Auction Terms and Conditions

• Bidders must be registered, and in good standing with the State of Minnesota Department of Administration.
• Bidders must be at least 18 years of age to enter into a contract with the State of Minnesota Department of Administration.
• In order to serve you better, and to ensure a safe environment at State Auctions, please DO NOT bring children (12 and under) or pets to the sales.
• Do not place bids for items you do not intend to purchase. Results will be posted after the close of the auction.
• Pursuant to Minn. Stat. 168.27 Subd. 8. (b), anyone purchasing more than five motor vehicles in any 12-month period must have a valid dealer's license.
• Employees of the state or a political subdivision may purchase no more than one motor vehicle from the state at any one auction, pursuant to Minn. Stat. 15.054.
• Bidder agrees for and on behalf of bidder, bidder's heirs, successors and assigns that bidder shall indemnify and hold the Department of Administration harmless from and against any claim, demand or cause of action arising or alleged to have arisen out of the sale or failure to sell any items including claims for personal or bodily injury, death or contract damages.
• Potential bidders are advised that physical inspection of the sale items will be accommodated by appointment only unless otherwise specified.
• Sale items are sold "as is, where is", with no expressed or implied warranty or guarantees. The State of Minnesota is not responsible for any omissions or errors in the description of items being offered for sale. The descriptions of the items have been done by personnel untrained in these areas. Photos are merely representative of the items and may not be relied upon for disclosure of all defects. ALL SALES ARE FINAL.
• The State of Minnesota Department of Administration reserves the right, at its absolute discretion, to reject any and/or all bids considered as not in its best interest. The State of Minnesota Department of Administration also reserves the right to withdraw an item at any time - including during the bidding process.
• Bidders are responsible for verifying their bid prior to selecting the "Place Bid" button. Once bids are placed they cannot be altered or changed.
• Items must be paid for in full within ten government working days from the date of the award. If not paid and claimed, the State of Minnesota Department of Administration reserves the right to auction, in its sole discretion, any such items after the aforementioned ten day period. Payment may be made in the form of a money order or cashiers check made payable to Department of Administration - Surplus Services. Cash is only accepted at the Surplus Services location.
• Winning bidders also assume responsibility for all applicable taxes, title transfer and registration fees. Buyers exempt from paying the tax must present a copy of their Tax Exemption Certificate with their sales and use tax number and a signed certificate of exemption.
• Winning bidders must appear in person at the time of pick up, and must be prepared to remove the items from the property at the time of payment. Items will not be shipped and removal is the sole responsibility of the bidder.
• Good and marketable titles will be issued for vehicles and titled trailers when the item is paid for, in full. Open titles cannot be issued. Winning bidders must transfer the title immediately, and obtain plates to drive the vehicle, or arrange for towing. 21-Day permits will not be issued.
• A fee of up to $75 may be charged to replace lost titles, certificates of origin, lien releases, etc.
• Bidders and/or registered users may be disabled and barred from future participation in State of Minnesota Surplus Services auctions for any of the following:
  • Failure to comply with the Terms and Conditions as stated.
  • Failure to make good and timely payment for the item(s) awarded.
  • Failure to claim purchases.
  • Intentional disruption of the auction process.
  • Suspicious or incomplete registration information.

This policy establishes a procedure for the reinstatement of bidding privileges for state surplus auctions, including live and online auctions. Department of Administration Surplus Services management will consider reinstatement of bidding privileges on an individual basis upon the suspended bidder's submission of a signed request for reinstatement form. The request must include acknowledgement of the reason for the suspension and a justification or reason for consideration of reinstatement.

Department of Administration Surplus Services management will review requests for reinstatement and determine whether to grant reinstatement. Each suspended bidder requesting reinstatement will receive notification of the status of their request within 10 working days from the date the request is received. All reinstatement decisions are final.

Suspension of Bidding Privileges

If Department of Administration Surplus Services management deems a bidder's actions warrant suspension of bidding privileges, Surplus Services will suspend the registered bidder number and/or bidder's login for a minimum of six (6) months.

Actions that warrant suspension include but are not limited to:

• Failure to adhere to the terms and conditions of State of Minnesota auction sales;
• Failure to pay for purchases in a timely manner;
• Failure to remove purchases in a timely manner;
• Collusion with other bidders;
• Willful intimidation or harassment of other bidders;
• Perpetuating false or misleading information that discourages bidding by others;
• Frivolous bidding.

Permanent Expulsion

Actions that warrant permanent expulsion from auction sales include but are not limited to:

• Paying with dishonorable checks (non-sufficient funds, closed account or other) or counterfeit checks, currency, money orders or other financial instruments;
• Failure of a reinstated bidder to adhere to the terms and conditions of State of Minnesota auction sales.