20 Crazy Things You Can Buy from GovDeals
If you’re a picker or just someone who loves to collect unusual items, you might want to check with the government auctions that are offered at the GovDeals website. When we heard that they have some really weird items for sale, we just had to check them out and we were a bit in awe of the downright crazy items that we found on the site. The site is in essence, the government’s version of Ebay. While it may take a little while to sift through the absolutely useless items, there are actually some really cool things being auctioned off from the site. We wanted to share this information with the world because as the saying goes, “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure” (anonymous), so here are 20 crazy things we found that you can buy on the GovDeals website.
1. New Kitchenaid 2 pc pasta roller and cutter set
We’re not the only ones who found this to be a bit out of place for a government auction site. We’re not quite sure if this is an item that was confiscated or if a government office simply bought too many pasta roller and cutter sets. While you might expect to find staplers or surplus vehicles on the site, of all things, they’re auctioning off a pasta roller and cutter set. Perhaps it was extra on the equipment list from a federally run prison?
2. Sherwin William ProMar 200 0 VOC Interior Latex
We found 5 gallon cans of paint listed on the website under Arts and Crafts. While we would have probably designated the interior latest paint, under a different category, it’s offered under arts and crafts on the GovDeals website. Four of the cans are brand new and one of them is 3/4 full, but they fully disclose this fact and and are advertising the lot in an “As Is” format. Biddin starts at $50 and it’s being offered on the site by the Lakeland Community College of Ohio.
3. Skating Rink – Plexiglass walls
If you’re in the market for a skating rink that is complete with plexiglass walls, then you can find one for a starting bid of around $3 grand on the GovDeals website. It comes with a ton of goodies including 41 doors, 44 lower panels, 2 small plexi panels and nearly 300 other accessories which range from panel pipe holders to pipes, brackets and panel legs. Oh yes, and there are is also the complete rink which is the width of two basketball courts and the width of one.
4. Vintage CaseLogic CD Case and Disc Jewel Cases
The starting bid is $10 for his Vintage Case Logic CD Case and Disc Jewel Cases. It’s actually a really cool item if you have a lot of CDs that ae in need of protection. This is a special kind of case though. It has a copper plate along with a bunch of wires which can be removed installed in it. There were some modifications made to the original product so it could be used for surveillance equipment, so there is a cool story that goes along with this auction item. It even comes with pape envelopes with windows, along with one CD-RW and 4 CR-Rs and a TDK CD LensClear Lens Cleaner.
5. 1997 Sweepster Sweeper
This is a piece of aviation related equipment that is used to keep the airport runways free of debris. It has 2,247 hours of use and it was made in 1997. The starting bid for this unusual item is $15,000. When describing the current condition for the item, the seller listed that it stats and it runs. There have however, been no annual inspections of the equipment while it was in service so it seems that it’s a bit of a risk.
6. Broken North American T-39A Sabreliner
Appropriately listed in the aviation section, we found this North American T-39A Sabreliner for auction. It’s being offered by the Middle Tennessee State University’s Aerospace Department. It’s basically a broken plane and under the listing we saw that the listers are careful to advise that the aircraft in not airworthy. They further suggest that the best use for the rat is to be placed in a museum, or perhaps for salvage. The starting bid was $1,000 and when we checked it out, the craft had 45 bids and was going for $10,049 with time left in the auction.
7. Used RCA AVQ-21 Weather Radar Equipment
Are you in the market for an older used RCA AVQ-21 Weather Radar setup? If so, GovDeals has one for auction. The seller is Enterprise State Community College in Alabama. The starting price for this equipment was $10 and when we checked it out, there were a few interested bidders who had the bid up to $12.
8. Oils and Waste surplus items
We came across a very strange combination of items offered by the Tennessee Valley Authority. The auction ad was classified as Oils and waste and the lot consists of a collection of 25 drums of 325 Mobiltac Gear Lube, dry absorbent, nuts and bolts, and pipe insulation, all in used condition. The starting bid for this lot was $500 but the sellers won’t settle for less than $600 for the lot. At the time that we saw it, one bidder had offered $500.
9. Lot of 5 Feed Bags
The description for this auction item on GovDeals states that it is a “Lot of 5 old feed bags 3 larger 2 small, a few holes, good for display.” The starting bid for these unusual auction items was $6, but the seller, Clay Township Trustee’s, of Ohio is not letting the old feed bags go for less than $8 for the five of them. There was one bid for $7
10. A Brother Disney Edition Embroidery Machine
Another truly weird item we saw for sale on the government auction site was this brother Disney Edition Embroidery machine. It’s listed in the arts and crafts section of the auction and it’s listed on an “as is” basis with the stipulation that it’s used, the working condition is unknown and that there may be some missing, broken or defective parts. The starting bid for this item was $6 but the seller, Knox County, Tennessee, won’t settle for less than the minimum bid of $17. At the time we checked on this item there were three bids and the highest bid was for $16.
11. Oceanographic research vessel
We also saw that there is a US Coast Guard ice breaking harbor tugboat for auction on the site. This unusual item is offered by the University of Washington Marine Sciences department and it has been used by the US Coast guard for breaking through ice as well as for oceanographic research by the National Science Foundation. The minimum bid for this item is $35,000 for the 65.5 foot vessel.
12. Sketchy Boston Whaler Boat
This 17 foot Boston Whaler Boat is another crazy item that we saw listed on GovDeals auction site. While it’s not unusual to sell a boat, this one caught our eye because of the condition and description. The sellers covered all of their bases by making certain that they stated there are no warranties offered or implied and it is completely “as is” in its current condition and there are no guarantees of brand authenticity whatsoever. It does come with an EZ Load trailer and the State of Alaska is the seller starting the bid price for $1,000. At last check there were 9 bids and the price was up to $2,100.
13. One Year Boat Slip Lease
Another unusual auction item that we saw was a one year lease for a boat slip. This is a 12 x 22 foot shallow water slip that is intended for docking a vessel. The starting bid for this docking space is $650 and when we checked it out ther was one person who had submitted a bid on the space.
14. Victorinox “Skipper” Boaters Swiss Army Style Knife (ID #8888)(Kcab2)(TSA)
We were a bit surprised to see a Victorinox Skipper Boaters Swiss Army knife up for auction. The Tumwater, Washington seller started the bidding at $30 and so far has one bidder who is interested in owning this sailor’s knife. It’s a used item but advertised as showing bright, shiny, sharp and like new and it even comes with a toothpick, tweezers, a shackle opener with a Marlin Spike a corkscrew, combination pliers/crimper and cutter a can and bottle opener, screwdrivers, a split ring, serrated edge knife blade and a lot more.
15. An Abandoned Sailboat
We also saw an advertisement for this sailboat on GovDeals. The craft had been abandoned by its owners and it was impounded by the Town of Kittery, then put up for auction on GovDeals. The starting bid on this item is what really got our attention. It was listed for a starting bid of just $1. At our last check, there were 3 bidders and it was up to a whopping $21.00. That’s not a band price for a 25 foot BHN brand Sloop sailboat, even if there are repairs needed. It’s being sold as is and when it was impounded, it was floating on the water. This is all that is really known about the condition of the boat.
16. A Boat Dock
GovDeals also has a boat dock listed for sale. This item was offered at a starting bid of $10 and it currently has one bidder. The dock is 7 feet tall, 5 feet wide and 40 feet long. It weighs around 3,000 pounds. You would need a really big trailer to haul this wooden wonder if you’re the winner of the auction.
17. Scrap Pontoon Boat
Another weird item that we found on the GovDeals auction site was this pontoon boat that is being sold for scrap. The sellers indicate that it could possibly be renovated but they haven’t tested it on the water and they don’t even know what year it was manufactured. The starting bid was $25.00 and it’s already up to $264.69 at last glance, with a total of 8 bidders.
18. 2009 Ambulance Body
Here is another weird item we found on the GovDeals site. It’s the body of a 2009 ambulance truck, but the operating condition of the unit is listed as unknown. The starting bid was $50 and it has 3 bids and is currently going for $150.
19. Gargoyle Statues
We really didn’t expect to find Gargoyle statues on a government auction site, but here they are. This set is offered for a starting bid of $25. With 10 days to go, they don’t have any bids as of yet, but there is still time.
20. Vintage Super Trouper Stage Spot light
One of the last things that you’d expect to find on a government auction site is a stage spotlight. GovDeals offers this vintage edition with bidding that started at $25.00. There must be a demand for such items because with 3 bidders duking it out our last check showed that it was already up to $100 with $1 increments.