REUSE, Save and Have Fun at a University Surplus Store

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.