Used equipment market reveals trends and insights

Interesting insight into auction and online figures

Data is knowledge, enabling customers to make better decisions when buying or selling used machinery. For that reason, Ritchie Bros. collects numerous data on how the equipment market is developing based on supply and demand, areas of interest and price levels. Not only in the Netherlands or Europe, but worldwide. Thanks to the largest network and most versatile platform, Ritchie Bros. ensures a 'perfect match' every time.

The world's largest service provider of used (land) construction machinery, vehicles, industrial applications and related accessories can look back on a successful year. Figures from online auctions in Europe, the Middle East and Africa for 2024 show an increase of no less than 21% in the number of buyers worldwide during EMEA auctions, rising from around 9,800 in 2023 to over 11,800. The number of equipment sellers assisted from Ritchie Bros. also increased significantly over 2024, rising by 6.5% to over 3,700. In total, more than 66,000 lots (+5%) were sold in this region last year, with 10 auction locations in Europe and one in Dubai. Moerdijk traditionally did very well with 11,000+ lots sold and 5,500+ bidders. The top five buyer markets in 2024 will be Italy, Spain, France, Germany and Great Britain.

Trends in Europe

The trends that Ritchie Bros. identifies on the basis of auction and online transactions are conveniently presented quarterly in the Market Trend Report. This report provides insight into developments within the European market (there is also a version for North America), incorporating data from Mascus - a sales platform with over 100,000 buyers per day - in addition to auction results. In 2024, the European construction and contractor market continued to face challenges, partly due to high interest rates and rising construction costs. Although there were signs of recovery, further growth is not expected until this year. Recovery is faster in Scandinavia, while in the rest of Europe the market is gradually picking up. Lower demand for machinery during this relatively quiet period may lead to opportunities in the market, especially if financing becomes cheaper and interest in used equipment increases.

During all of last year, the supply of crawler excavators on Mascus remained stable at an average of 10,000 units, while demand increased by 9% in Q4 compared to 2023. Caterpillar was the most sought-after brand, followed by Volvo and Hitachi. The United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands were the main buyer countries. At the Ritchie Bros. auctions, the average price for (medium) large crawler excavators fell 21% to 27,910 euros, while the number of machines sold fell 34%. So demand turned out to be downright weak. Kobelco, Hitachi and Komatsu were the most popular brands here, with Spain, Italy, Britain and the Netherlands the main markets.

More supply and demand

The market for mini and midi-excavators showed a positive trend, with supply on Mascus increasing by 8% and demand by 14%, indicating increasing interest in these compact and maneuverable machines. In particular, brands such as Kubota, Takeuchi and Yanmar remained in demand, with Germany, the Netherlands, England and Belgium as the main buyer markets. At Ritchie Bros. auctions, the number of mini and midi-excavators sold rose by as much as 27%, while the average selling price fell by only 3% to 11,145 euros, indicating stable appreciation in the market. Chinese brand JPC jumped to first place in Q4 in terms of number of units sold, followed by Kubota and Volvo. The countries that bought the most mini/midi-excavators were Italy, Spain, France and Belgium.

The supply of telescopic handlers on Mascus increased by 27% in the last quarter of 2024, while, on the contrary, demand decreased almost proportionally (-24%). Manitou was the most sought-after brand, followed by JCB, Merlo, Magni and Bobcat. The biggest buyer countries appeared to be Britain, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands and Belgium. At the Ritchie Bros. auctions, sales of telehandlers were equally down by 24%, while the average price rose by 5% to 29,163 euros. JCB remained the best-selling brand at auctions, followed by Manitou and Merlo. The biggest sales markets were Italy, England and Poland.     

Moerdijk auction dates
This year there are again more than 350 online auctions scheduled from over forty
Ritchie Bros. locations worldwide. Auction dates for Moerdijk are as follows:
April 23 & 24, June 18 & 19, September 16 & 17 and November 26 & 27, 2025.