Seized Property Auctions
BidProwl tracks 343 live lots from the three federal programs that sell seized and forfeited property: the US Marshals Service, the Treasury forfeiture program, and the IRS. Each one uses a different contracted auctioneer, so the lots normally sit on three separate sites. Every listing here links back to the official one, because that is where the bidding happens.
The three programs
US Marshals Service.The largest of the three and the one most people mean by “seized property auction”. It disposes of assets forfeited in federal criminal cases, everything from vehicles and boats to houses. See the live US Marshals lots.
Treasury forfeiture. Run for the Treasury Executive Office for Asset Forfeiture by a contracted auctioneer, covering seizures by IRS Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations and the Secret Service. See the live Treasury lots.
IRS seized property. The smallest feed and the most specific: property levied to settle unpaid federal tax, sold under its own statutory process. See the live IRS lots.
Looking for retired government kit rather than seized goods? That is surplus, a different thing: try DLA Disposition Services for military surplus, or federal vehicle auctions for fleet vehicles.
What is a seized property auction?
It is the public sale of property the federal government took through forfeiture or tax collection, after the case that took it has finished. Three programs run most of it: the US Marshals Service sells assets forfeited in federal criminal cases, the Treasury Executive Office for Asset Forfeiture sells what IRS Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations and the Secret Service seize, and the IRS sells property levied for unpaid tax. Each uses its own contracted auctioneer, which is why the listings are scattered across different sites.
Can anyone bid on US Marshals auctions?
Yes. These are open public auctions, not restricted sales, and you do not need a license or a dealer number for most lots. You register on whichever platform is running that particular sale and bid there. Real estate usually requires a deposit in cleared funds before the sale, and vehicles are sold as-is with no warranty and often no test drive.
What sells at federal seizure auctions?
Across 421 federal seizure lots that have closed on the sites BidProwl tracks, the median hammer price was $3,450. The mix follows whatever the cases produced rather than any catalogue: vehicles and boats, jewelry and watches, industrial and construction plant, electronics, and residential real estate. Volume is lumpy for the same reason. A single large forfeiture can put dozens of related lots up at once, then nothing similar appears for months.
Is seized property cheaper than buying normally?
Sometimes, and the reason is disposal rather than generosity: the government is closing a file, not running a business, so lots go out on a fixed timetable regardless of what the market is doing that week. The offsetting costs are real though. Expect as-is condition with no recourse, limited or no inspection, buyer's premiums on most contractor-run sales, and removal deadlines measured in days. Price those in before deciding a lot is a bargain.
How is this different from government surplus?
Surplus is property an agency owns and no longer needs, such as retired fleet vehicles or military equipment through DLA Disposition Services. Seized and forfeited property was taken from someone through a legal process. They behave differently at auction: surplus arrives on a predictable replacement cycle, while seizure inventory depends entirely on what cases closed.
