Euro Auctions sale highlights access market prices

With 650 vendors from 31 countries sending machines to the sale, there were 4,500 bidders from 85 countries registered to buy across 6,500 lots, amounting to a hammer total of £43.6 million.

While it was a live sale, 80% of all sales were made online from a growing international audience.

Euro Auctions June sale in Leeds, UK.

Over 400 access platforms and telehandlers were in the sale, including individual sellers as well as large consignments from OEM’s and dealerships.

A prime example being an initial consignment of 140 JCB scissor lifts, followed by 45 Dingli scissor lifts from leading UK rental specialist GT Access.Ranging from years 2016 – 2019 these machines were replaced at GT with new versions from both manufacturers.

Scott McCall, Lifting and Access Manager at Euro Auctions, said, “We considered it prudent to split the consignments across our sites in Germany, Spain and the UK. Putting the fresher equipment in front of Spanish buyers where demand is strong especially from end users, drive higher prices.”

Price forecast 

According to McCall prices overall were exactly as expected. “Since the end of 2023 we have seen this normalisation in the market and prices now seem to be on a steady level trajectory.”

“Telehandler prices were stable, climbing above our estimates, still providing good value for buyers but also providing vendors with that extra percentage, and remember the at auction sale prices are driven by market demand and we do achieve true market value on the day.

“Whilst fresh late machines are fetching good money, we see more and more used lifting and access equipment coming into the sale from dealerships and OEMs whereas before their disposal route would have been through the network.”

On the subject of the tariffs being introduced on MEWPs produced in China entering the EU, following the European Commission’s investigation, McCall adds, “The imposing of this tariff was driven by prominent OEMs, working with the European Commission, to protect home manufacturers. And we predict, as has happened in the USA when similar tariffs were introduced, that good, fresh, late, used machines, of up to three years old will see a price strengthening in the market as demand is throttled.”

Euro Auctions is now working closely with the members of the two major access equipment trade associations in the UK for this industry and, McCall said, we will be seeing more lifting and access machines coming to auction.