Is GovAuctions Legit in the UK?
Yes, GovAuctions.app is legit.
It is a free, independent search over the UK auction houses that sell public-sector surplus. No bid packs, no membership fee and no middleman: every lot links to the seller's own page, where you register and bid.
Who actually sells the lots in the UK
The UK has no single government auction site: public-sector surplus is sold by independent auction houses, which run it alongside commercial and insolvency stock. We read those houses, put their lots in one feed, and link every lot back to the auctioneer, where you register and bid. GovAuctions is an aggregator, not the seller: we never own, hold, sell or ship a lot, and we are not a party to your purchase.
- Eddisons (eddisons.com): regular online sales of plant, machinery and business assets, including public-sector and insolvency stock.
- NCM Auctions (ncmauctions.com): industrial sales of plant, workshop equipment and vehicles, with council and liquidation consignments.
- BPI Auctions (bpiauctions.com): high-volume sales of plant, vehicles, catering and IT, often including government and council surplus.
- Apex Auctions (apexauctions.co.uk): manufacturing and workshop machinery such as CNC and fabrication equipment, in timed online sales.
- Ramco (ramco.co.uk): ex-Ministry of Defence stores plus oil and gas and commercial plant.
- Witham Specialist Vehicles (mod-sales.com): the long-running disposal route for ex-British Army Land Rovers, trucks, trailers and plant.
- Wilsons Auctions (wilsonsauctions.com): branches across Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales selling for police forces, councils and health trusts alongside dealer and trade stock. Trade lots are marked as private sellers.
Live counts for each one are on the UK sources page.
What we do not cover
We only list what the sellers above publish. We say plainly what that leaves out:
- Most police lost, found and seized property. Forces sell it through the auctioneers on the BlueLight Commercial framework (John Pye, Brightwells and Wilsons) and their own eBay shops.
- Most council sales. Councils choose their own local auctioneers, so a council lot only appears here if it is consigned to one of the houses above.
- Land and buildings. We do not list UK property auctions.
How to verify any listing
Every listing shows which seller is running it and links to the lot on that seller's own site. Open it and check that the same lot, the same lot number and the same closing time are there. We never change prices, hide fees or add a markup.
Every source is re-read twice a day. New lots appear after the next refresh and lots that have ended drop off. The current bid on this site can lag the auctioneer's: always check the lot on the auctioneer's own page before you bid.
What you actually pay
- Browse, search, filter and save: free, no account required.
- GovAuctions Pro: optional, US$7 a month (the same US-dollar price as on the US site). It adds a recommended max bid, sold-price comps, a resale-margin estimate and Flip Score on eligible lots, an AI auction assistant and unlimited email alerts. Full refund available within 7 days of subscribing.
- The lot itself: you pay the seller directly. The hammer price is not the price. Every house above adds a buyer's premium, VAT at 20% is charged on that premium, and lots marked "plus VAT" carry VAT on the hammer price as well.
How we make money
Advertising and the optional Pro subscription. Across the whole site we also earn affiliate commissions when someone uses a third-party service we link to, and sell a paid Data API to developers. We take no cut of your bid or winning price, no commission from the sellers, and no payment to rank a lot higher.
What happens to your data
Searching and browsing need no account. If you create one or sign up for alerts, we store your email address. Pro payments are processed by our payment provider, Stripe, and we do not store card details. We do not sell your personal information. The privacy policy sets out what we collect and your rights, including under UK GDPR and GDPR.
Who runs GovAuctions
GovAuctions is run by GovernmentAuctions LLC, a company registered in California, USA. We are not affiliated with the Ministry of Defence, any police force or council, or any of the auction houses above.
FAQ
- Is GovAuctions.app legit in the UK?
- Yes. GovAuctions.app is a free, independent search over the UK auction houses that sell public-sector surplus: Eddisons, NCM Auctions, BPI Auctions, Apex Auctions, Ramco, Witham Specialist Vehicles and Wilsons Auctions. It does not run auctions, sell items or charge for access. Every listing links to the seller's own page, where you place the actual bid.
- Is GovAuctions a government website?
- No. GovAuctions.app is an independent aggregator. We are not affiliated with the Ministry of Defence, any police force or council, or any of the auction houses above.
- Where do the UK listings come from?
- From Eddisons, NCM Auctions, BPI Auctions, Apex Auctions, Ramco, Witham Specialist Vehicles and Wilsons Auctions. Each listing shows its seller and links to the original lot.
- What does GovAuctions not cover in the UK?
- Most police lost, found and seized property. Forces sell it through the auctioneers on the BlueLight Commercial framework (John Pye, Brightwells and Wilsons) and their own eBay shops. Most council sales. Councils choose their own local auctioneers, so a council lot only appears here if it is consigned to one of the houses above. Land and buildings. We do not list UK property auctions.
- Does GovAuctions charge a fee?
- No. Searching, filtering and viewing every listing is free, with no account. The only paid product is the optional Pro subscription at US$7 a month. Full refund available within 7 days of subscribing. When you win a lot you pay the seller directly; GovAuctions takes nothing from that.
- Who charges the buyer's premium?
- The seller, never GovAuctions. The hammer price is not the price. Every house above adds a buyer's premium, VAT at 20% is charged on that premium, and lots marked "plus VAT" carry VAT on the hammer price as well.
- Is GovAuctions.app the same as GovAuctions.com?
- No. GovAuctions.com is a separate, unrelated company, and nothing on this page describes it. GovAuctions.app (ending in .app) is the free aggregator.
Read more on the about page, or jump into the live auction feed.