Seized and Forfeited Property Auctions (2026): Marshals, Treasury, Police

Seized and forfeited property is sold by the agency program that handled the case, not by one central government site. Property forfeited in Justice Department cases is sold through the U.S. Marshals Service. Property forfeited under laws enforced by the Treasury and Homeland Security, which includes Customs and Border Protection seizures, is sold through the Treasury forfeiture program. The IRS sells property seized for unpaid taxes on its own site. Police departments mostly sell through PropertyRoom. All of these are open to the public.

These sales work differently from ordinary surplus on GSA Auctions or GovDeals. The property belonged to someone else, it can only be sold once the legal process is finished, and much of it is sold in scheduled events by contractors rather than as a steady stream of listings.

Seized, forfeited, unclaimed and surplus: what the words mean

The four words describe different legal situations, and they decide when property can be sold.

• Seized. Taken by a law enforcement agency. Seized property is held until it is either returned to an owner or forfeited.
• Forfeited. Ownership has passed to the government through a court order or an administrative process. Only then can it be sold.
• Unclaimed. Found property, or evidence from a closed case, that nobody claimed. This is most of what police departments sell.
• Surplus. Property the government owned and used, such as fleet vehicles or office equipment, that it no longer needs. This is what GSA Auctions, GovDeals and Public Surplus mostly sell.

A "seized car auction" is almost always a forfeited car auction. Property still in the seized stage isn't for sale.

Who sells what

The descriptions of the Marshals and Treasury programs above follow USA.gov's auctions page, which describes Treasury sales as property forfeited "for tax evasion or other violations of Treasury law" and Marshals sales as items seized by Justice Department and other federal agencies.

U.S. Marshals Service

The Marshals Service manages and sells assets forfeited in federal cases, including vehicles, vessels, aircraft, fine jewelry and art. It holds hundreds of online and live auctions a year, all open to the public.

The Marshals don't run the sales themselves. Contractors do, and the contractor depends on the type of property and the district. Apple Auctioneering Co., a Houston company, sells seized vehicles and other personal property for the Marshals through online auctions on HiBid, and describes itself as servicing 84 Marshals districts. Real estate goes through a separate contractor.

Because sales are spread across contractors, start from the asset forfeiture pages on usmarshals.gov and follow the link to the current sale. Register with the contractor running that sale. An account with one contractor does nothing on another.

Treasury forfeiture program (including CBP seizures)

The Treasury Executive Office for Asset Forfeiture sells property forfeited under laws enforced by the Treasury and the Department of Homeland Security. Customs and Border Protection is part of Homeland Security, so CBP's forfeited vehicles and goods are sold here. Treasury's auctions page puts the total at about 300 public auctions a year across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, counting IRS sales. Sale proceeds go into the Treasury Forfeiture Fund.

Treasury splits its sales in two:

• Real estate. Listed at treasury.gov/auctions/treasury/rp. The contractor is CWS Asset Management & Sales. Sales are open to the public, you don't need a real estate broker to bid, and each property requires a deposit to register, with the amount set per property.
• General property, vehicles, vessels and aircraft. Listed at treasury.gov/auctions/treasury/gp, which links to the CWS auction calendar and to online vehicle auctions. Treasury lists sale sites in Dayton, New Jersey, Pompano Beach, Florida and Riverside, California. CBP vehicles are also sold online through Apple Auctioneering on HiBid.

Treasury publishes general terms of sale for these auctions as a PDF linked from the general property page. Read it before you register. It is the contract you agree to when you bid.

Imported goods that nobody claims from customs are a separate track. They go into "general order" and can be sold under the rules in 19 CFR Part 127. Those sales are not forfeitures.

IRS

The IRS sells property it has seized for unpaid federal taxes, including real estate, vehicles and other items, at irsauctions.gov. These are sales of the taxpayer's property under the Internal Revenue Code, not criminal forfeitures. Each listing carries its own terms, and some real estate sales are subject to the taxpayer's right to redeem the property for a period after the sale. Read the listing's notice of sale before you bid.

Police property: PropertyRoom and GovDeals

Most police and sheriff departments sell unclaimed and forfeited property through PropertyRoom. It carries jewelry, watches, electronics, bicycles, tools and sporting goods, plus a growing vehicle and heavy-equipment section. Larger items and vehicles from police departments also show up on GovDeals.

PropertyRoom works differently from the federal programs:

• Most items ship. They are sent from PropertyRoom's warehouses, not the police department.
• No buyer's premium on most items. Vehicles and other capital assets carry 10%, 12% or 15%.
• Auctions extend. A bid in the final minute adds another minute, until a full minute passes with no bids.
• Vehicles change the rules. Payment within 72 hours, pickup only, and storage paid to the yard.

The full detail is in our PropertyRoom FAQ. Live police lots are on the police auctions page.

How these sales differ from GSA and GovDeals surplus

Two practical consequences. First, inventory comes in bursts. A contractor may have nothing listed for weeks, then a full catalog closing in the same few days. Set an alert rather than checking once. Second, condition information is thin. A seized vehicle has no service records from the agency, so inspect it if the sale allows a preview, and price it as a non-runner if it doesn't.

Read the restrictions on every lot. Apple Auctioneering's terms state that property sold export only must be physically removed from the United States within 60 days of the sale.

What seized property sells for

Much of what police and federal seizure sales carry is jewelry. The GovAuctions jewelry sold-price page covers 4,390 jewelry sales from government sources between May and October 2026, with a median of $112. For gold, the metal sets a floor: the listing's karat and weight, times a current spot price, gives a melt value you can check before you bid.

For vehicles, check the make and model on our sold prices pages, then bid below that if the vehicle has no history and hasn't been seen running.

Avoiding fake seized-property sites

The official sources are free to search: usmarshals.gov, treasury.gov, irsauctions.gov, gsaauctions.gov and the contractors they link to. A site that charges a fee to see a list of "government seized cars" is not one of them. Start from the agency's own page and follow its link to the sale, rather than from an ad.

GovAuctions indexes Apple Auctioneering's Marshals and Treasury sales, PropertyRoom, GSA Auctions and GovDeals into one search. Browse current lots on the seized property page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I buy seized property from the government?

It depends on the agency that handled the case. Justice Department forfeitures are sold through the U.S. Marshals Service and its contractors, listed on usmarshals.gov. Treasury and Homeland Security forfeitures, including Customs and Border Protection seizures, are sold through the Treasury forfeiture program at treasury.gov/auctions. The IRS sells tax seizures at irsauctions.gov. Police departments mostly use PropertyRoom. All are open to the public.

Are U.S. Marshals auctions open to the public?

Yes. The Marshals Service holds hundreds of online and live auctions a year, open to the public. Contractors run them, so you register with the contractor running the specific sale.

How do I buy a seized car from the government?

Find the sale on usmarshals.gov or treasury.gov/auctions, follow the link to the contractor running it, register there and read the terms of sale. Many federal seized vehicles are sold online through Apple Auctioneering on HiBid. Police department vehicles are sold on GovDeals and PropertyRoom. There is no buyer's premium on Apple Auctioneering's federal sales.

What is the difference between seized and forfeited property?

Seized property has been taken by an agency but still legally belongs to its owner. Forfeited property has passed to the government through a court order or administrative process. Only forfeited property can be sold, so "seized property auctions" are sales of forfeited property.

Who sells property seized by Customs and Border Protection?

CBP is part of the Department of Homeland Security, and property forfeited under laws it enforces is sold through the Treasury forfeiture program. Real estate is listed at treasury.gov/auctions/treasury/rp, and vehicles and general property at treasury.gov/auctions/treasury/gp. CBP vehicles are also sold online through Apple Auctioneering on HiBid.

Does the IRS sell seized property?

Yes, at irsauctions.gov. The IRS sells real estate, vehicles and other property seized for unpaid federal taxes. Each listing has its own terms, and some real estate sales carry a period in which the taxpayer can redeem the property.

Are seized property auctions cheaper than surplus auctions?

Not as a rule. Seized sales carry luxury vehicles, boats, jewelry and real estate that ordinary surplus rarely has. Check what similar items sold for on our sold prices pages before you bid.

Do I have to pay to see seized property auction lists?

No. The agencies and their contractors list sales for free. A site charging for a list of seized cars or homes isn't an official source.