Discussion
Government Surplus AuctionsSearch Every Platform at Once
carefree-bob: This is a real public service. More people can find better deals, this increases the pool of bidders, taxpayers will get more money for the auction. Discoverability is hugely important to these auctions.
player_piano: Thank you. Yes, you could definitely say that I'm undermining a personal arbitrage advantage on this corner of the Internet, but I couldn't resist trying to "fix" it and better surface all of these woefully inefficient mini-marketplaces.
SoftTalker: Seems to be missing stuff.I searched "volkswagen" on govdeals and found a lot of vehicles listed but nothing on this site.
BloondAndDoom: Good stuff,Once an item clicked back button returns you to a reset listing, so you cannot click and item go back and retain the last position you were looking at (tested on iPhone)
player_piano: Thanks, I'll fix that right now.
rurp: Very interesting project! Can anyone comment on what the buying process is like? Specifically if there are any weird hoops to jump through or if it's a normal account signup and payment process. Is delivery available or do these need to be picked up in person?
player_piano: It varies by state and authority. The majority require in-person pickup; for properties there is often longer, sometimes multi-stage bidding process (where the auctioneer periodically reviews current bids, and decides whether any are acceptable before moving to the next stage).
venusenvy47: Pretty cool. But a lot of it doesn't really work once you click into a particular state. For example, from this page, if you click on "All auctions in Georgia", it lists all auctions in the country. Or if you click on "electronics", it doesn't show just electronics in Georgia.https://www.govauctions.app/auctions/georgia
showerst: Feature request:Let me filter and alert based on a distance, not just sort. e.g. "Lathe" within 100 miles of Baltimore. GovDeals lets you do this, but their distance filter is very inaccurate.
player_piano: You should now see this option when you create an alert - within 50/100/500 miles of a given ZIP.
molticrystal: Suggestions:Put the parameters into the url so searches can be bookmarked, like zip codes, terms, filters, and other aspects can be shared easily.Description search both include (like i7, 16GB) which is good for electronics and exclude for example exclude "repair" or "needs repair" which is helpful for many things.Category specific filters, vehicle millage range, yearKeywords like pickup, delivery, payment methods, etc.You are probably already thinking along these lines for some of them, just an encouragement to implement. Yes categories can be fuzzy(commas, which word or plurals used, etc), so feel free to put the [beta] or [experimental] tag until a recipe that gets most of the stuff works.Thanks for building this, I bookmarked it and will already shared it with a few friends.
player_piano: Very kind of you - sharing this has definitely highlighted some of the rough edges :) Search / Alert accuracy is one big thing I need to make better, and I will take note of these suggestions.
doctorpangloss: @dang player_piano is obviously a bot.
player_piano: Hi, I am not a bot, and if you ask me to write a poem or sonnet about Hackernews in the reponses I assure you I will not be up to the task.
lazyasciiart: The ones I’ve looked at need to be picked up in person, sometimes with very short deadlines.
lazyasciiart: e.g. from one auction: Removal Responsibilities: The successful bidder is solely responsible for all aspects of removal, including packing, crating, banding, loading, and shipping. The agency will not provide assistance.Authorized Third-Party Removal: The authorized third-party agent must present a Letter of Authorization from the high bidder (see terms and conditions for details), a copy of the purchaser's receipt, and a valid photo ID at the time of removal.Special Pickup Requirements: You are required to provide your last and first name along with the specific date and time to Mimi.quach@noaa.gov for pickup. This information is required to grant you access to NOAA Building 33. Building hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM.Loading Assistance: Staff will be available to help load the item onto your vehicle.Pickup within 15 business days.
