Part of Liquidity Services, Inc.Shipping equipment bought at GovDeals overseas
Also searched as Gov Deals, govdeals.com, government surplus auctions, Liquidity Services
GovDeals sells surplus for thousands of state, county, city and agency sellers, and the equipment stays at the agency's yard. Pickup rules come from each agency, often 10 business days to remove after the auction closes, and the buyer must load; foreign buyers may need a U.S. agent set up as exporter before release.
How GovDeals works for export buyers
GovDeals is run by Liquidity Services. Each agency writes its own payment, removal and loading instructions on the asset page, and those override the platform's default terms.
Agencies do not pack, load or ship. Many public works yards have no loading equipment for buyers, so the carrier must be able to self-load.
GovDeals buyer terms
- Removal deadline
- Default of 10 business days from auction close, unless the asset page says otherwise. Source
- Storage fees
- A daily storage fee of $25 may apply after the removal window. Source
- Loading
- The buyer arranges and performs all packing, loading and transportation; the seller does not. Source
- Foreign buyers
- Liquidity Services will not release an asset sold to a buyer outside the U.S. until the paperwork for a routed export transaction is in place, and will not act as exporter. Source
Checked October 2026. Terms vary by sale, so confirm them on your invoice.
After you win at GovDeals
- 1Pay as the asset page instructs and download the Buyer's Certificate.
- 2If someone else will collect, send the agency the authorization it asks for, naming our carrier.
- 3Send us the Buyer's Certificate and the asset page. We confirm the pickup window with the agency contact.
- 4We collect the machine, load it with our own carrier and take it to the port, or first to our facility if it needs partial disassembly to fit a container.
- 5We file the export declaration (EEI) in the Automated Export System. It is required when any Schedule B line is worth more than $2,500 or needs an export license, and its ITN confirmation goes to the carrier at least 24 hours before the vessel loads.
- 6For titled machines and vehicles, the original title and the EEI go to U.S. Customs at the port at least 72 hours before export. Without them the unit cannot sail.
- 7We send you the bill of lading and the documents your customs broker needs to clear the machine at destination.
How we work with GovDeals
- We read the asset page's removal instructions and call the agency contact before dispatch, because each yard sets its own hours and rules.
- We send a self-loading carrier or arrange a loader, since agencies do not load.
- For buyers outside the U.S., we act as your U.S. agent for the routed export so Liquidity Services can release the item.
GovDeals locations and their best export ports
GovDeals lots sit at seller and agency sites across the country, so the best port depends on where the machine is. Closest ports by pickup region: Shipping from GovDeals: pickup and ports
| Pickup region | Container and flat rack | RoRo |
|---|---|---|
| Pacific Northwest (Yakima, WA) | Port of Seattle145 mi, about 3 h | Port of Tacoma155 mi, about 3 h |
| California (Fresno) | Port of Oakland177 mi, about 3.5 h | Port of Hueneme230 mi, about 4.5 h |
| Southwest (Phoenix) | Port of Los Angeles / Long Beach382 mi, about 7.5 h | Port of Los Angeles / Long Beach382 mi, about 7.5 h |
| Mountain West (Denver) | Port of Los Angeles / Long Beach1,033 mi, about 20.5 hContainers: usually railed from the Denver intermodal rail ramps, 6 mi away | Port of Los Angeles / Long Beach1,033 mi, about 20.5 h |
| Northern Plains (Sioux Falls, SD) | Port of Houston1,108 mi, about 22 hContainers: usually railed from the Kansas City intermodal rail ramps, 391 mi away | Port of Houston1,108 mi, about 22 h |
| Texas (Dallas–Fort Worth) | Port of Houston267 mi, about 5.5 hContainers: usually railed from the Dallas–Fort Worth intermodal rail ramps, 17 mi away | Port of Houston267 mi, about 5.5 h |
| Corn Belt (Des Moines, IA) | Port of Houston961 mi, about 19 hContainers: usually railed from the Kansas City intermodal rail ramps, 227 mi away | Port of Houston961 mi, about 19 h |
| Great Lakes (Indianapolis) | Port of Baltimore599 mi, about 12 hContainers: usually railed from the Chicago intermodal rail ramps, 185 mi away | Port of Baltimore599 mi, about 12 h |
| Southeast (Atlanta) | Port of Savannah249 mi, about 5 h | Port of Brunswick (Colonel's Island)278 mi, about 5.5 h |
| Florida (Orlando) | Port of Jacksonville (JAXPORT)146 mi, about 3 h | Port of Jacksonville (JAXPORT)146 mi, about 3 hOr Brunswick, the busiest U.S. RoRo gateway: 201 mi |
| Northeast (Harrisburg, PA) | Port of Baltimore85 mi, about 1.5 h | Port of Baltimore85 mi, about 1.5 h |
Road miles from OSRM (OpenStreetMap), calculated October 2026. Truck hours assume a 50 mph average for a loaded lowboy, including stops.
Container is usually the cheapest option, and we do the partial disassembly needed to make the machine fit. How we containerize heavy equipment
Container, flat rack, RoRo or breakbulk?
We quote in this order because it is usually cheapest first. Most machines that look too big for a box fit once our crew takes off the bucket, boom, cab or wheels; larger ones are taken further apart across several containers, and pieces too big or heavy for a flat rack or roll trailer go breakbulk.
01Container
Best fit- Work needed
- We partially disassemble when needed (bucket, boom, cab, wheels), or take larger machines further apart across several high-cubes and open-tops, then crate, block and lash every part.
- Destinations
- Widest: almost every port worldwide, plus inland delivery by rail.
- Typical cost
- Usually the lowest, with no out-of-gauge surcharges.
- Protection
- Sealed steel box; loose parts and attachments travel locked inside.
- Best for
- Most machines: compact ones as they are, others after partial disassembly, and large ones split across several containers.
02Flat rack
- Work needed
- Ships assembled, blocked and lashed. Surcharges apply when wider than 2.4 m or taller than about 1.95 m.
- Destinations
- Most container ports, on the same vessels as containers.
- Typical cost
- Moderate; rises with every centimetre out of gauge.
- Protection
- Open to the weather; we protect cabs, electronics and hydraulics.
- Best for
- Excavators, dozers and loaders too wide for a container door.
03RoRo
- Work needed
- Drives on assembled; non-runners go on a roll trailer.
- Destinations
- Fewer destinations: regular lanes to Europe, West Africa, the Middle East, Oceania and parts of Latin America.
- Typical cost
- Often competitive for large self-propelled machines where a lane exists.
- Protection
- Below deck, but loose items and attachments cannot ride inside the cab.
- Best for
- Running machines going to a port with regular RoRo sailings.
04Breakbulk
- Work needed
- Lifted aboard piece by piece by ship’s or shore cranes, on its own skids or cradle, then stowed and lashed in the hold or on deck.
- Destinations
- Ports with breakbulk berths and heavy-lift cranes; sailings are booked voyage by voyage.
- Typical cost
- Usually the highest for a single small machine; often the only option for the largest pieces.
- Protection
- In the hold or lashed on deck; we crate, wrap and protect exposed parts.
- Best for
- Pieces too large or heavy for a flat rack or roll trailer: transformers, process modules, mining trucks, crane sections.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Assuming the agency will load the truck.
- Not setting up a routed export agent before the removal window closes.
- Ignoring the asset page instructions, which override the general terms.
GovDeals export questions
How long do I have to pick up from GovDeals?
By default, 10 business days from the close of the auction, but the selling agency can set a different window on the asset page. A $25 daily storage fee may apply after that.
I am outside the U.S. Can GovDeals release my item?
Liquidity Services says it will not release an item sold to a buyer outside the U.S. until the paperwork for a routed export transaction is in place. We can act as your U.S. agent for this.