| Store Name: | Washington State Surplus |
| Address: |
Auburn, WA 98001 |
| Phone: | (253) 333-4900 |
| Hours: | PUBLIC HOURS: Saturday only, 08:30 - 15:00. Closed for certain state holidays. See web site for details, or call first. |
| Web Site? | |
| Primary Line: | EVERYTHING! |
| Secondary Line: | More of Everything! |
| Pricing (Primary Line): | B- |
| Pricing (Secondary Line): | B- |
| Variety Grade: | Too variable to grade. |
| Customer Service Grade: | A |
| Overall Grade: | B |
As the name implies, this is the retail surplus store for the State of Washington. The variety of stuff they get through fluctuates so much that it is simply impossible to assign them a grade. I will say that I've seen radio equipment, computers, printers, professional and "prosumer" video equipment, furniture, vehicles, typewriters, construction equipment, tools, and just about anything else you could imagine a state government using.
Be careful with their prices. On the one wing, I bought an outstanding Panasonic VHS camcorder, barely used, in its carrying case and with all its accessories, for the stunning total of $15.00. On the other wing, that same day (July 2004), I spotted a whole pallet of decent Motorola mobile radios (Syntor X9000 VHF, to be exact) with a starting BID price (they were up for auction) of $500!
While this is not, overall, a bad price considering how many units there were, I would have been much happier to see that pallet broken up for individual sale. I can only hope that this was a fluke, and that they go more 'single-item' where future shipments of electronics are concerned.
The good news is that, around May of 2007, they also had some small servers show up in the front store, at extremely reasonable prices (Compaq 1U's for $50, anyone? With a drive or two, CPU's, and RAM?)
Like Boeing Surplus and other places, you really need to be a regular at the place to take full advantage of it. However, this does NOT mean you should miss a chance to hit them if you're just passing through. They're worth a look, no matter what.