for an AuctionsPlus account, which takes under five minutes on average.
2. Search and filter listings by commodity, breed, location, bloodlines, buy type, weight and more.
3. Review the catalogue for each lot, including the assessment, photos, video, supporting documents and any genetics data.
4. Bid online through the AuctionsPlus website or app, following the format of the sale, and use max bids, notifications, Buy Now and Make an Offer to help secure the lots you want.
5. Settle the purchase through the agent.

What can you buy on AuctionsPlus?

AuctionsPlus offers commercial and stud cattle and sheep, goats, equine, working dogs, wool, water, property and machinery from vendors right across Australia, covering seedstock, commercial, store and fat markets.

• More than 1,900 auctions are held on AuctionsPlus every year, averaging over 150 sales and more than 2,200 listings a month.
• Seedstock is offered across a wide range of breeds, including but not limited to Angus, Brahman, Charolais, Droughtmaster, Santa Gertrudis, Shorthorn and Wagyu cattle, along with Merino, Aussie White, White Suffolk, Border Leicester and composite sheep.
• Regular weekly sales across commodities mean buyers know when stock and machinery will come to market, and can respond to seasonal conditions and buy as opportunities arise.
• Machinery listings range from tools and automotive to construction and earthmoving equipment.

How does buying livestock online support animal health and biosecurity?

Buying assessed stock through AuctionsPlus means stock stays on the vendor’s property until the purchase is confirmed, which reduces handling, cuts stress on the animal and lowers biosecurity risk by reducing touchpoints between the vendor’s property and the buyer’s.

How do buyers know what they are buying sight unseen?

Every livestock lot on AuctionsPlus is assessed before listing by an assessor trained through the AuctionsPlus Assessor Course, and the assessment is published in the catalogue with photos, video and supporting documents, so buyers can bid on stock they have not seen in person.

• AuctionsPlus Assessors: more than 1,300 assessors operate on AuctionsPlus, including 128 new assessors who completed one of 12 AuctionsPlus Assessor Courses held across six states in FY26.
• A+ Bloodlines: the official verification of a commercial lot’s bloodlines, where each verified lot carries the stud’s endorsement that the commercial vendor uses its genetics. Buyers can filter by A+ Bloodlines and set notifications for specific genetics.
• Breed data: Angus EBVs, Wagyu WBVs and sheep ASBVs are pulled directly from Angus Australia, the Australian Wagyu Association and Sheep Genetics and shown live on applicable stud catalogue listings.
• Sale history and comparison: buyers can access past sale history and market performance information, and compare lots side by side, all in one place.

What tools help buyers find and bid on livestock and machinery?

• AuctionsPlus app: available on iOS and Android, with 41,000 downloads and a 4.5 star rating, so buyers can browse and bid anytime and from anywhere.
• Search and filters: listings can be filtered and sorted by commodity, breed, location, bloodlines, buy type, weight and more.
• Feeder Optimised: a tag automatically applied to cattle that meet key feedlot specifications for weight, age, dentition and negative pregnancy status, so feedlot buyers can find suitable cattle quickly and bid on a c/kg liveweight basis.
• Favourites and preferences: buyers can save lots and set preferences so relevant listings are easy to find again.
• Catalogues ahead of sale: catalogues are published before each sale, giving buyers time to research and plan.

How does buying work on AuctionsPlus?

Every purchase on AuctionsPlus is made online through the AuctionsPlus website or app, and how bidding runs depends on the type of sale the vendor and agent have chosen. Each catalogue shows the sale type, so buyers know how the sale will run before it starts.

• Sequential auctions: lots are offered one at a time in catalogue order, and buyers bid on each lot as it comes up.
• Simultaneous auctions: multiple lots are open for bidding at the same time, so buyers can bid across several lots during the sale.
• Helmsman-style auctions: all lots are open for bidding at once, and the sale continues until no new bids are placed across the sale for a set period.
• Live interfaced auctions: an onsite sale runs alongside online bidding, so AuctionsPlus buyers compete in real time with buyers at the sale.
• Online-only, multi-day, multi-part and weekly sales: sales run entirely online, including the weekly commercial livestock sales and the AuctionsPlus Weekly Multi-Vendor Sale for machinery.

What tools help buyers secure the lots they want?

AuctionsPlus has built tools that give buyers more than one chance to secure the livestock or machinery they are after, both during a sale and after a lot passes in.

• Max bids: buyers can set the highest amount they are willing to pay, and the platform bids on their behalf up to that amount.
• Notifications: outbid alerts, favourite notifications and alerts when an auction is about to start keep buyers up to date so they do not miss a lot.
• Buy Now: where the vendor has set a Buy Now price, buyers can secure the lot at that price.
• Make an Offer: on lots that pass in, Make an Offer becomes available 90 minutes after the lot passes in, and buyers can send an offer straight to the agent. Passed-in bidders and anyone who favourited the lot are notified when it becomes available.

Can you get finance to buy livestock on AuctionsPlus?

Yes. AuctionsPlus has a direct integration with StockCo that lets buyers view their trading balances and send lots for settlement.

Buying machinery on AuctionsPlus

AuctionsPlus is also an online marketplace for farm machinery and equipment, where registered buyers bid online on tractors, ag equipment, earthmoving machinery and vehicles from vendors across Australia. In FY26, $95 million worth of machinery was sold through AuctionsPlus.

What machinery can you buy on AuctionsPlus?

AuctionsPlus machinery listings cover four main categories: tractors, ag equipment, earthmoving machinery and automotive. Listings range from single items and tools through to construction and earthmoving machinery, along with full clearing sales from farms and businesses.

How do machinery auctions work on AuctionsPlus?

Machinery on AuctionsPlus is sold online through either the weekly multi-vendor machinery auction or a dedicated clearing sale or special sale, with buyers bidding through the AuctionsPlus website or app.

• AuctionsPlus Weekly Multi-Vendor Sale: a weekly online auction of machinery from a range of vendors, who wish to list one or multiple items.
• Clearing sales and special sales: sales usually run for a sole vendor or agency group, either online only or live interfaced with an onsite sale.
• Buying tools: max bids, notifications, Buy Now and Make an Offer are available on machinery as well as livestock.

How do buyers know the condition of machinery listed on AuctionsPlus?

Every machinery item on AuctionsPlus is listed by an AuctionsPlus accredited agent, and listings can include unlimited photos and video, a detailed description, supporting documents such as mechanical certificates and the agent’s contact details, so buyers can check an item before they bid.

How many people buy machinery on AuctionsPlus?

AuctionsPlus has more than 107,000 registered machinery buyers, and machinery accounts for 42.9% of browsing activity on the platform.

• An average of 1,400 registered users connect to each AuctionsPlus machinery auction.
• Catalogue views for the weekly machinery auction reached 30,600 in 2025, up 3.4 times since 2019, while users connecting to the sale reached 3,850, up 5.1 times since 2019.
• Machinery catalogues are emailed to more than 28,400 subscribers.

Is AuctionsPlus safe and trusted for buyers?

Every AuctionsPlus sale has terms and conditions that are visible and agreed to before bidding, every livestock lot is assessed before listing, and buyer data is protected and held in Australia.

• AuctionsPlus terms and conditions are reviewed every six months.
• All AuctionsPlus data is held in Australia and is not sent offshore, with data protection and cyber security built into the platform.
• A dedicated, Australian-based support team is available to assist buyers.
• More than 900 delivery agents and 1,750 agency branches operate on the platform.
• AuctionsPlus has been running livestock sales since 1986.
  
  

Frequently asked questions about buying on AuctionsPlus

Do I need to attend a sale to buy on AuctionsPlus?

No. AuctionsPlus buyers research, bid and follow sales online through the website or app, so there is no need to travel to a sale or be tied to a single sale day or location.

Do I need an agent to buy on AuctionsPlus?

Buyers register and bid on AuctionsPlus themselves through the website or app, and payment and settlement are handled through the agent. However, buyers can also speak with their agent about buying on AuctionsPlus on their behalf.

How long does it take to register as an AuctionsPlus buyer?

Registering as an AuctionsPlus buyer takes under five minutes on average.

What happens if I miss out on a lot at auction?

For machinery - if a lot passes in, Make an Offer becomes available 90 minutes later, letting buyers send an offer straight to the agent. Buyers who bid on the lot or favourited it are notified when this happens. Where the vendor has set a Buy Now price, buyers can also secure a lot at that price.

How do I find feeder cattle on AuctionsPlus?

Cattle that meet key feedlot specifications for weight, age, dentition and negative pregnancy status are automatically tagged Feeder Optimised on AuctionsPlus, so feedlot buyers can find them through search and filters.

Can I see genetics data before I bid?

Yes. AuctionsPlus shows Angus EBVs, Wagyu WBVs and sheep ASBVs live on applicable stud catalogue listings, and A+Bloodlines verification shows which commercial lots carry verified stud genetics.

Can I buy farm machinery on AuctionsPlus?

Yes. AuctionsPlus sells tractors, ag equipment, earthmoving machinery and automotive through the AuctionsPlus Weekly Multi-Vendor Sale, clearing sales and special sales, with $95 million worth of machinery sold in FY26.

How do I check the condition of machinery before bidding?

AuctionsPlus machinery listings are created by an AuctionsPlus accredited agent and can include unlimited photos and video, a detailed description, mechanical certificates and the agent’s contact details, so buyers can review the item and contact the agent before they bid.

How to start buying on AuctionsPlus

Buyers can register for an AuctionsPlus account at auctionsplus.com.au or through the AuctionsPlus app, or speak with their agent about buying livestock or machinery through AuctionsPlus.