Seized property sold through government auctions and police auctions are a treasure trove for bargain hunters. There is a vast array of goods, new and used, sold at way below retail, sometimes less than 10% of market value!
What is seized property? Most states have “seizure laws” in place. These laws allow law enforcement agencies to seize property that was used to commit a crime, such as a car or truck used to transport stolen goods or illegal drugs, as well as any real property that was bought with money acquired from the commission of a crime.
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 numbers and types of seized property that is sold through government auctions is mind-boggling. You can buy cars and trucks, boats, antiques, jewelry, office equipment, even aircraft. And they can be had for mere pennies on the dollar.
These auction goods can also be merchandise that was seized by Customs. The seizure might be for smuggling, or improper importation, even failure to pay import duties or taxes. The US Customs agency often seizes entire cargo containers full of property. Many times, these consist of brand new merchandise that was originally intended for retail store sale, and are now being liquidated through a government auction.
Government auctions and police auctions are carried out separately by hundreds of individual agencies, from federal government agencies like the IRS and US Customs, on down to local governments and municipal sheriffs departments. Each of these agencies will conduct their own auctions, sometimes online, some at specific locations.
How do you go about finding these seized property auction treasures? There are basically two ways to find them. First, you can look through each agency’s listings, but you will spend countless hours since each agency is independent, and auctions change daily. Secondly, you can join a government auction membership site. These compile all the thousands of auctions together through their website. Membership sites vary, so you must check out reviews such as those found at Government Auction Site Reviews.
Seized property auctions are vast treasure troves of merchandise. If you are willing to put in a little time browsing through them, you will find literally thousands of “deals of a lifetime” on just about anything in the world!
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