def #47 03/10/10
ONLINE AUCTIONS BRING MORE BIDDERS AND BETTER PRICES
TOMS RIVER - Now in it's 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.
"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 Freeholder John C. Bartlett Jr., who is liaison to the county Department of Purchasing.
"People across the world can bid on a golf cart, industrial sized lawn mower or a street sweeper.
"The accessibility to the items that are on the website makes the process much more convenient," Bartlett said.
A total of 63 surplus items were sold during an online auction that ran from Feb. 20 through the 24th.
"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 they are just no longer feasible for
the county to keep them."
The auction was conducted online by US GovBid of Eatontown.
"The Internet is a tool that can reach a large number of people in a short period of time," said Freeholder Director James
F. Lacey, who is liaison to the county's Department of Information Technology. "It's been a great tool for the County when
it comes to getting top dollar for items that no longer can be used by the County. People can bid on these items from
anywhere so long as they have a computer to access the website."
The auctioneer is responsible for providing photos and descriptions of each of the items online and for posting
all the terms and conditions of the sale.
The county sold 63 pieces of surplus equipment including golf carts, mowers, street sweepers, power washers, and
vehicles including buses and pickup trucks.
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."
Prior online auctions have netted almost $300,000 for the Ocean County Treasury.
