Online auctions for saleyards, forced during the pandemic, will only continue to grow after vendors and buyers saw the advantages of the approach, according to industry experts.
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Elders Albury livestock manager Brett Shea said people were comfortable using online livestock auctions, like Stocklive, which has operated at saleyards across the country, including at Barnawatha's Northern Victorian Livestock Exchange.
"We've seen them continue to use it as a platform even as restrictions have eased," he said.
Mr Shea said last year people wanting to buy or sell stock had to upskill quickly or miss out.
"A lot of people would have said 'I won't buy something without seeing it in the flesh' themselves, but since they've had to use certain online platforms to buy and sell stock, they've gained confidence from that," he said.
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Wooragee farmer Robin Warner said he'd been selling stock online for about four years, but had noticed increased online interest in sales since the pandemic.
"It was quite evident on the hits on the internet that people saw them advertised," he said.
He said selling online was easier on animals and handlers, and allowed him to tap into a bigger market.
"[It's a] broader area, if you just sell them at the market it's more or less just locals who see them," he said.
Manager of Stocklive Libby Hufton said online sales saved people travel time.
"Coming down from Tamworth to Barnawartha, it's two days," she said.
"The efficiency of being able to purchase online is great."
She said that last year the use of Stocklive increased by about 300 per cent across buyers, viewers and the saleyards were coming on board.
"People are going to operate with online bidding because of the ease of doing it," she said.
"I don't think after COVID-19 that it's going to go away. People are going to consistently look to using online platforms."
Mr Shea agreed online bidding was the way of the future, but he didn't think in-person sales would die out.
"I think your still going to have a large number of people who if they can attend a sale they'll attend," he said.
"It's a community event as much as anything, [people] can get out and about."
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