Now in its third year of tapping into the technology of the World Wide Web, Ocean County recently completed another successful online auction, bringing in about $61,000 to the county’s treasury, according to a press release from the county.
“The Internet has given us the opportunity to tap into a much larger pool of bidders, and that tends to result in a more competitive auction,” said Ocean County Freeholder John C. Bartlett Jr., who is liaison to the county Department of Purchasing. “People across the world can bid on a golf cart, an industrial-size lawn mower or a street sweeper. The accessibility to the items that are on the website makes the process much more convenient.”
A total of 63 surplus items were sold during an online auction that ran Feb. 20- 24. The county sold surplus equipment including golf carts, mowers, street sweepers, power washers, and vehicles including buses and pickup trucks.
“Items go to surplus when they are no longer needed for public use,” Bartlett said. “In some instances, when the cost of repairs on a piece of equipment becomes prohibitive, we look to sell the items because it is just no longer feasible for the county to keep them.”
The auction was conducted online by US GovBid of Eatontown.
Ocean County usually holds a surplus equipment auction in the spring and again in the fall.
“The online auction has provided us with a much larger field of bidders and more competitive bids,” Bartlett said. “The total received by the county shows this process is successful.”