Public government auction

There are entire books and magazines written on government auctions. Government auctions can be scheduled to take place at any time or place. People play games with the notices, sometimes they are announced in the newspaper and sometimes just by a little note posted on an obscure board in the courthouse. Don’t be surprised if the notices are torn down as quickly as they are posted. Whether or not it is in the books as such, attendance is usually a privilege and should be treated as such. Those who attend such auctions are what I would sometimes call the "looter class" their access to quick cash usually makes them eligible to attend these auctions on a regular basis. Be aware that they are often ruthless profiteers and should be treated as such.

Auctioneers often deal with the volume of merchandise by placing it into large lots so that buyers have to take the good with the bad. You may find that important components of something have been separated into different lots. Be prepared to dispose of items that you will have to buy in order to get the "good stuff". Savvy auction hunters know how to sell off the stuff they don’t want in order to pay for the costs of the things they want to keep. With guns, this may mean damaged guns along with working ones, or a bunch of old .22s along with a nice assault rifle. Damaged guns can go for next to nothing and may be well worth your while to repair. You may even do well to suggest that you will take any damaged guns (for a serious discount) from one of the regulars who buys a large lot and just wants to turn a quick profit. I have met a few guys who do relatively well with this kind of "bottom feeding" from bigger dealers who buy at auctions.

There are also several ethical issues surrounding these auctions. You should have some idea where the goods originated from. It could be a premature probate auction (the selling off of a dead person’s assets) or (more common) the selling of wrongfully confiscated property. You feed the system of theft and it may come back to haunt you (Karma).