Auctions Go High-Tech

Digital technologies are revolutionising auctions, resulting in better exposure for sellers and a broader purchasing base for buyers. Glenneis Kriel reports.

- Glenneis Kriel

Online livestock auctions are not a new phenomenon. Gert Coetsee, founder of NetAuctions, started experimenting with online auctions in 2005, selling mainly Nguni and dairy cattle via the website Eco Auctions.

In 2015, he changed the name from Eco Auctions to NetAuctions to prevent confusion.

“We wanted to clarify that we weren’t in competition with auctioneers, but provided a virtual space that could add value to auctioning services,” he explains.

THE FALL AND RISE OF ONLINE AUCTIONS

Coetsee’s online auctions were well supported up until 2010, after which interest dwindled until he was hosting an average of only five a year. Since the start of the COVID-19 lockdown, however, interest has picked up, and he now hosts several auctions a week via NetAuctions and WhatsApp. A recent highlight was the sale of a Nguni bull at a world record price of R310 000 via WhatsApp.

“I don’t know why interest in online sales declined in 2010, but farmers are now more receptive to the innovation, thanks to increased integration of smartphones, computers and online sales with our everyday lives. It was only a matter of time before online sales took off, and the lockdown accelerated this trend,” says Coetsee.

NetAuctions hosts various types of auctions. The first is the conventional on-site auction attended by buyers in person. The second is a live Internet auction held entirely online.

A third option enables buyers to participate in an online timed auction, similar to the format used by BidorBuy. NetAuctions lists sellers’ animals and buyers bid for them over a specified period, which can range from a couple of hours to a few weeks.