Business Opportunities Weblog

November 17, 2011 by Dane Carlson | 1 Comment

The auction site Govliquidation.com has been called “eBay for the Pentagon”. It lets civilians bid for surplus military assets — from tanks and generators to missile guidance systems and buses. The site has also helped a number of small entrepreneurs strike out on their own for next to nothing. Forbes has some of their stories:

A former marketing exec at dot-com flameout ValueAmerica, Phillip Ramsey began his honey-production business in 2005 with equipment sourced almost entirely from online auctions. Ramsey, 64, transports his beehives to flowering fields on a fleet of 30 M105 cargo trailers bought for less than $300 apiece. His initial $10,000 investment blossomed into a business with “six-figures annual revenue,” he says.

And another:

Irritated by inefficient cab service to and from the bars at Georgia Southern University, 20-year-old sophomore Jon Lockin decided to take the wheel himself. Two years ago, with his father’s help, he picked up a 28-seat military bus for a mere $1,800. Six months later three local cab companies were out of business, while Blue Goose pulls in around $100,000 in annual revenue, says Lockin.

Video of the Blue Goose after the jump.

In Featured, Ideas | 1 Comment
Tags: Auction, Government, Surplus