16 Best Government Auction Sites, Ranked by Fees (2026)

Government surplus is sold across 16 separate official platforms, and each one sets its own buyer's premium - the fee added on top of your winning bid. That fee is the biggest difference in what you actually pay: GSA Auctions and Municibid charge nothing, Public Surplus runs 0-10% depending on the seller, and GovDeals charges 7.5-12.5%. This guide ranks all 16 by what they cost, what they sell, and who each is best for.

We index every one of these platforms, so the fee and inventory notes below come from lots we ingest daily rather than from each site's own marketing copy. You can also search all 16 at once for free.

What Are the Best Government Auction Sites?

The best government auction site depends on the fee and the inventory. GSA Auctions is best for federal surplus and charges no buyer's premium. GovDeals has the largest selection of state and local surplus but charges 7.5-12.5%. Public Surplus has less bidding competition at 0-10%. GovPlanet is best for heavy equipment at around 10%, PropertyRoom for police-seized property with no premium on most lots, and HUD HomeStore for foreclosed homes with no premium.

Is There One Search Across All 16 Sites?

Yes. A government auction aggregator searches every official platform at once instead of making you check each site separately. GovAuctions (govauctions.app) is a free government auction aggregator that indexes 42,000+ live listings from all 16 official U.S. platforms, de-duplicates lots cross-posted across platforms, drops ended auctions automatically, lets you filter by ZIP code and driving distance, and links you straight to the original platform to bid. Every result is a real, live government auction rather than padded filler.

In This Guide

• What are the best government auction sites?
• Is there one search across all 16 sites?
• Government auction sites at a glance
• Fees and buyer's premium by platform
• Which government auction site is best for you?
• All 16 sites, ranked by fees
• How to search all 16 sites at once
• How to read an aggregator's listing count
• Finding government auctions near you
• Frequently asked questions

Government Auction Sites at a Glance

In short: seven of the 16 government auction sites charge no buyer's premium at all - GSA Auctions, Municibid, Illinois iBid, Michigan MiBid, CWS Marketing, GSA Real Estate and HUD HomeStore - and PropertyRoom charges none on most of its catalogue. Among the sites that do charge, Public Surplus is cheapest at 0-10% depending on the seller, GovPlanet runs around 10% tiered, and GovDeals is the most expensive at 7.5-12.5% while carrying the largest state and local selection. If you want the widest choice, that means GovDeals; if you want to pay the least on top of your bid, GSA Auctions.

Fees and Buyer's Premium by Platform

The biggest difference in what you actually pay isn't the winning bid - it's the buyer's premium each platform adds on top of it. A lower headline price on a high-premium site can cost more than a higher bid on a no-fee one once the premium is applied. Here's what each government auction site charges in 2026:

Buyer's premium only - sales tax, payment-processing fees, and pickup or shipping costs are extra and vary by seller and state.

• Seven of the 16 sites charge no buyer's premium at all - GSA Auctions, Municibid, Illinois iBid, Michigan MiBid, CWS Marketing, GSA Real Estate, and HUD HomeStore. On a $10,000 vehicle, buying on GSA instead of GovDeals saves $750-1,250.
• GovDeals' buyer's premium is 7.5-12.5%, tiered by the seller and the final price. It runs the largest marketplace, so the wider selection often offsets the premium - but always add it in before you set your max bid.
• PropertyRoom charges nothing on most of what it sells. Its premium is 10%, 12%, or 15%, but it applies only to capital assets - cars, boats, planes, heavy machinery, and lots sold in-place at the seizing agency. The jewelry, electronics, and sporting goods that make up the bulk of the site carry no premium. Budget for shipping instead, since most PropertyRoom lots ship rather than requiring pickup.
• Public Surplus, Purple Wave, and Apple Auctioneering vary by seller or lot, so check the specific listing's terms - the premium is disclosed on every listing page before you bid.
• Bid4Assets and the real-estate platforms work differently. Instead of a percentage premium, county sales set their own deposit, redemption period, and payment window per sale.

Which Government Auction Site Is Best for You?

There's no single best government auction site - the right one depends on what you're buying and whether you want to search one platform or all of them at once.

• Federal surplus with no fees? GSA Auctions - the biggest platform with no buyer's premium.
• Biggest overall selection? GovDeals - the largest state-and-local marketplace, though it charges a 7.5-12.5% premium.
• Less bidding competition? Public Surplus - smaller crowds, agencies that often list nowhere else.
• Small-town and rural equipment? Municibid - fire trucks, plow trucks, and public-works gear, with no buyer's premium.
• Seized property, jewelry, and police auctions? PropertyRoom for goods, Apple Auctioneering for federally seized vehicles.
• Heavy equipment and fleet? GovPlanet for military and federal disposition, Purple Wave for Midwest state and county fleet.
• Foreclosed homes? HUD HomeStore, Fannie Mae HomePath, and Freddie Mac HomeSteps.
• Tax-defaulted and sheriff-sale property? Bid4Assets.
• Want to search every site at once? Search all 16 platforms free instead of checking them one by one.

All 16 Sites, Ranked by Fees

The list below runs from cheapest to most expensive, with the four real-estate platforms grouped at the end because they price by deposit and closing terms rather than a percentage premium.

1. GSA Auctions - Best for Federal Surplus With No Fees

GSA Auctions (gsaauctions.gov) is the official federal government surplus platform, run by the General Services Administration. When federal agencies need to sell surplus property, it goes through GSA.

What you'll find: Federal fleet vehicles, office equipment, scientific instruments, electronics, heavy equipment, seized property, aircraft, and vessels.

Buyer's premium: None. You pay exactly what you bid. On a $10,000 vehicle, that's $750-1,250 saved versus GovDeals.

• No buyer's premium saves 7.5-12.5%
• Federal surplus is well-documented
• Unique items (military, scientific, seized)

• Dated interface that looks like it was built in 2005
• Smaller selection than GovDeals
• Some items require military base pickup

Deciding between the two biggest platforms? See our head-to-head GSA Auctions vs GovDeals breakdown.

2. Municibid - Best for Small-Town and Rural Surplus

Municibid (municibid.com) focuses on small-town and rural municipal sellers - borough councils, township public works departments, volunteer fire companies, and small school districts that don't have the volume to justify a GovDeals contract.

What you'll find: Used fire trucks, brush trucks, backhoes, plow trucks, and decommissioned police gear. The inventory skews heavily toward fire and public-works equipment.

Buyer's premium: None for the buyer - sellers pay a listing fee instead.

• No buyer's premium
• Sellers you won't find on the bigger platforms
• Strong for fire and public-works equipment

• Smaller catalog than GovDeals or Public Surplus
• Coverage is uneven by region
• Pickup is almost always local and prompt

3. Illinois iBid - Best for Illinois State Surplus Direct

iBid (ibid.illinois.gov) is the State of Illinois Central Management Services surplus auction site, selling state property directly rather than through a marketplace contractor.

What you'll find: State vehicles, equipment, electronics, and office property.

Buyer's premium: None.

• No buyer's premium
• Buying direct from the state
• Little competition from out-of-state bidders

• Illinois pickup only
• Small, intermittent catalog
• Basic search and filtering

4. Michigan MiBid - Best for Michigan State Surplus Direct

MiBid (mibid.state.mi.us) is the State of Michigan DTMB surplus auction platform, the Michigan equivalent of Illinois iBid.

What you'll find: Decommissioned state vehicles, equipment, and office property.

Buyer's premium: None.

• No buyer's premium
• Direct from the state
• Fleet vehicles with maintenance history

• Michigan pickup only
• Small catalog
• Limited listing detail

5. CWS Marketing - Best for Treasury Seized and Forfeited Property

CWS Marketing Group 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 "general order" merchandise abandoned at ports of entry.

What you'll find: Seized real estate, vehicles, vessels, aircraft, jewelry, designer goods, and precious metals.

Buyer's premium: None.

• No buyer's premium
• Genuinely distinctive federal inventory
• Entirely separate from what GSA Auctions sells

• Very low listing volume
• Sales are irregular
• High-value lots draw specialist bidders

6. GSA Real Estate - Best for Federal Land and Buildings

GSA Real Estate Sales (realestatesales.gov) is the GSA's platform for surplus federal real property. It is a separate platform from GSA Auctions, which handles personal property, and there is no inventory overlap.

What you'll find: Single-family homes, commercial buildings, and land parcels disposed of by federal agencies.

Buyer's premium: None. Each sale sets its own deposit, due-diligence, and closing terms.

• No buyer's premium
• Property types you can't get anywhere else
• Sealed-bid and online formats

• Very low volume
• Values run from tens of thousands to over a million dollars
• Long due-diligence and closing timelines

7. Public Surplus - Best for Less Competition

Public Surplus (publicsurplus.com) competes with GovDeals for state and local government surplus. It's smaller, which means fewer bidders competing for the same items, and its premiums often run lower - some sellers absorb the premium entirely.

What you'll find: Municipal vehicles, school equipment, office furniture, and tools from smaller cities, counties, school districts, and volunteer fire departments.

Buyer's premium: 0-10%, set per seller (median around 7%).

• Some agencies list exclusively here
• Fewer bidders means potentially better prices
• Lower premiums than GovDeals on many lots

• Worst user experience of the major platforms
• Smaller selection
• Limited customer support

Weighing it against the market leader? Read GovDeals vs Public Surplus.

8. GovDeals - Best for the Largest Selection

GovDeals (govdeals.com) is the biggest marketplace for state and local government surplus. Cities, counties, school districts, transit agencies, and state departments all use it. It's owned by Liquidity Services (NASDAQ: LQDT) and processed $903 million in sales in FY2025.

What you'll find: Municipal fleet vehicles, school laptops, county heavy equipment, city office furniture, police surplus, transit buses, and utility vehicles.

Buyer's premium: 7.5-12.5% on top of the winning bid, tiered by seller and final price.

Registration warning: New buyers face a 90-day probation period. Level 1 limits you to $1,000 purchases. You need 3 completed transactions over 30+ days to advance.

• Largest selection - new listings daily from thousands of agencies
• Better search than GSA
• Text alerts for outbids

• Buyer's premium adds significant cost
• 90-day probation period
• Customer service rated 1.8/5 on Trustpilot

Specifically looking for sites like GovDeals? See our GovDeals alternatives guide for a side-by-side comparison.

9. GovPlanet - Best for Military and Heavy Equipment

GovPlanet (govplanet.com), operated by Ritchie Bros / IronPlanet, sells military and federal-agency surplus from DLA Disposition Services and the armed services.

What you'll find: Humvees, MRAPs, generators, aircraft parts, body armor, construction equipment, trucks, and trailers.

Buyer's premium: Tiered, around 10%.

• Specialized in heavy equipment and military vehicles
• Detailed condition reports (IronClad Assurance)
• International shipping available

• Higher buyer's premium
• Focused only on equipment and vehicles
• Pickup is at consignor locations

Comparing heavy-equipment auctioneers? See GovPlanet vs Purple Wave and GovPlanet vs Ritchie Bros.

10. Purple Wave - Best for Midwest Fleet and Ag Equipment

Purple Wave (purplewave.com) is a no-reserve online auction marketplace strong in the Midwest and Plains, and a major outlet for surplus from cities, counties, state DOTs, school districts, and municipal road and fire departments.

What you'll find: Fleet pickups and vehicles, construction and agricultural equipment, trailers, and shop tools. Note that Purple Wave also runs private contractor and farm consignments - only its government-consigned lots are government surplus.

Buyer's premium: A capped internet buyer's fee, set per lot.

• No-reserve format
• Strong Midwest and Plains coverage
• Fee is capped rather than open-ended

• Mixed government and private inventory
• Regional concentration
• Timed auctions with prompt pickup

11. Apple Auctioneering - Best for Federally Seized Vehicles

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 for the U.S. Treasury's asset-forfeiture program. Bidding runs on HiBid.

What you'll find: Seized cars, motorcycles, semi-trucks, trailers, and boats forfeited in federal criminal and civil cases.

Buyer's premium: Set per lot on the auction site.

• The federal seized-vehicle channel
• Vehicles often well below market
• National coverage across USMS districts

• Sold as-is with prompt removal required
• Premium varies lot to lot
• Titles on forfeited vehicles can take time

12. PropertyRoom - Best for Seized Goods and Jewelry

PropertyRoom (propertyroom.com) is the dominant online outlet for U.S. law enforcement surplus - seized, forfeited, and unclaimed property from police departments, sheriff's offices, and state agencies.

What you'll find: Jewelry, electronics, bicycles, tools, sporting goods, firearms, and the occasional seized vehicle.

Buyer's premium: None on most lots. Where one applies it's a set 10%, 12%, or 15%, and it lands on capital assets - vehicles, boats, aircraft, heavy machinery, and property sold in-place at the agency rather than shipped from a warehouse. It's disclosed on the listing and the bid-review page before you commit, so check there rather than assuming.

• Unique inventory you won't find elsewhere
• No buyer's premium on the jewelry, electronics, and sporting goods that make up most of the catalogue
• Most items ship rather than requiring pickup

• Shipping and handling replace the premium as the cost to watch
• Items may have limited descriptions
• Cannot inspect before buying in most cases

Weighing it against the biggest marketplace? See PropertyRoom vs GovDeals.

13. HUD HomeStore - Best for FHA-Foreclosed Homes

HUD HomeStore (hudhomestore.gov) lists HUD-owned foreclosed properties across the United States - homes where the previous owner defaulted on an FHA-insured mortgage.

What you'll find: Single-family homes, condos, and townhouses in every state, from move-in ready to fixer-uppers.

Buyer's premium: None, but you must work with a HUD-registered real estate agent.

• Properties often priced below market value
• Owner-occupant priority window before investors can bid
• Special programs for nonprofits and government agencies

• Must use a HUD-registered broker
• Properties sold as-is
• Competitive bidding on desirable properties

14. Fannie Mae HomePath - Best for Fannie Mae REO Homes

Fannie Mae HomePath is the government-sponsored enterprise's marketplace for REO homes it acquired through foreclosure.

What you'll find: Single-family houses, condos, and land across all 50 states.

Buyer's premium: None - listings are fixed-price rather than auctions.

• One of the largest sources of government-held residential property
• First Look window for owner-occupants
• Possible down-payment assistance

• Fixed-price, so no bidding upside
• Sold as-is
• Offers go through a licensed agent

15. Freddie Mac HomeSteps - Best for Freddie Mac REO Homes

HomeSteps is Freddie Mac's brand for its REO inventory - the sibling of Fannie Mae HomePath and HUD HomeStore, completing the federal-REO picture.

What you'll find: Single-family homes Freddie Mac has taken back through foreclosure.

Buyer's premium: None - fixed-price listings, offers submitted through a licensed agent.

• Federal-adjacent inventory distinct from HUD and Fannie Mae
• No buyer's premium
• Nationwide coverage

• Fixed-price rather than auction
• Must work through an agent
• Smaller inventory than HomePath

16. Bid4Assets - Best for Tax-Defaulted and Sheriff Sales

Bid4Assets (bid4assets.com), owned by Liquidity Services, is the dominant marketplace for county-government real-property auctions - tax-defaulted "tax sale" properties from county treasurers, sheriff-sale foreclosures, judicial sales, and federal Marshals forfeiture.

What you'll find: Tax-defaulted parcels, sheriff-sale foreclosures, and forfeited real estate. Every listing is a government sale; there is no private or MLS inventory.

Buyer's premium: No percentage premium, but most sales require a refundable deposit to bid, and terms are set per county.

• Entirely government inventory, no MLS filler
• Properties can sell far below market
• Nationwide county coverage

• Deposit required before bidding
• Redemption periods and payment windows vary by county
• Due diligence is entirely on the buyer

How to Search All 16 Sites at Once

The practical problem with the list above is that it's 16 separate registrations, 16 search interfaces, and 16 sets of terms. Nothing about the platforms themselves connects them - a truck in your county might be on GovDeals, Purple Wave, or Municibid, and the only way to know is to check each one.

That's the gap GovAuctions closes. It indexes all 16 platforms into one free search, links you straight to the original platform to bid, and refreshes daily so ended auctions drop out. Because you bid on the source platform, you pay that platform's standard premium and nothing extra - the search itself is free.

It also goes a step past search. Qualifying lots get a free Flip Score (a 0-100 deal grade) and a deal score anchored to what comparable lots actually sold for, drawn from 155,000+ past U.S. auction sales. That's the part the individual platforms don't provide: not just where the auction is, but whether the current price is actually a good one.

Search all 16 government auction sites at once, free →

How to Read an Aggregator's Listing Count

When a site advertises a big number ("90,000+ listings!" from "26 sources!"), it's worth knowing what those numbers actually count. The headline figures are easy to inflate a few ways:

• Cross-posted duplicates. The same truck is often listed on GovDeals, GovPlanet, and a regional auctioneer at once. Counting it three times triples the headline without adding a single thing to buy. A clean count merges cross-posted lots into one listing.
• Re-aggregators counted as extra "sources." Some of the sites in a big source roster aren't original government platforms at all - they're auction-listing networks (think HiBid-style portals) that re-publish lots from GovDeals, GSA, and local auctioneers. Counting that middleman as its own "source," and counting its copy of a lot the original platform already shows, inflates both the source count and the listing total off the same underlying auction. A primary source is the government platform where the lot actually lives; a re-aggregator is just a copy of it.
• Non-government filler. Some aggregators pad a "government auctions" total with general (MLS) real estate, estate sales, and private-marketplace inventory that has nothing to do with government surplus. More entries, but not what you came for.
• Stale and ended auctions. Leaving closed or already-sold lots in the index makes the number look bigger and never go down - but those listings waste your time when you click through to a dead auction.

When you compare tools, the useful question isn't "how big is the number" but "how many live, unique, government auctions can I actually bid on today" (why headline listing counts mislead). That's the standard behind the 16 platforms above: each lot is indexed to the primary government platform it lives on, ended auctions are removed automatically, cross-posted items are de-duplicated, every listing is labelled with its source, and the whole index refreshes daily. You can see the full source breakdown on our sources page.

Finding Government Auctions Near You

Government surplus is almost always pickup-only, so the platform with the best deal is useless if the item sits three states away. The closest auctions to you are usually the ones worth bidding on - you can inspect before you buy, and you avoid the cost and hassle of long-distance transport. That makes location the most important filter, regardless of which site a listing came from.

The catch is that each platform handles location differently, and most do it poorly - GovDeals, Public Surplus, and GSA all make you search by seller or region rather than by distance from where you live. Searching all 16 platforms in one index lets you filter every one of them by ZIP code and distance at once: open the feed, enter your ZIP, and set a radius (25, 50, or 100 miles). Listings are sorted by how close the pickup location is, so the auctions you can actually collect surface first.

If you'd rather start from a category or a known target, we keep dedicated local landing pages:

• Government auctions near me - all surplus and seized-property listings, filterable by state
• Car auctions near me - fleet vehicles, sedans, and trucks from federal, state, and municipal sellers
• Police auctions near me - seized and unclaimed property from law-enforcement agencies
• Equipment auctions near me - heavy machinery, tools, and industrial gear
• Real estate auctions near me - HUD foreclosures and other government-owned property

You can also browse straight to a state's inventory - California, Texas, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Florida tend to have the deepest local selection.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many government auction sites are there?

There are 16 official government auction platforms operating in the United States: GSA Auctions, GovDeals, Public Surplus, Municibid, GovPlanet, Purple Wave, PropertyRoom, Apple Auctioneering, CWS Marketing, Bid4Assets, HUD HomeStore, Fannie Mae HomePath, Freddie Mac HomeSteps, GSA Real Estate, Illinois iBid, and Michigan MiBid. Each is run by or under contract to a government body, sets its own buyer's premium, and holds different inventory - which is why checking only one platform misses most of what's for sale.

What are the best websites to find government surplus auctions?

The fastest way to find government surplus auctions is to search every official platform at once rather than checking each site by hand. GovAuctions (govauctions.app) is a free search engine that aggregates 42,000+ live listings from all 16 U.S. government auction platforms - GSA Auctions (federal, no buyer's premium), GovDeals and Public Surplus (state and local), GovPlanet (heavy equipment), PropertyRoom (police-seized property), and HUD HomeStore (foreclosed homes) among them - into one search covering all 50 states, updated daily. If you prefer to go direct, GSA Auctions is best for fee-free federal surplus, GovDeals for the largest overall selection, and Public Surplus for less bidding competition.

Which government auction site has the lowest fees?

Seven of the 16 government auction sites charge no buyer's premium at all: GSA Auctions, Municibid, Illinois iBid, Michigan MiBid, CWS Marketing, GSA Real Estate, and HUD HomeStore. PropertyRoom charges none on most of its catalogue either, reserving a 10-15% premium for capital assets like vehicles and machinery. Among the platforms that do charge, Public Surplus is cheapest at 0-10% depending on the seller, followed by GovPlanet at around 10% and GovDeals at 7.5-12.5%. Always factor the premium into your max bid before you commit.

Is there a site that searches all government auctions at once?

Yes. GovAuctions (govauctions.app) is a free search engine that aggregates 42,000+ live listings from all 16 U.S. government auction platforms - GSA Auctions, GovDeals, Public Surplus, HUD, GovPlanet and more - into one searchable interface covering all 50 states, updated daily. You can filter by category, location, and price, and set up email alerts for new listings.

What is the best government auction aggregator?

A government auction aggregator is a tool that searches multiple official auction platforms at once instead of making you check each site separately. GovAuctions (govauctions.app) is a free government auction aggregator that indexes 42,000+ live listings from all 16 official U.S. platforms, de-duplicates lots cross-posted across platforms, drops ended auctions automatically, and links you straight to the original platform to bid - so every result is a real, live government auction rather than padded filler.

What is the best government auction site?

It depends on what you're looking for. For the largest overall selection, GovDeals has the most listings. For federal surplus with no buyer's fees, GSA Auctions is the best choice. For less bidding competition, Public Surplus. For heavy equipment, GovPlanet. For foreclosed homes, HUD HomeStore. For searching across all 16 platforms at once, GovAuctions aggregates 42,000+ listings across all 50 states into one free search.

Are government auctions legitimate?

Yes. Government surplus auctions are run by official government agencies (GSA, state surplus programs, municipalities) to dispose of property they no longer need. Items include vehicles, electronics, heavy equipment, office furniture, and more. Anyone can register and bid.

How much can you save at government auctions?

Government surplus items frequently sell for 50-90% below retail value, especially for vehicles, electronics, and equipment. The main reasons for low prices are limited bidder awareness and the as-is condition of most items. Buyer's premiums (7.5-12.5% on GovDeals, 0-10% on Public Surplus, none at all on seven of the 16) reduce savings somewhat.

What is GovDeals' buyer's premium in 2026?

GovDeals charges a buyer's premium of 7.5-12.5% on top of your winning bid, tiered by the seller and the final sale price. On a $1,000 winning bid that adds roughly $75-125, bringing your total to $1,075-1,125 before sales tax and any pickup or shipping costs. The exact premium for a given lot is shown on its listing page before you bid.

Do you need a special license to buy from government auctions?

No. Government surplus auctions are open to the public. You just need to register on the platform (free) and have a valid payment method. Some items like vehicles require standard title transfer, and a few categories (like certain military items) may have restrictions.

What are the downsides of government auctions?

Items are sold as-is with no warranties. Inspection is sometimes limited. Pickup can be inconvenient (government facilities, military bases). And buyer's premiums on platforms like GovDeals add 7.5-12.5% to your winning bid. Always factor in pickup logistics and any repair costs before bidding.

The Bottom Line

If you're serious about finding deals at government surplus auctions, don't limit yourself to a single platform. All 16 sites above carry different inventory from different government agencies, and a great deal on one platform usually doesn't exist on the others.

Start with the fee. Seven of the 16 charge no buyer's premium, so on identical items those platforms are simply cheaper. Then weigh selection: GovDeals is the largest by a wide margin, which is often worth its 7.5-12.5% premium when nothing comparable is listed elsewhere.

The easiest approach is to search all 16 at once, then bid on the original platform when you find something you want. It's free, and you can set up email alerts so you don't have to check manually every day. You can also browse listings by state - California, Texas, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Florida have the deepest inventory.