For years, eager deal-seekers have been crowding into cold warehouses to bid on surplus government property and seized items. Buyers nationwide can now compete with one another to bid on used cars, boats, old office equipment and jewelry. The site is a boon to federal agencies looking to get rid of items ranging from outdated industrial equipment to personal effects seized by federal agents in drug busts. Selling these goods online provides a cost-effective way of reaching a wide audience of buyers, says Bob Hamilton, GSA's fleet and personal property division director. GSAAuctions.gov allows agencies to conduct sales over an extended period of time with relative ease.
Registration is simple and open to the public.
Buyers receive a user name and password and then are let loose to shop. A recent cursory inventory of the site showed that the items in greatest abundance were vehicles, computer equipment and accessories and household and personal items. As the digital middleman in the auction, GSA takes a cut of every transaction on the site. While the bulk of the revenues are returned to the Treasury, in some cases the money goes back to the agency that offered up the property. The agency plans to aggressively squeeze out private competitors doing business with the federal government, Hamilton says.