Hire an auctioneer to sell livestock

Sell livestock

Appoint an agent

You can appoint an auctioneer as your agent to sell livestock at a saleyard auction.

Livestock may be:

• cattle
• horses
• sheep
• goats
• pigs.

To make an ongoing agreement to represent you at an auction, an auctioneer must:

• be 18 years or over
• pass the required training courses
• have a licence as a chattel auctioneer
• make a guarantee to pay you the proceeds of the sale
• always pay you, even if the buyer does not pay them.

This is known as a ‘del credere arrangement'. The advantage of this method is that you don’t need to form a new agreement for each auction.

You can do a free online search to make sure that the auctioneer holds a valid licence. You can search by name or licence number.

Check a licence

You can also make this kind of arrangement with a non-auctioneer. They won’t need a licence; however, they won’t be able to sell by auction.

To understand other selling options for livestock refer to the Meat and Livestock Australia website

Understand the auction process

When they acquire your livestock, the auctioneer must record:

• your name and address
• the type of livestock
• the number of animals in total.

At the start of a livestock auction, the auctioneer must identify you by name.

After the auction takes place, they will also record:

• the date of the auction
• the sale price
• the name and address of the buyer.

Bid on livestock

The auctioneer’s licence

An auctioneer must have a licence as a chattel auctioneer. They will need to either:

• display their name prominently at the site of the auction
• announce their name at the start of the auction (but only if displaying would be impractical).

It might be impractical to display a sign if, for instance:

• you are outdoors in inclement weather, such as in heavy wind
• the auctioneer is moving around to auction multiple groups of animals in a large outdoor area.

You can do a free online search to make sure they have a valid licence.

Check a licence

Register of bidders

You must register with the auctioneer before you can bid on an item.

This means that you will need to:

• register with them before the auction starts
• show suitable identification (such as a driver licence).

The auction process

At the auction, an auctioneer will need to announce:

• their name (at the start of the auction)
• the name of the seller (before taking bids on a particular lot).

After the auction takes place, they must record:

• the date of the auction
• the sale price
• your name and address (if you are the successful bidder).

They must also give you a bill of sale in return.

Once you buy your livestock, you are responsible for picking them up. Saleyard auctions typically have a loading chute where you claim your livestock after you show your bill of sale.

More information

The Australian Livestock Markets Association is the peak industry body for saleyard livestock auctions.