Government Auctions

You can buy just about anything at a government auction and you can sometime get a very good deal on your purchases. Government auction items come from government's own surplus or obsolete items, foreclosures from government loans, or property confiscated from criminals or defaulters. The purpose of the auction is to find someone who has a use for the merchandise the government can't use and to raise revenues for the government. These auctions are very common. Some you can attend in person, others are conducted online.

Auctions are held by all levels of government. You can look at state government auctions and find yourself bidding on foreclosed homes or seized property. People who file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy have to have their assets liquidated at auction. You can find where these bankruptcy auctions are on the internet. The police seize property obtained from engaging in crime. They also have unclaimed goods. All of these items are sold at auctions. You can find government auctions for commercial property, jewelry, art, vehicles, coins, luxury items, inventory, antiques and collectibles, etc. Almost anything you can think of is available through a government auction.

There are different ways of approaching a government auction. To take part in an auction you have to be registered. Bids can be written, made in person or in some cases made online. You have to check out the particular agency or auction house, or both, to see what their rules and procedures are. For example, if you look at the U.S. Treasury site, they provide information about their auction. They tell you where they are and when, and that you should view the items before bidding. All bidding is voice bidding, even though they will accept written bids; they don't have any online auctions. They tell you all of their terms and conditions including deposit and payment information, removal of the auctioned item, etc. You need a government issued I.D. to enter the auction. They also have a list of the items to be auctioned on their website and where the items, in this case cars, can be viewed.

Probably the best place to look for information concerning government auctions is on the internet. Browse through the listings and look at the government websites and find out the relevant information, like where they are and what their procedures is. Don't sign up with the auction information sites just yet. There are a lot of scams out there.