This major auction comes around only once every two years.
Explore why buying Ex-Council stock is the smart way to go…
For the past 10 years Lloyds Auctions has had the privilege of auctioning Gold Coast City Council’s tools, equipment, vehicles and machinery in a major, traditional onsite auction.
Throughout the year we also receive many ex-council items in smaller amounts that feature in our regular auctions such as our fortnightly Civil, Transport and Machinery auction.
Ex-Council stock is very popular with bidders and for good reason! There are so many benefits of buying from the local council through auction, it’s easy to see why it has become such hot property.
The Council takes extremely good care of their belongings
When it comes to servicing, cleaning and repairing, the Council does everything by the book.
They have entire staff departments that oversee the maintenance of their stock. They are always making sure it is done on time and to a high standard.
The Council service all their vehicles, machinery and smaller equipment on time, every time. All the services are regularly logged and often, the service history reports for larger goods are made available for eager bidders.
Services are either carried out by the direct manufacturer that the item was originally purchased from, or its serviced in house at the Council by their own professional technicians.
The items are never very old at all
The Council is constantly refreshing their fleets and stock, so they will have auctions to rehome their surplus gear.
Because the auctions are so regular, there are rarely goods up for grabs that are more than a few years old. You won’t see 10 or 20-year-old pieces in these auctions!
The Council wants to make sure the goods are as valuable as possible to those buying them and they also get the highest return possible. For example, a two-year-old chainsaw has a better return than a five-year-old one. If the Council must upgrade anyway, sooner is better than later in order to benefit the re-selling process and the public.
The gear also has had reasonably limited use during its short life. The Council has such a large number of tools and machinery for teams spread across the city, so they can often be used infrequently depending on what kind of project the teams are working on.
They buy everything brand new from the big brands
The Council buys in bulk from the most reputable suppliers and brands. For example, most of the Gold Coast beach utes come from Isuzu, so it is more than likely they have a contract with Gold Coast Isuzu.
The contracts would be with major manufacturers such as CAT, Komatsu and Stihl, with the aim of getting new products in bulk as they are released to the public.
The Council chooses the big brand names as they are confident in their reliability and they come with great warranties too. Therefore, the resale value is also high as the public also appreciates these qualities!
As mentioned before, those big brand suppliers also service their equipment that is sold to the Council when required.
Often Council goods go through auction unreserved, so it is certainly an opportunity to get a big-name item for a bargain price!
The bi-annual Council auction is a traditional auction
Generally, online absentee pre-bidding on our website closes a few hours before the live onsite auction begins at the Council depot.
A traditional onsite auction has an amazing atmosphere that attracts a lot of bidders and local attention. Fast bidding, an audience and being able to stare down the opposing bidder, really adds to the excitement of it all!
It is also attractive to those who have the crippling fear of a poor internet connection dropping out in the high-stake moment of a lot closing. The highest bid at a traditional onsite auction is hard to miss!
A lot of people like to come down to the Council depot and walk around, inspecting everything before the live auction starts. The auctioneer will introduce the item that is being auctioned and bidders are able to see it and know exactly what they are bidding on.
The last benefit of a traditional auction is the speed. Bidders can go there, bid on something, pay for it, pick it up, and then leave straight away. They can literally go there in the morning and two hours later, have new leaf blower or a chainsaw at home, working away!
The advantages of buying Ex-Council vehicles, machinery and tools are obviously the quality of the gear, the fact that is going to be reliable and that it’s had a great life in terms of being looked after.
The Gold Coast City Council have entrusted Lloyds Auctions for many years to auction their surplus stock and these opportunities are certainly ones to be jumped at!
Keep an eye out for Ex-Council goods here at Lloyds, whether it be the odd item in our regular auctions or the major bi-annual Council clear out!
Too keep up to date with all our civil, transport, machinery, tools and heavy equipment auctions that feature Ex-Council goods then register here!
Want to be the first to get the Inside Scoop on our most exciting auctions?
To keep up to date with all our civil, transport, machinery, tools and heavy equipment auctions that feature Ex-Council goods then register here!
