About GovAuctions

We index live listings from every major official U.S. government auction platform, refreshed daily across all 50 states. Every result is an actual government auction - we don't pad the catalog with general real-estate (MLS) listings, estate sales, or private-marketplace inventory. See the full list of sources and live counts.

How GovAuctions actually works

I'm Ben. I built GovAuctions because I was tired of checking five different government auction websites every day, each with a terrible interface from 2005. There had to be a better way.

GovAuctions indexes listings from the official U.S. government surplus sources and lets you search them in one place. You can filter by location, category, and price, save items to a watchlist, and get email alerts when new auctions match what you're looking for. When you find something you want to bid on, you click through to the original platform and bid there - we never sit between you and the seller.

GovAuctions isn't just a search box. Because we keep the final winning bids from tens of thousands of completed government auctions, we can show you what something is actually worth before you bid - the median and typical range comparable lots have sold for. Look up any item on what's it worth, or see the per-category numbers on a live listing's deal score.

GovAuctions covers four markets: the United States (this site), the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. You can find ex-MoD, police and council surplus in GBP at govauctions.app/uk, GCSurplus, GovDeals.ca and provincial/police surplus in CAD at govauctions.app/ca, or ex-government & ex-fleet surplus (Allbids, Grays, Pickles) in AUD at govauctions.app/au.

Totally free access to thousands of listings.

There's a long history of fake "government auction" sites that charge $39.95 for "exclusive access" to listings that are already public and free. Some specific differences:

• No bid packs or credits. Browsing, searching, filtering, and saving are all free. No account required.
• No middleman. Every listing links directly to the official platform - gsaauctions.gov, hudhomestore.gov, govdeals.com, etc. You bid there, not here.
• Real, dated listings. Inventory is refreshed daily from the official sources. You can verify any listing on its source platform with one click.
• Optional $7/mo for alerts only. The only paid feature is email alerts when new auctions match your saved searches. Everything else is free forever.

Who built this

GovAuctions started with me - Ben Wallace, a developer based in the U.S. I've been obsessed with finding deals in government auctions for more than a decade, ever since I found out you could buy seized Lamborghinis and bars of gold from the government. The tools haven't improved over the years, so I built this site to help more people find deals. Today GovAuctions indexes tens of thousands of live listings at a time across every state, which gives me a pretty good read on what's out there and what's worth bidding on. Since it hit the Hacker News front page in April 2026, GovAuctions has been used by hundreds of thousands of resellers, small businesses, and bargain hunters. You can read more about me and the guides I write, or get in touch. I read every message.

Who is this for?

• Resellers and flippers who source inventory from government surplus and need to judge margin before they bid
• Small businesses looking for equipment, furniture, or vehicles at a fraction of retail
• Enthusiasts - military surplus collectors, homelab builders, makers
• Bargain hunters looking for their next car, tools, or electronics

If you resell for a living, GovAuctions is built to be your sourcing desk, not just a search box. Every strong lot shows a comp-verified Flip Score free; Pro gives you the recommended max bid - the most you should pay to still clear your resale margin - plus the numbers behind the grade: what comparable lots actually sold for at past government auctions (a 25th/median/75th-percentile range), an estimated resale margin on every eligible listing, and an end-game forecastthat projects a lot's closing price. This means you don't have to guess at what to bid.

Is this free?

Yes. Browsing, searching, saving, and filtering are all free with no account required. We offer optional Pro features like bid recommendations and paid alerts ($7/month).

I built this as a passion project. There are millions of dollars in government surplus sold every year, and the tools available to find them haven't been updated in decades. I wanted to build something better and give it to the community, and the paid service essentially helps me pay for the overhead.

Other Resources

We also have guides for buying from government surplus auctions - tips on finding deals, evaluating listings, and getting started with your first purchase.

Want to see what I've been building lately? I post short weekly updates on new features, metrics, and the wackiest listing of the week.