| Can anyone really obtain a decent car for $200, real | | | | jewelry, art, furniture, office equipment, computers, |
| bargains from government seized cars and other | | | | antiques and collectibles, along with other personal |
| government seized merchandise? | | | | property forfeited under laws enforced by the US |
| Who can actually buy anything at genuine | | | | Department of Justice. The U.S. Marshals Service |
| below-market prices? Better yet, who would actually | | | | (USMS) alone sells about 20,000 items a year. |
| sell anything knowingly at a real bargain if they could | | | | Some other sources of surplus bargains for cars, |
| easily get more? | | | | trucks, boats, aircraft and other vehicles, houses and |
| Honestly, I always assumed "government seized" | | | | real estate along with office equipment and military |
| was just a lot of "hype" and that at the end it would | | | | surplus are the Federal Supply Service, U. S. |
| all just be an illusion. I thought the government was | | | | Department of the Treasury, U.S. Postal Service, |
| too bureaucratic and inefficient to organize any useful | | | | Department of Defense Reutilization and Marketing |
| "auctions" that would actually allow us "ordinary | | | | Services, Internal Revenue Service, Department of |
| citizens" to obtain a genuine "bargain", a super value | | | | Agriculture, Department of Energy, Tennessee Valley |
| low price high value car or other seized merchandise. | | | | Authority, Department of Defense, HUD, Fannie Mae, |
| Well, it turns out it is the very "government | | | | Freddie Mac, Office of Property Disposal, SBA, FDIC, |
| bureaucratic inefficiency" that causes, or allows "us" | | | | Bureau of Land Management, and USACE-HAP. |
| to actually pay a low price for valuable cars and | | | | Autos from the fleet of leased vehicles by the |
| other merchandise. Not surprisingly, the government | | | | government agency, General Services Administration |
| does not advertise or promote these auctions as | | | | (GSA) are also sold at auctions after their 3-5 years |
| extensively as they could. This is the key to the | | | | leases expire. These vehicles are typically well |
| bargains. We all hear that prices are determined by | | | | maintained by government employees using them as |
| supply and demand (unless there is a monopoly in | | | | their own work vehicles. |
| place). | | | | It is easy to see why it is so difficult to locate the |
| The government seizes so many cars and other | | | | date, time and place and what is being auctioned, |
| merchandise that it can not dispose of it fast enough, | | | | particularly because they are randomly established |
| and storage costs a lot of extra money. These | | | | from time to time at different locations only as |
| auctions often have an inadequate supply of buyers | | | | different property becomes available. The auction can |
| for the amount of merchandise available, which keeps | | | | take place before very many people become aware |
| the prices low. Car dealers love to buy at these | | | | of it. The next one is not held on a regularly |
| seized car and surplus auctions because almost no | | | | scheduled basis. This can work to an astute buyer's |
| one knows about them. The dealers do not want | | | | advantage. |
| competition so they keep quiet. | | | | The best way to efficiently locate all the separate |
| Besides offering cars and trucks, you can obtain | | | | contacts for all these agencies enabling a buyer to |
| residential and commercial real estate, business | | | | track the various auctions is through a web site |
| establishments, motor vehicles, boats, aircraft, | | | | offering a comprehensive list of appropriate contacts. |