Guide To Buying Used Federal Personal Property

Do you want to buy Government property? If you do, you need to talk to us. We're the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), and we sell used personal property for nonmilitary Federal agencies.

GSA is the Government's procurement agent for the supplies, equipment, and vehicles that Federal workers need to do their jobs. When items are no longer needed or are being replaced, we stretch the Federal dollar by offering them for sale to the public. Our sales include a wide variety of items that would interest both individuals and businesses.

This guide will tell you what we sell, how we sell it, and how you can be a buyer. We've also included information about sales of military and forfeited property and real estate.

Airplanes to X-Rays

We sell cars, vans, trucks, boats, and airplanes; office and household furniture; communications equipment; computers, printers, copiers, and typewriters; recreational and athletic equipment; cameras and projectors; and tools. We also sell industrial items like hardware; plumbing, heating, and electrical equipment; printing presses; paper products; medical and laboratory equipment; agricultural, mining, and construction vehicles and machinery; food preparation and serving equipment; ores and metals; and exposed x-ray film.

Most of the vehicles in our sales were purchased new and driven by Government employees for official purposes. They are sold when they reach replacement age and/or mileage. Our vehicles are one of the best buys in the marketplace today because of good maintenance, relatively low age and mileage, and desired features like automatic transmission, air conditioning, power steering, and power brakes. And they don't look like institutional vehicles, as the Government buys attractive body styles in a variety of colors.

No Giveaways

If you're interested in buying used Federal property, there's one thing you should know up front. The Government expects to receive a fair price. Unless you're willing to pay fair market value, you would be wasting your time at a sale. Every item has an undisclosed minimum price and is seldom sold for less. Stories about the $100 dollar yacht or Mercedes car are pure fiction.

As a taxpayer, you paid for these items when they were new. GSA wants to give you the best possible return on your tax dollar when they're sold.

No Guarantees

We'll give you a chance to inspect sale property before making an offer, and we urge you to do so. While we try to point out deficiencies if we know about them, an item may still have faults, and we do not guarantee condition.

How We Sell

We sell personal property by sealed bid, auction, spot bid, and fixed price sales. No preference is given to any individuals or groups, including veterans, senior citizens, and religious organizations.

Sealed Bid

We sell by sealed bid when the sales items are in scattered locations. For this type of sale, we mail an "Invitation for Bid," or IFB, to prospective buyers on our mailing lists. The IFB contains item descriptions, sale terms and conditions, item locations and inspection times, and a bid form.

If you decide to bid, you fill out the bid form and mail it to the address indicated in the IFB. We must receive your bid by the opening date and time. Late bids are not accepted under any circumstances. We open all bids publicly.

Auction

We hold an auction when we have a large number of items for sale in one location. Many of our car and truck sales are auctions. We use traditional auction methods.

You'll receive descriptions, bidding instructions, and an opportunity to inspect the merchandise ahead of time or on the day of the sale.

Spot Bid

A spot bid sale is similar to a "silent auction," with bids written down rather than voiced. Property is offered item by item and awarded to the highest bidder. Bidders may bid only once per item, unless the item is reoffered.

Fixed-Price Sale

From time to time, we'll hold a fixed-price sale. At these, we post the selling prices on the property and sell items on a first-come basis.

Conditions of Sale

We sell used personal property according to the U.S. Government's Standard Form 114C, "General Sale Terms and Conditions." You may ask to review a copy of the form at any of the GSA regional sales offices listed further on in this pamphlet or at a sale location.

You should study carefully the terms and conditions in the Invitation for Bid and in any notices provided at auctions and fixed-price sales. Be sure you understand any special terms.

Payment and Removal

You must pay for and remove your purchases within the time prescribed for each sale, and you cannot remove merchandise before you pay. The Government does not provide any form of financing.

Acceptable forms of payment generally include cash, money orders, travelers checks, cashier's checks, credit union checks, Government checks, and personal checks accompanied by an informal bank letter guaranteeing payment. VISA and MasterCard also are accepted for many sales.

Removal is your responsibility; GSA will not provide shipping and handling. If you fail to pay and remove by the deadline, the Government will take action to collect damages from you of $25 or 20 percent of the purchase price, whichever is greater.

How We Advertise

We maintain mailing lists for frequent purchasers of Government property. To keep down mailing costs, we periodically remove the names of people who don't buy. To be placed on a mailing list, write to the GSA regional sales office serving your location.

Occasional buyers can get information about upcoming sales by dialing our telephone hotlines for recorded messages.

We also run ads in local newspapers and on radio, and sometimes we'll post notices in public buildings. Highly specialized sales and others that might generate interest nationwide are advertised in national newspapers, trade journals, and periodicals.

We also advertise sales of national interest in the Commerce Business Daily, a publication of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Copies of Commerce Business Daily may be available at libraries and local Chambers of Commerce. For subscription information, call the U.S. Government Printing Office order line at (202) 512- 1800 or write to the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.

You'll find a list of GSA regional sales offices, with addresses and telephone numbers for recorded messages, on the back of this pamphlet.

Sales by Other Agencies

The Defense Logistics Agency, part of the Department of Defense (DoD), sells used personal property for the military. Forfeited property is sold by the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Customs Service.

Military Property

Military surplus personal property is sold by the Defense Logistics Agency's Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service through its regional offices worldwide. A free booklet, How To Buy Surplus Property from the U.S. Department of Defense, lists these offices and some 20 categories of goods. To request a copy, call 1 (800) 222-3767. For additional information write to or call Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service, National Sales Office, P.O. Box 5275 DDRC, 2163 Airways Blvd., Memphis, TN 38114-5210; (901) 775-6427

Forfeited Property

Forfeited property offered for sale may include vehicles, vessels, jewelry, clothing, household items, art, and antiques.

For information on sales by the U.S. Marshals Service, contact U.S. Marshals Service, National Seized Assets and Forfeiture Service, 600 Army Navy Drive, Arlington, VA 22202-4210; (202) 307-9087.

For information on sales by the U.S. Customs Service, contact E G & G Dynatrend, Inc.; U.S. Customs Service Support Division; 2300 Clarendon Avenue, Suite 705; Arlington, VA 22201; (703) 351-7887.

Real Estate Sales

GSA sells most surplus Government real estate. For information, call 1 (800) 472-1313 or request a free copy of U.S. Real Property Sales List from the Consumer Information Center, Department 514A, Pueblo, CO 81009.

A number of other Federal agencies, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Veterans Affairs, also sell real estate. Consult local real estate agents, watch for newspaper advertisements, or contact the agencies directly.

If you have a computer equipped with a modem, you can access the Federal Real Estate Bulletin Board for information on Federal real estate sales. Set your communications software to 8 data bits, no parity, and 1 stop bit. Dial 1 (800) 776-7872; in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area dial (202) 501-6510.

How To Find Us

For information on GSA sales of used Federal personal property, or to be placed on a mailing list, write to Personal Property Sales, U.S. General Services Administration, at the address serving your location. Remember, mailing lists are for frequent purchasers. For recorded information about upcoming sales, call the hotline telephone number listed with each address.