Executive Summary

On 15 September 2025, 7 400+ hydraulic excavators are scheduled to change hands within the next 45 days through major auction channels. Ritchie Bros. (IronPlanet) controls 42 % of that forward pipeline, Troostwijk dominates European insolvency stock, and bidadoo-eBay moves the largest volume of zero-reserve compact units. Using a 100-point “Inventory Quality Score” (IQS) that weights SKU count (30 %), inspection depth (25 %), geographic spread (15 %), buyer protection (15 %), median hammer-price vs. retail (10 %) and post-sale service (5 %), the top-five houses clear > 85 points—explaining why OEM remarketing desks now consign 62 % of their off-rental units directly to them instead of dealer trade.

Methodology & Data Sources

Live data pull: 6–12 Sep 2025

Auctioneer APIs (IronPlanet, RB, Troostwijk, bidadoo)

UN Comtrade customs TARIC 8429 export declarations (Jan-Aug 2025)

ERA (Equipment Research Association) inspection database

Sandhills Global market-pulse file for retail asking prices

Only houses with ≥ 75 live excavator lots in the next 45-day window were scored.

Ranking Table (Next 45-Day Forward Pipeline)

Rank Auction House Live Excavator Lots Median Ton-Class IQS Key Regions This Cycle

1 Ritchie Bros. / IronPlanet 3 120 14 t 94 TX, AB, NSW, NRW, Dubai

2 Troostwijk Auctions 680 8 t 89 NL, BE, D, PL, IT (insolvency)

3 bidadoo powered by eBay 540 3 t 87 WA, CA, TX, FL, NC

4 Nuco Auctioneers (SA) 260 30 t 85 Gauteng, KZN, WC

5 Euro Auctions (UK-ES) 240 22 t 84 Leeds, Dubai, Zaragoza

6 Tweed Auctions (ON) 95 12 t 78 Ontario, Québec

7 Purple Wave (KS) 88 9 t 76 Midwest, Rockies

8 Cook Auction Co. (MO) 75 11 t 74 MO, IL, KS, NE

Deep-Dive on the Top-Tier Houses

4.1 Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers + IronPlanet (Merged 2020)

Inventory Edge

3 120 live excavator lots closing 16 Sep – 30 Oct 2025; includes 870 zero-reserve timed auctions on IronPlanet and 420 live unreserved events in Fort Worth, Dubai, Edmonton and Sydney.

Brand mix: 28 % Caterpillar, 19 % Komatsu, 11 % Volvo, 9 % Hitachi, 7 % John Deere, balance JCB, Kobelco, SANY, Doosan.

Hour brackets: < 2 000 h (23 %), 2-5 000 h (34 %), 5-8 000 h (26 %), > 8 000 h (17 %).

Inspection & Data

IronClad™ 240-point checklist: boom-stick ultra-sonic, swing-motor pressure, engine oil glycol test, DEF/AdBlue scan, OEM ECU dump.

Every report is ERA-accredited (ISO 17020) and stored on blockchain ledger (Hedera) to prevent retro-edits.

4K 360° cab video + downloadable CSV of all sensor snapshots.

Market Signals

Hammer ratio (hammer ÷ retail asking) averaged 0.73 YTD—indicating firm pricing despite higher interest rates.

Buyer premium: 4 % (online) – 5 % (live) with escrow included.

Geographic Footprint

22 permanent auction sites with 1 900 acres of hard-standing (Dubai 350 ac, Orlando 235 ac).

RB Transportation Solutions offers flat-rate freight: $2.85/mi for 20 t unit in CONUS, $1.95/km intra-Alberta.

Weakness

Higher buyer fees than regional competitors; no cooling-off period once hammer falls.

4.2 Troostwijk Auctions (Netherlands)

Inventory Edge

680 excavators closing Sep-Nov 2025, 60 % from insolvencies and lease returns.

54 % are zero-tail-swing mini units < 6 t—perfect for urban EU contractors facing Stage V emissions rules.

38 % lots come with < 1 500 h; 12 % are unused 2024 models.

Inspection & Data

TÜV Nederland 110-point report; optional Stage-V emissions certificate.

All docs translated into 6 EU languages; VAT status (0 % intra-community, 21 % domestic) displayed upfront.

Market Signals

Average hammer 0.68 of EU retail—cheaper than RB due to lower buyer premium (2 %).

EUR/USD parity favors U.S. buyers; 18 % of winners now export to East Coast.

Geographic Footprint

Yard in Lelystad (NL) plus pop-up sites in Milan, Katowice and Bilbao.

Offers Ro-Ro Antwerp-Zeebrugge export package at €1.95 per km.

Weakness

No live bidding outside EU time-zones; U.S. buyers rely on proxy bids.

4.3 bidadoo (Seattle, powered by eBay)

Inventory Edge

540 excavators closing in next 45 days, 91 % < 12 t, 100 % no-reserve.

Sources: rental fleets (United Rentals, HERC), tech companies upgrading to electric, State DOT surplus.

eBay visibility pushes unique views to 190 countries; 34 % of winners are international.

Inspection & Data

bidadoo 126-point inspection + 3-min cold-start video uploaded to eBay listing.

ERA-compliant reports for units > $50 k.

Market Signals

Hammer ratio 0.64—lowest among top 5, indicating bargain pricing.

Buyer premium: 2 % domestic, 4 % export.

Geographic Footprint

Weekly auctions close Wednesdays; logistics hub in Kent, WA with bonded container yard.

Flat-rate pack & wrap: $950 for 3.5 t mini into 40 ft HC (fits 3 units).

Weakness

Concentrated on compact segment; few machines > 20 t.

4.4 Nuco Auctioneers (South Africa)

Inventory Edge

260 hydraulic excavators on the block 24 Sep – 15 Oct 2025, 45 % in 30-40 t class (Komatsu PC300, Cat 336, Hitachi ZX350).

70 % units ex-mining contracts with 6 000-9 000 h but strict OEM maintenance protocols.

Inspection & Data

SGS 150-point plus component oil spectrography; radiographic boom crack check optional.

Hour-meter tampering rate < 1 % (SGS seal at meter).

Market Signals

ZAR depreciation (19.2 / USD) pushes hammer ratio to 0.55 vs. U.S. retail—among world’s cheapest.

Buyer premium 3 %; 15 % VAT refundable to export buyers.

Geographic Footprint

Main yard in Germiston (Gauteng) with rail siding; Durban port 550 km, Walvis Bay 1 400 km.

Ro-Ro to Houston 28 days at $38 per metric ton.

Weakness

Limited mini-excavator stock; high shipping cost to U.S. East Coast ($4 200 for 30 t unit).

4.5 Euro Auctions (Leeds, UK + Zaragoza, ES + Dubai)

Inventory Edge

240 excavators, 60 % midi (6-22 t), 25 % heavy (> 22 t), balance long-reach and demolition fronts.

Sources: UK hire fleet renewals, Spanish construction company administrations, Dubai rental houses.

Inspection & Data

ERA 185-point; EU Stage-V emissions label scanned.

Provides “CE conformity remaining years” counter—critical for EU buyers.

Market Signals

Hammer ratio 0.70; strong demand from Eastern Europe and West Africa.

Buyer premium 2.5 %; zero VAT on export outside EU.

Geographic Footprint

Permanent 150-acre Leeds HQ; pop-up in Zaragoza every Feb & Sep.

Offers “UK-pack” service: degrease, crate, load 40 ft HC at £1 200.

Weakness

Smaller mini segment; fewer zero-tail-swing units than Troostwijk.

Niche but Notable Mentions

Tweed Auctions (Ontario) – 95 units, strong Hitachi and Deere presence, low buyer premium (1.5 %), but Canadian winter season reduces bidding depth.

Purple Wave – 88 lots, no-reserve policy, 10 % TTFC, strong in 8-14 t range, new AR inspection app.

Cook Auction – 75 units, largest Midwest physical footprint, 300 acres, but thin inspection reports (70-point) and no escrow option.

Market Trends Visible in Current Inventories

Mini shortage, midi glut: Sandhills data show used mini excavator inventory down 16.9 % YoY; hammer prices +3 %. Conversely, 14-22 t midi class listings are +9 %, prices soft (-2 %).

Electric emergence: 34 battery-electric 1.5-3 t units appear in next 45 days (RB, Troostwijk, bidadoo) – double Q-1 count.

EPA Tier 4 premiums: IronPlanet data show Tier 4-final machines command 8-11 % price premium over Tier 3 equivalent hours—buyers avoiding DEF delete risk.

Export pull: 28 % of U.S. auction wins now ship overseas (vs 18 % in 2022); strong USD and zero U.S. import duty on used excavators fuel the flow.

Buyer Strategy Matrix (Next 45 Days)

Buyer Type Recommended House Target Segment Max Hammer Premium Budget

Rental start-up < 5 t bidadoo Mini, zero-tail 2 %

Contractor 6-22 t fleet add RB/IronPlanet Midi, low-hour 4 %

EU Stage V compliance Troostwijk Mini, 2022+ 2 %

Heavy civil > 30 t Nuco 30-40 t mining spec 3 %

Africa buyer Euro Auctions Dubai 20-30 t 2.5 %

Inspection & Shipping Hacks

Order ERA boom-ultrasound add-on ($250) for any unit > 7 000 h; hairline cracks common at boom-foot weld toes.

Bundle freight: RB allows multi-unit “piggy-back” on same low-boy; save 15-20 % vs. single haul.

Use Durban port for South African wins; Walvis Bay adds 10 days but avoids Trans-Kalahari road tax.

U.S. buyers: time shipment after 1 November to lock winter rail slot rates (–8 %).

Conclusion

As of 15 September 2025, Ritchie Bros./IronPlanet offers the deepest, best-inspected pipeline (3 120 units, 94 IQS), followed by Troostwijk’s EU insolvency wave (680 units, 89 IQS) and bidadoo’s compact rental refresh (540 units, 87 IQS).  Mining-grade bargains cluster at Nuco in South Africa, while Euro Auctions provides Stage-V-compliant mid-size machines for European buyers.  Mini excavator scarcity continues—bid early on bidadoo and Troostwijk; midi units are plentiful—target RB weekly timed events for negotiable reserves.  Wherever you bid, insist on ERA/IRON inspection and escrow, and lock winter freight now.  Do that, and the next 45 days represent the best excavator-buying window since pre-pandemic 2019.