• Auctioning is as old as private property.
• The word “auction” is derived from the Latin “auctus,” meaning “to increase.”

For thousands of years, auctioneers all over the world have brought buyers together to compete with each other by progressively increasing their bids until market value is determined and a sale is made.

When John Roebuck conducted his first auction in 1973, a lot of people still associated auctioning with distressed property or foreclosures. Today, over 30 years later, auctioning accounts for better than 30% of all property sold in the U.S., and is the method of “first resort” for many property owners large and small. Roebuck Auctions is proud of its substantial contribution to that growth.

Analysts are very optimistic about auctioning's future. One of their most important reasons is technology. On-line bidding is a natural extension of the auction method because it eliminates any geographical obstacle to participation. And Roebuck Auctions has pioneered use of the Internet itself as a major auction marketing channel. Each Roebuck Auctions auction property occupies an entire section of the corporate web site, which receives thousands of hits every day.

Auctioning is here to stay, and so is Roebuck Auctions – a modern market leader in the pioneering tradition of John Roebuck.