When you buy items at a government auction, your are buying items at a wholesale market and this is different from a retail buying experience, and it should not be confused with buying something at Walmart or any store that has liberal customer satisfaction policies.

In wholesale markets like government auctions, items are sold “as is where is,” which translates into “Don’t expect any help after the sale.” It also means no warranty on the items unless otherwise stated. It also means absolutely no returns unless otherwise stated. Buy a car at government auction, drive it home, and watch the transmission fall off. Whose problem is it now? Yours. So factor that in when forming your bidding strategies.

In a wholesale market like a government auction, you are trading off the higher priced customer friendly retail buying experience for an opportunity to buy at below market values. Again note we used the word, “opportunity,” which is not a guarantee that it will actually happen, so be careful when bidding.