Government surplus auctions

[GB Hicks]

Has anyone ever gotten anyting good from one of these government surplus auctions?



http://www.govliquidation.com/auction/view?id=2618217&convertTo=USD

 

[-B-]

btw this is a Lista cabinet they have rounded the measurements and under valued the cabinet should be 1500- 1800 hundred standard width is 1300 fora 7 drawer 40 high.

http://www.govliquidation.com/auction/view?auctionId=2634155

 

[Danglerb]

Government auctions are typically VERY well attended by both professional and amateur buyers. Many items will be sold in large lots that may not be related merchandise.

Getting a good deal isn't likely unless you want something nobody else wants.

That said, from time to time you might find something good.

 

[norry]

Has anyone ever gotten anyting good from one of these government surplus auctions?



http://www.govliquidation.com/auction/view?id=2618217&convertTo=USD

Tried a few times, for tools and electronics, but other bidders went VERY high for what the stuff was. As danglerb said, bargains only seem to happen if you're looking for something very specific or live right next door to one of the areas where the equipment is being sold, and can inspect it in person. For example, they recently sold a 13 drawer Vidmar in "H7" condition ("determined to be unserviceable and does not meet repair criteria") for $455. Now if that H7 turned out to be "we want a new toolbox" or "we're sick of moving this heavy thing around," that's not a terrible price. But if it really is unserviceable (picture wasn't great, hard to tell) then it's a lousy price.

Call and ask, you say? Ah, but you haven't dealt with Uncle Sam... I called and asked, and they refused to give any info at all. They 'helpfully' pointed out that I could come by (it's 200+ miles away) or could pay someone to look at the toolbox for me. For pete's sakes, I just wanted to know if it was rusty and whether the drawers opened and closed smoothly!

Another example: I bid on a few old CRT projectors. Used to be considered very high-end, actually still is but most people don't like them because they're big and heavy. I was thinking the auction would go to maybe $500-700 if someone stopped by and they were in decent shape. $2100!! Ludicrous price for that model unless it was in absolute, A-1, immaculate, brand new condition (and even then not much of a deal!)

I do have a friend whose husband bought a few old 4x4s from them and seemed pretty happy with them, but you definitely want to examine those up close and personal first. Many of them are beat up. They have also been known to change the 'demilitarization' category and demand their stuff back - you get your money back and a bit of shipping, but it's a real pain and if you've sold the stuff, you're supposed to help them track it down. Happened to a few of the CUCV guys.

 

[rsanter]

there are a couple of guys I know that used t go to the goverment auctions.
one time they ended up buying a lit that included a bunch of stuff including 2 large crates that the contents were unidentified.
those 3 crates ended up being military jeeps, new in the box

another time they ended up with a bunch of large motors. couldnt figure out why they didnt sell for more...untill they got them home. they were 3 phase and they were an oddball RPM that must have been custom made for the military only.
they couldnt sell the motors to anyone so they turned them into rotary phase converters and made good money selling them off that way

bob

 

[Commando]

Being in the Military and seeing how things are treated I would recommend checking these things out. However there are a lot of expensive unused items sitting around, that eventually make there way to auction and the individual who sent it to auction usually winds up buying it or a friend, that's why I am always suspicious of some of the high selling lots.

This has not stopped me from buying, people get stuff wrong in the descriptions and that's why the pictures are necessary or visual inspection. Bought an expensive Leupold Scope for $150 shipped, person listing it didn't know it had lens covers on it that covered the model up.

I know a guy who has a military jeep in 55 gallon drums, got it at an auction, can get lucky sometimes.

 

[06wt]

I got the krl1003 in my avitar from govliquidation for $1800. It needed a good cleaning when i got it but other then that its perfect.

 

[retire early]

My first post...

I've bought a bunch of Stanley Vidmar cabinets & a couple Kennedy cabinets from military surplus. I have been nothing but happy with them. I paid about $900 for all 7 of the cabinets. I've got 2 60" tall 32" wide Stanley Vidmar cabinets, one with 10 drawers & one with 5. Then I've got 3 other smaller 4-6 drawer Vidmar cabinets, one holding up my work bench & two on wheels. The drawers on these things are awesome. They are 30" x 30" and the manufacturer says they can hold 400 lbs, and I'd believe it. I've got a drawer that's full of chains & such that weighs a ton and it opens with ease.

The pictures I attached are what they looked like when I picked them up. I don't have a current picture of them loaded in my garage. The drawers open on tracks that have 6 ball-race bearings. After 30 years of use by the Air Force, they were in desperate need of being repacked. After repacking the bearings, ohhhh these are nice.

I keep all of my hand tools in the 34" wide Kennedy cabs & put my power tools & parts in the Vidmar cabinets.

I was a bit afraid to buy from government surplus at first, but after some research & tried it out a couple times it's a breeze now. If you buy items that don't have an EUC (End User Certificate) or aren't medical equipment, it's no problem purchasing from them. If you're after generators, vehicles, or medical equipment then it's a much bigger pain.

The minimum bid on the auctions at govliquidation.com used to be $50. I could get great steals back then. I bought a still-shinny vidmar cabinet for $76 out the door a year or so ago. The minimum bids are now $150. I could go into detail of the whole process if anyone is interested.

 

[Mickey O]

I don't think the site linked to is an official government website. I have been to some of those General Services Administration auctions (Government) in person before, I didn't buy anything but the guy I was with bought a Buick Grand National GNX (FBI car), a Shelby Mustang and a Mustang drag car (Drug dealers cars) for a reasonable price but not a steal by any means. The vehicles I was interested in sold way over their value. Didn't see any tools or tool boxes at the auctions I went to.

 

[selohssa]

I know that it is not a tool but I got a good deal on this a couple of years ago. It was a 2004 Chevrolet police truck. All in all it was in good shape. I paid $4500 for it and put another $500 in accesories. I have been looking for tools at the Gov auctions but not much luck.

 

[tonydanzah]

that seems like a very good deal, how many miles?

 

[selohssa]

It was in Kilometers (I am in Canada). It was 143 kms (89,000 miles). I drove it for a year and still doubled my money.

 

[Mickey O]

At the local municipal auctions out here you can get some really great deals on vehicles and tools, you just have to know what the values are.

 

[devilphrog]

http://www.govliquidation.com/auction/view?id=2968895&convertTo=USD

For those who need 500 1 5/16" S-K sockets

 

[selohssa]

http://www.govliquidation.com/auction/view?id=2968895&convertTo=USD

For those who need 500 1 5/16" S-K sockets

What would anyone do with all of those? I would only want 1. That would take years to sell 499 off.

 

[devilphrog]

All of these sales are Lot sales and that usually entails claiming ownership of hundreds of items that you only need one of.

 

[retire early]

Military surplus is now handled by govliquidation.com. I grew up as an Air Force brat, and was used to seeing guys in uniform everywhere on base. The last few times I've been on base was to pick up surplus, and I didn't see a single U.S. uniform. The guards at the gate were from a private security firm & everyone at the surplus warehouse & yard were all civilians. If the military wants to get rid of something, they hand it over to govliquidation on base & they auction it off. You can get everything from tool boxes, skis, generators, mills, blasting cabinets, reloading brass, treadmills and even small ships & airplane frames. Yes, sometimes the lots are big, that's because they have a minimum bid of $150. They don't want to become ebay selling off each nut & bolt separately for $0.27.

Just to clarify, this is a DIRECT CHANNEL ON BASE to purchase surplus from the U.S. military. This isn't some Army Navy surplus store selling stinky uniforms & gas masks, Govliquidation is ON BASE, run by a private company getting rid of whatever the military wants to unload. You have to go through gate security, drive across the base and pick up the items in a military warehouse run by this company.

My favorite site for other government auctions is publicsurplus.com. I buy stuff from school districts, cities & counties. I've got good deals on tools, industrial sewing machines, surplussed library books industrial kitchen supplies, etc.

 

[dmw56]

Also look at http://gsaauctions.gov/ This is the General Services Administration's Public auction site for Surplus Government Property.

 

[rodm1]

Old thread but how is shipping on small stuff? Is there a way to get a shipping estimates? I'm looking for a old CRT but everything seems to be on a skid and assuming that is how it's shipped?

 

[jrcampbe]

Generally they will not ship items. You need to arrange a shipping agent to come get the item for you and then ship it. That won't be cheap. For an old CRT monitor it won't be worth it.

Jim

 

[Toxictom]

I keep an eye on gsaauctions.com and the govliquidation.com sites. They are great if you can find stuff locally. This is my latest purchase for $73. It is brand new and still had Styrofoam protectors in the drawers. Eight 24x36" drawers with roller bearing slides. I put a set of casters on it and use it for tool storage. Last year I got two 12'x8' flatbed trailers for $230. They both needed some welding but sold one for $900 after I fixed it. I kept the other one.

 

[My Old Tools]

I bought a 10" Sheldon lathe from govliquidation. It was a pain in the *** because it was on the restricted list and I had to be qualified as a US buyer with some paperwork that took a couple of months. When I finally picked it up it had been sitting outside all that time of course. But, it cleaned up nice and runs like a Singer sewing machine, zero run out, no broken gears, serial number matched faceplates and 3 jaw. And I paid $600 for it. All in all, not too bad. You have show you have insurance on your vehicle and trailer to pickup.

 

[egnorant]

Those Jeeps in a box have been considered near myth for many years. Some were found about 30 years ago and sold for about $30,000 each.

Bruce

 

[jrcampbe]

I got an MEP-002a generator with only 11 hours on it since a recent overhaul. Incredible machine. It needed batteries. Great thing about these units is they can be switched to 3-phase to run machining equipment. I paid $600. Ridiculous.

Got a bunch of other cool stuff, too.

Definitely worth watching if you can go pick up the item.

Jim