Oregon Surplus Property (OR)

www.oregonsurplus.com

How do our governments dispose of all the vehicles, computers, office equipment, real estate and other property they don't need? Some do the same thing as ordinary consumers do these days – put them up for sale or auction on eBay.


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Government agencies at all levels have legally mandated procedures for disposing of seized or surplus property, including unclaimed funds. Each US state and territory has a designated agency or manager responsible for disposing of its own excess goods, and many are also conduits for property no longer needed by government agencies at the federal or local levels as well.

Government Extends Life of Its Goods

The philosophy behind all of this work, according to the National Association of State Agencies for Surplus Property (NASASP), is to save the public's dollars by extending the life of goods government has purchased or obtained either by disposing of it for the highest price or passing it on to qualified organizations such as educational or nonprofit institutions as a donation, for a fee or at a significantly reduced cost.

In the State of Oregon, reutilization of this property within the public sector receives emphasis. Oregon's State and Federal Surplus Property Programs manage surplus property from statewide agencies as well as local government entities. In addition, it manages the federal General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Surplus Donation Program in Oregon as well as surplus for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and various municipalities throughout the US.

Innovative Use of eBay

Oregon's innovative use of the Internet to allow the general public to acquire surplus property warrants special attention. With its use of eBay, Oregon has turned this mandated responsibility into an enterprise that has received national recognition.

Without much fanfare or detailed explanation except for a few caveats, the Oregon Surplus Property website links to various categories of its items available on eBay, and also to the website of the US General Services Administration's auctions. The latter is searchable by state and in full text as well as by auction type or status.

Currently, Oregon maintains four separate Ids on eBay, each representing a distinct category of goods:


Reports on Oregon's revenues from sales or auctions on eBay do not appear to be on Oregon Surplus Property's web site or that of its parent agency, Oregon's Department of Administrative Services. However, a quick count of the positive feedback given to each of these four eBay "sellers" indicates that Oregon has completed at least 13,600 sales transactions since it acquired the first of its current IDs in December 1998. That's a lot of merchandise, especially considering some of the items are "lots" or collections of goods.

A PowerPoint chart that markets Oregon's surplus sales services to other government agencies shows that in 2000, Oregon was able to sell various types of vehicles for at least the same or slightly more than the average sale price for the same type of vehicle.

Unlike many of the other items available on eBay, descriptions of Oregon's surplus material may not include the detailed disclosures because the selling agency is not familiar with the detailed history of each. For those for whom it is convenient, some items for sale or auction are on display at a distribution center in Salem. Others are held by those organizations for which the State of Oregon is acting as an agent in a "Virtual Custody" arrangement to save on transportation and handling costs.

Customers seem satisfied, based on the feedback in their eBay profile, making comments such as, "One of eBay's best," "More pleasant than haggling with a car dealer," and "Excellent service as usual!!! Go Oregon!!!"

What is Your State Selling Today?

If you had logged onto eBay as I was writing this, you would have had a chance to acquire a 1997 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, a 1984 Dodge Ram 250, or a 1993 Pontiac Grand Prix LE. Some vehicles are offered with short-term warranties and some with easy payment schedules. EBay offers an opportunity for prospective buyers to chat online live with an eBay auto specialist.

Some of the other goods Oregon was selling recently included:
If you hurry, you might still be able to get a library book overnight drop box real cheap! Last we looked, it was going for 99 cents!

Tractors, lawn mowers and automobiles seem to be quite popular with the buying public, attracting lots more bids than other kinds of items.

If you want to know how your own state handles surplus goods, check out the roster of the NASASP. There you'll find contact information for the responsible party and links to the agency in each state.

A quick footnote: Palm Beach County in Florida operates a collaborative "Thrift Store" to recover investments on behalf of a number of local municipalities, school districts and other local agencies. Since 2000, it has been using the Internet to market itself -- not to sell goods -- to nongovernmental audiences. According to Governing magazine's Web Watch, its annual sales volume has grown 165% since the site was launched. The site is available in English, Spanish and Creole.

Posted by WWC: August 16, 2004   Permalink