John Robinson is a busy man. He heads up Green Drop, Ltd. in Calgary, Alberta, a group of businesses comprised of dozens of divisions spanning landscape maintenance, tree care services, rock and gravel distribution, and others.
As CEO of the group, John’s got a hefty workload. Which is why buying his equipment from online auctions makes so much sense, and why transporting it through uShip has been a no-brainer for nearly a decade.
Big Equipment, Bigger Turnout
This April, Ritchie Bros. held its largest Canadian auction of the year, selling more than 9,450 pieces of equipment worth CAD $207 million.
The auction saw more than 14,000 bidders from 59 countries. While the auction site itself spans an impressive 200 acres, it’s the online buyers who make up a bulk of the bidding. Of the 9,000+ items sold, 58 percent went to online buyers like John, who makes a point of stopping into the auction yard to check out items he’s interested in ahead of time when he’s in the area.
In April, he purchased a boom lift to be used in the landscape division of his company. He’s been buying from Ritchie Bros. for years, so he felt confident going into the online purchase.
“Their listings are accurate. They sell what they say they’re going to sell, so it’s nice to be able to count on that when buying equipment online,” John says.
A One-Stop Shipping Shop
John has purchased hundreds of items from Ritchie Bros. auctions over the years, picking up equipment from auction sites across North America – from California to Florida, and from the East Coast to the West Coast of Canada.
Ever since he’s been purchasing equipment from Ritchie Bros. auctions, he’s been relying on uShip to get it back to Calgary.
“Some of the equipment, we’re able to transport ourselves, but 75 percent of the time, I’ll list it on uShip to see what we can get.”
A uShip user for nearly a decade, John knows the ins and outs of the system, and appreciates the ability it gives him to evaluate carriers, manage insurance coverage, and review ratings. After booking transport for an eligible listing purchased at the Edmonton auction, John was the winner of our free shipping giveaway.
For the boom lift delivery, he worked with No Bull Land & Cattle, a highly-rated transporter in the uShip network. It was a positive experience, and John was happy to work with a transporter who was able to easily work through some typical logistical delivery challenges, resulting in smooth, on-time delivery.
“I speak highly of uShip when talking to my coworkers,” John says. “It works pretty darn good.”
