Shh... It's a Secret
University Surplus Stores are hidden gems for savvy shoppers scattered all over the country. What do universities and colleges do with all their stuff when they're done with it? They sell it of course and you should be taking advantage of some incredible deals on almost anything you could imagine. Save money, support a sustainable environment through REUSE, find the unusual and have fun!
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The Michigan State University Surplus Store would like to tell you all about University Surplus Stores throughout the country and the great things they have to offer. Learn about the types of items that are sold, why they get sold, how they are sold and where to buy them. You'll even get tips on how to negotiate lower prices from the people who price and sell the stuff! What Exactly is a University Surplus Store?
University Surplus Stores are responsible for the disposition of university owned property. That's a fancy way of saying they have big garages sales that can sell anything and everything imaginable.How big? Michigan State University for example, sits on 5200 acres, with an additional 15,000 acres spread across the state of Michigan. It has over 45,000 students, 10,000 faculty, academic and support staff. It has its own power plant, police force and hotel. There are academic facilities, labs, residence halls, kitchens, farms, athletic stadiums, museums and libraries. It is basically a small city. Everything used throughout these areas is disposed of through the MSU Surplus Store. Over 2,000 items are sold per week for annual sales of about $2 million.
What's this "Secret" business all about?
Most University Surplus Stores do little to no advertising. They generally have abnormal business hours. Their warehouses are often tucked away in remote corners of campuses. Inventory is always changing, so first time customers may not see anything they like and leave, not knowing that different inventory will be for sale the next day. They are an afterthought for many institutions.There are small pockets of customers for each University Surplus Store that knows they exist. They know all about the bargains waiting for them as they line up half an hour before store opening to get first crack the day's new treasures.
If you take away just one thing
REUSE!
For many people it is all about saving money, but it's so much more important than that. You can reuse almost anything and it is an essential component to creating a sustainable world. It keeps items out of the landfill, preserves energy, reduces the strain on non-renewable resources and reduces pollution. For those of you who are creative enough it can even generate income.
For many people it is all about saving money, but it's so much more important than that. You can reuse almost anything and it is an essential component to creating a sustainable world. It keeps items out of the landfill, preserves energy, reduces the strain on non-renewable resources and reduces pollution. For those of you who are creative enough it can even generate income.
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Some University Surplus Stores do not have addresses. Be sure to check out the webs site links at the bottom of the lens for a complete list.
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Check out the latest blog postings to find out what's happening with the MSU Surplus Store. View Twitter updates, watch video, find links to important sites, see what's for sale and view construction progress of the new MSU Surplus Store and Recycling Facility.
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byHow to get a better deal at the MSU Surplus Store
Have you ever had a garage sale? If you have, someone has inevitably approached you with an offer of $.25 for an item marked at $.50. If you are like me, you politely turn away, roll your eyes, turn back and say "sure." The MSU Surplus Store doesn't quite work that way. We have a fiduciary responsibility to students of MSU and the State of Michigan to attain maximum value for their financial investment into the items we sell. This doesn't mean we can't discount prices, or offer incentives to purchase an item. There are a variety of factors that go into our pricing, and after a time of not selling most prices can be adjusted. Here are 9 tips on how to make a deal at the MSU Surplus Store:1. Never ask for more than half off.
2. Give it a week. Items are almost never discounted on the first day.
3. Come prepared. Offer to take large items with you. We would rather not move and store large sold items.
4. Wait until the end of the day to ask for a deal.
5. Buy things in bulk. In most cases, there is a 20% discount if you buy 5 or more like items.
6. Don't disparage the item. Asking the sales person for a deal because the item is "junk" is not effective.
7. Be sincere. Don't exaggerate details about how long an item has been for sale, or claim you are the only person in the world who would ever buy it.
8. Know what the item is worth. We look up values for a lot of our items through a variety of resources. Since we do not test most items, in many cases our prices are comparably lower. Sometimes the asking price is already a great deal.
9. Watch for upcoming events. Large event sales, like bike sales, mean we need to move inventory fast in order to make room.
Reader Feedback
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- Kris_Jolley Kris_Jolley Mar 4, 2009 @ 12:44 pm
- Absolutely!
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- Ruth Ruth Mar 4, 2009 @ 12:29 pm
- Awesome!! Can I post on the USPA list serve?
Links to University Surplus Store web sites.
- Lion Surplus
- Penn State University
- SWAP (Surplus With A Purpose)
- University of Wisconsin
- Surplus Property
- Arizona State University
- University Surplus
- University of Iowa
- ISU Surplus
- Iowa State University
- Surplus Property
- Colorado State University
- Surplus Property
- Oregon State University
- Surplus Property Sales
- Stanford University
- Moving & Surplus
- University of Washington
- Property Disposition
- University of Michigan
- Surplus Property
- University of Missouri
- Public Surplus Store
- University of Connecticut
- Surplus and Material Services
- Rutgers The State University of New Jersey
- Surplus Equipment Department
- University of Cincinnati
- Warehousing and Surplus Disposal
- Purdue University
- Surplus Property
- University of Pittsburgh
- Surplus Warehouse
- University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Surplus Property Office
- University of Arizona
- Surplus Depot
- University of Wyoming
- University Surplus and Salvage
- University of Utah
- Central Surplus Program
- Princeton University
- Excess Property
- Syracuse University
- BYU Surplus
- Brigham Young University
- Surplus Stores
- Washington State University
- Gonzaga University Surplus
- Gonzaga University
- IU Surplus Stores
- Indiana University
- Administrative Services Surplus Store
- Lansing Community College
- Surplus Sales
- Central Michigan University
- NCSU Surplus Property
- North Carolina State university
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by Kris_Jolley
I'm the Store Manager for the Michigan State University Surplus Store. It's a great place, with new challenges to tackle every day. Anybody need a sca... (more)
