Honesty, pricing, process and quality scores appear once 5 customers have rated them.
About Government Auction
Established over 12 years ago as a clearinghouse for unimproved land, Government Auction is one of the largest and most reputable online surplus land auction companies in the United States. Having sold over 20,000 properties, Government Auction has established a solid track record and credibility in the online land auction marketplace as a top land auction site.Government Auction is not a governmental agency, but a private company that works closely with a variety of state agencies and other sources to find and purchase parcels of land in bulk. We buy raw land for investment, and real estate from state, county and city governments through foreclosures, tax lien sales, and surplus land and liquidation sales.Government Auction specializes in offering real estate to a variety of properties that fit the needs of novice, first-time buyers, experienced land investors and corporate clients through auctions. In fact, most of our buyers are simply people wanting to make a solid investment in buying vacant land or land for sale by owner.Browse and bid on hundreds of government land for sale properties today.
Government Auction (governmentauction.com) has 178 customer reviews on Rated Honest, with an average rating of 4.5 out of 5.
They took $30 for me for absolutely no reason and it was not authorized. In fact once I started looking around the site it looked shady and I uninstalled it however I'm still being charged that $30
Response from Government Auction· Sep 3, 2026
Deborah - unfortunately, I think you have us confused with another company (one that also advertises themselves a a "Government Auction" site and where a $30 dollar bill to the client is typically the first step in setting up an account). This is not our company. We focus on Land Sales and don't have any one-time $30 dollar bills or charges that have gone out to ANY client in the past year. We would appreciate it if you reviewed this on your end, and cancelled this 1 Star review - as we are not the same company - Respectfully - the Customer Service Team
II
If I Fits, I Sits P.
Posted
SCAM SCAM SCAM
SCSM. SCAM. CHECK LOCAL GOV Assessors OFFICE FOR LEGIT LAND INFO AND WHETHER FOR SALE! Check disclaimer at bottom of auction bidding pages the contact info. and report the real contact given as well. PER THE SITE. REPORT THIS EMAIL. This site is a HUGE SCAM with non working links, fake emails and ERASED MY PAYMENT METHOD ONCE I CANCELLED PURCHASE SO I COULDN'T TAKE PAYMENT METHOD OFF. IT allowed everyone to win every bid. Has been reported to bbb and is not accredited via bbb site.
Response from Government Auction· Apr 3, 2026
Unfortunately, we respectfully most report that this person is confusing our company with another similarly named website. We have no record of any kind of this person ever registering or being on our website. The customer says, (this company" "is not accredited via bbb site", when in fact, we are an "A+" rated company on the Better Business Bureau, with dozens of recent 5 Star Reviews, and fully accredited by them. This person is mistaken. If he believes otherwise, please contact us at 661 823-1543 and we will be happy to address any of their issues. - Respectfully, the Customer Service Team
JH
Jack H U.
Posted
This company doesn't explain clearly…
This company doesn't explain clearly that you have to pay for credits in order to bid for their products. They also won't allow you any information without demanding some sort of payment. I don't give out that information without knowing what I am bidding for.
Response from Government Auction· Feb 9, 2026
This review is mistaken. Unfortunately, our company - GovernmentAuctions.com is being confused with a similar company, "GovAuctions.com".
Our company - GovernmentAuction.com - does not use any sort of credit system for bidding. But the other company - GovAuctions.com - they DO use a credit system.
The complaint states that we don't "clearly explain you have to pay for credits in order to bid"......but again, our company does not use credits, it's all straight cash money based bidding.
So - we assume this reviewer is talking about GovAuctions.com, but mistakenly left his review about us. A simple mistake. - The Government Auction Customer Service Team
EJ
Elizabeth J.
Posted
Misleading Listing, Unethical Contracts, and Predatory Practices
My experience with GovernmentAuction.com (also known as Government Auction LLC) has been not only disappointing but legally troubling. We entered into a contract for a parcel in Kern County, CA based on glossy marketing materials, GPS maps, and descriptions that were grossly misleading. Upon independent verification, the actual location, condition, and legal status of the lot were entirely inconsistent with the representations made by the company.
Crucial disclosures, such as zoning designations, access to utilities, easements, and development restrictions, were either omitted or misrepresented until after I had entered into a legally binding agreement. Clearly establish that contracts entered into under fraudulent inducement or material omission (photos) may be voidable.
When we attempted to assert our legal right to cancel the contract under these grounds, the company refused a refund, hiding behind one-sided fine print buried in the terms and conditions. "Their internal clauses even state that any improvements made by a buyer on the land automatically revert to Government Auction LLC in the event of a default" a deeply unfair and potentially unenforceable clause under California’s consumer protection laws.
After filing a formal complaint with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), I was advised to escalate the matter. I have now filed with other consumer protection authorities and am in the process of initiating a court case. The legal costs that Government Auction LLC is likely to incur in defending against this matter are already substantially higher than what it would have cost them to resolve the issue in good faith. Their refusal to acknowledge their failure to provide accurate and complete information about the land has left me no other option but legal action.
Additionally, their response to other reviews falsely suggests fabrication and dishonesty on my part, yet they offer no substantive rebuttal to my specific allegations. Instead, they attempt to deflect responsibility by citing irrelevant prior correspondence and cherry-picked examples that do not address their central failures.
This appears to be a company that profits by taking advantage of inexperienced buyers, especially those unfamiliar with rural California land law. They use confusing contracts and misleading listings to push rushed sales while avoiding accountability.
Buyer beware: consult an independent real estate attorney before entering into any agreement with this company. Demand full legal documentation, including zoning and access verification, before you commit. I strongly discourage others from doing business with Government Auction LLC.
Date of experience: February, 2024
Response from Government Auction· May 15, 2025
RESPONSE: We are sorry this customer continues to go down this path and if she was honest from the beginning we would have resolved but when someone just blatantly makes things up, we have no other choice but to disagree in order to keep the record proper.
This client previously complained to BBB (Better Business Bureau) where we have an "A+ Rating) - the situation was fully investigated by BBB and with us - and there was no finding of any sort of mis-deeds or fraud (as this client continues to claim).
As previously submitted to BBB - with many backup notes, emails, etc. - here are the facts.
1. The merchant service company, (who she filed initial complaint with) after they reviewed the file already decided in OUR FAVOR and money was returned back to us. She didn't like the outcome, so she now goes to the BBB and TrustPilot by making up claims that never existed in the hopes of trying to intimidate us.
2. She makes claims---"misrepresentation" and quotes "California consumer protection" and that she will take "legal action" but where is the backup to support her claims, there isn't any because she doesn't have it - it does not exist.
3. We submitted to the BBB all the backup to counter her claim to include,
The DocuSign contract she signed 2/13/24, (there are no less then 3 disclaimers as to the terms and conditions that she agreed to) over a year ago.
We then attached a minimum of 7 email correspondences to/from her that include all of our efforts to assist this client. Nowhere in the 14-month period we were trying to assist her, did she ever once have an issue.
a. 2/13/24 her sending us a “Thumbs Up” Emoji.
b. 5/26/24 her asking for password so she can log in and make payment on her land lot. She is manually going into our payment portal and making payment---we are not charging her account (as she claims).
c. 1/21/25 her responding, “Thank you for the clarification”
d. 1/23/25 Her requesting approval for “Installation of Two 120 sq. ft. Sheds” and we as the deeded owner - we approved her request.
e. 1/23/25 Her “Thanking is for our prompt response and approval” of her non-standard request.
f. 3/18/25 A 2nd Request for Approval to Obtain a Building Permit - of which we approved for her on 3/19/25.
g. 3/21/25 Our confirmation back top her that we have terminated her land contract per her request, and she has no further obligations. We did wish her "Good Luck in the future" after cancellation which is what we say to all our customers/
Our file also documents 3 phone call conversations all answering questions and helping her facilitate development of this land in a period for over a year. Then all of a sudden 14 months later she wants to make bogus claims against our company.
The above clearly documents her active involvement and detailed approach to try to develop this property she had under contract, her confirmation and approval of our support every step of the way and us providing 3 approvals per her requests for, “Installation of Two 120 square feet sheds, Obtaining of Building Permit and then Cancelling of her contract and obligation”.
>>After all of this on 3/21/25 and over a 1-year period she begins to make stuff up to try to claw back a refund going back to 14 months ago. This is just not right and fraudulent on her part.
*There is no issue with “Quality of Goods” and her attempt to develop the property and us providing her approvals from her 2 request supports us.
*Lastly, we provided her actual photos, plat maps, GPS coordinates for her diligence and everything else she asked for PRIOR to finalizing anything and prior to DocuSign.
The above are the facts, and we have more backup if required.
Thank you - the Customer Service Team
HS
Hagai S.
Posted
Selling expensive crap
Selling expensive crap
RR
Ravenhawk R.
Posted
Never use Max Bid and Don't trust the Photos
Max bid I put in a max bid of $201 ,I was the Highest bidder at $89 won the auction but they charged me the $201, and so it went for all the items I bid on Never do max bid with these People , Second they show the same photos for the coins , and the ones I Received were junk , as I am sure the items I have not received as of yet will be junk as well , Don't trust the Photos , the jewelry was not as Described It is Not High End as They Stated in the Description . Customer Service is a joke
CH
Cholonever
Posted
Not today, Satan
Please note that every 5* review is “organic” and never “verified”
Look across different sites and notice how there are about 75% gushing reviews about the customer service, and 25% 1*, people who have seem to feel like they have been scammed, and they can’t get ahold of anyone at the company. Compare that to other businesses, usually there is way more in the middle.
Also: Read the fine print. Unfortunately for them, this disclaimer has a fatal flaw. I’ll leave them guessing for now.
“GovernmentAuction.com does its best to describe all items accurately. All items are sold "as is" and neither GovernmentAuction.com nor any consignor makes any warranties or representation of any kind or nature with respect to the property. In no event shall GovernmentAuction.com be responsible for the correctness, nor deemed to have made any representation or warranty of description, genuineness, authorship, attribution, provenance, period, culture, source, origin or condition of the item, and no statement made at the sale or in the bill of sale or invoice or elsewhere shall be deemed such a warranty of representation or an assumption of liability.”
DP
David P.
Posted
HI bought a land of the auction but I…
HI bought a land of the auction but I haven' t received any papers even after paying all the amount ? invoice number is
Transaction ID
5HU58388TF687944P
Transaction date
May 6, 2024 9:38:53 AM PDT
Invoice ID
43916
Are you guys legit or fake ?
Response from Government Auction· May 22, 2024
This customer is not telling the truth,
1. He made an initial payment, we sent receipt with all instructions and timing of how the process works of which he confirmed back to us.
2. Paperwork was due to him, (via our commitment in writing) within 5 business days of which he also confirmed.
3. At the 3 day mark he fires off a 1 star review, which was not fair.
4. We cancelled his transaction and provided a 100% refund.
Regards,
