AN AuctionsPlus proposal to charge participating livestock agents a subscription fee from early 2027 already has agencies talking about establishing alternative online marketing platform options.

AuctionsPlus this week forecast it will charge agents selling in more than three sales a year up to $199/month billed monthly or $139/month billed annually from next year.

Agents selling livestock in up to three sales a year will not be charged a subscription fee and newly accredited assessors would receive two years’ free unlimited subscription to support the growth of their business.

The leading online commercial livestock marketplace said it has been absorbing rapidly growing costs and security demands as it delivers and scales a market-leading trading platform. AuctionsPlus is owned by Elders and Nutrien Ag Solutions.

The subscription will keep the platform sustainably resourced now and into the future and revenue will be reinvested into further platform development, designed and shaped with assessors, AuctionsPlus said.

AuctionsPlus said the focus is tools that keep assessors central to the sales process and give them a real advantage with vendors who expect national market access, with reinvestment delivering continued innovation and value for assessors, their vendors and buyers. Assessor status, delivery agents, stud livestock and machinery sales are not affected. Buying and selling on AuctionsPlus continues as normal, it said.

However, the subscription proposal has prompted swift action from the independent agent network body RMA Network, urgently seeking feedback from its members.

RMA Network CEO Jason Woolhouse.

RMA Network chief executive officer Jason Woolhouse said he has met with AuctionsPlus executives and advised them that the decision would create “friction” for independent agents. He has already fielded feedback from private agents about pursuing other online marketing options.

“This is a new cost landing on agents who are already under pressure and our members are telling us that clearly,” he said.

“AuctionsPlus has confirmed there will be one price for all assessors.

“We’ll be asking how members can be confident that’s applied equally across the industry.”

Mr Woolhouse said he is seeking feedback from RMA Network members this week, ahead of the RMA board meeting with AuctionsPlus in Melbourne on Monday.

“Our board will hear that feedback in full and put it directly to AuctionsPlus.

“AuctionsPlus is an important partner for our members. Our job is to make sure independent agents are heard, and we’ll consider whatever options our members want us to explore.”

‘It’s just such a money grab’ – Templeton

SGL director Heath Templeton.

Southern Grampians Livestock and Real Estate director Heath Templeton said because AuctionsPlus is virtually a monopoly in the online commercial livestock marketing area there is very little agents could do, but he expected a backlash from private agencies.

“I actually think if agents can finally band together, everyone who is not Elders or Nutrien should be using a different platform.

“It has made me proper wild,” he said.

“It just means that if there is any possible way that we cannot use them, we will – everybody will be in the same boat.

“It’s just pure greed by corporates,” he said.

“It’s just such a money grab.”

Mr Templeton said it would cost more than $13,000 a year for his company’s assessors to subscribe under the new proposal.

“We need a whole (online) platform for private agents, we need to band together.

“I’ll be talking to RMA and saying ‘enough is enough’.”

AuctionsPlus CEO Wyn Snyman said to keep growing the national marketplace, the platform needs to be sustainably resourced now and into the future.

“Platforms that stop investing fall behind, and that won’t be the future of AuctionsPlus.”

AuctionsPlus said over the past two years it has invested the majority of its resourcing into new products and tools such as A+ Bloodlines, genetic integrations, Forward+ and LiveAssess.

“We won’t pretend this isn’t a new cost.

“We’ve worked hard to keep it in proportion to the value Assessors can get from the platform,” Mr Snyman said.

“Our commitment is that AuctionsPlus will remain one of the lowest-cost auction options, accessible year-round.”

Full details are available at https://pages.auctionsplus.com.au/assessor-subscription.

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