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Greg Berry, Jackie Blaskovich, and Sophie Eden kicked things off by thanking those who serve and those who made the ultimate sacrifice. With the recent Memorial Day weekend, the team also welcomed the unofficial start of summer and jumped into what has become a very busy season on Municibid.
From new government sellers and first-time listings to auction highlights, sold items, mobile app news, and a refresher on live activity alerts, this episode covered a lot.
New Government Sellers Joining Municibid
Municibid continues to welcome more than 50 government agencies every month, even 20 years in. Many of those new sellers come through referrals, with one agency telling another, “We used Municibid, and it worked great.”
This week, the team welcomed several new sellers, including agencies from Illinois, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Washington, and beyond.
Welcome to our new sellers:
- Jackson Township in Morgan County, Illinois
- City of Le Roy, Illinois
- Town of Harvard, Massachusetts
- PA Distance Learning Charter School, Pennsylvania
- City of Lake Stevens, Washington
- Town of Acton, Massachusetts
The team also highlighted several first-time listings from agencies getting started on Municibid, including a 1998 Freightliner ambulance, a Ford F-650 dump truck, a GMC truck, an Elgin Pelican street sweeper, a Bobcat skid steer, a John Deere backhoe, a fire truck, a dump truck, and even toner cartridges.
As Greg explained, first listings are always exciting. Sellers are often curious, hopeful, and sometimes a little nervous to see how their first auction performs. By the end, many are thrilled with the results.
A Quick Seller Tip: Starting Price Matters
During the episode, Greg shared a useful tip for selling agencies: the right starting price makes a big difference.
Municibid works with sellers to help set auction starting prices that attract early bidding activity. Sometimes an agency starts an item too high, especially if it is their first time selling government surplus online. In those cases, the Municibid team can help guide the seller toward a price that gets bidders engaged while still letting the market determine the final value. Learn why our Start Low, Sell High strategy works.
The team also touched on auction duration. Municibid typically recommends around 14 days for many listings. Some agencies choose longer timelines because they need an auction to end closer to a public meeting or internal approval date, but in general, a two-week auction window tends to work well.
Auction Highlights From This Week
Jackie walked through several live auctions that stood out this week.
One featured listing was a 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe from Wentzville Fire Protection District. The listing already had strong bidding activity, solid details, and responsive answers from the seller.
Another favorite was a 1986 AM General Hummer from the Town of Warren Police Department in Massachusetts. Greg and Jackie talked about how unique vehicles like this can find creative second lives, from parades and restorations to specialty recreational uses.
Not cool for gas prices, but it’s cool to look at.
Jackie BlaskovichThe team also highlighted a 2016 Dodge Charger from Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire. Police vehicles are consistently popular on Municibid, and Chargers in particular tend to draw plenty of interest.
Another major item was a 2019 Ford E450 Horton ambulance from Bensalem EMS in Pennsylvania. With under 95,000 miles and no known mechanical issues listed, it was the kind of vehicle that could be repurposed in all sorts of ways. The team talked about how buyers have turned ambulances into RVs, food trucks, tailgating vehicles, and other custom builds.
I have a friend who bought one and turned it into what they call the Crabulance, and it’s basically a food truck that sells crab legs.
Greg BerryFinally, the episode featured a 2015 Salem Hemisphere Lite travel trailer from Fair Acres at Delaware County in Media, Pennsylvania. With summer getting started, it was the kind of auction that naturally sparked some guessing about where the final price might land.
Greg put his early guess at $17,500.
Notable Sold Items From Last Week
Sophie shared several interesting items that sold during the previous week.
A 2022 Achilles walk-in boat sold for $3,000 from Upper Providence Township in Pennsylvania. The team guessed it may have been used for search and rescue, and with summer weather arriving, it is easy to imagine the winning bidder putting it to good use on the water.
A 2019 Wells Cargo tri-restroom mobile trailer sold for $25,000. Restroom trailers are not an everyday auction item, but they can be incredibly useful for festivals, job sites, campgrounds, parks, and events.
A lot of four police patrol bicycles sold for $1,250 from Central Berks Regional Police. As Sophie noted, government auctions are not always one item at a time. Lots like this can be especially attractive to resellers or buyers looking for multiple similar items.
The final sold highlight was a 2022 Ford Super Duty F-550 dump truck with a plow and spreader, which sold for $66,600. That kind of truck can work all year, handling landscaping or hauling projects in warmer months and snow removal during the winter.
Municibid’s Mobile App Is Getting Closer
One of the biggest updates from this episode was the Municibid mobile app.
Greg shared that the team received good news from Apple and cleared an important approval step. There is still another approval step to go, but the app is getting closer to launch.
The mobile app will be free to use, but bidders will need a Municibid account to log in. If you do not have one yet, registration is free at Municibid.com.
The team will make a full announcement once the app is live. In the meantime, bidders can sign up to be notified as soon as it becomes available. Sign Up for the Mobile App Launch
How to Use the Live Activity Alert Bell
The team also revisited Municibid’s live activity alert widget, which appears as a small bell on the site.
Some users had asked how to move it or turn it off, so Greg gave a quick walkthrough.
The bell starts in the bottom left corner of the page, but you can move it anywhere on your screen. When activity happens on Municibid, a small alert pops up showing things like:
- New bids
- Auction extensions
- Auctions closing soon
- New auctions starting
You can click the bell to adjust your settings, choose which alerts you want to see, or turn them off entirely. You do not even need to be signed in to use the basic version.
Greg also shared that future versions will become more personalized. When logged in, users will be able to see alerts tied to auctions they are bidding on, watching, or interested in.
See You Next Monday
Even though this episode happened on a Tuesday, Municibid Mondays Live is usually live every Monday at noon Eastern.
Greg will be out next week for his moving day, and Jameel will still be traveling, so Jackie and Sophie will be holding down the live stream.
Whether you are bidding, selling, watching live, listening to the podcast, or catching the replay, the Municibid team is grateful to have you here.
Explore current government surplus auctions at https://municibid.com.
