Ritchie has a travelling team of auctioneers, and one of them, Greg Rollo, admitted that you had to be a certain type to be able to do the job. "I'm a specialist at making it as seamless as possible," he said. "I've been an auctioneer for 35 years, and with Ritchie Bros for seventeen or eighteen years." The travelling auctioneers cover everywhere except the US. Bid catchers at the front workon a section of the audience, cajoling bids and shouting "yup" when one is indicated. The auctioneer, placed in a booth to the side and with a non-stop delivery, responds to this, and the screens at the front show the latest bid. "Lots are unreserved," said Rollo. "It's transparent - it's a neat system that works well. We focus the world on one item. It's a powerful tool, and there is nothing like it." The auctioneers spend a relatively short, but adrenalin-filled, spell in the box before being replaced by a colleague for a rest.
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