How Does an Online Cattle Sale Work?
We build the sale website and run the software. You bring the cattle and the buyers you already know. Here is the short version.
1. We Build Your Sale Website
Either a new ranch website we design with the sale built in, or a separate sale website on its own domain that we design to match the ranch website you already have. Either way it carries your name and your look, and we host it.
2. You Load the Lots
Photos, video, EPDs, pedigree, weights and notes for each lot. Type them in, paste them in, or attach a PDF.
3. Buyers Register and Bid
Buyers bid from a phone, tablet or computer, at any hour, for as many days as the sale is open. Maximum bids and outbid emails take care of themselves.
4. You Collect, We Report
When the sale closes, you collect from the winning buyers. You get a report of every bid and every buyer, and the buyer list is yours.
What Kinds of Sales Does It Run?
Production Bull Sales
Your annual bull sale, with a catalog buyers can study for weeks before bidding opens.
Bred Heifer and Female Sales
Bred heifers, pairs and replacement females, sold one head at a time or a whole pen as one lot.
Consignment Sales
One sale website for several sellers, run by an auction company, a breed group or a few ranches selling together.
Ranch Dispersals
Selling out or cutting back? A dispersal runs the same way, with every lot in one catalog.
Why Do Ranchers Sell Their Cattle Online This Way?
No Commission
You pay a one-time setup fee and a flat annual fee. There is no percentage of the gross and no per-head charge, so a strong sale does not cost you more.
The Sale Has Its Own Website
Your sale runs on a website that is yours, not on a marketplace next to everyone else's cattle. We build it and host it. It can be part of a new ranch website we design, or a separate sale website on its own domain that matches your existing site. Either way, buyers never feel like they have left your ranch.
Your Buyer List Belongs to You
Every buyer who registers belongs to your ranch. Export the list to Excel for next year's catalog mailing. We do not market to your buyers, and we do not share your list with anyone.
A Credit Card on File Before Anyone Bids
Turn on the credit card requirement and nobody can bid without a valid card on file. It is one of the most used options on the platform, because it cuts down on buyers who win and never pay.
Bidding Stays Open for Days
A buyer three states away can bid without making the drive, and a buyer who is busy on sale day can bid the night before. At the close, any lot still drawing bids gets a few more minutes. Two buyers who both want the same bull can keep answering each other until one of them quits, and those bidding wars are what drive the final price up.
When buyers come to your sale website, they are looking at your cattle and nobody else's. That is why every sale we run gets its own website.
Tom Bruch, founder
Livestock Auction Amplified: Optional Add-Ons
Three add-ons that work on any sale website on our platform.
Text Message Alerts
Buyers get a text the moment they are outbid, with a link straight back to the lot.
Lot Finder
Buyers type what they are looking for, like a heifer due to calve in March, and get the matching lots with links.
Bidder Email Campaign
We write and send four emails to your past and current buyers for a sale.
Sponsor Advantage, our sponsor display system, comes free with every sale website.
Each add-on stands on its own. Prices and details are on the Amplified page.
Now Booking Spring 2027 Bull Sales
Most spring bull sales run February through April, and the catalog work starts in the fall. Your sale website can be ready within 7 days of signing, which leaves time to load the lots and get the word out to buyers.
Common Questions About Selling Cattle Online
Do you take a commission or a per-head fee?
No. You pay a one-time setup fee and a flat annual fee. What your cattle bring goes to you.
Can the sale go on our existing ranch website?
If we already host your ranch website, yes. If your website is hosted somewhere else, we build a separate sale website on its own domain and design it to match your existing site. Some sellers have us build a new ranch website with the sale built in instead.
How long does it take to get set up?
The sale website is ready within 7 days of signing, as long as we have what we need from you. A new ranch website is a bigger build and gets its own timeline.
Who collects the money?
You do. Buyers pay you by card through your own Stripe account, by check, or both. We handle the technology. The money goes straight to you.
Can we sell a group of heifers as one lot?
Yes. A pen of 10 can be one lot. Buyers bid on the whole lot, and the lot page shows the head count.
Is this a live auction with video?
No. It is a timed online sale. Every lot closes at a set time, with extended bidding at the end, and it does not run alongside a live sale ring.