Taking Stock column: Video sales are taking over

Bold statement, I know, but think back 10 years ago and remember just how much has changed in the studstock selling scene.

I am a huge fan of seeing bulls walk into a sale ring.

I love the theatre, the points an auctioneer can make to a crowd, the test of an animal's temperament and those bulls that have a 'look at me' presence.

But times are changing.

Nowadays more and more auctions are moving to video sales; televisions or projectors displaying pre-recorded videos for the crowd as an auctioneer makes his way through the catalogue.

In Victoria a huge number of sales have already gone this way.

It is amazing how quick and how many have changed, which has followed on from a huge number of ram sales also using the video sale format. Buyers seem to be adapting and vendors are happy with it too.

One vendor I spoke to who had made the change said they didn't have to worry about bulls coming in or which pen they were going into after the hammer had fallen. So which way is better and why should we change tradition?

I spoke to auctioneer Paul Dooley from Paul Dooley Pty Ltd who does a mix of both and is happy to accommodate whichever way the vendor goes. He added a very intriguing point.

"I think a lot of spur-of-the-moment decisions are made by buyers with the bull in the ring, couple this with a good auctioneer pointing out the quality points to that bull, which will entice a buyer into action, often an extra bid can be found," he said.

That makes me wonder, how many bulls are bought by purchasers simply because they catch their eye in the ring? How is a video format going to do this?

Elders studstock agent Lincoln McKinlay expressed his views saying there were a lot of positives to video sales with safety and less stress on the cattle being the main ones. He also said the quality of videography today made a huge difference.

A buyer could see, visualise and get a good indication of the bull when he showed himself off properly.

From an auctioneer's perspective the sale was also a lot quicker and more free flowing using videos.

All interesting, supportive points of the new method.

Brain Kennedy, also from Elders studstock, spoke about the two sides to the coin, and reinforced the positives of both sides of the equation.

Whether it be drawing another bid or the prevalence of safety in the industry but a parting comment that stuck with me from Brian that affirmed my position was "down the track video sales will be the normal".

I come out of those conversations thinking about the importance of having bulls in the ring still but how times are and will continue to change towards the video format.

So while I love a bull standing in a ring being sold, I understand the need for video auctions; the ease it places on the vendor, the reduced worrying about safety.

Ultimately the way forward is with video sales and soon bulls in a ring will be a rarity. My advice is make the most of them while they are still around.

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