Invaluable, the world’s leading online live auction marketplace, announced record growth in the second quarter of 2015, stemming from a 50 percent increase in the number of auctions run on the platform – the most ever sales in a quarter – along with a 68 percent increase in unique bidders over the same period in 2014. Asian art & antiques continues to be a top category on the Invaluable platform with gross merchandise sales growing 40 percent in Q2 of 2015 over the same time period in 2014. The classic automobile category also experienced a significant increase of 58 percent in gross merchandise sales in Q2 2015, further contributing to Invaluable’s growth.

More than 180 auction houses joined the Invaluable marketplace between April and June of 2015, including Wright, Guernsey’s, Profiles in History, Altermann Galleries and Antiquorum in North America, along with Cornette de Saint Cyr in France, Keys Fine Art Auctioneers and Wellers Auctioneers in the United Kingdom, Finarte in Italy, Galartis SA in Switzerland and Louiza Auktion and Veilinghuis Loeckx in Belgium, greatly contributing to the company’s growth over the quarter. These auction houses join the roster of premier auction houses around the world that list on Invaluable, including Doyle New York, Swann Auction Galleries, Freeman’s, Garth’s, James D. Julia and Stair Galleries in North America, along with Artcurial and Tajan in France, Van Ham Fine Art Auctioneers and Auctionata in Germany, Lyon & Turnbull and Sworders in the UK, amongst many others.

“We are thrilled with a record-breaking second quarter in 2015. The addition of so many new auction house partners to the Invaluable platform, along with the one-of-a-kind merchandise they offer, continues to result in a steady increase of new bidders, making Invaluable the ‘go-to’ resource for those looking to participate in auctions around the world,” said Rob Weisberg, Invaluable CEO. “I’m very proud of all that the team accomplished this quarter, and I look forward to continued growth and innovation in the second half of the year.”

In addition to new auction house partnerships, international growth and expansion was also a key growth factor for Invaluable in Q2.  The company continued to expand its Sales, Marketing and Support teams in the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Australia as it grows the Invaluable bidder base in these regions. The company hired more than 15 employees in the UK, Europe and Australia since the beginning of the year, and is continuing to grow.

Invaluable also made significant upgrades and advancements to its technology and service offerings over the quarter, including the introduction of the following new features and offerings.

• New, Upgraded Video Platform: In April, Invaluable announced the launch of its new video platform, which is the most advanced video broadcast solution currently available in the auction industry. Offering improved image quality, along with a larger and higher quality stream, the new platform allows the company to support hundreds of thousands of concurrent video attendees without loss of timing or delay.
• Updated Invaluable App for iPad and iPhone: Invaluable recently updated its mobile app for iPad and iPhone. In addition to exclusive “swipe to bid” technology for live auction sales, the app now supports the ability for bidders to also participate in timed auctions, and offers a recommendation engine for bidders to help them more easily find lots of interest. With nearly 40 percent of all site traffic coming to Invaluable from mobile devices, the app provides users an easy, reliable way to bid during live auction sales.
• The Auctioneer’s Tote Board: The Auctioneer’s Tote Board is a new feature that makes it faster and easier for auctioneers to acknowledge online bids during live auction sales. It is a visual indicator placed in front of the auctioneer, which flashes whenever an Internet bid is submitted, ensuring no bids are missed.
• Around the Clock 24/7 Customer Support: With teams now located around the world, Invaluable is the only live auction marketplace in the industry to offer 24/7 around the clock support. Both auction houses and bidders can call into Invaluable at any time and will be connected with a representative.

For more information on Invaluable, to view upcoming auctions and to register to bid online, please visit www.Invaluable.com.

About Invaluable

Invaluable, the world’s leading online live auction marketplace, features a live online bidding platform that allows collectors and dealers to bid in real-time in auctions held around the world. As the leading developer of SaaS and e-commerce applications for the auction industry, Invaluable provides auction houses with e-commerce and marketing solutions, as well as auction management software. Invaluable’s best-in-class historical price database includes more than 58 million complete auction results, totaling more than $204 billion in value. Founded in 1989 and headquartered in Boston, Invaluable also has offices in the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Australia. For more information, visit www.Invaluable.com or follow us on Twitter: @InvaluableLive.