Upcoming “Police Auctions” in Australia from 11/05/26 (and Why I Pass but Maybe You Shouldn’t)
These types of sales, mostly of siezed items, can often include a diverse array of goods with phones, jewellery, cameras, bikes, and power tools being common place. It goes without saying, they can be a lot of fun and sometimes present some really quirky finds. For more tips, see our FAQ.
This Week’s Event Listings
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Police Recovered Goods
Ends: Closing Every Tuesday | Auctioneer: AllBids – Location: Sydney, NSW – Visit Sale
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FORFEITED, LOST AND UNCLAIMED AUCTION
AT 15-19 SUNSHINE ROAD, WEST FOOTSCRAY | Auctioneer: Breen – Location: West Footscray, Melbourne, VIC – More
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WA Police Uncollected & Forfeited Goods – Motorbikes – 5 items
Opens Soon | Auctioneer: Grays | Items Location: Pickup – Jandakot, WA – Visit Auction
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WA Police Uncollected & Forfeited Goods – Bicycles – 70 items
Opens Soon | Auctioneer: Grays | Items Location: Pickup – Jandakot, WA – Visit Auction
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WA Police Uncollected & Forfeited Goods – General Goods – 55 items
Opens Soon | Auctioneer: Grays | Items Location: Pickup – Jandakot, WA – Visit Auction
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WA Police Uncollected & Forfeited Goods – Jewellery – sale
Opens Soon | Auctioneer: Grays | Items Location: Pickup – Jandakot, WA – Visit Auction
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Sheriff’s Office of Victoria eBid Auction
Closes 13/05/26 14:00 | Auctioneer: Autorola – Location: AU – Visit Auction
FAQ
Law enforcement departments across Australia hold regular auctions to dispose of seized goods, stolen and recovered items, unclaimed goods, proceeds of crime, and much more. Ex-police equipment also ends up at auction and is highly sought after. On this page, I will start with where to find these auctions and then provide my experiences with buying ex-police cars and seized goods.
The station or department does not generally run auctions itself, usually, the disposal of items will be handled by a third-party auctioneer in almost all cases. Whilst Breen in Victgoria runs regular auctions, sales can be intermittent and some goods are sold through auction without being marked as coming from the police or being proceeds of crime etc. I’ll go deeper into where to find sales a little further on.
What You Can Expect
Siezed goods & proceeds of crime sales
You will find lots and lots of jewellery, mobile phones, iPads, gadgets, etc. Occasionally there are some really odd things too. You will need to check condition and authenticity closely as everything is complete unknown and auction houses rarely give guidance on these kinds of lots. Moreover, you will not be able to return items.
Where I always went wrong
You can get some great finds at these sales and most of the people you’ll meet there will be regulars and most likely jewellery traders. They are focused, they never overbid, and they never let a deal slip by. For me, I was never that focussed, just a bargain hunter and I wish I had their focus. I’d get caught by shiny object syndrome, and guaranteed, I’d leave these sales with a collection of stuff that I did not need and would likely have trouble selling. My most important tip to you is simple, focus. Have a list of the lots, mark what you want to bid on after inspection, what its worth after fees, and stick to it. After a string of questionable purchases, and dealing with the varierty of items every sale, I stuck to more consistent sales of things I knew well and knew I could either use or flip succesfully. But, if jewellery, watches,phones, bikes, tools, etc are your thing, then go for it, just be focused.
Ex-Police equipment and vehicles
Ex-interceptors, other police vehicles, and equipment are mixed into ex-goverment sales and items are not identified by what department they came from. If you are chasing a vehicle that was especially optioned for police use, you’ll need to search for the specific model, and look at its options, via the weekly government car auctions which are generally held by Pickles and Manheim. These vehicles are well maintained, and in some cases, very well optioned at least mechanically in terms of the Highway Patrol cars, Tactical & Special Operations vehicles, and some Unmarked cars. On the other had, Community Patrol vehicles can be near to standard apart from having once been fitted with cages in some cases.
Where to Find Sales
As mentioned, items are often intermingled with regular sales, so here are some suggested places to watch in each state.
- Perth – WA Police Auctions see: Ross’s Auctioneers & Valuers and Grays and other auction centres in WA
- Sydney – NSW Police and Sheriff Auctions see: Pickles, Slattery Auctions, and Omaras and other auction centres in NSW
- Melbourne – VIC see Breen Auction Group handles general sales while vehicles are sold via Manheim and impounded/abandoned vehicles via Autorola. The Victorian Sheriff Dept. on eBay is another place to watch. Also see the other auction centres in VIC
- Brisbane – QLD Police Auctions see Slattery Auctions in Brisbane, meanwhile upcoming impounded vehicles are listed on the police.qld.gov.au, and Lloyd Auctions on the Gold Coast and other auction centres in QLD
- Hobart – See Pickles Auctions and Gowans and other auction centres in Tasmania
- Adelaide – See Evans Clarke and Pickles and other auction centres in SA
- Darwin – See Pickles Auctions and other auction centres in the NT
- Canberra – See AllBids for regular Australian Federal Police sales
Still Can’t Find What you are Looking For?
Every week we publish a list of upcoming auctions for various niches and state by state, see our homepage for all the latest notices and if you are looking for a sepcific item, try our Auction Search
do these auctions still require a deposit before being able to bid? I remember two years ago I went to one in Vic and they wanted $200 to walk in the door, I walked in the door OK, the door to my car and went somewhere else
Breen Auctions in Victoria ask for a $250 cash-only registration fee to participate in their auctions. The fee is fully refundable on the day if no purchases are made. It seems wild at first, and I get where you are coming from, but it’s no big deal. One benefit, if there was one, is that could make the sale a little more exclusive, meaning more realistic prices.
Do you know of any in Queensland?
they are not listed as such, but keep an eye on McDonald Auctions