The Canadian government's surplus auction site carries items ranging from a mass spectrometer to a police car, all available for sale because the government seized them or they aren't needed anymore.

Cuyahoga County doesn’t have any active auctions now, but it also periodically posts surplus vehicles, office furnishings and law books for sale. Most recently, the county sold a 1992 heavy duty ...

Furniture – Desks, chairs, cabinets and office supplies Real Estate – Surplus federal buildings, land and residential properties Bidders can browse items by category, location or auction status.

Government furniture scandals are nothing new: In 2017, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) spent over $31,000 on a dining room set for Secretary Ben Carson's office.

In the world of secondhand stuff, government surplus is still the gold standard. It's also at the heart of a thriving resale business that stretches around the world.