There are thousands of government auctions, held every day, and hundreds of websites dealing with the subject. It can be a real pain dealing with all the ins and outs and hoops and loops of these sites, so I wanted to explain the best way to navigate them, which ones are scams, and which ones you can manipulate to get what you want out of them.

Many police and government auction sites are 'membership sites'. you pay a monthly membership fee for their services, like any regular pay site. These exists because most of the police and government auction sites were sites maintained by hundreds of different independent government agencies. These membership sites make government auctions a breeze compared to their predecessors.

Like anything though, there's the good, the bad, and the ugly. Some of these government auctioned membership sites are out there solely to rip you off. Luckily, there are a few ways to tell the good from the bad. First of all, are the auction listings on the site current? You don't want to 'bid' on an auction that took place in the year 2000! Check and make sure that all the listings on the site are up to date. Now see if the listings on their site are complete.

Does the membership site give you all of the details about the particular government auction? They showed lists the product, condition, its origin, and how long it's been in state custody. Make sure you see all these things while browsing various government auction membership sites. If the listings aren't complete, it's best to avoid that site. Another thing to consider is contact information. Is there a phone number, an email, or an address listed? If you can't get in touch with them, don't bother.

Make sure their listings cover not only local police auctions and sheriff auctions, but state, and federal as well. Make sure that federal, state, and local government agencies are listed. Just like anything else you might buy, research any site before you give them your hard-earned money.

Perhaps the best way to find a membership site is to check the reviews. Websites like government auctions site reviews at www.governmentauctionsitereviews.com routinely comb through these sites, check their features and listings, and tell you which ones are worth the money and which should be avoided.