Open Dataset: U.S. Government Surplus Auctions
A free, open dataset of completed U.S. federal (GSA) surplus auction lots - what the federal government sold, in what condition, where, and the bids it drew. Released under CC-BY 4.0 and updated monthly. Free to use, even commercially, with attribution to GovAuctions.
This free set is the GSA slice. Sold prices across all four markets, our valuation layer and scheduled exports are available under a bulk data license.
Lots
11,694
From
May 6, 2026
Through
Aug 31, 2026
License
CC-BY 4.0
Why this is free and open
GSA is a U.S. federal agency, so its listings are works of the U.S. government and are not subject to copyright (17 U.S.C. §105). The dataset is data only - no images - and contains no personal information (the sellers are federal agencies). That makes it clean to republish, cite, and build on.
What's in it
One row per completed federal surplus lot:
title- lot title (public-domain federal text)category- normalized categorycondition- condition as reported by GSAstate / city / zip- lot locationstarting_bid- opening / list pricecurrent_or_final_bid- bid level (see caveat)bid_count- number of bids observedbuyer_premium_pct- buyer's premium, when applicablesold- true / false / unknownended_at- auction end date (UTC)source_url- link to the original GSA listing
Full data dictionary and methodology are in the repository README.
Important caveat on price
current_or_final_bid is the current or last-observed bid, not a confirmed hammer price - treat it as a bid level. Auction prices are heavily right-skewed, so medians are more meaningful than means. Use the sold flag to filter to lots with a positive sale signal where you need one.
How to cite
GovAuctions (https://govauctions.app), “U.S. Government (GSA) Surplus Auction Dataset.” Updated Sep 1, 2026.
Working on a story or a study and want a custom pull or an embargoed look? See our about page.
See the aggregate picture in State of Government Surplus, or browse live auctions.
Need live or programmatic access instead of a monthly snapshot? The Developer API serves current listings plus sold-price comps as JSON, on demand.