With over a quarter-trillion dollars in gross sales, the auction industry plays an instrumental role in the national and global economy. In 2007, the live auction industry sold $270.7 billion in goods and services in the United States, an increase of 5.3% from  2006.

                                                                                                                     The fastest growing sector of the auction industry is real estate auctions with over $58 billion sold in 2007.

                                                                                      With over $87 billion in gross sales, automobile auctions lead the industry. The auction industry is vast and diverse with auctioneers specializing in a variety of markets (i.e. art/antiques, automobiles, machinery, real estate, personal property, and charity).