# Ever bought something from a government auction?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-bought-something-from-a-government-auction/791616>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [July 19, 2017, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-bought-something-from-a-government-auction/791616 "2017-07-19T01:09:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [July 20, 2017, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-bought-something-from-a-government-auction/791616/21 "2017-07-20T17:28:35Z")

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A CWU-36/P Nomex flight jacket, several HGU-26/P flight helmets (single-visor and dual-visor), and miscellaneous other stuff that was in the lots.

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**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\
**Post date:** [July 20, 2017, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-bought-something-from-a-government-auction/791616/22 "2017-07-20T19:01:59Z")

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> [@DCnDC](#):
>
> Yeah you really have to read the listings carefully, and even then a lot of the descriptions are pretty vague. You may think you’re bidding on one desktop computer, generously priced at $25, then you show up and they bring out a couple pallets stacked with 200 computers and will not let you leave without every single one of them.

> [@Johnny\_L.A](#):
>
> A CWU-36/P Nomex flight jacket, several HGU-26/P flight helmets (single-visor and dual-visor), and miscellaneous other stuff that was in the lots.

“Sir, the description was very clear. You now own the jacket and helmet, and you have legally adopted the pilot who was modeling them in the picture. Please give him a hug.”

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**Author:** ![rainy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@rainy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainy)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2017, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-bought-something-from-a-government-auction/791616/23 "2017-07-21T18:10:01Z")

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Any idea why the minimum bids for the books (textbooks, or assorted paperback books) are so high. I would have thought a bunch of random books would be nearly worthless – more of a pain to dispose of than something with a $2000 minimum bid.

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**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2017, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-bought-something-from-a-government-auction/791616/24 "2017-07-21T18:35:45Z")

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I’ve bid and won a couple times at county tax auction for tax delinquent properties. Have to research carefully of course.

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**Author:** ![Anita\_Dayoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Anita\_Dayoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anita_Dayoff)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2017, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-bought-something-from-a-government-auction/791616/25 "2017-07-21T23:01:42Z")

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Many great buys. I drive a former highway patrol car that I bought for $3500 that Kelly Blue Booked at $5500. 125,000 miles with great tires, all maintenance records and mostly like new inside. Biggest impediment to buying from feds is the geography of inspection and purchase but if you’re in Hawaii there are some real deals.

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