Government Surplus

mgb74 · Aug 29, 2006

I sometimes get email anouncements pointing to government surplus sales of photo equipment:

http://web.govliquidation.com/auction/search?searchId=26667&tid=DC00000036

Have never bought anything and the one time I checked with one of their pack and ship vendors, I thought the cost was far too high.

But if you live close enough to one of these locations to inspect and to pick up, it might be of interest. Of course, much of this "stuff" may be in rough shape.

Now I know we can turn this into a discussion of high acquisition prices and waste, but the point of this post is to give some visibility to a potential opportunity. For example, the Omega Universal in HI is not likely to draw a mass market.

Sparky · Aug 29, 2006

mgb74 said:
I sometimes get email anouncements pointing to government surplus sales of photo equipment:

http://web.govliquidation.com/auction/search?searchId=26667&tid=DC00000036

Have never bought anything and the one time I checked with one of their pack and ship vendors, I thought the cost was far too high.

But if you live close enough to one of these locations to inspect and to pick up, it might be of interest. Of course, much of this "stuff" may be in rough shape.

Now I know we can turn this into a discussion of high acquisition prices and waste, but the point of this post is to give some visibility to a potential opportunity. For example, the Omega Universal in HI is not likely to draw a mass market.

Out of curiosity - how much stuff were you looking to ship - and what was the shipping quote - if you don't mind my asking...? I was looking into this at one point...

Terence · Aug 29, 2006

I looked into it once, and it's some fantastic bargains if you live close. But every shipper I looked into or contacted, even outside "suggested" ones, was just not worth it.

There was a Pentax 67 with 11 (yes, eleven) lenses, a fitted hard case, and numerous accesories, in Huntsville, Alabama that went for $112. I almost cried. But I was getting quotes to pick it up, pack it and ship it of almost $900. Although everything looked mint on the screen, I wasn't going to shell out that much on something I couldn't handle first.

Dave Parker · Aug 29, 2006

Hell for $900 I could have drove down there, picked it up and taken some pictures on the trip! Geeze that is terrible..

Dave

Sparky · Aug 29, 2006

Dave Parker said:
Hell for $900 I could have drove down there, picked it up and taken some pictures on the trip! Geeze that is terrible..

Dave

Hell, for $900 - I should start a shipping company!!! LOL.

Terence · Aug 29, 2006

My thought exactly.

Sparky · Aug 29, 2006

Terence said:
My thought exactly.

Hey - I didn't sell you some 70mm film, did I perchance?

Aggie · Aug 29, 2006

argggggggggghhhhhhhhhh I found 22,000 feet of 6 guage copper wire on that sight. I could go for 10 years and not have to buy more. I would have someone pick it up locally (an apugger) and then send it via a freight shipper. The major cost is when it gets picked up by a company like that at the place of a Gov. auction. That Pentax mentioned above could have been picked up by an apugger and sent a lot cheaper. Isn't that one of the advantages of this community?

mgb74 · Aug 29, 2006

Sparky said:
Out of curiosity - how much stuff were you looking to ship - and what was the shipping quote - if you don't mind my asking...? I was looking into this at one point...

It was a while ago but, as I remember, the quote was $80 to pack and ship a medium format camera and 2 or 3 lenses. Actual UPS shipping cost would not have been over $15-20, leaving about $60 for labor and overhead. Seemed high to me assuming this is a service that is offered rather than a "one off" event.

Terence · Aug 30, 2006

Sparky said:
Hey - I didn't sell you some 70mm film, did I perchance?

There's a very good chance. I've been hoarding 70mm film as a hedge against a sudden collapse of 120 film availablity. Not that I think it will happen, but the engineer in me requires me to prepare for the worst, and hope for the best. I've got about 2100' of various B&W 70mm film. Now if I could just figure out how to properly load the Hasselblad 70mm back . . .

Sparky · Aug 30, 2006

Terence said:
There's a very good chance. I've been hoarding 70mm film as a hedge against a sudden collapse of 120 film availablity. Not that I think it will happen, but the engineer in me requires me to prepare for the worst, and hope for the best. I've got about 2100' of various B&W 70mm film. Now if I could just figure out how to properly load the Hasselblad 70mm back . . .

Oh yeah? You may have 2100' - but I betcha don't got Color IR film!!! HA! Now - just to figure out what the hell to DO with it..!

Terence · Aug 30, 2006

I was happy with finding my B&W Kodak IR. But I am jealous . . .

I never got around to color IR until after it was discontinued. Same with Tech Pan.

markbb · Aug 30, 2006

Just a minor observation, but surely this isn't 'government' surplus - it's stuff they bought using *your* money! It's a bit of cheek to ask you to pay for it again.

DKT · Aug 30, 2006

if you worked for a gov't agency (state, federal, local) and had an ID card for Fed surplus....you don't have to pay for it, or if you do, it's usually dirt cheap. you just go out to the lot--sign for it & the equipment gets transfered over to your inventory.

whatever is left over--and goes to public auction--has usually been picked over pretty well. This site--appears to be sort of a third party to the Federal surplus. The US gov't actually has a surplus site that lists this stuff. Same goes for most states...

fwiw--if you work for a non-profit and can prove it through your records etc--you can usually qualify for the surplus as well. in my system, there are two types of surplus. one is open to the public, the other is set aside fofr non-prof's and other gov't agencies. This too, is usually better...like the Federal stuff, when it gets to auction, it's been picked over pretty thoroughly.

In the past couple of years, we've gotten entire darkrooms (I mean the whole thing and everything in them including materials) from surplus--picked out what we needed and passed the rest along to other parts of the system, and they've done the same thing, and so on...someday it will all be recycled.

Government Surplus

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