Gateway Auctions

Gateway Auctions is a British online auction house built around contractors' plant, operating from its own UK auction site. It works sector by sector rather than running one general sale, and makes a point that is worth taking seriously for a buyer: no two of its sales are the same, because each is assembled from a particular client's disposal rather than from a standing catalogue.

What you can buy

• Contractors' plant: the dedicated speciality — excavators, loaders and site machinery.
• Lifting equipment from construction and industrial fleets.
• Industrial equipment from the sectors the house serves.
• Whole-site clearances assembled as single sales.

How the bidding works

Sales are online and published as a calendar of upcoming auctions rather than a continuous listing, so the calendar is the thing to watch. The operator publishes case studies of past client disposals, which is a fair way to see the kind and scale of assets that actually pass through.

What to check before you bid

Because sales are assembled per client, the location changes with the sale — confirm where the lot stands before pricing transport, since plant may sit at the seller's site rather than at the auction ground. Contractors' machinery sells as it stands: hours, service history and the state of tracks, buckets and attachments decide the value, and attachments listed in a photograph are not always included in the lot. Check what is in the lot description, not what is in the picture.