what exactly is auction.com

[Mark Alex]

so...a long, long time ago, in the days before the internet they used to do "foreclosure" or "trustee" sales on the court house steps.  Basically, a homeowner would not pay his mortgage, the bank would reclaim the house from him, then the county(the trustee) would sell the house to someone for cash and pay the bank most of the money.  I know, it's more complicated than that.  What I'm confused is: what exactly is auction.com?  Are they now the trustee in a foreclosure sale?  Do foreclosure sales through the county still exist?  If so, when and where do they take place in Sacramento County?  Thanks very much for your responses.