What surplus laptops sell for on GovDeals
A single government surplus laptop sold for a median $102 on GovDeals across 1,746 auctions that closed from May 22 to November 1, 2026. Half sold between $70 and $164, and only 1 in 10 topped $270. Bulk lots are left out: they're priced per lot, not per laptop.
The numbers
Every laptop auction on GovDeals that closed from May 22, 2026 to November 1, 2026 with a confirmed result:
| Metric | Laptops |
|---|---|
| Auctions with a confirmed result | 1,760 |
| Sold | 1,746 |
| Median winning bid | $102 |
| Middle half sold for | $70 to $164 |
| Top 10% sold for | $270 or more |
| Median with the 12.5% buyer's premium | $115 before tax and transport |
| Median bids per sold lot | 13 |
What moves the price
Two states supply most of them. Tennessee (597) and Iowa (357) sold more single laptops than every other state combined, at medians of $102 and $101.
Laptops draw a smaller crowd than vehicles. The median sold laptop got 13 bids, and only 9% drew more than 30. Those few went for a median $221.
October's median rose to $130, from about $100 in the months before.
By how contested the auction was
| Bids on the sold lot | Sold | Share | Median winning bid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-5 bids | 301 | 17% | $62 |
| 6-15 bids | 769 | 44% | $95 |
| 16-30 bids | 520 | 30% | $125 |
| Over 30 bids | 151 | 9% | $221 |
By month
| Month | Sold | Median winning bid |
|---|---|---|
| May 2026* | 82 | $91 |
| June 2026 | 214 | $92 |
| July 2026 | 327 | $99 |
| August 2026 | 245 | $107 |
| September 2026 | 437 | $102 |
| October 2026 | 435 | $130 |
| November 2026 | 6 | $72 |
By state
The states with the most sales (at least 10 each):
| State | Sold | Median winning bid |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | 597 | $102 |
| Iowa | 357 | $101 |
| California | 109 | $47 |
| Colorado | 96 | $172 |
| Ontario | 83 | $150 |
| Alaska | 64 | $94 |
| Michigan | 56 | $98 |
| Ohio | 54 | $70 |
| New Mexico | 39 | $100 |
| Washington | 38 | $66 |
Recent sales
The latest 8 sold, as GovDeals titled them:
| Lot title | Where | Bids | Winning bid | Ended |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple MacBook Air A1466 2015 i5 intel1.6GHz 8GB shipping only | VA | 22 | $59 | Nov 1 |
| Dell Latitude 5510 i5-10310U @ 1.70 GHz Laptop | IA | 8 | $72 | Nov 1 |
| Dell Latitude 7400 i7-8665U @ 1.90 GHz Laptop | IA | 9 | $72 | Nov 1 |
| Dell Latitude 7400 i7-8665U @ 1.90 GHz Laptop | IA | 20 | $72 | Nov 1 |
| Dell Latitude 7400 i7-8665U @ 1.90 GHz Laptop | IA | 10 | $82 | Nov 1 |
| Dell Latitude 7400 i7-8665U @ 1.90 GHz Laptop | IA | 23 | $122 | Nov 1 |
| Apple A1278 MacBook Pro Intel Core I5 processor 15” inch shipping only | VA | 3 | $102 | Oct 31 |
| HP EliteBook 745 G5 | IA | 22 | $150 | Oct 30 |
What it resells for
In our GovDeals vs. eBay study, the median laptop lot's eBay sold value was 1.31 times its winning bid across 507 matched lots, and about 1.6 times is where a flip breaks even after fees on both ends. So the typical laptop doesn't pay. The profit is in the minority that sell far below eBay. Check for BIOS locks, missing drives and missing chargers, which turn a cheap laptop into a parts unit. How to flip surplus laptops has the rest.
GavelGap puts the other half of the math on every GovDeals listing: what the lot resells for, what it costs you landed, and the pickup-only, title and condition problems that sink a deal, right in your browser.
Try GavelGap free →Methodology
We include every GovDeals auction that ended from May 1, 2026 through November 1, 2026 whose outcome GovDeals confirmed by status, bid history or bid count. Lots we couldn't confirm either way are left out, as are sellers that sell at a fixed price with no bidding (at least 90% of 20 or more sales with no recorded bid). Laptops are listings in GovDeals' laptop category whose title names a laptop or a laptop model line (Latitude, ThinkPad, EliteBook, MacBook and so on); docks, cases and parts are excluded. Multi-unit lots ("lot of 10", "(4)", "10ea", pallets) are excluded so every price is for one item. Winning bids are the final bid before the buyer's premium and tax; Canadian lots are converted from CAD to USD. "Bids" is the bid count on the sold lot, which can include several bids from one person, so read it as a measure of how contested a lot was. Year, bid and state rows need at least 10 sales. We don't publish per-lot resale estimates.
Frequently asked questions
How much do government surplus laptops sell for?
On GovDeals a single laptop sold for a median $102 across 1,746 sales from May 22 to November 1, 2026. Half sold between $70 and $164.
Can you make money flipping surplus laptops?
On the right ones. In our matched study the median laptop lot's eBay sold value was only 1.31 times its winning bid, below the roughly 1.6 times needed to break even after fees. The profit is in lots that sell far below eBay.
Which states sell the most surplus laptops on GovDeals?
Tennessee (597 single laptops) and Iowa (357), more than every other state combined. Their medians were $102 and $101.
Are bulk laptop lots included?
No. Lots of several laptops are priced per lot, which would distort a per-laptop price, so this page counts single laptops only.
Related: GovDeals vs. eBay prices · How to flip surplus laptops · How we vet sold comps · Profit calculator
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