Sandhills Publishing has acquired Equipmentfacts, a New Jersey-based online bidding platform specializing in global solutions for equipment and truck auctions. The acquisition expands the portfolio of the Nebraska-based tech company, whose brands include AuctionTime, BidCaller, Auction Flex, HiBid.com, Machinery Trader, TractorHouse, Truck Paper, and RentalYard, as well as a number of international resources and a suite of cloud-hosted business management solutions.

Equipmentfacts was established by Larry Garafola in 2001 under the premise that local live auctions should be able to accept bids from buyers anywhere in the world. In the nearly two decades since its founding, the company has grown to offer live-stream auction broadcasts, online bidding, advertising, and auction and bidder management solutions—all with the backing of tech support and multilingual customer service.

In addition to providing secure, reliable solutions, the Equipmentfacts team has decades of combined industry experience. “We know auctions, the equipment we’re selling, and what it should sell for when administering an online auction,” explains Garafola. With the backing of Sandhills, Equipmentfacts will offer a more comprehensive suite of products and services to auctioneers, including tools that simplify financing, shipping, insurance, and other services, as well as asset valuations, cloud-based inventory management solutions, and industry-specific print and online marketing—a key value, notes Garafola: “Sandhills provides the absolute best marketing for auctioneers in these markets.”

With the acquisition, Equipmentfacts will integrate into Sandhills’ trade websites, enabling sellers who utilize it to take advantage of the market exposure provided by each industry-specific website. As a product of Sandhills Publishing, Equipmentfacts joins a number of auction solutions, including AuctionTime.com (an online-only auction platform holding weekly sales for ag and construction equipment, trucks, and trailers) and Auction Flex (a full-service auction management software for live auctions). Sandhills will also establish an additional office (its eighth domestic location) in Flemington, New Jersey, just west of New Brunswick.

The strategic acquisition is a win for auction buyers, as well as auction businesses—over 4,000 of which are now served by one or more of Sandhills’ auction solutions. “The acquisition both complements and grows the auction solutions Sandhills provides auctioneers,” says Sandhills’ Director of New Products Evan Welch. “At the same time, it provides opportunities for Equipmentfacts customers to more effectively market equipment and trucks to buyers in these markets.”