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Greg Berry, Sophie Eden, and Jackie Blaskovich were back for another Municibid Monday, and this episode brought one of the more unusual auction stories of the season: a Kawasaki Bayou 220 four-wheeler that had been ditched in a field after a police chase.
At the time of the livestream, the four-wheeler already had 30 bids and just over two days left in the auction. The listing described it as being in fair condition, needing some love, but confirmed as a running unit. The team also joked about the possibility of the four-wheeler being sold, used in another police chase, and then listed again by another police department.
“Hopefully someone’s able to get this and have some fun with it and not be chased by the police.” — Greg
The team also talked about Municibid’s upcoming 20th anniversary summer picnic, new sellers joining the platform, first-time listings, first-time sales, active auctions worth watching, and a creative upcycling idea involving fire hoses.
New Sellers Joining Municibid
Municibid continues to welcome new government agencies, schools, and public organizations from across the country.
This week, Greg welcomed several new sellers, including:
- Woodbridge Township School District, New Jersey
- Tiadaghton Valley Municipal Authority, Pennsylvania
- Mercer Township, Pennsylvania
- Town of Wilbraham, Massachusetts
- Reading Muhlenberg Career and Technical Center, Pennsylvania
The team joked about some of the harder-to-pronounce municipality names in Pennsylvania and the Northeast, including Schuylkill, Manayunk, and other local names that can be tricky if you are not from the area.
When Sellers Are Surprised by What Things Sell For
Greg talked about a seller from Waverly Township who listed some toner cartridges and genuinely did not think they would sell. They did, and she was thrilled.
"You never know until you put it out there, because you have no idea what someone could do with it, what they want it for. And I can't tell you how many times over the twenty years that I've heard that. And then they come back and they just can't believe someone bought the items and for how much." — Greg
A seller had hoped to get $100 for a commercial mixer. It sold for $1,650. And a Borough of Wilkinsburg item that had a $1,000 target ended up selling for $8,400. Listing on Municibid does not cost anything for government sellers. Put your item up on Municibid and see what happens.
A Powermatic planer from South Williamsport Area School District caught Greg’s attention and sparked a conversation about woodworking, school shop programs, and Pinewood Derby cars.
The team also looked at a 2012 Ford Fusion from Centre County Recycling and Refuse Authority. With the reserve already met, Greg and Jackie noted that it could make a solid starter car for a new driver.
Features: Bid Timeline and Live Auction Alerts
During the episode, Greg pointed out Municibid’s bid timeline feature, which lets users see when bids were placed and follow the trajectory of bidding throughout an auction.
The team also highlighted live auction alerts, which can notify users about new bids, auction extensions, and auctions closing soon. The alerts can be moved around the screen and you can select which alerts you’d like to see.
“I think it’s fun to see what people are bidding on and what’s happening on the site in real time.” — Greg
Guess the Winning Bid Amount
Greg chose a 2014 Kubota excavator from St. James Parish in Louisiana for this week’s guessing segment.
The listing noted that the condition was unknown, but the excavator did start. It also displayed a system error, which made guessing the final sale price even harder.
“Anytime I think I know what things are going to sell for, I’m always wrong. It’s such a gamble.” — Greg
That uncertainty is part of what makes the guessing segment fun. Greg guessed $4,800. Even with 20 years of experience, unique surplus items can still be difficult to predict.
Sophie’s Cool Item of the Week: Fire Hose
Sophie’s pick for the week was a large lot of fire hoses. At first, fire hose might seem like an unusual item to spotlight, but Sophie had a creative idea: turn it into dog toys.
Fire hose material is tough, durable, and hard for dogs to chew through. Sophie pointed out that similar dog toys can be expensive in stores, which made the lot an interesting opportunity for someone with a little creativity.
The listing included about 3,500 feet of hose in multiple sizes, including four-inch hose, two-and-a-half-inch hose, and one-and-three-quarter-inch hose.
“So you could make a ton of dog toys.” — Sophie
Greg also pointed out that the fire hose can be used for other upcycled products, including wallets, belts, bags, and accessories. Depending on condition, some hose may even be useful to another fire department.
Checking In On Greg’s Prediction
The team also checked in on Greg’s previous guess for a 2015 Salem Hemisphere travel trailer. Greg had guessed $17,500, and the trailer sold for $15,104 after receiving 92 bids. He was a little high, but not far off!
It looked like the winning bidder used the proxy bid strategy that Jackie and Sophie chatted about last week. Add a few extra dollars, even $4, to your proxy bid and it makes a difference!
See You Next Monday
Municibid Mondays Live is live every Monday at noon Eastern. Whether you are bidding, selling, watching live, listening to the podcast, or catching the replay, the Municibid team is glad to have you here.
Explore current government surplus auctions at https://municibid.com
