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A: You can setup a user account to login and bid on items at GSAAuctions.gov® by clicking on the "Register" link on our homepage. The registration form contains several required information fields which you must complete to become a registered user. Please remember to make note of your username, password and password hint for future reference. You can view the items for sale without registering by utilizing the "Browse GSA Auctions" link, but you will need to login to bid.
A: When you try to login with your username GSA Auctions throws an alert stating your
email address is not validated .When you click "OK" it takes you to a screen
where you can request for a new registration confirmation email.In this email you will
be provided with a link which will help you in activating your account.
If you forgot your username please re-register at GSAAuctions.gov® with a new Username.
A: From the GSAAuctions.gov® homepage, click on the "Login Help" link. You will be prompted to enter your username. On the next screen, you will be prompted to enter some information that you originally provided as part of the user registration process. It is important to enter this information correctly. If you have forgotten the information you provided when registering for GSAAuctions.gov®, you will need to create a new username and repeat the user registration process by going back to the homepage and clicking on the Register as a new user link.
A: In an effort to assist customers in expediting the registration process, we have added drop-down menus to many of our required data entry fields on the registration page. Drop-down menus provide information from a list of available options including data such as country of origin, state/territory, and credit card information. Drop-down lists can be distinguished by a bold arrow pointing down on the right side of the selected fields.
A: Once you have completed the registration with GSA Auctions®, you will receive a GSA Auctions® registration confirmation email. You must confirm receipt of this email by clicking on the link provided within the email message in order to activate your account before logging into GSA Auctions®. If the link provided in the email message does not work, copy and paste the link into your web browser's "address" window and then press "Enter."
A: Registration is FREE on GSA Auctions®. Your credit card number will only be used for verification purposes. GSA Auctions® utilizes Pay.Gov, an electronic payment service, to facilitate user registration and process payments. Users are required to confirm their identities during registration by providing a valid credit card. Your credit card account will be checked to make sure that it is valid and has sufficient funds available to authorize the $1 amount. After 24 hours, the authorization for $1 will expire. You will notice a change in your available balance by $1 but the amount is never actually charged to your credit card account.
A: Yes, a P.O. Box address will be accepted but you must provide a street address too. The street address must be entered in Address Line 1 field and your P.O. Box number in Address Line 2 field on the registration page.
A: Yes, as long as you have a TIN (SSN/EIN). A TIN is defined as an individual's Social Security Number (SSN) or a business entity's Employer Identification Number (EIN). In addition, you also need a valid credit card.
A: In our continued commitment to provide the safest environment possible, GSA Auctions® requires credit card validation for registering bidders on our online community. Credit card validation assists in the prevention of fraudulent registration and ensures that bidders are serious and prepared to accept responsibility for their bidding activity.
A: We are aware that you may have concerns over disclosing information. Your privacy is very important to us. GSA Auctions® is fully committed to protecting your right to privacy within our on-line auction community. GSA Auctions® does not market, sell, rent or otherwise release registered user information to third parties.
For site security purposes, GSA Auctions® website uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) 128-bit encryption for all web communications. This encryption is the highest level of security possible for network communication, and ensures users that their user information such as credit card information and passwords will not be vulnerable to hackers via the Internet or physically via internet breaches. This service remains available to all user. This government computer system employs software programs to monitor network traffic and identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. Unauthorized attempts to upload information or change information on this service are strictly prohibited.
A: GSA is a Federal Agency that offers only government personal property to the general public. If you are a Federal or State Agency you can sell items on GSA Auctions® too. If you are a private citizen interested in a website to post your personal items for sale, our authority does not include contracting with private companies and or clientele to assist in the disposal of nongovernment property, with exception of government contractor inventory. Therefore, we are unable to assist you with your personal sales.
A: You can change your personal information on your profile by following the steps below:
A: GSA Auctions.gov® placed a reserve price on the item and is not willing to sell for less than that. Therefore, a trade was not completed for the auction.
A: Certain auctions are designed to extend if there is bidding activity. See the bidding rules for details on the auction's close time.
A: You will receive an e-mail message from GSAAuctions.gov® that will detail payment terms and pickup/delivery instructions.
A: It may be necessary to withdraw items from bidding due to technical errors or uncontrollable circumstances. Auctions may be terminated because the property is no longer available due to federal agency or state needs. Additionally, property could become damaged, stolen, or improperly described on the site. In most cases, these items will be re-offered at a later date.
A: If you paid GSA using a credit card for liquidated damages you owed, it can take up to 4 business days to process this payment and clear your GSA Auctions® account. Please be advised that liquidated damage payments paid by credit cards are processed by GSA's Finance office on Thursday of each week (excluding holidays). We understand that this is an inconvenience and would prefer that these restrictions did not exist; however, these processing time frames are not within our control, so we ask that you avoid if at all possible, incurring liquidated damages.
A: The credit card information you provide at registration is used strictly for validation purposes. GSA Auctions® does not automatically charge credit cards on file, and does not assume that the credit card you used for validation at registration is the one you will choose to use to pay for an item won by you in an auction. The forms of payment available to customers can be found at http://www.gsaauctions.gov, and must adhere to the Sale Terms and Conditions as set forth in the IFB. If you choose to use the same credit card to pay for your purchase that you used to register, you will be able to choose this option without reentering the credit card information. If you choose to use a different credit card, you will be required to enter the new credit card information during the payment process.
It is important to note that once a bid is accepted as the successful bid, the bidder is under contract to pay for and remove the item(s) from the facility within the time period specified in the Sale Terms and Conditions. Should the purchaser fail to pay for or remove the item(s) within the prescribed period of time, the government at its election shall be entitled to retain (or collect) as liquidated damages a sum equal to (a) 20% of the total purchase price of the items(s) as to which the default has occurred or (b) $200.00, whichever is higher.
A: In the event a registered user of GSA Auctions® provides false information or defaults for non-payment or non-removal, he/she will lose all rights to place bids for other items. A blocked bidder will only be allowed to "browse" items available at GSA Auctions®. Once a bidder cures his/her default, he/she will be removed from blocked status and given access to begin bidding on available items.
A: You may replace your proxy bid limit with a higher or lower proxy bid limit provided that the amount is greater than or equal to the minimum bid required by the system. The minimum bid is the current winning bid plus the amount of the bid increment.
A: If you have a proxy bid placed in the system and wish to place a flat bid, the flat bid will cancel your proxy bid limit. Additionally, your flat bid must be greater than or equal to the minimum bid required by the system. The minimum bid is the current winning bid plus the amount of the bid increment. You may replace your flat bid with a proxy bid. While your proxy bid limit must be greater than or equal to the minimum bid required by the system, your current winning bid will remain the same.
A: This happens when an opposing bidder is also bidding by proxy. Although you do not see a bid placed at his/her limit, the opposing bidder's proxy bid limit was high enough to force your proxy bid to the limit.
A: This is a case where the current price of the auction was less than the reserve price but a proxy bid was higher than the reserve price at auction close. The item was therefore awarded at the reserve price to the individual who had a proxy bid higher than the reserve price. This is valid since a proxy bid implies that the bidder is willing to pay up to his/her maximum bid.
A: Proxy bidding is the ability to submit the maximum amount that a bidder is willing to pay for an item and to allow the system to incrementally bid on the bidders behalf up to the maximum amount entered. A flat bid is the lowest (minimum) bid that a bidder can place. Any increase or counteroffer of bidding using the flat bid method must be manually submitted by the bidder.
A: You cannot cancel your bids. If an auction does not close for several days, it is likely that you will be outbid. If you placed a proxy bid, you can reduce your proxy bid to the current high bid so that you are less likely to be the high bidder by the end of the sale. In cases of extremely abnormal circumstances, you should contact the regional Sales Contracting Officer at the location listed at the end of the auction listing to advise them of any circumstances that would warrant such a request.
A: If a bidder places a bid with the same proxy bid amount as another bidder, the previous (first) bidder will have the winning bid since their bid was placed first. Both bids are recorded with the same amount, displaying the first bidder with the same amount as winning, until another bidder bids higher.
A: Payment is restricted to the following instruments: U.S. currency (no greater than $10,000); bank cashier's check; credit union cashier's check issued by a Federal or State chartered Credit Union; U.S. Postal Service or commercial money order; travelers' checks; properly endorsed United States Federal, State, or local government checks; Personal or company checks accompanied by a bank letter of guarantee; MasterCard, Visa, Discover/Novus, and American Express processed manually or online through the Department of Treasury's Pay.Gov™. Certified checks, bank drafts and debit cards with dollar limitations and/or requiring a PIN number, are NOT acceptable. All checks and money orders must be made payable to the General Services Administration.
If you are paying by personal or company check, the check will only be accepted when accompanied by a bank letter guaranteeing payment. This letter must be on bank letterhead and must state (1) that payment is guaranteed, (2) that the guarantee is valid for 30 days after the bid opening date, and (3) that the guarantee covers the purchase of U.S. Government personal property only. The letter must be dated, include the bidder's name, the amount the guarantee is for, date of sale and signed by a bank official authorized to guarantee payment.
Your payment, if not processed through the online payment option, MUST be processed through the Personal Property Sales Office responsible for the item awarded to you. This information is provided in the confirmation email message from GSA Auctions® that you received when awarded the item. The email message will have an item link to view your winning item and the Personal Property Sales Office address, commercial phone number and fax number where your payment is required, as well as the email address for information. At this link, you can also obtain the custodian's name, address, commercial phone and fax number to make the arrangements to remove the item. If you receive errors when clicking on this link, please copy and paste the URL into your web browser or go directly to GSAAuctions.gov. Also, the Personal Property Sales office can be located on the long item description page at GSA Auctions® for each item.
A: In the event you have submitted a bid deposit for an auction and was not awarded the item, the deposit will be returned to you via FedEx or Certified Mail within (5) business days after the sale closes by the GSA Regional Sales Office who offered the item.
A: Yes, if the card has a MasterCard, VISA, Discover, or American Express logo. We do NOT accept debit cards with dollar limitations and/or a PIN number.
A: All checks and money orders must be made payable to the General Services Administration.
A: Failure to pay for or remove all items awarded within the specified time could result in termination of your contract. You also may be subject to paying liquidated damages. If you fail to pay for or remove the property, GSA shall be entitled to retain (or collect) as liquidated damages a sum equal to the greater of 20 percent of the purchase price of the item(s) or $200.
A: You can pay online via the “My Summary” option. Online payments are utilized by Pay.gov, which is a secure government-wide payment collection portal and transaction engine created and managed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Management Service (FMS).
A: You will need to log into GSA Auctions® with your login name and password. Once logged into GSA Auctions®, you will click on the “My Summary” tab at the top of the screen. Then you will click on “Trades”. A listing of auctions awarded to you will be listed. Next to each auction to the left of the screen will be a “Pay Now” button. You will click on this button next to each item to process your credit card payment.
A: Yes. In order to have someone else remove the property you have purchased from GSA, you must provide a letter of authorization. The letter must state (1) the name of the person you are authorizing to pickup the property, (2) the sale and lot number of the item, and (3) must be signed by you, the purchaser. In addition to the letter of authorization, the person must present a photo id, and a signed Purchaser’s Receipt and Authority to Release Property to verify proof of purchase prior to removal; otherwise removal will not be permitted.
A: A matrix of supported Browsers and Operating Systems can be found on the Supported Browsers page. If you are using an old or unsupported browser, we recommend you upgrade to the latest version to fully enjoy GSA Auctions.gov® and other Internet sites.
A: From the GSA Auctions.gov® homepage, click on the "Browse GSA Auctions" link to view the complete catalog of items currently for sale on our site. You can click on any of the categories to get a listing of the items available in that category, broken down by state. Please be aware that while browsing the auctions, you will not be able to bid. Registration and login are required to bid on items.
A: Network connectivity problems cause images to disappear at times. To show the picture, right click on the image placeholder and click "Show Picture." This should make the image appear.
A: Because GSA Auctions.gov® uses dynamically generated data on many pages, the system tells your browser to "expire" the page as soon as you browse to another page. Thus, utilizing your browser's back button results in an error notifying you that the page has expired. In general, the back button should not be used since it displays cached pages and may not show the most recent data. Instead, click on the button that looks like an up arrow.
A: This is an internal server error. Detailing the page where the error occurred, what you clicked on before receiving the error, and the time and date that the error occurred will greatly assist us in determining the problem.
A: If you are using a Netscape browser older than version 4.06, or Internet Explorer version 4.01 browser for the Macintosh, GSA Auctions.gov® recommends that you download a newer version of these browsers. This is because they contain Certificate Authority certificates that expired at the end of 1999 (these certificates are what enable you to access web services securely with your communication encrypted). Due to the expired certificate within your browser, any attempt to access a secure site will result in an online warning. Newer versions of the popular browsers resolve this issue. Additional information on the latest versions of the supported browser can be found on the Supported Browsers page.
A: GSA Auctions.gov® requires that the use of per-session cookies. These cookies are cached only while you are visiting GSA Auctions.gov® and are deleted from the cache when you log out from the site and exit your browser. Please see the Supported Browsers page for instructions on enabling per-session cookies.
A: Throughout the GSA Auctions® site, you will see a button that looks
like a lightning bolt 
.
By clicking on this button, the system will refresh the page you are viewing
and retrieve the latest information. Please do not use the Refresh button on
your browser, as this may cause the system to load a different page or even
log you out.
A: Use the up arrow that is next to the bid button to go back to the list of auctions. To return to the main categories page, click on the "Auctions" tab or the "Back to top" link and you will be sent to the main categories page.
A: Record the error message on the screen and email the error message and a brief account of how you encountered the application error and email it to gsaauctionshelp@gsa.gov. To resume activity on GSA Auctions®, close your browser window, open a new browser window and go to www.gsaauctions.gov to login again.
A: These are passenger cars, light trucks and school buses used by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to conduct various compliance and experimental crash tests related to motor vehicle safety. After completion of testing, they are reported to GSA for sale. These vehicles are described as “destroyed in testing”, “not repairable for highway use”, and “salvage sale only”. Buyers of these vehicles will be required to sign a Disclaimer Statement.
A: From any page on GSA Auctions®, you can select Closed Auctions from the Browse Auctions drop-down menu at the top of the website. You are able to view auctions that have closed during the last 30 days. To find your item without scrolling, just type the item's Sale-Lot Number (A1FBPI07039701 for example) in the Search box and click the Search button. You may also search on the Item Name and Item Description to narrow your closed auctions results.
A: GSA has made a conscious decision not to make our reserve price public in an effort to maximize the return on investment (Tax Payers dollars). The reserve price is the lowest price the agency is willing to accept for the item. If the reserve price is not met, we are not obligated to sell the item.
And while GSA is not obligated to sell an item if it does not meet the reserve price, we may elect to do so anyway. Remember, an agency may be attempting to recover its cost to replace the item, but to the general public the item may be of little or no usage. A reserve is ideally what we would like to have, but as you know, often the market dictates the true value of an item. Many times a high reserve price may deter bidders who might otherwise engage in bidding, and we definitely want to promote equitable and open competition.
Section 508 generally requires Federal agencies to ensure that their procurement of Electronic and Information Technology takes into account the needs of all end users – including people with disabilities. Any assistive technology, must be designed so that an end user can operate the product, without having to modify it
GSAAuctions.gov is committed to providing access to all individuals—with or without disabilities—seeking information on GSAAuctions.gov. To provide this information, GSAAuctions.gov has been built to comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (as amended). Section 508 requires that all individuals with disabilities (whether federal employees or members of the general public) have access to and use of information and data, comparable to that provided to individuals without disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on us.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader, eye tracking device, voice recognition software, etc.) and have difficulty accessing information on GSAAuctions.gov, please contact GSAAuctions.gov and provide the URL (web address) of the material you tried to access, the problem you experienced, and your contact information. A GSAAuctions.gov team member will contact you and attempt to provide the information you're seeking.
