The Reseller Index
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What it really costs to buy at online surplus auctions and liquidators

The winning bid is only part of the price. On top of it come a buyer's premium (none named at GSA and ShopGoodwill, up to 12.5% at GovDeals in its 2022 Maine schedule), sales tax unless your resale certificate is accepted, the cost of getting it home, and a fee if you don't pay or pick up in time.

The tables below put seven sites side by side from their own pages and agency documents, with what a $50, $200 and $1,000 win costs at each. For a lot, the landed cost per item calculator splits the total across the items and works back to a maximum bid.

Rates verified on

Buyer costs by site

From each site's or agency's own pages, checked Oct 23, 2026. Each auction's own terms control. Follow a site's name for the details, quotes and sources.
Site Buyer's premium Payment Pickup or removal Sales tax If you don't pay or pick up
GovDealsSurplus from state and local government agencies Set per agency: 12.5% ceiling in a 2022 state contract; New York State's vehicle auctions add 8% Set by each agency: 5 business days in Oklahoma (wire only from $5,000) Set by each agency: 5 business days in Oklahoma, then $10 a day storage Charged by the auction's location; file exemption forms before you pay Set by each agency: Oklahoma locks your account; unremoved items can be resold
GSA AuctionsSurplus federal property that wasn't donated to a state or public agency or a nonprofit None named on GSA's purchase page By the sale’s deadline (2 business days in the online terms and a 2024 award notice); cards up to $24,999.99 Within the removal period (10 business days in those terms; 10 calendar days for GSA Fleet vehicles); you load and haul Not addressed in GSA's purchase pages or SF 114C; on GSA Fleet vehicles, collected by the auction house or at registration Award under $325: the award; $325 to $100,000: $325; over $100,000: 5%. GSA Fleet vehicles: up to $875. Unpaid, it can be taken from a tax refund
Public SurplusSurplus from public agencies Stated on each auction (9.75% and 10% in two agencies' terms) At the close under the Buyer Agreement; agencies can allow more time Within the auction's required time frame (10 business days at one district) Taxes "if applicable" are part of the total due The greater of $200 or 40% of the final bid
PropertyRoomProperty from law enforcement, other government agencies and merchant sellers None on most items; 10%, 12% or 15% on capital assets and in-place items Card or PayPal charged automatically; $5,000 or more by wire within 72 hours Within 5 business days of the close, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays Collected on orders shipped to 45 states and DC; Reseller Program with a resale certificate Missed pickup: possible forfeiture of the item and fees
ShopGoodwillDonated goods listed by local Goodwill organizations None named: joining and using the site is free Typically within 7 days of the close Some Goodwills offer pickup; the listing says Charged by ship-to location; tax-exempt resellers send a certificate You must complete the purchase; non-payers can be suspended or banned
HiBidAuctions listed by auction companies (the sellers) Set by each auctioneer Auctioneer's terms; most send invoices within 1 business day Auctioneer's pickup window, "often only a few days" On the auctioneer's invoice if it applies Auctioneer's terms: cancellation and account suspension
ProxibidAuctions run by sellers Proxibid approves Set by each seller; includes a Proxibid Premium Seller's terms; the agreement's default is within 30 days of the invoice Seller's terms; "a reasonable amount of time" by default Buyers and sellers handle sales tax; the agreement sets no process Proxibid Premium owed to Proxibid after 15 days; $35 late fee plus interest

What a $50, $200 and $1,000 win costs before shipping

The winning bid plus the premium named in each row and sales tax at a 6% example rate (Kentucky's statewide rate, which has no local add-ons) on the bid and premium, the way the six state tax agencies whose guidance we read treat the premium. GSA's pages don't say whether tax applies, so its row has none. Shipping, freight or your trip is extra everywhere.

Computed with the same code as the landed cost calculator. HiBid and Proxibid don't set a premium (the auctioneer does), so their rows use an illustrative 10%. PropertyRoom's flat delivery fee and ShopGoodwill's shipping and handling are on top.
Site and premium used $50 win$200 win$1,000 win
GovDeals12.5% premium $59.63$238.50$1,192.50
GSA Auctionsno premium, no tax $50.00$200.00$1,000.00
Public Surplus9.75% premium $58.17$232.67$1,163.35
PropertyRoomno premium $53.00$212.00$1,060.00
ShopGoodwillno premium $53.00$212.00$1,060.00
HiBid10% premium (illustrative) $58.30$233.20$1,166.00
Proxibid10% premium (illustrative) $58.30$233.20$1,166.00

Each site and question in detail

Sites we couldn't check

We only publish numbers we read on a site's own pages. These sites' pages didn't load for our checker on Oct 23, 2026, so there are no figures for them here. Read the fee and shipping terms on the listing itself before you bid.

  • Liquidation.com: Access Denied page (HTTP 403) on Oct 19 and Oct 23, 2026.
  • B-Stock: Browser challenge page (HTTP 403) on Oct 19 and Oct 23, 2026.
  • Direct Liquidation: Pages load only with JavaScript, and its help center sent a browser challenge page (HTTP 403), on Oct 19 and Oct 23, 2026.
  • GovDeals (its own site): Access Denied page (HTTP 403) on Oct 19 and Oct 23, 2026; agency pages and documents are used instead.

Questions

What is a buyer's premium?

A percentage added to the winning (hammer) bid; HiBid's glossary defines it as "a fee added to the hammer price (winning bid), usually a percentage." At 12.5%, the ceiling in GovDeals' 2022 Maine price schedule, it adds $25.00 to a $200 win.

Do you pay sales tax at government surplus auctions?

Often; a government seller doesn't make the sale tax-free. GovDeals' 2022 Maine price schedule says it applies sales tax by asset type and location when it collects payment, Oklahoma's GovDeals terms charge it by the auction's location, PropertyRoom collects it on orders shipped to 45 states and DC, and ShopGoodwill by ship-to address. Each takes resale certificates its own way. GSA's purchase pages don't address sales tax; GSA Fleet's vehicle terms leave it to the auction house or the registration office.

What happens if you win and don't pay or pick up?

It depends on the site. GSA charges the award under $325 and $325 up to $100,000 (so $325 on a $1,000 win; GSA Fleet's vehicle terms make it $875), and in a 2025 appeals case an unpaid GSA fee was taken from the buyer's tax refund; Public Surplus charges the greater of $200 or 40% ($400 on $1,000); PropertyRoom pickup orders can be forfeited without a refund.

Is sales tax charged on the buyer's premium?

Usually. California, Idaho, Missouri, Nebraska, New York and Wisconsin tax agencies all treat the premium as part of the taxable price, so at a 6% rate a 12.5% premium adds $1.50 of tax to a $200 win. A resale certificate the seller accepts takes the tax off the whole sale.

How do I work out the cost per item on a lot?

Total the bid, premium, fees, tax and your shipping or pickup cost, then split it across the items you expect to sell, by expected sale price when they differ in value. The landed cost calculator does it and works back to a maximum bid.

General information from each site's and agency's own published pages, checked Oct 23, 2026; not legal or tax advice. We don't rate or recommend these sites. Check with a lawyer or tax professional where it matters.

Sources

Rates verified on from each official page below.

Free 1-page Reseller Cheat Sheet: fees on 8 platforms, Media Mail and stamp prices

What each platform takes from a $10, $25 and $50 sale, Media Mail 1-10 lb, Ground Advantage to Zones 1, 5 and 8, and the Forever stamp, on one printable page. The link appears as soon as you sign up.