Surplus Property

Once you have set-up an account and identify an item(s) to bid on, you will enter the maximum bid amount you are willing to pay and submit. Public Surplus will start your bid at the current listed level and then increase it if/when another bidder bids higher, but will not go about your maximum bid amount. You will receive an automated email if someone outbids you. In this way, you don’t need to watch your auction constantly but stay within your maximum budget. You will also receive an automated email after the auction closes, if you won the item.

Some items are sold under what is called a Dutch auction. This is when several identical items are for sale on one listing, and bidders can enter their desired quantity and the amount per item they are willing to pay. If there are more bids than quantity available, the bidder with the highest price per item will win their quantity, and the remainder will go to the next bidder, and so on.

If you receive an email noting you have won the item, you will have the option to pay over the phone or at the time of picking up the item(s). We accept MasterCard, Visa, cash and check. OSU Surplus Property is not able to process payments online due to Oregon State Treasury guidelines. The winning bidder has seven days to pay and pick-up purchases.

Buyers will either need to pick up the item (see item description for location) or make arrangements for shipping. The winning bidder has seven days to pay and pick-up purchases.  

Public Surplus requires a $50 bid deposit on each auction over $500, but this is only charged if you win the bid but do not pay for the item.

Additional how-to's information can be found in the "About Us" menu at the top left of the Public Surplus website or feel free to give us a call at 541-737-7347, weekdays 9 am - 4 pm PST.