"Govdeals is a very Shady Company.Recently they tried to extort me for $180. While bidding, I had hit the wrong key. I immediately called and emailed the seller, UAB and told them about the typo. No Answer. Finally 2 days later after I sent more emails.. they responded, stating that they would "let me off the hook", but I would have to pay a penalty fee ($180!) I quickly emailed them back, (and govdeals) stating "No, if they are going to fine me, I will just purchase the auction I bid on, for apx $600.
They stopped replying, and removed my link to pay for the auction! ( I had 5 days to pay, but now they were not letting me pay!) I sent more emails stating I wanted to pay for the auction. Then I start getting emails from GovDeals, "Legal Dept" stating I was in default, and stated I had to mail them a certified check for the $180 fine.These folks seem like extortionists! I have been along time Buyer too( over 5 yrs). However, I have noticed in the last few yrs, there seems to be a lot of straw bidders( fake bidders), bidding all the prices up higher than stuff is worth. I think Govdeals is behind this as well, or knows about it. It happens more often with certain sellers too( UAB and others in AL). Govdeals is headquartered in AL. I'm glad to be done with this crooked co."

"This company recently produced the KY Department of Fish and Wildlife's first on line surplus auction and I saw more disappointed buyers than satisfied for the first time ever. Their photos and descriptions were dubious and inconsistent. They showed photos of some vehicle engines and others just grill level since those were disassembled and or missing engine parts. A wreck with sever front engine damage was discribed as not running but vehicles with no spark plugs or coils were left with no remarks and others stated started with a boost that wouldn't and others started without the same description. Bottom line KDFWR employees were very unhappy with the mood of the buyers and the amount of problems they had to address with no real recourse. Buyers beware!!! and sellers know that KDFWR says they will never use them again as their many years of reputable auctions is ruined and they do this semi annually. "

"GovDeals allow people or organizations to sell fake items in their auction site. I bought 2 high-end watches and title clearly stated the watch name and it also said that they were appraised. I received 2 fake items instead of real ones. I called GovDeals and they never offered any help and they tried to give ma a life lesson of not to trust anything said or listed in their site instead. Yes, he actually said that on the phone. So, any person can put a fake item in GovDeals auction site and they can lie about that product in their auctions. At the end, GovDeals are ok with this as long as there is a sale. They do not care if you are screwed. They will not provide any assistance and they will let these people do this kind of business as long as they continue. "

"I've bought a few cars from different state surplus sellers and the experience with those departments has been good. I paid promptly each time and no complaints with the merchants. However Govdeals has locked my account now twice, claiming I need to verify my information. I've emailed my drivers license and proof of residence already once and I'm not doing it again. I'll use other sites for auction purchases and hope that these companies wise up and change their provider.

When you contact them they are consistently rude and seem untrained on how to even offer basic customer service. Its kind of surprising really"

"Govdeals sells stuff for government agencies around the country online, they don't know anything about the items and government sellers will tell you or hide whatever they choose with no consequences or recourse
I bid on a Honda civic last week that had few distant and unclear photos with seller notes indicating it needs a battery, I later found out car had collision damage on fender front bumber and hood. Police agent that was selling was ok of relisting or trying other bidders on it after I ask why this damage was not noted but Govdeals blocked me and sent me $1300 bill (40% of bid price)

For those in this review that says "its auction what you expect" and "you buy item sight unseen that's your problem" I would say that is Govdeals.com defensive moto!
Unless you're 100 years old "sight unseen" is what we ALL do nowadays! have you heard of Amazon, Ebay and tons of other online marketplace? people bid from around the country and around the world Yes I know this is not Amazon or Ebay nevertheless you're selling merchandise to the public but you're not telling your selling party to give accurate and full info of what they know about their items and not holding them liable of their misleading info or working with bidders when they know bidders are relying on what info is given, that's bunch of bs! If they want customers to see items in person beforehand they should open a huge lot to sell it all.
"

"My first experience with govdeals. The company demands your name, address, phone number and drivers licensees. Or they will lock the account (see below). As several reviewers have written before, the company uses personal info to ban the buyer. In addition, I learned that your personal information is distributed/sold to 3rd parties outside of the website. This includes outside the country.

First, I found no privacy policy on the website itself. Govdeals.com lacks a privacy policy. However the connected website liquidityservices.com shows a privacy policy. And you should read it.

So be careful. Learn how to protect your privacy. Find out if tools like the CCPA can work for you.

> lockout email after winning an action.
“Dear Valued Customer,

Your account is temporarily inactive because our verification department was not able to validate some of the information in your account. To enable us to verify your information, please send a clear, colored copy of your driver’s license to ****@****. In addition, if the address listed on the driver’s license is different from the address you entered on your registration, please include a recent utility bill. The utility bill must...

Once our Customer Support Department receives the aforementioned document(s), they will contact you.
If we may assist you further, feel free to call ***-***-**** x 1.
“

>Privacy Policy
….
Business Partners, other Website users or other Third Parties: We may also provide your Personal Information to our business partners for their own purposes, including for third party marketing. If legally required, we will seek your consent before engaging in such sharing.
….
Your Personal Information shall generally be stored and processed in the US. Your personal data may be stored and processed in any country where we or our affiliates or approved partners have facilities or operations, including but not limited to the UK, Hong Kong and China.
From time to time there may be transfers between members of our group of business entities into and/or out of the European Economic Area (EEA).
….
"

"They. On. There. Running. The. Stuff. Up. That. Is. On. There. Fraud"

" I have purchased multiple items from govdeals.com over the past few years with no major complications. I have bought things that were not in as good of shape as the description and pictures made them out to be. Oh well, the description said to come inspect it........
I have stopped bidding early multiple times, when I noticed that same bidder kept barely outbidding me.(I watch the bidder list) This was very likely a duplicate or dummy account bidder, and I reported it, with only 1 response on the 3 that I reported. No big deal, I did not get tricked.
If you do not go inspect and end up buying junk, you were warned in the description.
As for the municipalities having buttheads to deal with at pickup time, that is a gamble. Most of the ones that I have dealt with were pleasant after I killed them with kindness. (I sensed a bad attitude up front) Remember some of these folks are doing 2-3 people's jobs due to jobs not being back filled when someone retires or quits. Most municipalities operate on a very lean budget, and they would rather just give this stuff away or put it in the dumpster. Their local policies require them to sell surplus items at auction, and govdeals. com is an easy choice for them.
As with buying any used/not new items from someone who is not the dealer or manufacturer, Buyer Beware.
Most of my transactions with govdeals.com have been positive and I got what I expected."

"I’ve read all these reviews and had to write this. I’ve bought from govdeals for several years. Are they perfect.....no. Are all the sellers truthful NO! You have to inspect the item BEFORE you bid. If you buy something sight unseen well your a fool"

"Govdeals asheboro nc , un professional, unethical and as every review I have read on this site up to no good. Went to pick up winnings and was treated like I had stole something. They did everything in their power to make this simple process of paying and picking up car impossible. They created this default deliberately and as I told them I'm not going down without a fight. I am going to every review site I can find and informing people that everything posted here is the truth because I experienced it first hand. "

"I have been buying from auctions for several years now as part of my small business. With a few exceptions, I have found that most auctions are extremely seller-friendly and very unhelpful to buyers if a problem ever arises. The employees are generally very rude, the rules and fees for buyers are ridiculous, and you will get the raw end of the deal no matter how much money you spend with them.

Unfortunately, GovDeals has turned out to be one of, if not THE worst auctions I have dealt with to date. Long story short, I had purchased and picked up several items without incident when an issue arose with an item I won from a seller who advertised shipping on the item listing. After I had paid for the item and for their ‘handling fee,’ the seller was unwilling to ship the item appropriately and would not respond to multiple emails I sent trying to find a solution.

The seller actually then lied to GovDeals and said I would not respond to THEIR emails, despite the records I had showing the many unanswered messages I had sent. I was then locked out of my account and charged a penalty of 40% of the winning bid for the item.

I contacted customer service multiple times by email and phone, and was simply told to “work it out with the seller.“ Most of the time I was flat out ignored, and they were beyond rude when they did reply. Ultimately no one really even listened to/read what I had to say and nothing was done.

I refuse to be extorted by anybody, so I suppose my account will remain locked forever. This is just fine with me because I never intend to do business with them again.

Yes, there is the potential to find really good deals at an auction, and if you are just looking to buy one item and never purchase anything again, then it might be worth taking a chance. My best advice would be to make sure you always pay with a credit card (so that you have the ability to dispute any theft that may occur by the auction) and that you understand/follow all of the rules and restrictions for that particular item (yes, these change per item/seller).

(Oh and NEVER buy anything that must be paid with a wire transfer! Even if it is something you think you have to have, just move on and find something else. These people will have your money instantly and if there are any problems, no matter whose fault, they will hold onto your money as long as they want and there’s nothing you can do about it.)

I do not recommend however, seeking to go into any long-term relationship with these companies, because eventually, a problem will arise, and when it does, you will be screwed. You might get lucky and it happens on a small-ticket item that doesn’t end up costing you very much. But it could also end up being something you are paying thousands for, and then you will get nothing but a run around, lies told against you, and absolutely no help from the people who have your money.

In the end, it’s just not worth taking the chance, and it’s definitely not worth your time and frustration. "

"I have recently moved and went on to the GovDeals site to submit a change of address. There was a brief glitch but when I checked my acct, it had been updated. So I proceeded to bid on an auction I was interested in when I got the notice that my account had been locked. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AUCTION! I called and asked why, given we have been customers for over a decade and have always paid. I was told that my account was locked because I had submitted change of address information! So I asked why they had not advised me that they needed more info by email instead of locking the account and my finding out about it in the mid sale? There was no rationale given. They want to see an updated driver's license which I don't yet have, or utility bills which I had to scramble to locate. In the meantime, the sale I was interested in, ended. The customer service provided by these people is ABYSMAL. Must be great running a business where you only provide minimal if any customer service."

"Majority of vehicles sold on govdeals.com are not road worthy. Employees of govdeals create fake accounts to bid on cars so that vehicles prices' go through the roof! If one of the fake accounts won an auction they simply re-post the vehicle indicating buyer didn't show up to pick up the vehicle. Dirty business at its best!"

"Ms. Karen Stagg-Hourigan; Deputy Public Administrator II sold me used Microsoft Keyboard as "New" thru GovDeals.com, On March 21, 2019 she wrote "Thank you for the pictures, it is clear that it was not a new key board. This is our mistake for not verifying that the key board was not a new one. We do not want the key board returned. However, what type of compensation are you requesting for this error." In response to that I wrote her "I just want the item cost ($7.70) plus the mailing cost ($79.81) to be refunded. Thanks." She responded me back on the same date (March 21, 2019) "There is still intrinsic value to the key board, therefore we can give you $40.00." I responded her on March 30, 2019 "I will accept $40.00 plus the auction bidding price I paid ($7.70). Hopefully, that will work with you. Thanks." She hasn’t refund me the money yet. I just want the public to be aware of people who steal other money one way or other, do fraud and on top they may be government employee/s serving us (or working with them). Thanks."

"I was bidding on a truck, I got into a fictitious bidding war then when I bailed out I was told by email the next day that my last bid would be accepted after all....WOW? YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! This is one of the oldest and auction bidding scams. I think they should honestly read the auction laws!!! I stated my complaint to them and the municipality only to have govdeals.com come back and threaten me not to do that again. Please DO NOT get in a bidding war. They are falsely inflating the bid price! This is such a scam! and ITS A SHAME....THE MUNICIPALITIES INVOLVED ARE CARRYING A HUGE LIABILITY OF LITIGATION."