Where is the Best Place to Find Government Auctions? If you're a thrifting fan or love getting more for less, auctions might be the pastime for you. Government auctions, specifically, are public sales events where the government (federal, state, or local) sells property that has been forfeited or seized. Unlike other types of auctions (like an auto auction), which tend to be more specific to particular items of interest, government auctions offer tons of different items. Some of these include real estate, vehicles, electronics, boats, clothing, heirlooms, and more. You can also find government auctions that offer surplus items from the government entities themselves, like office equipment or even buildings that are no longer needed for government work.
Best Option
All Surplus is one of five government auction sites that are owned by the parent company Liquidity Services. It serves as a marketplace for businesses and government surplus, so you can find all sorts of items on this auction site. All Surplus as a seller isn't limited to government entities, so if you're a business owner looking to sell, you can use All Surplus as a helpful platform. And, if you're a buyer looking for government auctions only, you can find those easily with All Surplus.
Buy from cities, colleges, and the military
All Surplus offers the ability to search only government sellers. You can support entities like state colleges, including California State University, the University of Alabama, and Louisiana State University. There is also a range of government auctions from entities like the Commonwealth of Virginia Treasury, City of Denver, Army and Air Force Exchange, and more. Whether you're looking for state-run, city-run, or county-run auctions, All Surplus has a massive list of entities from all corners of government.
Bid or buy now
All Surplus offers three types of auctions: No Reserve/Reserve Met, Reserve Not Met, and Buy Now Price. For No Reserve or Reserve Met, the item will be guaranteed to sell to the highest bidder regardless of the price. Reserve Not Met means the item will have a minimum price that must be met before you can guarantee the sale (Reserve Met is the other side of this version, but it's grouped with No Reserve as auctions with the Reserve Met are also guaranteed to sell). Finally, the Buy Now auctions allow you to buy that specific item at a fixed price. At the time of our visit, 17,000 government auctions were No Reserve/Reserve Met, 1,039 were Reserve Not Met, and 1,579 allowed bidders to buy right away.
Browse through over 18,000 auctions
Finding what you need is a breeze at All Surplus. You can use the filter to find your perfect items by category, account type (government vs. non-government sellers), currency, price limits, the type of auction, the condition of the item, particular sellers (if you want to support a particular group), and location or regions. Our only complaint about browsing is that many of the items on auction in the real estate section had placeholder photos, so you typically have to do extra research on the lots, buildings, and land to see what you're actually bidding on. In terms of the number of listings, there were 18,479 ongoing government auctions at the time of our review. For real estate, there were 310 active auctions, 3,763 for transportation, and 7,230 (the majority) for consumer goods. This category includes things like clothes and jewelry, furniture and appliances, and/or fitness equipment.
Free items or costs from $1 to $2,400,000
Our price comparison checks out the same categories to see how costs stack up between different government auction sites. Notably, many of the lowest-cost items were actually free. There is a buyer's premium on listed auctions of 12.5% for most items. However, if you request a free item, this premium doesn't apply to this order as it's a percentage of your final cost. Across the entire set of auctions, pricing ranged from $1 for a desk to $2,400,000 for a 1990 Beechcraft King Air 350 private plane. Here's how the pricing in other categories appeared at All Surplus:
Top marks from the BBB
All Surplus holds a top-notch "A+" rating from the Better Business Bureau. However, there are almost no reviews for this government auction site on third-party review sites. Some customers had trouble placing bids on this site, but without further reviews, it is unclear if the 6 reviews left with the BBB are a handful of poor experiences or the norm for those browsing auctions on All Surplus. Considering the "A+' rating from the BBB, though, there is a high likelihood that these were the minority and not the norm for bidding at All Surplus.
Top pick for variety and buyability
All Surplus is a top pick for a variety of reasons. You can find tens of thousands of auctions at any given time. On top of that, you'll find a variety of no reserve, reserve, and buy-now government auctions that make it simple to buy how you want. With a range of items that includes real estate (for incredible costs), vehicles, and all sorts of consumer goods, you can browse All Surplus all day and still find something new. For these reasons, it earns top marks and a full 5 stars in our review.
Great
Government Auction is a site that bills itself as the "best source for deals online". And with unique finds like diamond and emerald jewelry right on the front page, Government Auction already stands out from the pack. Whether you're looking for land, collectibles, or gemstones, there's plenty to browse at this government auction site. Government Auction was established over 14 years ago, and continues to offer low-cost auctions across the site.
Specializes in live auctions for property
Government Auction specializes in land. It has sold over 20,000 properties and stands out as offering raw land for investments, real estate from the state, county, or city, and surplus land from government operations or liquidation sales. The auctions are usually daily, and you will need to sign up to register to bid at Government Auction. For example, at the time of our review, the current auction started bidding at 6:00pm PDT, so you'll need to keep an eye on the time. Government Auction offers absentee bidding and live bidding. If you want to bid absentee (and not keep an eye on the auctions in real time, you can submit absentee bids up until one minute prior on the day of the auction (right before it flips to live bids). Government Auction also offers "buy now" items, but these are fewer and further between than standard auctions.
One auction per day with 100+ lots
The auctions offered are cycled daily at Government Auction. So instead of having multiple auctionable items from different vendors, Government Auction just runs one daily auction with multiple lots. For example, the daily auction during our review offered items like collectible Pepsi posters, a round cut diamond, a tungsten steel men's wedding ring, black diamonds, 11-acre properties, and more. Every day, there's something slightly different, but the items primarily include jewelry, artwork, and lots of land. For the government auction live during our review, there were around 120 lots to choose from.
300+ total items on sale
Including "buy now" items, there were 312 items available at Government Auction. The largest category was jewelry and gems, which included 210 total lots. There were also 42 coins, and 51 items for property across land, financed land, and property with acreage. There were 2 collectibles in the current auction, as well as 6 pieces of art. However, when compared to other sites that have tens of thousands of items, you might find the selection a little lackluster at Government Auction. On the other hand, if you're patient (or you really like jewelry or property at competitive costs), you might like the deals you'll find with the daily auctions here.
Costs from $1 to $8,001 for current auction
Comparing costs at Government Auction is a little more limited than with other auction platforms in our review. First, we were unable to do a price comparison on vehicles, since Government Auction didn't have any in its ongoing auction or "buy now" sales. Further, they didn't offer many consumer items, so we just looked at the costs for jewelry instead. Across all items, costs ranged from $1 for a collectible Coke poster and up to $8,001 for a diamond and gold custom bracelet. Here's the cost breakdown for real estate and jewelry:
Top-quality customer service
Government Auction has a stellar reputation across the board. It currently holds an "A+" rating from the Better Business Bureau and accreditation. On top of that, Government Auction holds a 4.3-star average rating on Trustpilot, with 83% of individual reviews offering a full 5 stars. Customers highly praise the customer service at Government Auction and the ease of use for ACH transfers and processing payments. Reviews echo happiness with the speed of response from customer service when individuals had concerns or questions about the auction process. Some customers have been purchasing land and items from Government Auction for years, and return to this government auction site over and over for the fantastic deals.
Most reliable place to buy low-cost land
Government Auction is a standout auction site. While it's a little more limited in terms of inventory than other government auctions in our review, it has an outstanding reputation from the BBB and reviewers who love the shopping experience. If you're looking to buy land or jewelry (and sometimes collectible items), there are tons of great deals on Government Auction. While you might not find your next vehicle there (though you might if you wait for the right auction), it's a fun way to find new and unique items since every auction will offer you something slightly different. For these reasons, Government Auction earns an excellent rating in our review.
Very Good
Gov Deals is another site in our review that's part of the Liquidity Services brand family. This includes 5 different government auction websites. The experience, design, and story for Gov Deals is almost identical to its sister sites. However, unlike some of the other Liquidity Services brands, Gov Deals only focuses on government auctions. There aren't options for business auctions or personal sellers at this company.
100% government auctions
All of the auctions available through Gov Deals are government auctions or items sold by government entities. You can find auctions from colleges like University of Alaska Fairbanks, University of Tennessee, University of Kentucky, and more, fiscal courts, state surplus operations, military surplus, and beyond. Our research also showed auctions from the United States Postal Service and county governments. There are notably different government auction options listed here than with Gov Deals' sister sites (though there is some overlap).
Find over 21,000 auctions with no reserve
Gov Deals gives you a few different ways to join government auctions, so you can choose what works best for you. Gov Deals offers No Reserve/Reserve Met, Reserve Not Met, and Buy Now auctions. In No Reserve or Reserve Met auctions, the item is guaranteed to go to the highest bidder, no matter the final bid. On the other hand, Reserve Not Met auctions require the price to hit a certain minimum before the seller agrees to let it go. If that price isn't reached, the item won't be sold. For those who want to skip the bidding process, the Buy Now option lets you grab an item at a set price instantly. At the time we checked, Gov Deals had over 21,139 auctions where the item was sure to sell (No Reserve or Reserve Met), 1,929 with unmet reserves, and 1,900 listings you could buy on the spot.
Tons of options for consumer goods
Browsing at Gov Deals is similar to other sites in the Liquidity Services family. You can filter by categories like transportation (4,780 items), consumer goods (8,679 items), or real estate (707 items). Plus, there are helpful filters for the type of auction, the preferred currencies, what region or location you're in, price limitations, and the condition of the item you want to buy There were more government auctions at Gov Deals than we saw at some of its sister sites, with 23,068 different auctions active at the time of our review.
Prices from $1 to $2,400,000
To compare costs across different government auction sites, we looked at three popular categories for fantastic deals at Gov Deals. Notably, outside of the main cost comparison, there were free items available for request on this auction site. While some items had buyers' premiums, most of the items we researched did not list premiums on the product page. The terms and conditions state that premiums are listed on the Bid Box (which you can't access until you've created a profile on Gov Deals with an email and password). For the entire range of prices across all auctions, we found items from $0.50 for 9 purple yoga mats up to $2,400,000 for a 1990 Beechcraft King Air 350 private plane (this is a common item we spotted across the different Liquidity Services-affiliated auction sites). Here's what we found for the other popular categories:
Impressive BBB ratings for parent company
Gov Deals did not have its own page with the Better Business Bureau. Instead, we had to check out its rating under the parent company, Liquidity Services. Impressively, Liquidity Services held a top "A+" rating and accreditation with the Better Business Bureau. However, on third-party review sites like Trustpilot, Gov Deals' reputation isn't as stellar. Trustpilot shows a 1.6-star average out of 5 stars for this government auction service. Customers did not like the lack of communication from Gov Deals when they inquired about the auction process. Also, one customer noted that in a mistaken purchase where the item needed to be picked up in person (and the buyer lived in a different state), the mistake caused the buyer's account to be locked unless he paid a fee to unlock it. On the other hand, if you're careful with your buying (and are familiar with the auction process), you may not have any issues at Gov Deals.
Best for those who have auction experience
According to reviews for Gov Deals, this is not a site for those brand new to auctions. You have to know what you're doing because Gov Deals isn't going to help you out if you make mistakes. However, with its high inventory and unique selections of real estate, vehicles, and other major favorites, Gov Deals stands out as a fun choice if you want lots of options for your next government auction. Plus, with buy now auctions (not offered everywhere), you can get some items without any bidding at all. For this reason, Gov Deals earns a highly competitive score in our review.
Good
If you're looking for a way to support your local (or state) law enforcement, Police Auctions is a unique government auction site to check out. This auction site was founded in 1999 by Vortal Group, and it has since grown into a massive government auction database with tons of listings. You can also sell items on Police Auctions, even if you're a non-government or police entity, with its $1 no-reserve auctions. On top of that, Police Auctions offers services in the US, Canada, and Australia (as well as some countries in Europe).
Government and non-government auctions
The primary area of specialization here is auctions from police or law enforcement entities. For government-based listings specifically, Police Auctions had 1,100 active auctions at the time of our review. You can search by location, so if you want to support a particular police station or county, you can find auctions that fit your preferences. For example, at the time of our review, we checked in Florida and found active auctions for Broward County Sheriff's Department and Florida State University. Many of the items offered are things like seized boats, cars, and unclaimed property.
Some internal auctions have a return policy
Police Auctions offers traditional reserve auctions as well as no-reserve $1 auctions. Many of the government auctions are "external," so you need the external link to join the auction (online or in-person). These auctions will have a blue "get more information" button on them, which will lead you to a page that offers you to sign up for Police Auctions for free. There are no fees involved in joining Police Auctions. You can register with Facebook or an email if you prefer. Now, if you purchase an item directly from Police Auctions (something that isn't "external"), you will qualify for the company's 7-day return policy (though this doesn't include shipping fees).
Government listings are separated from the main site
If you're looking for popular items like cars and real estate that we see at other government auctions, those will mostly be found in the "government" side of Police Auctions. Other items under the "internal auctions" can be sold by regular folks or estate sales. The most popular category for internal auctions (usually the no-reserve ones) is jewelry, with 2,620 items live at the time of our visit. Other popular categories include coins and paper money, with 435 items. From the government listings, we found 210 cars available for auction at the time of our review.
Costs from $1 to $901
At most of the government auction sites in our review, we did a cost comparison that included real estate, vehicles, and consumer goods. At Police Auctions, the only items offered under the government listings out of those three were vehicles. The general $1 no-reserve auctions offered consumer goods (specifically jewelry), so we used that and government vehicles for our comparison. However, for vehicles, you can't see any pricing until you are a member of the site. So, we were limited to giving you a rundown on the consumer items. Across the no-reserve auctions (the only ones available to see for non-members), prices ranged from $1 to $901. There was also a range of items available to start bidding at $0, and some were appraised in the thousands.
Mixed reputation and concerns about "fakes"
Currently, Police Auctions holds an "A" rating and accreditation from the Better Business Bureau. However, when we checked out Police Auctions on third-party review sites like Trustpilot, the reviews were a little more mixed. Police Auctions held a 2.2-star average rating on Trustpilot, where customers showed mixed experiences. The most recent reviews were all 5 stars, with customers who stated it was easier to win bids on Police Auctions than with other auction websites. Others claimed that the stones in the jewelry weren't as durable as they expected, and felt suspicious that they saw the same jewelry items that were previously purchased show up multiple times on other lots at Police Auctions. Other customers were not able to get their money back after making returns from the government auctions, and some reviewers are using the word "scam" or "fake jewelry" in their reviews.
Mid-tier choice with a confusing interface
While this is a notably fun place to bid (and easier than average to win), you may find it harder to locate hot items like real estate with Police Auctions than at other government auctions. As a site that offers both government listings and listings directly through Police Auctions, there are different types of listings and auctions depending on which part of the site you use, which may be confusing. You do need a membership to see the government reserve auctions as well, which is an extra step not required by other sites. While the "A" rating suggests you can trust it, the claims of "fake" items are worth a bit of caution; for this reason, Police Auctions earns a mid-tier score rather than a higher rating in our review.
Average
US Auction Online is considered the "official" website of US government auctions. You can expect items obtained from land defaults, bankruptcies, estate closures, and property seizures. Auctions at US Auction Online start weekly, and all of the items sold through this platform are protected by its guarantee. This states that if there's any serious difference between what you bid on and the actual item you receive, you can return it for a full refund. US Auction Online accepts payments through credit cards, wire transfers, and PayPal. The company has been around since 1990.
Sellers remain a secret
US Auction Online offers fully online auctions from its network of consignors and listing agents. However, unlike some other sites in our review, US Auction Online doesn't disclose which government agencies originally took possession of the items on auction. So, if you're looking for a place where you can select a particular agency to support, you may want to try one of our higher-rated government auctions instead.
Reserve and no reserve auctions
Some items have a reserve, but these are not always listed on the item itself. If they are, it will be a separate note from the starting bid. There are reserve and no-reserve options, but US Auction Online does not disclose the details for these on most listings. For example, a rug had a note that the seller originally had a reserve of $25,000, but that reserve has been removed, and the individual is now accepting all bids. But, the reserve was never listed officially on the lot.
Browse around 1,600 different auction items
There were around 1,600 total items on auction at US Auction Online at the time of our review. Popular categories included art, collectibles, jewelry, and vintage items. Jewelry and loose gemstones make up a high volume of the total items at US Auction Online: 450 of the items on sale were jewelry of some kind, and 150 of the items were gemstones. However, there weren't any current auctions for vehicles or property like we saw at some of the top contenders in government auctions.
See current bids once you sign up
For most of our government auction sites, we researched the price ranges for common auction categories like real estate, vehicles, and consumer goods. However, you can't view current bids at US Auction Online unless you have a membership. The site is free to join, which makes it more competitive than some government auction sites that charge a membership fee. In general, all auctions at US Auction Online start at $1, though individual lots will tell you how much similar items have sold for in the past, so you can get an idea of how much you might expect to spend by the end of the bidding process.
Zero buzz for US Auction Online
At the time of our review, US Auction Online did not have a page with the Better Business Bureau. The only reviews we could find were a dozen or so on Facebook. Other than that, online forums confirm that US Auction Online is a legit auction website, and its lots can be trusted. However, we'd love to see more buzz for this company. Even the government auction sites that aren't as positive at least have BBB ratings. So, that's something to keep in mind as you browse.
Solid choice for jewelry and art fans
If you're looking for a place to score some fine art or jewelry in an auction, US Auction Online is a solid choice. While you might not find the most reviews for this auction site, it does offer a competitive satisfaction guarantee. While we'd love to see a bit more buzz all around, US Auction Online remains a reasonable choice if you like rugs, gems, and other shiny or collectible items. For this reason, this government auction site earns a rating in our review. With some more feedback on third-party review sites, it could rank even higher in the future.
Fair
Property Room is a government auction site that specializes in online policy auctions along with other government agencies. You can find things from jewelry, designer brands, to common electronics, all for low costs. Property Room has been in business for over 20 years and offers listings from 4,400+ law enforcement entities across the US. However, if you're looking for a site that's only for government agencies, you might be disappointed in Property Room.
Police auction and private ShopKeepers
The majority of items auctioned on Property Room are from law enforcement and municipalities, as these agencies are required to auction seized, found, and unclaimed property at public auctions. To keep Property Room more reliable (since seized items can limit what is available for auction), Property Room also has ShopKeepers who provide extra items. Some of the notable ShopKeepers include 611 Enterprises LLC, Antique Finder Services, Cassation Designs, GCPawn, ITechnowmobile LLC, and more. This way, you get access to top tech, jewelry, collectibles, and more that you might not get just waiting for police station sell-offs or traditional government auctions.
Pick from no-reserve auctions or buy now
Auctions on Property Room close daily, and most of them start at $1 with no reserve, making them easier to win than at other government auction sites in our review. On top of the no-reserve auctions (making up around 1,501 items in the police auctions), you can find "buy now" auctions as well. However, at the time of our review, there were no "buy now" items in the government auctions side of the site (the ones that aren't sold by the ShopKeepers).
Popular spot for jewelry auctions
Popular categories for government auctions at Property Room include vehicles, jewelry, coins, and electronics. At the time of our review, there were 43 listings for cars available for live auctions and "buy now" auctions. There were 557 different items in the jewelry category (not all of these were just government auctions), and the electronics section had 336 total items currently available. Notably, the police auctions were not able to be filtered by item type, instead, you could only filter by deals, seller, format, and whether or not you're required to pick up the item.
Costs from $1 to $7240
While normally we compare costs for all the government auctions in our review by checking out pricing for real estate, vehicles, and consumer goods, the categories offered at Property Room required a few changes. There weren't any lots for real estate at Property Room, so we removed that comparison completely. For the others, there wasn't a consumer goods category, so we focused on jewelry instead. Across all items, the lowest starting price was $1 for a range of items, including diamonds or yellow gold fine earrings, up to $7,240 for a 14k gold curb link chain. Here's how those prices broke down by category:
Customers complain about high costs for shipping
According to our research, Property Room holds an "A+" rating and accreditation from the Better Business Bureau. However, finding reviews outside of the BBB is difficult. There are some customer reviews on Property Room's website, but these may be curated. On Sitejabber, Property Room has an average of 1.9 stars out of 5, with recent reviews being mixed on quality. Some customers love the quick and efficient government auction process. On the other hand, others note that they received items that were "fake," and customer service doesn't care about shipping issues. While some items on Property Room can be shipped for free, most reviewers complain that shipping costs are far too high to be worth it.
Best for those who like fun auctions
While this might be a fun place to find jewelry or technology, it isn't as reliable as other government auctions. With fewer items from actual government agencies than other platforms in our review, Property Room mixes in items from other sellers to increase the variety of their sales. However, with high costs for shipping, a lack of popular auction lots like property, and few (and generally negative) reviews from trusted third-party review sites, it can't earn a higher rating. This platform is best for those who like the fun of auctions but aren't necessarily looking for a lot of government items.
Subpar
GSA Auctions is an online auction house that offers access to professional supplies, equipment, and IT items. With an item-by-item auction style that includes professional and military items, you can find a decent selection of low-cost finds at GSA Auctions. However, its offerings are a bit smaller than some of the larger government auctions in our review, meaning you might need to use it alongside other auctions if you're looking for something very specific, or wait around for new auctions to start.
Choose from over 800 auctions
Unlike some government auctions that tell you exactly who is selling each item, GSA Auctions will just give you the basic details: the location where the items are being sold, the lot name, and the closing date. Each item will also tell you how many people are currently bidding and what the current bid is up to. Most of the items are managed from GSA Auctions directly, so questions and points of contact are with GSA Auctions reps rather than particular government agencies. At the time of our review, GSA Auctions offered online auctions and in-person auctions with a total of 809 active items ready to sell. However, we didn't see any live auctions that allowed you to buy items right away (without bidding).
Reserve auctions last about a week
The auctions on GSA Auctions are similar to other government auction platforms that offer bidding on individual items. Almost all of the items are reserve auctions. However, according to the FAQ, GSA Auctions keeps its reserve prices secret. Their goal is to "maximize the return on investment." So, there is no way to tell if an auction is going to sell or not just by looking at it. On top of that, you'll want to keep an eye out for details like removal and inspection information. Some items must be removed by you, whereas others will be shipped to you.
The largest category is vehicles
There are plenty of items to choose from on GSA Auctions. The most popular government auction categories are trailers, tractors, and manufactured housing, with 137 items up for auction, vehicles with 141 items up for auction, and medical, dental, and veterinary equipment with 110 items available. Notably, there wasn't a real estate section offered by GSA Auctions other than the manufactured housing, which was different from many government auctions that offer property and foreclosed houses.
Cost from $4 to $350,000 for current auctions
To compare prices between GSA Auctions and other government auctions in our review, we looked at the total price of all the current auctions. The lowest current bid was $4 on a 5-drawer filing cabinet. The highest current bid was $350,000 for an emerald and diamond jewelry set. As for other popular categories, we weren't able to check on real estate, so we focused on the other two categories we check at each government auction: vehicles and consumer goods. Here's what we found:
Concerning ratings from the BBB
Regrettably, GSA Auctions holds a "D-" rating from the Better Business Bureau and no accreditation. It also has no current reviews on other third-party review platforms like Trustpilot or Sitejabber. There is a GSA Auctions app on the Apple Store, but this shows a dismal 1.3-star average out of 5. According to the few reviews on the BBB and Apple that we could find, GSA Auctions received complaints for items being in worse condition than stated in the listings. Further, when customers tried to go and look at items at this government auction, they were unable to, as the GSA Auctions custodian was out of town before the end of the auction. While this is from just a handful of reviews and may not be reflective of most people's experience, the low ratings on the BBB give us some pause.
Not as reliable for quality items
With a lower-than-average inventory and some concerns from reviewers, GSA Auctions doesn't stand out as a site that provides a top experience for government auctions. With items noted to be in worse condition than stated, and concerns about getting your money's worth (even with the discounts offered by auction prices), you may want to try some other sites before you head over to GSA Auctions. If you're looking for vehicles, you might like to browse, but make sure you read all the details about the item before you put in a bid.
Weak
Public Surplus is an auction site that focuses on the sale and purchase of unneeded items from government or public agencies, with a range of online and in-person auctions. To get started, you can browse by your local region or the government agency you want to support. You'll need to register for an account to begin joining government auctions, but this is free to do. And, you can browse without registering; you just need to make an account to start bidding.
Pick your preferred government agency
Tons of government agencies offer auctions or materials on Public Surplus. In the state of Florida, Public Surplus offered auctions for the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, Bay County Board of Commissioners, Broward College, Central Florida Planning Council, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Florida Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles, Orange County Public Schools, and many more. This way, you can support a particular government agency or group while also getting great deals on desirable items from these government auctions. You can also search for particular items, if you prefer, and browse that way.
Focused on reserve auctions
The majority of government auctions on Public Surplus are reserve auctions. The reserve cost is listed on the lot page, where it will be listed as a "minimum" bid. For example, on an office chair sold by the University of Florida, Public Surplus' minimum bid was listed as $10. On another item (a fire truck), the minimum bid was set to $3,701, which was more than the current bid of $3,651, so the item would not sell at that price. All items come with a detailed description of the condition of the item, required payment details (wire transfer vs. credit/debit cards), and whether or not you're going to need to pick up the item yourself.
Choose from 5,700+ active auctions
There were plenty of items to be had at Public Surplus. When searching the entire US, we found 5.778 different items on live auction at the time of our review. Remember, with auctions starting and ending frequently, the number of active government auctions will turn over regularly. For other popular categories, we found 211 different lots for real estate, 129 auctions for vehicles (including heavy work machinery), and 72 items for household consumer goods. Other popular categories at Public Surplus include aviation, clothing, computers, and jewelry.
Costs from $1 to $498,000
To compare costs, we looked at three popular categories across each government auction site. Across the entire active inventory at Public Surplus, prices ranged from $1 for a school work table to $498,000 for an old medical center and land (real estate). As for other popular categories like real estate, vehicles, and household consumer goods, here's how the prices at Public Surplus shake out:
Issues with browsing, quality, and fake bidders
Regrettably, Public Surplus currently holds an "F" rating from the Better Business Bureau. On top of that, the company holds just 1.3 stars out of 5 from trusted third-party review sites like Sitejabber. According to our research, recent bidders found that Public Surplus offered little or no protection. One customer who had used Public Surplus for over 5 years noted that the company has changed recently, and there are claims of fake bidders who do not actually pay or take the item. Many customers also feel that the items on sale at Public Surplus aren't worth the effort of bidding. Repeated reviews call the items sold at Public Surplus "junk," and there's no way to confirm if the items actually function before they're shipped. Further, there are complaints about the clunky interface and lack of filters while browsing government auction categories here.
Check out for property deals
With a range of complaints and a dismal "F" rating from the BBB, Public Surplus really isn't worth the trouble. You might find options for real estate or heavy machinery here, but there's no guarantee any of it will work. According to customer reviews, there is a lot of "junk" being sold at this government auction site. And while the ability to choose which government agency you're supporting is a bonus, the negatives outweigh the potential positives. For these reasons, unless you're looking for a place to compare real estate prices (or you really need a fire truck), you might want to check out one of our top-rated services instead.
Poor
Gov Planet is a government surplus operation that offers weekly auctions online for a wide collection of items, many of them from authentic military and government sources. All items at Gov Planet come with IronClad Assurance for the condition of the equipment. This means that most items at Gov Planet are certified by an inspector who has taken photos and looked through all the key systems and components of the item before it's put up for sale. You'll be able to see a full inspection report before you purchase the items from this government auction site.
Focuses on military items and gear
Gov Planet specializes in military equipment and items directly from government agencies like the Defense Logistics Agency, Marine Corps, and more. However, unlike many of the other sites in our review, Gov Planet doesn't list all of the sellers individually. Items are listed by location, or with other filters like buying format or item type; on other sites, you can select a particular government or state entity (like a university) to support when you're browsing items in government auctions. The primary inventory for these government acquisitions is military gear with items like bayonet knives, tents, sleeping bags, field packs, and more.
Browse over 22,000 different auctions
Gov Planet offers online and in-person government auctions for those who are looking for that "full" auction experience. There are usually auctions every day, and the online auctions last 2 full days to bid on items. You can also purchase items from GovPlanet Direct, which allows you to buy some items immediately or make offers rather than waiting for the bidding like a traditional auction. There were 22,095 different auctions active at the time of our review. 11,711 of these were traditional bidding auctions, 9,737 of these were "make offer" items, and 8,565 were available to "buy now."
Most popular category is Truck Tractors
When browsing Gov Planet, there are some difficulties in using the filters to find what you want. If you click on a category, it will reload the page, so if you want to select multiple categories, the back and forth with the filters is a little clunky. As for the inventory itself, Gov Planet had no specific category for real estate (only two separate categories, "agricultural real estate" and "commercial real estate"), which was different from many sites in our review. There were only 47 total items listed under Consumer Items, which is another popular category with most government auctions. The largest category at Gov Planet was the selection of 1,829 Truck Tractors. There are a decent number of different vehicles, too, but most of these are military or agricultural use, like container trucks, drill trucks, emergency vehicles, and recreational vehicles.
Costs from $1 to $6,000,000
To compare costs against other government auctions in our review, we usually look at the same categories of items at each location. However, there weren't many items to choose from in some of these categories here. Starting with the entire inventory, prices range from $1 for a utility trailer and go up to $6,000,000 for rig hardware and components. You can see individual features like whether or not an item has an IronClad inspection report with a red "iron" icon on the listing. If you click on a listing, you'll also see whether an item is available for financing with Gov Planet. There are also no listed premiums, which helps Gov Planet stand out from other government auction sites. If you're curious about the average costs, here's what we could turn up for our three popular categories:
Notably, the prices are sometimes in Euros or CAD, depending on the item's origin. Gov Planet does offer the USD value on the listing, though, so you don't need to convert the currencies yourself.
Items not delivered after purchase
Regrettably, Gov Planet currently holds an abysmal "F" rating from the Better Business Bureau. On top of this, this government auction site has a fairly negative reputation on other third-party review sites like Trustpilot. Currently, Gov Planet gets just 2.1 stars out of 5 on Trustpilot, where 75% of the total reviews are just 1 star each. Customers particularly note that the customer service reps at Gov Planet are "terrible" and frequently call customers (both buyers and sellers) up to multiple times per day. Other customers had problems actually getting the items they won or paid for through Gov Planet. One customer had to open a credit card dispute to get his money back on a vehicle he never received.
Too many complaints to compete
With fewer common items and tons of issues with actually receiving what you buy, Gov Planet is one of our least-recommended government auction sites. You don't want to be worried about disputing charges on your credit card or whether or not the equipment you buy actually shows up. So, unless military items are part of your must-have list (and even then, other government auction sites offer similar inventory), you may want to stay away.
Flawed
Government Auctions is a slightly different site compared to other government auction platforms in our review. Instead of allowing you to join auctions freely, you need to join Government Auctions with a membership. At the start, you can join for a free trial. However, you do have to put in a credit card to access it. The trial is only for 3 days, and after that, you'll be enrolled at $19.95 per month. Thankfully, the subscription fee is refundable within the first 30 days of your initial subscription date.
Mostly state agencies
So, is it worth it to subscribe to Government Auctions for your deals? If you put in your zip code or state, you can see all sorts of local auctions. However, when we put in our local zip code, it was stated to be "entered incorrectly". We were only able to see upcoming auctions if we searched by state. There are auctions from state police departments, general "state" auctions, and more. On the other hand, some of the auctions are from past dates (that have already ended) rather than up-to-date or ongoing auctions. Some were 4 or 5 days old, so you may have to search through the list to find upcoming auctions. Notably, the auctions all appear to be in-person only. And, you can't access the details of the auctions unless you subscribe.
Cars, homes, and more
While you can't see the details of particular auctions until you join the site with your credit card information, the four main types of items on auction at Government Auctions include seized and surplus vehicles, foreclosed properties, and consumer goods (phones, jewelry, and more). However, you can't see how many of each item is available in the auctions until you join the site as a member.
Costs aren't transparent for non-members
With other sites, we were able to do price comparisons with the auction items listed on the site. However, with Government Auctions, you can't see the details of the items or auctions until you've put in your credit card information to become a member. You can do this for the first 3 days (which are free), so you can see if the costs are worth your time. On the other hand, there's no other way to price out any of the items that might be for sale with Government Auctions. Compared to other government auctions that have greater transparency and free access to the auctions or items, Government Auctions doesn't stand out as well from the pack.
Low ratings and missing reviews
Despite claiming accreditation with the Better Business Bureau on its website, Government Auctions is not actually accredited by the BBB. On top of that, Government Auctions has a dismal "D-" rating there. As an added point of concern, Government Auctions also links customers to a particular review service that supposedly is used by customers of this government auction site. However, when we navigated to this site, it was a broken link. There are also no reviews for Government Auctions on other trusted third-party review sites like Trustpilot or Sitejabber, raising questions about the legitimacy of this site.
Don't pay for something you can get free elsewhere
Given the paywall and the lack of transparency with Government Auctions, it doesn't stand out as a site you can trust. It falsely claims to have good standing with review sites and third-party platforms like the BBB, and expects you to pay for the privilege to even see local auctions. Further, some of the auctions are listed as far back as almost a week old, which creates a significant issue for browsing to even find auctions that haven't passed already. For these reasons, and the general lack of transparency or reviews, Government Auctions earns our last-place spot - with a cautionary note that you don't need to pay for auctions on other websites, so it may not be in your best interest to do so here.
Continued from above...
If you're a thrifting fan or love getting more for less, auctions might be the pastime for you. Government auctions, specifically, are public sales events where the government (federal, state, or local) sells property that has been forfeited or seized. Unlike other types of auctions (like an auto auction), which tend to be more specific to particular items of interest, government auctions offer tons of different items. Some of these include real estate, vehicles, electronics, boats, clothing, heirlooms, and more. You can also find government auctions that offer surplus items from the government entities themselves, like office equipment or even buildings that are no longer needed for government work.
The best thing about government auctions in the modern age is that you can choose how you want to attend them. While in years past, finding a local government auction was the only way to get some of these goods at great prices, you can now attend many auctions online, which allows you to bid and manage your buys from the comfort of your home. While some auctions are still conducted in person, you have a lot more choices now than you did before.
But where do you find reliable government auctions? There are tons of websites, some offering their own auctions only, and others that collect auctions or lots from various government agencies and provide you the opportunity to get in on the great finds. For example, one auction platform offers surplus and seized items auctioned off by the police, and proceeds from the auction go to support that particular group. This means you can pick and choose what government agencies you'd like to support while you get great deals on items that might be hard to find elsewhere.
The bottom line? Government auctions are a great way to find potential savings on high-value items, especially real estate or vehicles. Whether you're looking for new furniture, a plot of land to build your dream home, lower-cost business space to start building your new company, electronics for the gamer in the family, or even a new car, there are tons of ways to score low-cost must-haves from a government auction.
If you're in the market for those savings, but you're not sure where to look for legit (and easy to use) government auctions, don't worry - we've done the research for you. Here are a few factors that can help you narrow the field:
To help you find the best spots for major savings, unique finds, and a way to support your favorite local (or state) government agencies, Top Consumer Reviews has reviewed and ranked the best government auctions available online today. This way, you can browse to your heart's content, find those must-have items for much lower costs, and trust that your money is going to a cause you believe in. So, what are you waiting for? Go grab your fantastic deals before they're gone!
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