Where GovAuctions gets its listings

state and local government surplus · Tiered buyer's premium 7.5–12.5% (median ~10%)

GovDeals is the largest marketplace for state and local government surplus in the U.S. - owned by Liquidity Services (NASDAQ: LQDT). Sellers include cities, counties, school districts, transit agencies, and statewide departments. The platform charges a tiered buyer's premium that scales with bid size, and a 30+ day probation for first-time buyers caps purchases at $1,000.

state and local government surplus · Buyer's premium 0–10%, set per seller (median ~7%)

Public Surplus serves smaller cities, counties, school districts, and volunteer fire departments. Inventory overlaps with GovDeals on roughly 5–15% of items but Public Surplus often runs lower buyer's premiums - some sellers absorb the premium entirely. The interface is more basic; search is less polished than GovDeals.

government fleet, equipment, and vehicle surplus · Capped internet buyer's fee (set per lot)

Purple Wave is a no-reserve online auction marketplace strong in the Midwest and Plains, and a major outlet for government surplus from cities, counties, state DOTs, school districts, and municipal road/fire departments. We list only its government-consigned lots - fleet pickups and vehicles, construction and ag equipment, trailers, and shop tools - filtered out of its broader mix of private contractor and farm consignments. Each lot is a timed auction with pickup at the selling agency.

federal government surplus · No buyer's premium

GSA Auctions (gsaauctions.gov) is the official U.S. General Services Administration platform for federal government surplus. Inventory comes from federal agencies disposing of vehicles, electronics, real property, and seized assets. GSA does not charge a buyer's premium - you pay your winning bid plus any state taxes.

federal FHA-foreclosed homes · No buyer's premium

HUD HomeStore is the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's marketplace for FHA-insured foreclosed homes, sold as-is with an owner-occupant priority window before investors can bid.

federal REO (foreclosed) real estate · No buyer's premium (fixed-price listings)

Fannie Mae HomePath is the federal government-sponsored enterprise's marketplace for REO (real-estate owned) homes - single-family houses, condos, and land that Fannie Mae acquired through foreclosure. Listings are fixed-price (not auctions) and sold as-is across all 50 states; owner-occupant buyers get a First Look window and possible down-payment assistance before investors can bid. It's one of the largest sources of government-held residential property in the country.

military and federal-disposition surplus · Tiered buyer's premium ~10%

GovPlanet, operated by Ritchie Bros / IronPlanet, sells military and federal-agency surplus - Humvees, MRAPs, generators, aircraft parts, body armor, and rolling stock from DLA Disposition Services and the armed services. Lots are inspected and rated, and the catalog overlaps heavily with what used to sell through GovLiquidation. Buyer's premium runs around 10% and pickup is at consignor locations.

U.S. Marshals and U.S. Treasury seized & forfeited personal property · Buyer's premium set per lot on the auction site

Apple Auctioneering Co. is the national contractor that liquidates seized and forfeited personal property for the U.S. Marshals Service (across its 84 districts) and the U.S. Treasury's asset-forfeiture program. Bidding runs on HiBid under the Apple Towing Co account. Inventory is dominated by seized vehicles - cars, motorcycles, semi-trucks, trailers, and boats - forfeited in federal criminal and civil cases, sold as-is with prompt removal required. It is distinct from the USMS real-estate forfeitures sold on Bid4Assets and the Treasury real property sold by CWS Marketing: this is the federal seized-vehicle and personal-property channel.

small-town municipal surplus · No buyer's premium (paid by seller)

Municibid focuses on small-town and rural municipal sellers - borough councils, township public works, volunteer fire companies, and small school districts that don't have the volume to justify a GovDeals contract. Inventory skews toward fire and public-works equipment (used fire trucks, brush trucks, backhoes, plow trucks) and confiscated/decommissioned police gear. Sellers pay a listing fee and the buyer pays no premium.

county tax-defaulted, sheriff, and federal forfeiture real estate · Deposit required; fees vary by county sale

Bid4Assets, owned by Liquidity Services (the same company behind GovDeals), is the dominant marketplace for county-government real-property auctions in the U.S. - tax-defaulted ("tax sale") properties from county treasurers and tax collectors, sheriff-sale foreclosures, judicial sales, and federal (U.S. Marshals) forfeiture. Every listing is a government sale; there is no private or MLS inventory. Most sales require a refundable deposit to bid, and terms (premiums, redemption periods, payment windows) are set per county.

Freddie Mac REO foreclosed homes · No buyer's premium (fixed-price REO; offers via agent)

HomeSteps is Freddie Mac's brand for its REO (real-estate owned) inventory - homes Freddie Mac has taken back through foreclosure and resells. It is the sibling of Fannie Mae HomePath and HUD HomeStore, completing the federal-REO picture. Listings are fixed-price (not auctions); buyers submit offers through a licensed real-estate agent. Freddie Mac is a government-sponsored enterprise under FHFA conservatorship, so the inventory is federal-adjacent and distinct from the foreclosure homes sold by HUD and Fannie Mae.

police-seized and unclaimed property · Buyer's premium 16.5%

PropertyRoom is the dominant online auction outlet for US law enforcement surplus - seized, forfeited, and unclaimed property from police departments, sheriff's offices, and state agencies. The catalog runs heavy on jewelry, electronics, bikes, firearms, and the occasional seized vehicle. Most items ship from regional warehouses; vehicles require pickup at the seizing agency. Buyer's premium is high (~16.5%) but the inventory is distinctive.

Michigan state government surplus · No buyer's premium

MiBid is the State of Michigan's DTMB surplus auction platform - decommissioned state vehicles, equipment, and office property sold directly by the state.

Illinois state government surplus · No buyer's premium

iBid is the State of Illinois Central Management Services surplus auction site - state vehicles, equipment, electronics, and office property sold directly by the state.

federal real property (homes, commercial buildings, land) · No buyer's premium

GSA Real Estate Sales (realestatesales.gov) is the U.S. General Services Administration's platform for surplus federal REAL property - single-family homes, commercial buildings, and land/lots disposed of by federal agencies. It is a separate platform from GSA Auctions (gsaauctions.gov), which handles personal property; there is no inventory overlap. Sales run as online or sealed-bid auctions, volumes are low but values high (tens of thousands to over a million dollars), and there is no buyer's premium. Each sale sets its own deposit, due-diligence, and closing terms on the official listing.

U.S. Treasury seized & forfeited property and U.S. Customs merchandise · No buyer's premium

CWS Marketing Group (CWSAMS) runs the U.S. federal government's seized-and-forfeited property auctions for the Treasury Executive Office for Asset Forfeiture - proceeds of IRS Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Secret Service seizures - alongside U.S. Customs and Border Protection "general order" merchandise abandoned at ports of entry. Inventory spans seized real estate, vehicles, vessels, aircraft, jewelry, designer goods, and precious metals. It's entirely federal, distinct from anything sold on GSA Auctions, and carries no buyer's premium. Bidding runs on the official CWS site (bid.cwsmarketing.com).