Secrets of my favorite government auction
I love bargains. And there’s no better place to find bargains than an auction. Y
There are no better auctions than government surplus auctions. My favorite
The government surplus auction is held the third week of September each year at the
County Park. I won’t tell you which county park as this is my best kept secret! Even
although the auction is advertised in the local newspapers (as required by my law), usually
find the same 20-30 people hanging around, looking at all the lots. and many of
I know they are not high bidders!
This annual auction is the countywide surplus auction. You will find everything and
nothing here like the county has several and departments. they have the typical
office equipment and furniture, automobiles, trucks, law enforcement equipment, etc. but a little more
the unusual things that have been auctioned have been things like a street sign
manufacturer (for making stop signs and the like), a row of metal lockers (of the old
county pool), playground equipment, 5,000 plastic cafeteria trays (which sold for $8!),
a stainless steel chef’s cart, a chrome torpedo trash can, and a fully operational cart
dump truck that cost several hundred dollars.
Having been attending for many years, I know what to expect and I know how
a lot to pay For example, they usually have a dozen retro office chairs that they sell
very good on ebay. The starting bid for the chairs is usually $5.00 each. However, for
If I don’t bid, I can usually wait (and luckily no one else knows what a gold mine is).
these chairs are…they just look like dirty old chairs!), and the auctioneer will go down
$3.00 opening bid, then $2.00, then $1.00, then fifty cents! Still, I am patient.
and wait while he throws two or three more chairs for fifty cents! My last trip to
auction, I got seven chairs for $4.00! I turned around and sold them for $25.00
each!
This is just one of the examples of the offers that I have found in the County
Auction. The secret of my success is threefold:
1. I know what’s “in” on the market by browsing eBay, watching HGTV, and
flipping through home magazines.
2. I know what the current retail prices are and take them into account when I am
offers. I usually get to the auction early with a notebook and go through all the
Lots to be auctioned. I write down the lot numbers and the highest price I have
willing to pay for that lot.
3. When the bidding starts, I wait for someone else to start the bidding. I place
yourself to be able to “read” how much they want the article. I’ll wait to make my offer. me
never get caught up in the bidding. And I always bow to my high price than I
I wrote in my notebook. This way I can avoid buyer’s remorse!
Using these tactics, I have successfully won many items at the local auction and
They have made a huge profit reselling these items. By using these techniques, you can
also be successful at your local auction. I just hope you never find my jewel of
auction, and never bid against me!