Public Surplus
Public Surplus operates an online government surplus auction marketplace, enabling verified public institutions across all 50 US states and 13 Canadian provinces to sell vehicles, equipment, real estate, and general merchandise to registered buyers via competitive online bidding.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersHenderson, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Public Surplus does
Public Surplus is an online auction marketplace that connects verified government and public-institution sellers with individual and business buyers seeking surplus assets. Operated by The Public Group, LLC and in continuous operation since 1999, the platform serves state agencies, county governments, municipalities, and school districts across all 50 US states and 13 Canadian provinces and territories. Listings are organized into 28 categories spanning vehicles, heavy equipment, real estate, aviation, marine, medical, electronics, and scrap, with bidding executed through a web-based auction engine that supports proxy bidding, category and geographic browse, filtered search, and multi-language display (English, Spanish, French).
The underlying technology is a self-serve web marketplace with user registration and authentication, structured category and state/province directory pages, auction listing management, and integrations with payment processing (PayMac for credit card and wire transfer), shipping estimation (uShip), and vehicle history (CARFAX). The platform does not offer a native mobile application, public API, or SDK, and does not disclose any AI/ML functionality. Distribution is entirely digital, relying on organic search traffic, category browsing, and the geographic directory structure rather than paid marketing.
Public Surplus monetizes exclusively through transaction-based fees. The primary stream is a buyer's premium added to the winning bid, with rates set by the selling agency and ranging from roughly 5% (Stearns County land sales) to 10.5% (Nevada County CA), plus a $1 minimum per auction and pass-through land-sale fees (recording, deed, state assurance). The platform charges sellers no disclosed subscription fee; revenue scales entirely with gross merchandise value across a long tail of small, episodic government transactions. The company is privately held with 11-50 employees and no disclosed outside funding.
Public Surplus firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Public Surplus
- Legal name
- The Public Group, LLC
- Website
- https://publicsurplus.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Public Surplus operates an online government surplus auction marketplace, enabling verified public institutions across all 50 US states and 13 Canadian provinces to sell vehicles, equipment, real estate, and general merchandise to registered buyers via competitive online bidding.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Public Surplus industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Government Surplus Auctions
- NAICS
- All Other Miscellaneous Retailers (459999), Used Merchandise Retailers (459510), Recyclable Material Merchant Wholesalers (42393)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Misc Durable Goods (5090), Wholesale-Durable Goods, Nec (5099)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Auction-based Generalist Marketplaces (CRAFAAAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Asset Recovery, Surplus & Decommissioning Services (EUAIANAD), Salvage, Total Loss & Insurance Auction Services (TLABAKAH), Commercial Real Estate Auctions (BPAJAEAB)
Keywords
Where Public Surplus is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Henderson
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Public Surplus business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Buyer's Premium: Public Surplus charges a buyer's premium (percentage of final sale price) on all transactions. The premium rate varies by selling agency - for example, Texas Facilities Commission charges 6%, Nevada County charges 10.5%, Apache County charges 10%, and Stearns County land sales charge 5%. This is the primary revenue stream for the platform.
- Transaction Processing Fees: Additional fees include $1 minimum charge per auction for payment collections, plus recording fees ($46), deed fees ($25), and state assurance fees (3% for land sales) that go to government entities.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Variable buyer's premium based on selling agency |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Land sale additional fees |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Public Surplus product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Public Surplus operates an online auction marketplace where verified government agencies and public institutions sell surplus assets—including vehicles, heavy equipment, real estate, electronics, and general merchandise—to registered buyers through competitive bidding. The platform enables transparent, auditable disposal of surplus property across all 50 U.S. states and 13 Canadian provinces, supporting 28 product categories and charging a buyer's premium on each transaction.
Product overview
Public Surplus is a government surplus auction platform operated by The Public Group, LLC (Copyright 1999-2026). The platform serves as a marketplace where selected public institutions (government agencies, schools, counties) sell surplus items through competitive online auctions. The core product is the auction marketplace, supplemented by specialized modules for vehicle auctions, real estate/tax-forfeited property auctions, heavy equipment, and electronics/computers. Key features include filtered search, regional agency browsing, and integration with shipping (uShip) and vehicle history services (CARFAX). The platform supports multiple languages (English, Spanish, French) and serves buyers across U.S. states and Canadian provinces.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Public Surplus Auction Platform
- Vehicle Auctions
- Real Estate Auctions
- Heavy Equipment Auctions
- Electronics and Computers Auctions
Quantifiable outcome
- Government agencies can dispose of surplus assets efficiently through competitive bidding
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Public Surplus
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Public Surplus technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature4 records
Public Surplus partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Public Surplus competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Bonanza: Bonanza is a general online marketplace with growing liquidation and government-surplus inventory from third-party sellers. It is an emerging adjacent competitor with overlap in the miscellaneous-surplus retail segment.
Direct peers
- Municibid: Municibid is an online government surplus auction platform focused on municipalities and school districts. It is a smaller direct competitor that targets overlapping municipal and education sellers.
- GSA Auctions: The US General Services Administration's own online auction platform for federal surplus personal property. It competes directly with Public Surplus for federal agency sellers, though it does not serve state/local agencies the same way.
- Bid4Assets: Bid4Assets operates online auctions for tax-defaulted real estate and government-seized assets. It directly competes with Public Surplus's tax-forfeiture real estate vertical, particularly for county and municipal sellers.
- PropertyRoom.com: PropertyRoom.com runs online auctions for law-enforcement seized assets, government surplus, and municipal items. It overlaps Public Surplus's police-seized vehicle and asset-recovery verticals and serves similar buyer demographics.
- GovDeals: GovDeals is the largest online auction marketplace dedicated to government surplus, including vehicles, equipment, and real estate, serving federal, state, and local agencies across the US. It is the most direct competitor to Public Surplus in the public-sector surplus auction category.
Broad incumbents
- Copart: Copart is a global vehicle auction platform that increasingly handles government fleet and salvage vehicles. While broader in scope, it competes for the vehicle-portion of Public Surplus's auction volume, particularly fleet and total-loss units.
- IAA (Insurance Auto Auctions): IAA is a major salvage and total-loss vehicle auction platform (owned by Ritchie Bros.). It overlaps with Public Surplus's salvage/total-loss vehicle category and represents a much larger, institutional buyer of vehicle-surplus volume.
- Liquidity Services: Liquidity Services operates GovDeals, Liquidation.com, and related marketplaces across government and commercial surplus. It is a much larger, publicly traded incumbent that owns Public Surplus's principal competitor and adjacent liquidation channels.
- eBay Business Surplus: eBay operates broad government-surplus and liquidation storefronts that compete with Public Surplus for individual buyers seeking secondhand electronics, vehicles, and equipment from government and institutional sellers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Public Surplus social profiles
Digital presencePublic Surplus financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Public Surplus leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Public Surplus funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Public Surplus M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Public Surplus
What does Public Surplus do?
Public Surplus operates an online auction marketplace where verified government agencies and public institutions sell surplus assets—including vehicles, heavy equipment, real estate, electronics, and general merchandise—to registered buyers through competitive bidding. The platform enables transparent, auditable disposal of surplus property across all 50 U.S. states and 13 Canadian provinces, supporting 28 product categories and charging a buyer's premium on each transaction.
Is Public Surplus a public or private company?
Public Surplus is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Public Surplus founded?
Public Surplus was founded in 1999. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Public Surplus based?
Public Surplus is headquartered in Henderson, United States, in the North America region.
How does Public Surplus make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Buyer's Premium is the primary driver. The others are transaction Processing Fees.
Who are Public Surplus's main competitors?
Bonanza is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Municibid, GSA Auctions, Bid4Assets, PropertyRoom.com and GovDeals. Broad incumbents are Copart, IAA (Insurance Auto Auctions), Liquidity Services and eBay Business Surplus.
Does Public Surplus have an API?
No public API is recorded for Public Surplus.
What industry is Public Surplus in?
Public Surplus's product category is Government Surplus Auctions. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAFAAAC, Auction-based Generalist Marketplaces, with a secondary code of EUAIANAD, Asset Recovery, Surplus & Decommissioning Services. Its NAICS code is 459999 and its SIC code is 5090.