Auction house undergoes stormy development

Auctioneering is almost as old as mankind. We know that 500 years before Christ, the ancient Greek historian Herodotus already mentions auctioneering. It was not written about auctioning fish, flowers, vegetables or other wares, but about marriageable women being sold to the highest-bidding man. They don't do the latter at Epic-Auctions, as this relatively young player on the market focuses primarily on earth-moving agricultural machinery and transportation. And not without success.

"The company was founded in late 2013 and has experienced a stormy development since then," said Frans Maas, Managing Director of Epic-Auctions. "We may quietly compete with the bigger players on the Dutch market. Our knowledge of the products, customer-friendliness and flexibility in addition to, of course, the lowest commission in the market ensure that every month more than a thousand registered customers are added all over the world. At every auction there are up to forty nationalities buying something. The goods always go away at the highest bid. An 'Unreserved Auction,' as the Americans call it."

Various locations

Epic-Auctions has a permanent auction site with a thousand lots (machines or items) in Leende where auctions are held seven times a year. In addition to its own site in Leende, the auction house also organizes various auctions on location at clients' premises. Maas: "This can be a bankruptcy of a client, but also a reorganization or an auction where anyone can contribute goods. Thus, since last year we have also added a permanent auction location in Elst to our agenda." Owner Johan Tilleman: "In my business, I phased out the contractor part and sold my equipment through Epic-Auctions on my own property. After the auction, the auction house turned out to be interested in using Elst as a permanent auction location. A win-win. We will auction at least three times a year in 2020, where other parties can also contribute equipment."

The goods always go away at the highest bid. An "Unreserved Auction," as the Americans call it.

Accessible

After the successful auction on October 4 last year, Loon op Zand Bedrijven is also expanding its cooperation with Epic Auctions. Jeroen Stammes, owner-director, says: "Many companies will recognize that you just leave older machines and parts at your company. You sometimes offer things for sale on the Internet, but don't really have enough time for it. That's why we made the decision to get rid of the surplus and older machines all at once. I immediately had a good feeling about Epic-Auctions. I had bought from them in the past, so I knew them as a customer. The knowledge, the low-threshold approach and the fact that their rates are very low for both the contributor and the customer gives me the highest return. Next year we will organize another auction in Nieuw-Vennep, where external companies can also contribute."

FD Gazellen Awards

Its stormy growth has not gone unnoticed by the Financial Dagblad, as Epic-Auctions is in the top 10 of the FD Gazellen Awards, a list of fastest-growing companies in the Netherlands. "Year after year, we break all records," Maas says enthusiastically. "Partly because the auction market in general is growing, but now also because we are gaining market share. We are knowledgeable and apply a low buyer's commission of only 5%. That benefits both the introducer and the buyer. The buyer ends up paying less than elsewhere, while the introducer receives a higher price. But Brabant hospitality also contributes to our success. We help (free of charge) with loading and unloading equipment and serve free soup and sausage bread during the viewing days."    

Epic-Auctions

Maarheezerweg Zuid 6, 5595 XK Leende

T +31 6 154 594 33

E frans.maas@epic-auctions.com

www.epic-auctions.com