# GovDeals Scraper \[$0.85/1K💰] | Surplus Auctions | Bids | VIN (`ahmed_jasarevic/govdeals-scraper`) Actor

Scrape live GovDeals government surplus auctions: current bids, VIN, meter readings, seller agencies and end dates. Filter by keyword, category and US state. Export to JSON or CSV.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/ahmed_jasarevic/govdeals-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Ahmed Jasarevic](https://apify.com/ahmed_jasarevic) (community)
- **Features:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.80 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## GovDeals Scraper – Government Surplus Auctions, Bids & Lot Data

Extract **live US government and municipal surplus auctions** from GovDeals as structured rows: lot ID, title, category, current bid, opening bid, bid count, buy-now price, reserve status, make/model/year, VIN, meter reading, seller agency, city/state/ZIP and exact UTC start/end times. **$0.85 per 1,000 lots.** Filter by keyword, category and state.

### What Can You Do With GovDeals Data?

- **Equipment and vehicle sourcing** – find trucks, excavators, buses and generators before the auction closes
- **Resale and arbitrage research** – compare current bids against market value for a make, model and year
- **Fleet replacement planning** – track what agencies in your state are disposing of, and when
- **Municipal surplus analysis** – see which agencies sell which categories, and how bidding behaves
- **Dealer inventory feeds** – schedule daily runs and refresh a shortlist of active lots
- **Auction monitoring alerts** – filter by category or state and watch end dates and bid counts move

### How It Works

![How the GovDeals Scraper works: from a surplus search to structured auction lot rows.](https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/oeuA0kLOyhbRM4fzt/records/how-it-works-govdeals-scraper.webp)

GovDeals publishes live government surplus auctions through a public search API. Provide a keyword, category and state; the Actor reads the published search results, each lot's detail record and its bid box, then writes one row per lot with bids, vehicle details, seller agency and location.

- The search API returns up to 100 lots per page.
- Each lot adds a detail request (VIN, meter reading, description, condition, photos) and a bid-box request (current bid, opening bid, bid count, increment, exact UTC start/end).
- Requests are paced and run in parallel: a 100-lot run finished in about 60 seconds with zero failed requests in testing.
- No browser or headless Chromium is used, so runs stay light on memory and CPU.

### Extract Government Surplus Auctions Without A Buyer API

GovDeals publishes an **import** API for sellers, not a read API for buyers. It accepts listings from agencies; it does not let you query the marketplace. Commercial data providers fill the gap with paid feeds.

This Actor collects the public auction data instead: no seller account, no contract and no per-call vendor. Rows carry the numbers an auction actually turns on — current bid, increment, bid count, reserve status and a real end date.

### Filter Surplus Lots By Keyword, Category And US State

`searchQuery` matches titles and descriptions (`truck`, `excavator`, `generator`). `category` narrows to a GovDeals category such as Vehicles, Heavy Equipment or Construction. `state` takes a two-letter code and restricts results to lots physically located there.

`maxPages` (default 5) controls how many 100-lot result pages are read; `maxItems` (default 100) caps how many lots are saved. Both are required inputs, so a run always has an explicit budget. `maxConcurrency` (default 10) and `requestDelaySecs` (default 0.1) control speed versus rate-limit safety.

### Auction Fields: Bids, Reserve Status And Real End Times

Each row carries `currentBid`, `startingBid`, `bidIncrement`, `bidCount`, `buyNowPrice` and `reserveStatus`, so you can separate lots with active bidding from lots with no interest. `startingBid` is the opening bid published by GovDeals and stays available after bidding starts; `bidCount` is the live number of bids. `auctionStartDate` and `auctionEndDate` are exact UTC ISO 8601 timestamps taken from GovDeals' bid box, and `timeRemaining` keeps the site's own countdown text.

Vehicle lots add `make`, `model`, `year`, `vin` and `meterReading` where the seller published them. Every row includes `sellerAgency`, `sellerType`, `city`, `state`, `zip` and coordinates when available, plus the full `photos` array and `listingUrl`.

**Coverage limit:** this actor reads live lots only. Closed auctions with final hammer prices, bid logs and buyer-premium data are not part of it.

### Input – Configure A GovDeals Search

| Field | Type | Required | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| `searchQuery` | string | No | `""` | Keywords matched in titles and descriptions; empty browses everything |
| `category` | string | No | `""` | GovDeals category, e.g. `Vehicles`, `Heavy Equipment`, `Construction` |
| `state` | string | No | `""` | Two-letter US state code; empty includes all states |
| `maxPages` | integer | **Yes** | `5` | Result pages to read, 100 lots per page |
| `maxItems` | integer | **Yes** | `100` | Max lots saved. Free users are limited to 10 |
| `maxConcurrency` | integer | No | `10` | Parallel requests, 1-50 |
| `requestDelaySecs` | number | No | `0.1` | Minimum pause between requests, 0-10 seconds; raise it if requests get blocked |
| `proxy` | object | No | Apify Proxy prefilled | Standard Apify proxy configuration. Recommended for reliable runs |

### Output – Auction Lot Fields

| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `lotId` | string | GovDeals asset/lot identifier |
| `listingTitle` | string | Lot title |
| `itemDescription` | string | Full description text |
| `category` | string | Category name |
| `make`, `model`, `year` | string / number | Vehicle or equipment identity where published |
| `currentBid` | number | Current highest bid (USD) |
| `startingBid` | number | Opening bid |
| `bidCount` | number | Number of bids placed |
| `bidIncrement` | number | Minimum raise |
| `buyNowPrice` | number | Fixed purchase price when offered |
| `reserveStatus` | string | Reserve met / not met / no reserve |
| `sellerAgency`, `sellerType` | string | Selling agency and its type |
| `city`, `state`, `zip` | string | Lot location |
| `latitude`, `longitude` | number | Coordinates when published |
| `auctionStartDate`, `auctionEndDate` | string | ISO 8601 timestamps |
| `timeRemaining` | string | Countdown text from the listing |
| `condition` | string | Condition where published |
| `vin` | string | VIN or serial number for vehicles |
| `meterReading` | string | Odometer or hour meter |
| `photos` | array | Image URLs |
| `listingUrl` | string | Direct lot URL |
| `scrapedAt` | string | ISO timestamp of the scrape |

### Example Input – Trucks In California

```json
{
  "searchQuery": "truck",
  "category": "Vehicles",
  "state": "CA",
  "maxPages": 3,
  "maxItems": 60,
  "maxConcurrency": 10,
  "requestDelaySecs": 0.1
}
```

### Example Output – One Auction Lot

```json
{
  "lotId": "4521-19",
  "listingTitle": "2019 Ford F-250 SD",
  "category": "Vehicles",
  "make": "Ford",
  "model": "F-250 SD",
  "year": 2019,
  "currentBid": 8200,
  "startingBid": 5000,
  "bidCount": 12,
  "bidIncrement": 100,
  "reserveStatus": "Reserve met",
  "sellerAgency": "State of California",
  "sellerType": "Government",
  "city": "Sacramento",
  "state": "CA",
  "zip": "95814",
  "auctionEndDate": "2026-10-27T18:00:00.000Z",
  "vin": "1FT7W2BT4KEE12345",
  "listingUrl": "https://www.govdeals.com/asset/19/4521"
}
```

### Export GovDeals Data To JSON, CSV Or Excel And Schedule Runs

Every run writes to the default dataset — JSON, CSV, Excel or XML from the run page, or through the Apify API. At default settings a 100-lot run takes about a minute; larger runs scale with `maxItems` and `maxPages`.

Auctions close continuously, so a **daily schedule** is the useful cadence for sourcing, and a **twice-daily run** makes sense when you are bidding. At $0.85 per 1,000 lots, 1,000 lots cost $0.85.

### Related Actors

- [Google Maps Scraper](https://apify.com/apify/google-maps-scraper) – geocode lot locations and check nearby auction yards
- [Website Content Crawler](https://apify.com/apify/website-content-crawler) – pull agency disposal policies and terms of sale into clean text
- [Google Search Scraper](https://apify.com/apify/google-search-scraper) – research an agency's surplus programme or a specific lot number
- [CSLB Scraper](https://apify.com/ahmed_jasarevic/cslb-scraper) – another US public-record dataset, useful for verifying contractors and dealers

### FAQ

#### Why use this actor instead of the GovDeals website?

Because a website cannot be filtered into a spreadsheet across hundreds of lots and multiple categories. This actor returns every lot in your search as rows you can sort by bid count, end date or VIN — and it can run on a schedule so you see new lots the day they appear.

#### Does GovDeals have a public API?

GovDeals publishes an auction **import** API for sellers, not a documented read API for buyers. This Actor requests the same public JSON data the GovDeals storefront loads in a browser.

#### Why does a run take about a minute?

Each lot needs a detail request and a bid-box request. The Actor runs them in parallel but paces requests to avoid GovDeals rate limits. A 100-lot run (201 requests) finished in about 60 seconds with zero failures in testing.

#### Can I get sold prices and bid history?

No. This actor covers live auctions only. Final hammer prices, closed-lot history, bid logs and buyer premiums are not part of the output — treat `currentBid` as the live state at scrape time.

#### What are alternatives for government surplus data?

Commercial data providers cover sold lots and bid history at higher cost. This Actor focuses on live lots and returns detail fields such as VIN, meter reading and photos directly.

#### How many lots can I get per run?

100 lots per result page. `maxPages: 5` reads up to 500 lots before filtering; `maxItems` then caps what is saved. Raise `maxPages` for broad categories and keep `maxItems` as the cost guard.

#### Are free users limited?

Yes, the input schema caps free users at 10 saved lots per run.

### For AI Agents & LLM Apps

Returns one row per live GovDeals auction lot with bid state, vehicle identity, seller agency and location.

Minimal working input:

```json
{ "searchQuery": "truck", "maxPages": 1, "maxItems": 50 }
```

Variant — statewide equipment sweep:

```json
{ "category": "Heavy Equipment", "state": "TX", "maxPages": 5, "maxItems": 100 }
```

Output fields: `lotId, listingTitle, itemDescription, category, make, model, year, currentBid, startingBid, bidCount, bidIncrement, buyNowPrice, reserveStatus, sellerAgency, sellerType, city, state, zip, latitude, longitude, auctionStartDate, auctionEndDate, timeRemaining, condition, vin, meterReading, photos, listingUrl, scrapedAt`.

Behaviors an agent should know:

- `maxPages` and `maxItems` are **required** in the schema — always send both.
- `maxItems` defaults to 100 and free users are capped at **10** saved lots.
- Empty `searchQuery`, `category` and `state` means "everything" — a broad run takes real time and resources.
- The input prefills Apify Proxy for reliable runs; a 100-lot run takes about a minute, so allow a few minutes for larger inputs.
- If requests start returning HTTP 403, raise `requestDelaySecs` to `0.2`-`0.35` or keep the proxy enabled.
- Only **live** lots are returned; there is no sold-price or bid-history field to query.
- `currentBid` is the bid at scrape time, not a final price.

Billing: pay-per-event at **$0.00085 per saved lot** ($0.85 per 1,000) plus a small actor-start event. A `listing-detail` event is configured in the pricing settings for full-detail captures.

### Legal & Compliance Disclaimer

This actor is an independent tool. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by GovDeals, Liquidity Services, or any agency whose surplus is listed.

It collects publicly available auction data — no seller account, no login, no bid placement. It reads lots; it does not bid, buy or interact with any auction on your behalf.

Auction data, photographs and descriptions belong to GovDeals and the selling agencies. Users are responsible for complying with GovDeals' Terms of Service, the site's technical policies and applicable law when they republish listing data or images. Nothing here is legal advice.

### SEO Keywords

govdeals scraper, govdeals api, government surplus auctions, government auction data, municipal surplus, surplus vehicles, surplus heavy equipment, auction lot data, govdeals alternative, government auction api, fleet disposal data, police surplus auctions, public surplus auctions, auction bid data, equipment auction scraper, government surplus database, used truck auctions, auction end dates

# Actor input Schema

## `searchQuery` (type: `string`):

Keywords to search for (e.g., 'truck', 'excavator', 'vehicle'). Leave empty to browse all listings.

## `category` (type: `string`):

Top-level category, for example 'Transportation', 'Construction, Mining and Farming' or 'Industrial, Commercial Equipment'. Aliases such as 'Vehicles' or 'Heavy Equipment' are accepted. Leave empty for all categories.

## `state` (type: `string`):

US state code to filter by (e.g., 'CA', 'TX', 'FL'). Leave empty for all states.

## `maxPages` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of search result pages to scan. The JSON search API returns up to 100 lots per page.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of listings to extract. Free users are limited to 10 items.

## `maxConcurrency` (type: `integer`):

Parallel requests. Higher values are faster but more likely to trigger GovDeals rate limits. Default 10 is a safe balance.

## `requestDelaySecs` (type: `number`):

Minimum pause between requests to GovDeals. The default 0.1s completed a 100-lot run (201 requests) in about a minute without blocks. Raise it to 0.2-0.35 if you disable the proxy and start seeing HTTP 403 responses; set to 0 only for experiments.

## `proxy` (type: `object`):

Select proxies to be used by your crawler.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "searchQuery": "",
  "category": "",
  "state": "",
  "maxPages": 5,
  "maxItems": 100,
  "maxConcurrency": 10,
  "requestDelaySecs": 0.1,
  "proxy": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

Scraped GovDeals auction listings stored in the default dataset. One row per lot.

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "searchQuery": "",
    "category": "",
    "state": "",
    "maxPages": 5,
    "maxItems": 100,
    "maxConcurrency": 10,
    "requestDelaySecs": 0.1,
    "proxy": {
        "useApifyProxy": true
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("ahmed_jasarevic/govdeals-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "searchQuery": "",
    "category": "",
    "state": "",
    "maxPages": 5,
    "maxItems": 100,
    "maxConcurrency": 10,
    "requestDelaySecs": 0.1,
    "proxy": { "useApifyProxy": True },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("ahmed_jasarevic/govdeals-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "searchQuery": "",
  "category": "",
  "state": "",
  "maxPages": 5,
  "maxItems": 100,
  "maxConcurrency": 10,
  "requestDelaySecs": 0.1,
  "proxy": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}' |
apify call ahmed_jasarevic/govdeals-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,ahmed_jasarevic/govdeals-scraper"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/WhWL6bBP7mwRdQgIA/builds/8BcNSnNtzXUkBH5sd/openapi.json