Yakima County, WA Terms and Conditions
PLEASE READ THIS DOCUMENT CAREFULLY. SHOULD YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE CALL Jason Alvord in the Yakima County PURCHASING DEPARTMENT.
Consideration of Bids:
Online auctions are opened to the general public, unless otherwise stated in the auction description. Buyer must be of legal age to enter into a contract with Yakima County. Yakima County reserves the right to reject any and/or all bids considered and withdraw from sale any item(s) listed at any time, including during the bidding process, if the public interest may be served thereby.
Terms of Sale:
PERSONAL INSPECTION IS STRONGLY ADVISED as the conditions and descriptions are subjective.
ALL SALES ARE FINAL. There are no refunds or exchanges. All property is offered and sold "AS-IS, WHERE IS" and without representation or warranty. The Yakima County, as Seller hereby expressly disclaims all warranties, either express or implied, including an implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a purpose, and neither assumes nor authorizes another person to assume for it, any liability in connection with the sale of these goods. Items are available for inspection before and during the bidding.
Proxy Bid:
Proxy bids are when you place the maximum amount that you are willing to pay for an auction and Public Surplus automatically increases the amount of your initial bid for you in set increments. For example: a TV is being sold that you would like to bid on; it's currently listed at $60.00 with an increment level of $5.00; you don't want to pay more than $100.00. The proxy bid will set your first bid at $65.00 so that you are the winning bidder. If another bid is made for $75.00, the proxy bid will automatically increase your bid amount to $80.00. It will continue doing this until it reaches your maximum bid amount of $100.00. Proxy bids are very useful for when you don't want to have to watch an auction to verify your bidding status. If you have been outbid, you will receive notification through email.
If there is a reserve price, proxy bidding will automatically bid to try to meet the reserve price. If your maximum bid is lower than the reserve price, your bid will stop at your maximum bid. If the reserve has been met and your maximum bid amount has not been reached, your bid will stop at the reserve price and only proxy bid again when another bidder outbids you.
Payment:
Payments will not be accepted at pickup location. PayMac, LLC. a third-party payment processing company, collects all payments for Yakima County. Payment for an awarded item must be received within 5 business days of close of auction. Payment shall be made online by credit card, wire transfer. Failure to submit payment with the specified time period may result in the bidder being blocked from future auctions.
If you choose to pay with a credit card please follow the instructions below. The credit card limit per transaction is $4,000.00. We accept all major credit cards.For payments larger than this amount follow the instructions listed under Wire Transfers.
Payment by Credit Card
Login to the Public Surplus site. Click on "My Stuff" and then click on "Past Bids". Click on the description of the auction and then click on "Pay Online" link located on the right hand side of the screen. Follow the steps to complete the transaction. A receipt will be emailed to you once the payment has cleared. This receipt accompanied with your "Notice of Award" and photo I.D. is required when merchandise is picked up, in order to have the property custodian release the item.
Partial Payment
There will be NO partial payments of an auction allowed. All auctions must be paid in full per payment process used per auction. For Example: You WILL NOT be able to pay partially for an auction by Credit Card and pay the remainder by another payment method such as a wire transfer.
Wire Transfers:
For payments over $4,000.00, a Wire Transfer is required. If you need to do a wire transfer, please email support at buyersupport@publicsurplus.com asking for wire instructions or request the instructions via live chat. These instructions will be emailed to you. Please follow them exactly to allow for prompt payment.
Public Surplus will notify you upon receipt of payment. You may then contact the responsible party listed for that item and arrange for a mutually convenient pick up time. You will need to bring the payment receipt, your "Notice of Award" and photo I.D. or the auction item(s) will not be released to you.
Bid Deposits:
Yakima County may require bid deposits in order to ensure fairness and equity to all buyers as a way to decrease default bidding. The deposit will be reversed if no default occurs or the bidder does not win the auction. Public Surplus will collect and retain the deposit if there is a default by the winning bidder.
Buyers Premium:
A 10.5% Buyer Premium will be added to the final sale price with a $1 minimum charge per auction to collect payment.
State/Local Sales and/or Use Tax:
Yakima County will collect sales tax on all items sold unless the buyer has provided a valid tax-exempt certificate to Public Surplus prior to payment.
Removal:
All shipping costs will be the responsibility of the awarded bidder. Please consider these costs when submitting your bid.
The Bill of Sale (available upon request) and, if applicable, the title to the equipment/vehicle, will not be issued to the awarded bidder until payment has been collected.
Items must be paid for within 5 working days and picked up within 10 working days from the time and date of issuance of the Notice of Award. Purchases will be released only upon receipt of payment as specified. Successful bidders are responsible for loading and removal of any and all property awarded to them from the place where the property is located as indicated on the website and in the Notice of Award. The Buyer will make all arrangements and perform all work necessary, including packing, loading and transportation of the property. Under no circumstances will Yakima County assume responsibility for packing, loading or shipping. Should the bidder use a third party to remove the purchased item(s), bidder must ensure that the third party has a copy of the "awarded bidder documentation," copy of paid receipt or Bill of Sale, personal identification, and written authorization for the third party to remove the purchased item(s). The County is not responsible for any theft or damage to vehicles/equipment after the ten (10) business day time limit for removal expires.
Property may be removed between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays.
Item(s) that are paid for and not picked up by the purchaser per the Terms and Conditions will be charged a storage fee of $5.00 per item per day until the item is picked up, payable to the Yakima County prior to pickup of the purchased item. The County may remove the item to another location and winning bidder will be responsible for the costs incurred by the County to dismantle, transport and store the item. In such an event, the County shall not be responsible for any item damaged by such removal and, if the winning bidder has not made arrangements to pick up the item within thirty (30) calendar days and pay any and all applicable storage fees, the winning bidder shall be deemed to have ceded ownership to the County. Thereafter, the County may dispose of the item as the County deems reasonable and retain any proceeds therefrom.
Employee Bidding:
Per Yakima County Charter: Council members, employees or their immediate family are not allowed to bid on County surplus property.
Insurance:
The bidder shall not move any vehicles until a Certificate of Insurance has been provided and approved by the Yakima County.
Indemnification
Bidder agrees for and on behalf of bidder, bidder's heirs, successors and assigns that bidder shall defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the County, its Officers, Elected Officials, Employees, Volunteers and Agents from and against any and all claims, causes of action arising or alleged to have arisen, damages, losses and expenses of any kind or nature whatsoever, including but not limited to, attorney's fees and court costs, arising out of, relating to, or resulting from the sale or failure to sell any item of surplus property including claims for personal or bodily injury, death or contract damages.
Inspection of Equipment:
The auction item description has been included to assist in identifying the sale item. This information has been compiled from the information that is presently available to the surplus property controller. The County is not responsible for any omissions or errors in the description and condition of the property and such description is not warranted to be accurate. It is the bidder's sole responsibility to inspect the item(s) offered for sale and ascertain their condition. Submission of a bid shall be conclusive evidence that the bidder has inspected the items for sale and has thoroughly investigated and is satisfied as to the existing condition of the item(s). Bidder shall not rely on any representation of serviceability, condition or fitness for use made by any employee of the Yakima County.
Bidder Disqualification:
The County reserves the right to disqualify and block bidders submitting frivolous bids. Bidders may also be disqualified from bidding due to late payment, failure to remove sold items as directed, incomplete and/or inaccurate registration information or any behavior deemed disruptive to the auction process. Bid deposits will be forfeited should the winning bidder default on a specified auctions(s) due to non-payment.
The County reserves the right to retract bids and or withdraw from sale any items from bidders who have been blocked by a seller on Public Surplus. This is done to ensure that The County's time isn't wasted by buyers not serious about completing the sale appropriately.
By submitting a bid, the bidder agrees that they have read, fully understand, and accept the Terms and Conditions of Online Sales and agree to pay for and remove the property, if the bid is accepted, by the dates and times specified.