Michigan government surplus auctions
The State of Michigan sells its surplus on its own auction site, MiBid, and at a quarterly in-person sale in Lansing. Colleges, cities and police departments sell on GovDeals, where we tracked 3,193 Michigan auctions with a confirmed result from May 22 to October 31, 2026.
Michigan State Surplus: MiBid and the Lansing sale
The DTMB State Surplus program sells state surplus to the public on MiBid, its online auction site, and at a quarterly in-person sale at 3111 W. St. Joseph St., Building 600, in Lansing. Anyone can browse MiBid, but you need a free MiLogin account to bid. The in-person sale takes cash and credit cards, everything is as-is, and there's no loading help.
The inventory isn't only state surplus. It includes property confiscated by the Michigan State Police and the Department of Natural Resources, items surrendered to the TSA at airports, and surplus from local public colleges. A sale can be cancelled for lack of inventory, so check the page before you drive. Questions: DTMB-Surplus@michigan.gov.
Michigan on GovDeals: the numbers
Every GovDeals auction with a Michigan pickup location that closed from May 22, 2026 to October 31, 2026 with a confirmed result:
| Metric | Michigan on GovDeals |
|---|---|
| Auctions with a confirmed result | 3,193 |
| Sold | 2,888 |
| Median bidders per sold lot | 7 (all GovDeals: 11) |
| Median winning bid | $83 (all GovDeals: $175) |
| Total winning bids | $4.4 million |
| Selling accounts | 129 |
| Auctions from commercial sellers | 11.5% |
| Lots open on November 7 | 291 |
One college is almost half of Michigan's GovDeals
Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor ran 1,391 auctions, 44% of Michigan's GovDeals market, at a median winning bid of $17 with 5 bidders: desktops, shop tools, construction materials and chairs. Chairs across the state sold for a median $3 on a single bid. It pulls Michigan's overall median down to $83 with 7 bidders, against $175 and 11 across GovDeals.
Vehicles are a different market. Cars, pickups and SUVs from government sellers drew a median of 37 bidders and sold for $2,925. Pickups went for $4,106 (national: $3,800). Michigan E-Recycle, a commercial seller in Temperance, sold 199 lots of phones and tablets for $489,169, at least half of them on a single bid.
What sells
The busiest categories (at least 10 sales each), with the GovDeals-wide figure for comparison:
| Category | Sold | Median bidders | Median winning bid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computers: Desktops and All-In-Ones | 180 | 14 (all GovDeals: 14) | $166 (all GovDeals: $170) |
| Tools, Industrial Power & Hand | 119 | 7 (all GovDeals: 9) | $22 (all GovDeals: $52) |
| Chairs | 90 | 1 (all GovDeals: 3) | $3 (all GovDeals: $20) |
| SUV | 109 | 36 (all GovDeals: 30) | $2,725 (all GovDeals: $3,000) |
| Construction Materials | 99 | 6 (all GovDeals: 5) | $18 (all GovDeals: $50) |
| Pickup Trucks | 80 | 36.5 (all GovDeals: 38) | $4,106 (all GovDeals: $3,800) |
| Computers: Laptops | 77 | 13 (all GovDeals: 18) | $94 (all GovDeals: $230) |
| Automobiles/Cars | 71 | 22 (all GovDeals: 28) | $1,690 (all GovDeals: $2,200) |
| Tools, All Types | 70 | 5.5 (all GovDeals: 10) | $17 (all GovDeals: $53) |
| Storage & Shelving | 57 | 2 (all GovDeals: 4) | $10 (all GovDeals: $22) |
| Construction Equipment, Miscellaneous | 55 | 5 (all GovDeals: 12) | $22 (all GovDeals: $650) |
| Tables | 46 | 2 (all GovDeals: 3) | $5 (all GovDeals: $20) |
| Industrial Equipment, Miscellaneous | 46 | 5 (all GovDeals: 8) | $14 (all GovDeals: $144) |
Who sells
| Seller | Type | Auctions | Sold | Winning bids |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washtenaw Community College | Government | 1,391 | 1,268 | $96,099 |
| Michigan E-Recycle | Commercial | 221 | 199 | $489,169 |
| St. Clair Shores Police Department | Government | 169 | 117 | $7,907 |
| Road Commission for Oakland County | Government | 89 | 86 | $315,331 |
| Wayne County Airport Authority | Government | 72 | 69 | $7,933 |
| Lansing Police Department | Government | 66 | 61 | $79,706 |
| Southfield | Government | 58 | 49 | $45,277 |
| SMART Bus | Government | 55 | 54 | $57,797 |
| Schoolcraft College | Government | 54 | 50 | $40,710 |
| Troy's Towing - Impound/Towing | Commercial | 45 | 45 | $138,678 |
Where
| City | Auctions | Sold | Median winning bid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ann Arbor | 1,417 | 1,294 | $17 |
| Temperance | 221 | 199 | $350 |
| Saint Clair Shores | 169 | 117 | $11 |
| Detroit | 136 | 133 | $350 |
| Lansing | 86 | 81 | $875 |
| Livonia | 77 | 73 | $430 |
| Farmington Hills | 66 | 63 | $32 |
| Mason | 59 | 52 | $270 |
By month
| Month | Sold | Median winning bid |
|---|---|---|
| May 2026* | 99 | $101 |
| June 2026 | 305 | $121 |
| July 2026 | 297 | $160 |
| August 2026 | 812 | $36 |
| September 2026 | 693 | $101 |
| October 2026 | 682 | $73 |
What's open right now
354 Michigan lots were open on GovDeals when this page was last updated (Nov 8, 11:23 PM ET). These 8 have the highest current bids among lots closing in the next few days. Bids move fast, so open the listing for the current bid, the pickup address and the removal deadline before you bid.
GavelGap puts the other half of the math on every GovDeals listing: what the lot resells for, what it costs you landed, and the pickup-only, title and condition problems that sink a deal, right in your browser.
Try GavelGap free →Methodology
Our GovDeals figures include every GovDeals auction with a Michigan pickup location that ended from May 1, 2026 through October 31, 2026 and whose outcome GovDeals confirmed by status, bid history or bid count. Lots we couldn't confirm either way are left out, as are real estate and land sales and sellers that sell at a fixed price with no bidding (at least 90% of 20 or more sales with no recorded bid). "All GovDeals" figures use the same rules nationwide over the same dates. "Bidders" is the bid count on the sold lot, which can include several bids from one person, so read it as a measure of how contested a lot was. Category medians are per lot, so a multi-unit lot counts as one sale at its full price. Categories need at least 10 sales. Commercial sellers are businesses and remarketers selling on GovDeals rather than government bodies, using GovDeals' own seller type. We don't show sell-through: before September 2026 our tracking didn't record every unsold auction, so early months would overstate it. We don't publish per-lot resale estimates. Facts about Michigan's own surplus program come from the official sources linked above; programs change, so confirm terms with the agency before you buy.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the State of Michigan sell surplus?
On MiBid, the state's own online auction site, and at a quarterly in-person sale at 3111 W. St. Joseph St., Building 600, Lansing. You need a free MiLogin account to bid on MiBid.
What does Michigan's surplus sale include?
State surplus, plus property confiscated by the Michigan State Police and the DNR, items surrendered to the TSA at airports, and surplus from local public colleges.
Is Michigan government surplus on GovDeals?
Some of it. Colleges, cities and police departments ran 3,193 GovDeals auctions with a confirmed result from May 22 to October 31, 2026, led by Washtenaw Community College with 1,391.
What does the winner pay on top of the bid?
On GovDeals, usually a 12.5% buyer's premium plus sales tax. MiBid and the Lansing sale set their own terms; the in-person sale is cash or credit card, as-is.
Related: Car auctions near you · Pickup truck sold prices · Government auctions near you
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