GovAuctions Data API

GovAuctions.app is a free public site for finding government surplus auctions and checking what similar lots actually sold for. This page is the developer door into that same data.

Government-surplus data built for code and AI agents - real sold-price comps, resale scores, and live listings

The GovAuctions API lets you explore live and historical surplus auction data at scale. Access past sales, sold-price comps, price trends and Flip Scores computed across four government-surplus markets - US, UK, Canada and Australia. You can also access live GSA federal-surplus listings, and webhooks that push new lots to you. Query it over REST, or add the hosted MCP server to Claude Code in one line. One key, the same valuation engine behind GovAuctions Pro.

Want the data itself rather than an API to query? Bulk data licensing gives you ongoing access to the full corpus as scheduled exports.

Pricing

Compare data APIs on calls per dollar, not on the headline monthly price. Every card below shows what 1,000 calls actually costs on that plan, so a cheaper-looking plan carrying a tenth of the volume cannot hide behind a smaller number.

Plans carry two budgets: total calls, and a smaller allowance for the valuation endpoints - comps, sold history, trends and Flip Score - which is the data we compute rather than collect. Listing calls keep working if you exhaust the valuation allowance, and /api/v1/usage reports both at any time. Batch calls charge one valuation call per item, exactly as if you had sent them one at a time.

Already a GovAuctions Pro subscriber? Your account gets the free API tier with 250 valuation calls a month instead of 100, at no extra cost. Mint a key in the dashboard.

Quickstart

curl https://govauctions.app/api/v1/listings?country=US&category=vehicles&limit=5 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Using AI tools? Point ChatGPT Actions or a codegen client at the OpenAPI spec, or add our hosted MCP server below.

Endpoints

Raw listings and webhook payloads cover sanctioned federal sources (GSA Auctions) in the US. Comps, sold history and trends are our own derived aggregates and cover the full surplus market in all four countries.

Show your work

Medians are checkable, so your users don't have to take anything on faith.

curl "https://govauctions.app/api/v1/comps?q=2015+Ford+F-150&include=comps" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

# Pricing a whole basket? One request, one valuation call per item:
curl -X POST https://govauctions.app/api/v1/comps/batch \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"queries":["2015 Ford F-150","forklift","Dell Latitude"]}'

Webhooks

Everything else here is pull. Webhooks are the one endpoint that calls you: register an https endpoint with a filter and we POST matching new lots as they enter the feed, twice a day when the data refreshes. Every delivery is signed with HMAC-SHA256 in the X-GovAuctions-Signature header. Delivery is at-least-once, so dedupe on lot id.

curl -X POST https://govauctions.app/api/v1/webhooks \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
        "url": "https://your-app.example.com/hooks/govauctions",
        "filters": { "category": "vehicles", "state": "TX", "minFlipScore": 70 }
      }'

The signing secret is returned once, at creation. Store it then - we cannot show it to you again.

MCP server

We run a hosted MCP server over streamable HTTP, so there is nothing to download or keep running. Works with Claude Code, Claude Desktop, and any client that accepts a remote MCP URL. Start with no key at all:

claude mcp add --transport http govauctions https://govauctions.app/api/mcp

That works as typed. The server will list its tools and answer get_sold_comps keyless with how many comparable sales we hold, the confidence, and a coarse price band - enough for an agent to find out whether we have the data it needs before anyone creates an account.

Add a key when you want the exact p25 / median / p75 numbers and the rest of the tools:

claude mcp add --transport http govauctions https://govauctions.app/api/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer gak_YOUR_KEY"

Or point any other client at https://govauctions.app/api/mcp and send your key as an Authorization: Bearer header. Free keys include 100 valuation calls a month, so the key is a signup, not a paywall.

Data is provided for your own application use. Redistribution or rebuilding a competing dataset is not permitted. Flip Score and Flip Margin are rough indicators, not investment advice - always inspect, factor transport, and review the listing carefully before bidding.