After seeing that auction volume in the first half of 2012 was on par with same time period during 2011, the National Auto Auction Association predicted that auction volume will have an overall gain in 2013.

The NAAA also found in its most recent Auction Industry Report that auction volumes had an overall year-over-year drop of 0.3% in the first half of this year.

“Auction volume was about flat with last year in the first half, after a 7% decline in 2011,” NAAA economist Ira Silver wrote in the report. “We anticipate a firming in the second half leading to a slight increase in volume for the full year.”

A smaller decline in the fleet/lease and manufacturer/factory categories mixed with upticks in dealer consignment will have a hand in the expected 2013 auction-volume gain, Silver stated in the report. The latter’s numbers rose 7% in the first half of 2012, while fleet/lease and manufacturer/factory categories both dropped nearly 8%. 

The Auction Industry Report also indicated that all but one of the nation’s five regions saw a gain in auction volume. The Southeast had the largest increase, up 2% through June, while the Southwest came in second with a 0.8% rise. The Northeast and Far West were up 0.1%, but the North Central region slipped almost 5%.