Field notes for people who resell government surplus. How to tell a real deal from a money pit on GovDeals — fees, friction, resale math, and the platforms worth your time.
Original data: one week of real GovDeals closings — 76% sell-through, $20.4M in final bids, a $271 median sale, 20 bids/lot. What surplus really sells for, by category and state.
Yes — GovDeals is a real, established surplus-auction marketplace. The actual risk isn't fraud, it's overpaying. Here's what's legit, what's "as-is," and where flippers get burned.
A step-by-step framework: landed cost, resale comps, the profit gap, and the friction flags that quietly kill margin. With the exact math GavelGap runs on every listing.
The three big government surplus platforms compared for resellers — inventory, fees, buyer's premium, payment, and which is best for which kind of flip.
The number you bid isn't the number you pay. Buyer's premium, sales tax, payment fees, and shipping — and how the all-in cost runs 15–30%+ over the hammer price.
Where more flips die than anywhere else: pickup-only lots, LTL freight, auto-transport, removal deadlines, and how to price logistics into your bid.
The GovDeals categories that resell best — IT, laptops, vehicles, tools — the niche ones that reward expertise, and what to approach with caution.