Government Auctions: How to Find them and What to Expect

Government auctions are a great idea if you?re looking to find real bargains. This is true of individuals, who might be looking for a house, a boat or a car, and also of companies, who can save themselves a lot of money on trucks, office supplies or furniture, among other things. However, in order to make the most of the auctions, you need to know where to find out about the venues, dates and times, and you need to know what kind of limitations you might find on them.

One place to look to find details of government auctions is the US government website, usa.gov. There you?ll be able to find details of goods that are sold directly at a fixed price, others that are available via online auctions, and yet more that are to be sold at more traditional-type auctions, where you can bid at the actual auction, or by sending in a sealed bid beforehand. You can also search in the major search engines to find local government auctions - Google is obviously the best for this. You can also look around this website, where you?ll often find directions on where to find upcoming auctions.

Looking for an Automobile?

Another source of information is the aptly named Government Auctions Company, which specializes in auctioning off all types of vehicles. These may have been used by local authorities, by hospitals, fire services, police forces, the federal government, etc. As with all types of government auctions, it is necessary to be wary, because of a number of limitations, or differences between government auctions and usual purchases.

Caveat Emptor

The first difference is that anything bought at a government auction comes without a warranty. This means that it is usually better to attend an auction in person so that you can get a view of what you intend to buy before bidding. Another difference is that the buyer is always responsible for taking the goods away ? they are never delivered to your door! What is more, you only have a week to remove your purchase. If you leave it longer it will probably be impounded and put up for auction again!

Finally, any item can be taken off the auction list without prior notice, and could also be subject to a minimum bid. If the minimum is not reached, the item is simply withdrawn and auctioned again at some time in the future.

So, while government auctions can be a wonderful way to find true bargains, you obviously need to know where to look to find out the venue of upcoming auctions. And you also need to be aware of certain limitations to make sure that you do indeed get the bargain you are looking for.