-Guide To Buying Used Federal Personal Property

Do you want to buy Government property? If you do, you need to
talk to us. We're the U.S. General Services Administration
(GSA), and we sell used personal property for nonmilitary Federal
agencies.

GSA is the Government's procurement agent for the supplies,
equipment, and vehicles that Federal workers need to do their
jobs. When items are no longer needed or are being replaced, we
stretch the Federal dollar by offering them for sale to the
public. Our sales include a wide variety of items that would
interest both individuals and businesses.

This guide will tell you what we sell, how we sell it, and how
you can be a buyer. We've also included information about sales
of military and forfeited property and real estate.

Airplanes to X-Rays

We sell cars, vans, trucks, boats, and airplanes; office and
household furniture; communications equipment; computers,
printers, copiers, and typewriters; recreational and athletic
equipment; cameras and projectors; and tools. We also sell
industrial items like hardware; plumbing, heating, and electrical
equipment; printing presses; paper products; medical and
laboratory equipment; agricultural, mining, and construction
vehicles and machinery; food preparation and serving equipment;
ores and metals; and exposed x-ray film.

Most of the vehicles in our sales were purchased new and driven
by Government employees for official purposes. They are sold
when they reach replacement age and/or mileage. Our vehicles are
one of the best buys in the marketplace today because of good
maintenance, relatively low age and mileage, and desired features
like automatic transmission, air conditioning, power steering,
and power brakes. And they don't look like institutional
vehicles, as the Government buys attractive body styles in a
variety of colors.

No Giveaways

If you're interested in buying used Federal property, there's one
thing you should know up front. The Government expects to
receive a fair price. Unless you're willing to pay fair market
value, you would be wasting your time at a sale. Every item has
an undisclosed minimum price and is seldom sold for less.
Stories about the $100 dollar yacht or Mercedes car are pure
fiction.

As a taxpayer, you paid for these items when they were new. GSA
wants to give you the best possible return on your tax dollar
when they're sold.

No Guarantees

We'll give you a chance to inspect sale property before making an
offer, and we urge you to do so. While we try to point out
deficiencies if we know about them, an item may still have
faults, and we do not guarantee condition.

How We Sell

We sell personal property by sealed bid, auction, spot bid, and
fixed price sales. No preference is given to any individuals or
groups, including veterans, senior citizens, and religious
organizations.

Sealed Bid

We sell by sealed bid when the sales items are in scattered
locations. For this type of sale, we mail an "Invitation for
Bid," or IFB, to prospective buyers on our mailing lists. The
IFB contains item descriptions, sale terms and conditions, item
locations and inspection times, and a bid form.

If you decide to bid, you fill out the bid form and mail it to
the address indicated in the IFB. We must receive your bid by
the opening date and time. Late bids are not accepted under any
circumstances. We open all bids publicly.

Auction

We hold an auction when we have a large number of items for sale
in one location. Many of our car and truck sales are auctions.
We use traditional auction methods.

You'll receive descriptions, bidding instructions, and an
opportunity to inspect the merchandise ahead of time or on the
day of the sale.

Spot Bid

A spot bid sale is similar to a "silent auction," with bids
written down rather than voiced. Property is offered item by
item and awarded to the highest bidder. Bidders may bid only
once per item, unless the item is reoffered.

Fixed-Price Sale

From time to time, we'll hold a fixed-price sale. At these, we
post the selling prices on the property and sell items on a
first-come basis.

Conditions of Sale

We sell used personal property according to the U.S. Government's
Standard Form 114C, "General Sale Terms and Conditions." You may
ask to review a copy of the form at any of the GSA regional sales
offices listed further on in this pamphlet or at a sale location.

You should study carefully the terms and conditions in the
Invitation for Bid and in any notices provided at auctions and
fixed-price sales. Be sure you understand any special terms.

Payment and Removal

You must pay for and remove your purchases within the time
prescribed for each sale, and you cannot remove merchandise
before you pay. The Government does not provide any form of
financing.

Acceptable forms of payment generally include cash, money orders,
travelers checks, cashier's checks, credit union checks,
Government checks, and personal checks accompanied by an informal
bank letter guaranteeing payment. VISA and MasterCard also are
accepted for many sales.

Removal is your responsibility; GSA will not provide shipping and
handling. If you fail to pay and remove by the deadline, the
Government will take action to collect damages from you of $25 or
20 percent of the purchase price, whichever is greater.

How We Advertise

We maintain mailing lists for frequent purchasers of Government
property. To keep down mailing costs, we periodically remove the
names of people who don't buy. To be placed on a mailing list,
write to the GSA regional sales office serving your location.

Occasional buyers can get information about upcoming sales by
dialing our telephone hotlines for recorded messages.

We also run ads in local newspapers and on radio, and sometimes
we'll post notices in public buildings. Highly specialized sales
and others that might generate interest nationwide are advertised
in national newspapers, trade journals, and periodicals.

We also advertise sales of national interest in the Commerce
Business Daily, a publication of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Copies of Commerce Business Daily may be available at libraries
and local Chambers of Commerce. For subscription information,
call the U.S. Government Printing Office order line at (202) 512-
1800 or write to the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government
Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.

You'll find a list of GSA regional sales offices, with addresses
and telephone numbers for recorded messages, on the back of this
pamphlet.

Sales by Other Agencies

The Defense Logistics Agency, part of the Department of Defense
(DoD), sells used personal property for the military. Forfeited
property is sold by the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S.
Customs Service.

Military Property

Military surplus personal property is sold by the Defense
Logistics Agency's Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service
through its regional offices worldwide. A free booklet, How To
Buy Surplus Property from the U.S. Department of Defense, lists
these offices and some 20 categories of goods. To request a
copy, call 1 (800) 222-3767. For additional information write to
or call Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service, National
Sales Office, P.O. Box 5275 DDRC, 2163 Airways Blvd., Memphis, TN
38114-5210; (901) 775-6427

Forfeited Property

Forfeited property offered for sale may include vehicles,
vessels, jewelry, clothing, household items, art, and antiques.

For information on sales by the U.S. Marshals Service, contact
U.S. Marshals Service, National Seized Assets and Forfeiture
Service, 600 Army Navy Drive, Arlington, VA 22202-4210; (202)
307-9087.

For information on sales by the U.S. Customs Service, contact E G
& G Dynatrend, Inc.; U.S. Customs Service Support Division; 2300
Clarendon Avenue, Suite 705; Arlington, VA 22201; (703) 351-7887.

Real Estate Sales

GSA sells most surplus Government real estate. For information,
call 1 (800) 472-1313 or request a free copy of U.S. Real
Property Sales List from the Consumer Information Center,
Department 514A, Pueblo, CO 81009.

A number of other Federal agencies, including the Department of
Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Veterans
Affairs, also sell real estate. Consult local real estate
agents, watch for newspaper advertisements, or contact the
agencies directly.

If you have a computer equipped with a modem, you can access the
Federal Real Estate Bulletin Board for information on Federal
real estate sales. Set your communications software to 8 data
bits, no parity, and 1 stop bit. Dial 1 (800) 776-7872; in the
Washington, D.C., metropolitan area dial (202) 501-6510.

How To Find Us

For information on GSA sales of used Federal personal property,
or to be placed on a mailing list, write to Personal Property
Sales, U.S. General Services Administration, at the address
serving your location. Remember, mailing lists are for frequent
purchasers. For recorded information about upcoming sales, call
the hotline telephone number listed with each address.

Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Area

470 L'Enfant Plaza East, SW
Suite 8214
Washington, DC 20407
(703) 557-7796

Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island,
Vermont

10 Causeway Street
9th Floor
Boston, MA 02222-1076
(617) 565-7326

New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands

Room 20-112, Box 10
26 Federal Plaza
New York, NY 10278
(212) 264-4823
1 (800) 488-7253

Delaware, Maryland and Virginia (except Washington, D.C.,
metropolitan area), Pennsylvania, West Virginia

P.O. Box 406571289
Philadelphia, PA 19107-3396
(215) 656-3400

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina,
South Carolina, Tennessee

Peachtree Summit Building
401 West Peachtree Street
Atlanta, GA 30365-2550
(404) 331-5177

Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin

230 South Dearborn Street
Chicago, IL 60604
(312) 353-0246

Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska

4400 College Boulevard
Suite 175
Overland Park, KS 66211
(913) 236-2565

Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas

819 Taylor Street
Fort Worth, TX 76102-6105
(817) 334-2351

Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming

P.O. Box 25506
Denver Federal Center, Building 41
Denver, CO 80225-0506
(303) 236-7705

Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada

525 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 744-5120
1 (800) 676-7253

Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington

400 15th Street, SW, Room 1478
Auburn, WA 98001-6599
(206) 931-7566