Manheim said Wednesday that it is not permitting buyers or sellers to come to its auctions on sale or non-sale days, unless it is to preview sale inventory or for vehicle pickup/delivery — provided staffing and local ordinances allow for it. The auction company shifted all of its sales to Simulcast-only on Monday, a move […] [Read More]

Summertime attendees at Brasher’s Sacramento Auto Auction around the late 1970s might have noticed a 6-year-old boy emptying ashtrays and restocking the soda machines. The youngster was John Brasher, and when he was 7 or 8, he moved up to work at the auction’s snack bar counter, selling popcorn and drinks. “I figured out in […] [Read More]

UPDATE: McConkey Auction Group, whose auctions are members of ServNet, said Wednesday afternoon that all of its sales will be virtual "until further notice." More details can be found in this LinkedIn post.  In an update shared Tuesday, independent auction group ServNet said its members are currently still holding sales as regularly scheduled, though some […] [Read More]

The auto auction industry is a fiercely competitive one, but in times of crisis, it tends to pull together for the greater good of the business. That’s what Frank Hackett, chief executive officer of the National Auto Auction Association, has observed through the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. For the last two Mondays, Hackett has joined a […] [Read More]

Black Book vice president of automotive valuations Laura Wehunt tried to put a lighthearted spin on what’s happening in the wholesale market amid the coronavirus pandemic. “What do toilet paper, hand sanitizer and used cars have in common? They were all in demand last week,” Wehunt said in the latest installment of the Black Book […] [Read More]

Coinciding with announcements from Cox Automotive and KAR Global regarding their adjustments in conjunction with COVID-19, top executives at ACV Auctions, BacklotCars and IAA each posted letters online to their client bases, reiterating pledges to maintain operations and safety measures. George Chamoun, Justin Davis and John Kett — the respective leaders of ACV, BacklotCars and […] [Read More]

Like most great entrepreneurial success stories, the auto auction industry has its roots in a simple but bright idea: If auctions could be successful selling livestock or machines or farm products, why not sell cars to a competitive bidding audience at the urging of an auctioneer and his gavel? That’s just the idea that J.M. […] [Read More]

UPDATED with KAR Global clarification that ADESA will move to simulcast-only through April 3. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, ADESA auction locations in the U.S. and Canada are moving immediately to simulcast-only sales through April 3, parent company KAR Global said in a statement Monday afternoon. Simulcast success fees for buyers and sellers are being waived through […] [Read More]

In light of COVID-19 concerns, Manheim is shifting to Simulcast-only sales at all of its auction locations. The move was effective Monday and runs through April 3. Manheim, which said in a letter from president Grace Huang that there are currently “no known confirmed cases of COVID-19” among its workforce, said its physical auctions and […] [Read More]

KAR Global chief economist Tom Kontos joined the parade of wholesale experts who noticed that February prices moved higher. “The strong start to 2020 continued in February as average wholesale prices were up again month-over-month and year-over-year.  Both car and truck prices were up,” he said in his latest Kontos Kommentary released on Friday. According […] [Read More]