Britannia AuctionsWarehouse and logistics equipment sales in Southampton
Freight forwarding around a container port is contract work. A shipping line changes its inland haulier, a retailer moves its devanning to another shed, and the operator at Nursling or Adanac Park is left with a fit out it no longer needs. Racking that was put up for one customer's pallets, a fleet of powered pallet trucks, dock levellers and a charging bay all have to be out before the landlord's dilapidations survey.
We sell that equipment by online timed auction, on site where the yard allows a collection day and from our own premises where it does not. Marine suppliers along the Itchen and at Hedge End sell through the same route, usually with smaller lots and more awkward buildings. Tell us what you have and the date the shed must be empty, and we will say how we would run it.
Devanning sheds off junction 1 of the M271
The sheds at Nursling and Adanac Park were built for container traffic. Most have long dock faces, wide yards and racking in tall runs, and the equipment inside is standard enough for the next operator of a similar shed to fit out with. Reach trucks and counterbalance trucks with a current report of thorough examination, powered pallet trucks, stretch wrappers and pallet scales are all ordinary trade lots. Dock levellers and shelters can be offered too, though the buyer arranges and pays for the removal and the making good, so we describe them with that in mind.
Where the yard turns an articulated lorry and buyers can load from the dock, a collection day is straightforward to run, and the M271 puts the M27 a mile away. We confirm that on the visit rather than assume it. Collection days are agreed after the sale closes, with the racking normally last so the floor is clear for the buyer's crew. The trade in Totton, Eastleigh, Fareham and Portsmouth is near enough to attend the viewing day, and dealers bid online from further off.
Marine stores where the yard is a slipway
Boatbuilders, riggers and marine engineers on the Itchen and along Southampton Water keep stores that look nothing like a distribution shed. Cantilever racking for masts and lengths of extrusion, longspan shelving for fittings, a mezzanine over the workshop and a single forklift that doubles as the yard truck. The building is often old, the approach is a lane shared with a boatyard and the only hard standing is the slipway.
For these we look at the site first, at the lane, the turning space, the door heights and what there is to load from. If a rigid lorry can get in, the sale can run there with a short viewing and a single collection day. If it cannot, the lot can be collected to our premises and sold with other consignments, which gives bidders a proper loading point and gives you the building back sooner. Cantilever racking belongs with the marine trades from Hedge End to Fareham, and with timber merchants and fabricators storing lengths.
What these sales can include
- Counterbalance forklifts
- Reach trucks
- Powered pallet trucks
- Hand pallet trucks
- Pallet racking
- Mezzanine floors
- Longspan and cantilever shelving
- Conveyors and sortation
- Roll cages and stillages
- Stretch wrap machines
- Pallet scales
- Battery chargers
- Order pickers and stackers
- Dock levellers and loading equipment
How the sale runs
After a site visit we agree what is in the sale and what stays. We catalogue and photograph each lot, list the sale online and market it to warehouse operators, dealers and contractors. Bidders view on a set day, then bid online over the sale period, with lots closing in sequence.
Lots are offered as seen under the auction terms, with buyers expected to inspect before bidding. The buyer pays the hammer price plus a buyer's premium, with VAT charged where it applies and shown separately. We collect payment before release.
Collection runs over a window agreed with you. Buyers arrange and pay for the removal of their lots, with suitable handling equipment or specialist contractors where the item needs them. Our staff attend to release lots against paid invoices and see that dismantling is done safely.
The warehouse and logistics equipment sales page covers racking and how it comes down, forklifts and the records that matter, the small equipment adds up, timing a sale around a site handover.
Questions about selling in Southampton
- Our shed is at Millbrook, next to the container terminal. Will port traffic get in the way of a collection day?
It can, so we plan round it. Millbrook Trading Estate shares its approach roads with the terminal, and at busy times a queue of container lorries can hold up a buyer's vehicle for a while. We set collection slots rather than an open day, put the heavy lots that need an articulated lorry in the quietest slot, and tell buyers which entrance to use. Van buyers collecting pallet trucks and small equipment fit round the port traffic without trouble.
- We handle vehicle imports through the docks. Does yard equipment from a vehicle compound sell in a warehouse auction?
Yes. Tow tractors, yard shunters, vehicle ramps, tyre racks and the powered pallet trucks from the parts store sit in front of the same trade that bids on forklifts and racking. The vehicle handling firms round the Western Docks turn contracts over like any other logistics operator, and compounds, dealers and hauliers across the UK use the same equipment. We lot it alongside the warehouse equipment and describe the hours and inspection reports on each machine.
More questions about warehouse equipment