This week on Municibid Mondays Live, Greg Berry, Jameel Farruk, and Jackie Blaskovich welcomed a wave of new government sellers, discussed recent updates to the Municibid Chrome Extension, previewed upcoming conference appearances, and highlighted some of the most unusual surplus items currently available on the marketplace.
From dump trucks and military vehicles to over 1,500 Chromebooks and an inflatable firefighter training house, this episode was a reminder that government surplus comes in all shapes and sizes.
And yes, the inflatable firehouse immediately sparked a discussion about whether it could double as a giant bounce house.
New Government Sellers Joining Municibid
Municibid welcomed 11 new government sellers this week, spanning New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and New Hampshire. A diverse geographic spread, which Greg noted is always a good sign, since more sellers across more regions means more inventory closer to more buyers.
Welcome to our new sellers!
• Township of East Windsor, New Jersey
• Cape Cod Tech, Massachusetts
• Economy Borough Municipal Authority, Pennsylvania
• Accept Education Collaborative, Massachusetts
• Upper Burrell Township, Pennsylvania
• Parsippany Township, New Jersey
• Rockford Fire Department, Minnesota
• Fall Mountain Regional School District, New Hampshire
• Jamestown Area School District
• Lebanon County Regional Police Department, Pennsylvania
• Penn Township Road Department, Butler County, Pennsylvania
Greg also noted that new sellers come on board on their own timeline. Some list items on their first day. Others register and come back months or even years later when they’re ready. Either way, Municibid has a process to make sure sellers are well-informed and confident before their first listing goes live.
First-Time Listings Worth Noticing
Several new sellers listed their first items this week, and the range of what came through is a reminder that government surplus covers a lot more ground than most people expect.
Mine Hill Township came out of the gate with a lineup of dump trucks. After a brutal winter on the East Coast with major snowstorm after major snowstorm, a lot of sellers who had equipment ready to go had to put it back into service to manage the snow. Now that things have cleared, it’s all coming to market at once. Greg noted you can see it right on the site: dump trucks, plows, snow removal equipment everywhere. For buyers, now is a great time to shop.
Cape Cod Tech listed Cat5 cabling as their first item. Which sounds unremarkable until Greg mentioned he recently moved into a new house, used to be an IT guy with what felt like miles of Cat5 cable, and couldn’t find a single one when he needed it. Everything is wireless now, and the cable box he kept is full of 15 different iPhone chargers but somehow no Ethernet cable. Jameel immediately chimed in with how he was at a recording studio tracking drums, and a faulty Cat5 cable nearly derailed the whole session. Thankfully, they had a backup Cat5 cable! Lesson: you never know when you’re going to need a Cat5 cable.
And then there’s the item that got everyone talking.
Newport Pill Fire Company in Pennsylvania listed an inflatable portable firehouse. It’s a collapsible structure firefighters use in training to practice navigating an unfamiliar home environment, clearing rooms, and moving safely through a space.
“I guess it could double as a bouncy house.” — Greg Berry
Jameel had spoken with the seller, Alex Gross, a few days before the episode. Alex mentioned the structure had only been used for training a handful of times, leaving it in near-brand-new condition. It’s portable and packs into a bag.
Active Auctions Worth Watching
2025 Diamond Cargo Trailer — Town of Jaffrey, New Hampshire
Purchased in March 2025 and used briefly as an emergency response trailer, this unit has very few miles and nothing wrong with it. The town is simply selling it because it no longer fits their needs. It comes loaded: shelving units, lights, tie-downs, and an electrical extension port.
“I call this an excuse to buy more toys.” — Greg Berry
Jackie also pointed out it would make an excellent touring trailer for musicians hauling gear between shows. Thirteen bids and climbing.
1,530 Chromebooks — Woodbridge Township School District, New Jersey
Sold as a single lot. Most units have some damage and should be considered parts only. They’ve been wiped and deprovisioned, are no longer tied to a Google domain, and chargers are not included. With 44 bids and an end time the following morning, this one was moving fast. For electronics resellers and parts buyers who give damaged inventory a second life, this is exactly the kind of lot worth watching for.
1987 Military Unimog — Borough of Neptune City, New Jersey
Listed the morning of the episode. Manufactured by Freightliner with a Mercedes engine, this Unimog has just 1,901 miles on the odometer, a 24-volt electrical system, manual transmission, front loader bucket, and rear backhoe. The only known issue: a blown seal on the backhoe piston. Everything else runs and drives well. For anyone who’s ever wondered whether Municibid sells military equipment: yes. Tanks, Unimogs, Hummers, multi-personnel carriers. They come through regularly from governments that received equipment from the military and are now ready to move it on.
Vacant Land — Richland Township, Pennsylvania
A reminder that Municibid sells real estate. This 30,202-square-foot parcel (roughly 0.7 acres) sits in the highly sought-after Pine-Richland School District in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania. Public water and sewer available, level topography, access from South Woodland Circle. Starting price $60,000, auction ends July 9th. The seller was already actively answering questions in the listing. Jackie noted her husband bought land three months ago just for hunting. Land has plenty of uses, and it’s worth checking Municibid when you’re in the market.
“Land is the one thing they don’t make any more of.” — Greg Berry
Price Prediction Recap: Greg Was Way Off
Last week Greg put in a price prediction for a 2014 Caterpillar excavator. The starting bid was $500. The condition was listed as unknown. Greg’s guess: $4,800.
Final sale price: $16,100.
“I was way wrong.” — Greg Berry
He admitted it was a pure guess, and the unknown condition influenced his thinking. But as the team noted, that’s the nature of auctions. The same item can sell for ten times as much the following week depending on who shows up.
Jameel’s Pick of the Week: A Sousaphone
If you’ve seen Jameel make a pick before or if you can see the instruments in the background of his room, you already know where this is going. Jameel loves music. This week’s pick: a sousaphone, part of a lot that also includes snare drums and bass drums.
Jameel has been playing music since he was six, comes from a musical family, and has spent the last 20 years in Philadelphia where the sousaphone was invented. So this one carries some weight. He also made the broader point that instruments come through Municibid more often than people realize: guitars, pianos, woodwinds, orchestral instruments, mixing boards, public address systems pulled from amphitheaters. If you play or know someone who does, it’s worth keeping an eye on the site.
With 23 days left on the auction, Jackie pushed Jameel for a price guess. Jameel tried to give a range, $500 to $1,000, and Jackie was having none of it. Jameel landed on $750 for the full lot. We’ll check back!
See You Next Week
We’ll be live next week on Tuesday at noon Eastern. Watch live on our social media, catch the replay, or find the edited-down version as a podcast anywhere you listen.
Explore current government surplus auctions at municibid.com.
