Seized property offered at government auctions and police auctions are veritable treasure chests for bargain hunters. There is an astounding array of new and used merchandise, sold at rock-bottom prices, sometimes less than 10% of market value!
What is exactly seized property? This is property taken under state or federal “seizure laws”. These laws allow law enforcement agencies to seize property that was used or acquired from illegal activities, was improperly imported into the country, or didn’t have required taxes or duties paid.
If a criminal uses the money he acquires from his crime to buy a car, truck, boat, even a house, they fall under the “seizure law” and will be confiscated. Jewelry, computers, cameras, art all can be seized.
The scope and quantity of seized property offered at government auction is staggering. You can buy aircraft, boats, cars, trucks, vehicle parts and accessories, clothing, computer equipment, recyclables like copper, iron, steel, aluminum and paper, houses, farms, acreage, antiques, collectibles, jewelry, hardware, tools, medical equipment, household furniture, boatsthe list goes on and on. Anything you can imagine can probably be bought at these government auctions or police auctions, usually for pennies on the dollar.
Another source of these auction goods is merchandise that was seized by US Customs. The seizure can be for improper importation, or failure to pay import duties or taxes. The Customs agency will often seize entire cargo containers full of property. These are usually brand new goods originally intended for retail sale, that are now liquidated through a government auction.
Government auctions and police auctions are held by hundreds of individual agencies, from federal government agencies like US Customs, the IRS, FBI, and DEA, down to your local city government and municipal sheriffs departments. Each agency conducts it’s own auctions, some online, some at specific locations.
So how do you find these seized property auction treasures? There are essentially two ways: first, you can look through listings, but you can spend countless hours as each agency holds it’s own auctions, and they can change daily, weekly, etc. Alternately, you can join a government auction membership site that puts all those listings together in one place. Membership sites vary, however, so before signing up make sure you check out reviews such as those found at Government Auction Site Reviews.
Seized property auctions are treasure troves of merchandise for bargain hunters. With a little effort, you can actually find those “deals of a lifetime” for nearly anything in the world!
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