About the Platform
What is Online Livestock Auctions?
An online auction platform for ranches and sale organizers. You run your bull sale, female sale or consignment sale on your own sale website, which we build and host. Buyers bid online, and you collect the proceeds. We have run online auctions since 2007.
What makes it different from an online marketplace?
The sale runs on its own website, built and hosted by us for you, not on a marketplace where your cattle sit next to everyone else's. Buyers register with you, the buyer list belongs to you, and there is no commission.
Should the sale be part of our ranch website or on its own domain?
Either works. If we design a new ranch website for you, we build the sale into it, so people who look up your ranch find the sale in the same place. If you are keeping a ranch website hosted somewhere else, the sale runs on its own domain and we design it to match your existing site.
Is it a live auction?
No. It is a timed online sale. Bidding is open for the days you choose, and every lot closes at a set time with extended bidding at the end. There is no auctioneer or video feed, and it does not run alongside a live sale ring.
Sale Types
What kinds of sales can we run?
Production bull sales, bred heifer and female sales, consignment sales and ranch dispersals.
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.
Can buyers bid per head?
No. The bid is for the whole lot. Many sellers add a per-head figure to the lot details so buyers can do the math.
Can we run a dispersal sale?
Yes. A dispersal runs like any other sale, with every lot in one catalog.
Pricing and Fees
How much does it cost?
A one-time setup fee and a flat annual fee, quoted for your ranch. You get the quote before you commit to anything.
Do you take a commission?
No. There is no percentage of the gross and no per-head charge.
Are there hidden fees?
No. There are no per-bid, per-lot or per-transaction charges.
How many sales can we run a year?
As many as you want. The annual fee covers unlimited sales.
Do you build ranch websites too?
Yes. We have built ranch and ag websites since 1998. Ask about a website and sale package.
Getting Started
How long does setup take?
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.
Do we need technical skills?
No. Loading lots is data entry, and your dashboard has tutorial videos for every task.
Can the sale go on our existing ranch website?
Only if we already host it. If your website is hosted somewhere else, we build a separate sale website on its own domain, designed to match your existing site. Some sellers have us build a new ranch website with the sale built in instead.
We have never run an online sale. Can we still do this?
Yes. We walk you through all of it.
Running the Sale
What can we put on each lot?
Unlimited photos, YouTube videos, PDFs, pedigree, EPDs, weights and notes.
How do we show EPDs?
Type or paste them into the lot's details, or attach the PDF from your breed registry.
What are reference sires?
Herd sires you show in the catalog without selling them. Put them in a Reference Sires category and mark them display-only.
What happens to lots that do not sell?
They move to buy-it-now at the price you set, until the end date you choose. That includes a lot that did not reach its reserve.
Can we set a reserve price?
Yes. Set a reserve on any lot you want, and leave it off the rest. Buyers see whether the reserve has been met right on the lot and in the catalog, and a lot only sells if bidding reaches its reserve. A lot that falls short moves to buy-it-now, the same as any other unsold lot.
Who collects the money?
You do, by card through your Stripe account, by check, or both.
Who handles delivery, health papers and breeding guarantees?
You do, on your own sale terms. Our Sample Sale Terms are a starting point.
Do we need an auctioneer license?
Some states have rules for auctions and auctioneers. Check with your state before your sale. We provide the website and the software. Licensing is between you and your state.
Can we change lots after bidding opens?
Yes. Update them from your dashboard any time, and technical changes are turned around within 24 hours.
Buyers and Bidding
How do buyers bid?
They register on your sale website and bid from any phone, tablet or computer. No app.
What is maximum bidding?
A buyer sets the most they will pay, and the system bids for them up to that amount, only when someone bids against them.
What is extended bidding?
When a bid comes in during the final minutes, that lot's closing time moves out a few minutes so other buyers can answer.
Do buyers get notified?
Yes. Buyers get emails when they register, bid, get outbid and win. Text alerts are available as an add-on.
Can buyers register before bidding opens?
Yes, any time.
Do buyers pay anything to register or bid?
No. Registering and bidding are free. A buyer only pays a convenience fee if your sale charges one and they pay by credit card.
Payments and Security
How is the sale website protected?
Every sale runs through Cloudflare Enterprise, which blocks bots and attacks and keeps the site fast for buyers anywhere. Enterprise is the top tier of Cloudflare's service. A ranch buying even Cloudflare's Business plan on its own would pay about $200 a month, and with us it is part of the annual fee.
What payment processor do you use?
Stripe, and only Stripe. Card payments on the platform run through Stripe, so you will need a Stripe account, and we connect it to your sale. Buyers can still pay by check if you allow it.
Can Canadian sellers take payment in Canadian dollars?
Yes. Stripe takes payment in Canadian dollars.
Is card information stored on our website?
No. Stripe handles all card data on its own secure systems.
Can we require a card on file before bidding?
Yes, and most sellers do.
Livestock Auction Amplified
What is Livestock Auction Amplified?
Three optional add-ons: Text Message Alerts and the Lot Finder at $599 per year each, and a Bidder Email Campaign at $599 per sale. Text Message Alerts and the Lot Finder together are $998 per year, a savings of $200. A year runs 12 months from the day you sign up.
What does the Lot Finder do?
It answers buyer questions about anything on your sale website, from a lot's pedigree to your sale terms and dates, at any hour, with a link to the right page.
Do we have to buy all three?
No. Each one stands on its own, and Text Message Alerts with the Lot Finder together save $200.
What comes free?
Sponsor Advantage, Facebook posts about your sale, a listing on this site, automatic buyer emails and unlimited sales per year.
Support
What support do we get during a sale?
We are available to you throughout the sale, and technical issues get handled right away.
Do you talk to our buyers?
No. Buyer questions go to you, so your buyers stay connected to your ranch. The platform sends the automatic emails.
Other Kinds of Auctions
Can we sell sheep or goats?
Yes. The software sells any kind of livestock.
Can we sell semen, embryos or equipment?
Yes. A lot can be anything you want to sell: semen, embryos, equipment, horses, sheep, even rabbits.
Can it run a 4-H, FFA or youth fundraiser auction?
Yes. Our sister site, Stallion Auctions Online, sets up fundraiser auctions for associations and youth groups.
Do you run horse sales?
Yes. The software runs horse sales the same way it runs cattle sales, with photos, video, pedigrees and performance records on every lot.
Do you run stallion service auctions?
Yes, through Stallion Auctions Online.