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GL Lost Surplus Contract

Hard Head

Member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
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Location
Greenville SC
Please, please have your warehosue folks work in a way that is friendly to shippers.

GL made things as hard as possible for any companies to do pickup. Intentionally, because they wanted everyone to use their internal shipping that they made money on.

Now, if your internal system is priced well and easy to use I probably will use it, and I buy a lot of this stuff, but the option to sue other services when needed is a big deal. The fact that GL underhandedly forced people into their system by being so hard to work with when you tried to arrange any other method just pissed me off.
That is why I started my own shipping service (www.surplusauctionservices.com). We also pickup, wrap, store and consolidate loads from commercial auctions like Richie brothers and restaurant equipment in the Southeast. GL would not label a shipment or work with many of the ltl freight companies I had accounts with. Fast track charged double what I could move it for.
 

plowboy

New member
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Location
kansas
Losing OKC for LV is a major loss to this part of the country. I hope that your definition of "can be stored outside" includes tires and wheels and engines. As a IP customer since the very early days, I'll say that I also hope that RBauctions customer service overpowers IP's customer interference policies. It seems as if IP has gotten worse and worse over the years about going out of their way to make things difficult, with things like doing everything in their power to keep you from knowing where assets are located, to deliberately misleading about loadout capabilities, to stupid stuff like saying virtually everything can only be loaded on a RGN or trailer with ramps....even when the asset is a 10,000 lb counterweight...how in the hill are you supposed to load that on ramps or an RGN?

Overall, it's gonna be pretty difficult to be more unfriendly than OKC GL was, so at least there's that!
 

tobyS

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IN
I used to go get stuff at Columbus and once to Ok. City. It was a long trip (couple days) to OC and a full day to Columbus.

For the most part....I'm out of the game as the cost to recover is exceeding the value (and price I can resell). GP don't respond to my efforts to establish a facility at Grissom ARB, Indiana. Their loss. I agreed with my wife that when the cost went beyond the retail prices, I would be done. That time has apparently come. East and west coasts will get the stuff now....and that's okay, they have lots of money.
 

Jspec

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Michigan
I used to go get stuff at Columbus and once to Ok. City. It was a long trip (couple days) to OC and a full day to Columbus.

For the most part....I'm out of the game as the cost to recover is exceeding the value (and price I can resell). GP don't respond to my efforts to establish a facility at Grissom ARB, Indiana. Their loss. I agreed with my wife that when the cost went beyond the retail prices, I would be done. That time has apparently come. East and west coasts will get the stuff now....and that's okay, they have lots of money.
We will see how it pans out. I like the part about in house shipping help. I couldn't get GL to shrink wrap a skid let alone band it.
 

gottaluvit

Active member
You can bet your going to pay a premium price for GP to do it
And you will pay a premium price for everything they auction. They start most rolling stock at the end user's price (value). Or at least what I would be willing to pay, leaving no room at all for any profit. Their guy on this thread already said no more mixed bargain triwalls so, to me, that means everything will be sorted and auctioned individually. Sounds like it will be bypassing Ebay for people needing parts. I hope they put shipping costs in the listings so at least as an end user I can know my total cost.
 

LanceRobson

Well-known member
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Location
Pinnacle, Stokes County, NC
I used to go get stuff at Columbus and once to Ok. City. It was a long trip (couple days) to OC and a full day to Columbus.

GP don't respond to my efforts to establish a facility at Grissom ARB, Indiana.
GP didn't have a choice in the matter. The request for bids and the actual contracts specified one warehouse location for each contract, East and West. FWIW, stuff that can sit outdoors will supposedly be auctioned at or closer to where turned in. I don't know of any listing defining what can sit outside and suspect that will vary by local determination and the willingness of the installation to have it sitting around.

Lance
 

Gunzy

Well-known member
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Location
Roy, Utah
If they are shipping all the surplus to 2 locations for auction the prices will increase significantly and a lot of possible buyers will be put off by that plus shipping. I used to buy local and that is now gone as many buyers are in the same boat as I. It will be interesting to see how this pans out for GP if past buyers stop and GP is forced into sitting on surplus or selling at a loss. I guess time will tell. Heck, there may be a couple BIG buyers (one east and one west) that buy everything and attempt to sell at a profit.
 

Mainsail

Well-known member
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Puget Sound, WA
If they are shipping all the surplus to 2 locations for auction the prices will increase significantly and a lot of possible buyers will be put off by that plus shipping.
Since it's an auction I'm not sure how prices can increase, unless the starting bid is too high. If the starting bid is reasonable, then the item will move according to market demand.

I expect there to be a lot of re-listed items in the beginning; items won by someone who, after adding their winning bid, + fees, + shipping = item never picked up.
 

Tinstar

Super Moderator
Super Moderator
Steel Soldiers Supporter
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Edmond, Oklahoma
OKC location is even selling all their warehouse items.
Forklifts, fans, ramps, tables, pallet racks and even the chain link fence.
All almost gone.

Place looks weird empty.
 

Jayco36REQS

Member
300
2
16
Location
Orlando/FL
For me, it seems that the days of getting mixed lots at a value are over... Also it sounds like the days of getting "new / Like new" will be over as it sounds like they will be taking all of those items to sell "Retail" themselves... Yea, great for them to make even more money. It all looks like this is gong to put a LOT of small Surplus business owners OUT of business.... Just as Amazon has put so many other small business out of business.
 

Suprman

Well-known member
Supporting Vendor
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Location
Stratford/Connecticut
They are brainstorming trying to figure out a way to maximize profit on the stuff. And they will with the generators and new engines. Stuff like that. But with the parts they are mostly just a bunch of parts. Nobody needs any of it until they need it. GP is paying the gov more than GL did. The contract specifies GP has to give the gov a small percentage up front. Like 1/10th of a percent of what the gov paid for it. Then a sizeable percentage of the profit when the item is sold. Some of the stuff, like aircraft and naval parts, have very high gov costs and low resale value. They have to take the good with the bad. GL tried for years after they lost the truck contract to maximize profit on the parts. It just is what it is.
 

Jayco36REQS

Member
300
2
16
Location
Orlando/FL
GL lost the Truck contract for several reason... including HUGE amounts of complaints for false advertising, misleading listings, damages by Gl staff before recoveries, etc. They got greedy... GP seems to do a better job, WAY more accurate listings... but the prices are crazy high!! For those of us in the Surplus sales market... It's almost impossible to turn a profit with GP prices being at close to retail. By the time I add in their % fees, and recovery expense... It's very little meat left.

AS with most things now days.... the big boys will get bigger (with less competition) ... us little guys will be out of business!!
 
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