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WARNING DANGEROUS: GOVERNMENTAUCTIONS.COM is a rip off. I have to tell because I do not want anyone else to get hurt by them. Here's the story...They unbelievable jewerly deals ( so it seems) Where they show you jewerly along with appraisal cards by a company called GLA which stands for Gem Labs of America, they make you beleive that what is on the card is what the jewerly is worth and Wow when we got it we ran right over to the jewerly store where our jeweler turned our smile to a FROWN! Our jeweler said this jewerly was only good for the bottom of a fish tank. Real Gems yes but quality was not for jewelry not like the appraisal on the card from GLA stated it was worth $11, 316.00. My jeweler said he would give me $1.50 for the silver ONLY. Need I say more. STAY AWAY I WARNED YOU.
Unfortunately I did not do my homework to learn about others' experiences with GovernmentAuction.com. I learned the hard way. I was suckered in by "estimated values" for many of their auction items. Indeed, many items also had what appeared to be authentic appraisals by the equally culpable Gemological Laboratory of America (GLA), Inc. After spending thousands of dollars on merchandise well below their advertized values, I discovered that this was of poor quality, little more than junk. The so-called "Premium Appraisals" produced by GLA are entirely fraudulent based upon the quality of merchandise I purchased. The photo is an example of a GLA appraisal for an item I purchased. That item it turns out is not worth 1 one hundredth of its advertized value.
This clearly is a case of fraud, both by GovernmentAuction.com and GLA. I have no recourse but to share my experience with others in the hope that they will avoid unscrupulous businesses such as these.
thanks for the warning I just bid on there web site hopefully someone will out bid me thanks Katherine
governmentauction.com uses Gemological Laboratories of America for our third party appraisals, which is the 2nd Largest Apprasier in Los Angeles, CA.
GovernmentAuction.com utilizes Retail Replacement Value Appraisals, which are the most common. These types of evaluations are written for insurance needs. This would be the cost to replace the jewelry with an item of equal quality and kind, considered to be the current market price or the replacement value. This type of appraisal is done to protect you in the event of damage or loss of a valuable item. Our appraisals are conducted by and independent 3rd Party appraisal firm that utilizes Certified GIA Gemologist, if more information is needed you are welcome to contact them directly: Gemological Laboratory of America- info@gemlabamerica.com
Appraisals should be used for verification of gemstone and/or metal weight, size, and grade only, not actual value. Appraisal value should be considered for insurance purposes only, not actual value, as price varies greatly from retail locations thru out the world. Items should not be purchased with the expectation to resell for appraisal price, or for profit.
This is bogus. Your statement makes no sense. It is for insurance purposes for replacement value. ITs value is junk. Not one piece worth more than costume jewelry . most under that. So how does that justify and 13k valued appraisal? It is worth the same junk price all over the world. It has little to no value. And what you are stating is to replace it and for insurance value it has a 13k value? Let me explain. If i turned in that card. got it insured. It was stolen and I got 13k for it thats called insurance fraud and I can go to jail for it. So thank you for trying to send me to prison along with selling me junk.
Well-said. I just figured out that I got scammed. They also scammed me further by charging me $39.95 for shipping even though it said that it costs $9.5 to have the item shipped to Colorado. The item also had "Signed" in the title, and of course, it turned out that it is not a real autograph but a copy of one.
Maybe enough complaints will bring on a class action lawsuit,
governmentauction.com As to the claims reported with Certified product. These items are fraudulent and are junk. If GLA is certified they would know that these items are clearly not of gem quality and are worthless. I took these to a Gemologist to have appraised they basically told me this is fraudulent certificate even for insurance purposes, as if for some reason I needed to file
a claim to replace the item they would not pay because the items hold no value and is a fraudulent certificate. (These are NOT gems) As for the 30 day money back guarantee, it takes time to follow up on the value 30 day guarantee would not be long enough as I am disabled and have to travel any where to get any type of services from where I live. This is definitely a scam and Why would any gemologist put a value on a certificate like this when it is clearly junk. It is unethical and a ripoff.
Looking at the items I have purchase in a government auction this is what I thought I was bidding on, Exactly how it was presented. Clearly misrepresented.
Est. Value 8.3K - 13.8K 287.19CT Ruby & Sterling Silver Necklace, Jewelry and Gem - GLA estimated retail value 27, 578.00
Est. Value 34.7K - 57.8K 1, 724.45CT Oval Cut Emerald Gemstone, Jewelry and Gem - GLA estimated retail value 115, 538.00
Electronic Code of Federal Regulations
§ 23.0 Scope and application.(a) These guides apply to jewelry industry products, which include, but are not limited to, the following: gemstones and their laboratory-created and imitation substitutes; natural and cultured pearls and their
imitations; and metallic watch bands not permanently attached to watches. These guides also apply to articles, including optical frames, pens and pencils, flatware, and hollowware, fabricated from precious metals (gold, silver and platinum group metals), precious metal alloys, and their imitations. These guides also apply to all articles made from pewter. For the purposes of these guides, all articles covered by these guides are defined as “industry products.”(b) These guides apply
to persons, partnerships, or corporations, at every level of the trade (including but not limited to manufacturers, suppliers, and retailers) engaged in the business of offering for sale, selling, or distributing industry products.
Note to paragraph ( b ): To prevent consumer deception, persons, partnerships, or corporations in the business of appraising, identifying, or grading industry products should utilize the terminology and standards set forth in the guides. (c)
These guides apply to claims and representations about industry products included in labeling, advertising, promotional materials, and all other forms of marketing, whether asserted directly or by implication, through words, symbols, emblems, logos, illustrations, depictions, product brand names, or through any other means.(d) These guides set forth the Federal Trade Commission's current thinking about claims for jewelry and other articles made from precious metals and pewter. The guides help marketers and other industry members avoid making claims that are unfair or deceptive under Section 5 of the FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. 45. They do not confer any rights on any person and do not operate to bind the FTC or the public. The Commission, however, may take action under the FTC Act if a marketer or other industry member makes a claim inconsistent with the guides. In any such enforcement action, the Commission must prove that the challenged act or practice is
unfair or deceptive in violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act.(e) The guides consist of general principles, specific guidance on the use of particular claims for industry products, and examples. Claims may raise issues that are addressed by more than one example and in more than one section of the guides. The examples provide the Commission's views on how reasonable consumers likely interpret certain claims. Industry members may use an alternative approach if the approach
satisfies the requirements of Section 5 of the FTC Act. Whether a particular claim is deceptive will depend on the net impression of the advertisement, label, or other promotional material at issue. In addition, although many examples present specific claims and options for qualifying claims, the examples do not illustrate all permissible claims or qualifications under Section 5 of the FTC Act.
[61 FR 27212, May 30, 1996, as amended at 64 FR 33194, June 22, 1999; 75 FR 81453, Dec. 28, 2010]
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§ 23.1 Deception (general).It is unfair or deceptive to misrepresent the type, kind, grade, quality, quantity, metallic content, size, weight, cut, color, character, treatment, substance, durability, serviceability, origin, price, value, preparation, production, manufacture, distribution, or any other material aspect of an industry product.
Note 1 to § 23.1: If, in the sale or offering for sale of an industry product, any representation is made as to the grade assigned the product, the identity of the grading system used should be disclosed.
Note 2 to § 23.1: To prevent deception, any qualifications or disclosures, such as those described in the guides, should be sufficiently clear and prominent. Clarity of language, relative type size and proximity to the claim being qualified, and an absence of contrary claims that could undercut effectiveness, will maximize the likelihood that the qualifications and
disclosures are appropriately clear and prominent.
§ 23.25 Misuse of the word “gem.”(a) (a) It is unfair or deceptive to use the word “gem” to describe, identify,
or refer to a ruby, sapphire, emerald, topaz, or other industry product that does not possess the beauty, symmetry, rarity, and value necessary for qualification as a gem.
I emailed governmentauction.com, They resolved this problem with a full refund. They were very prompt in settling this matter...
Troll for governmentauctions.com
If you’re going to defend this company use your real name. 🤮😇
I done some of the paperwork for one of GovernmentAuction.com bidders for two years but I am suspicious of the company myself.
This company cancelled someone's invoice when someone tried to change the credit card in between the $50.00 and the rest of the first payment which their terms and conditions are supposed to okay this in which this was done by the third business day.
This company does not seem to like him because of this and it seems that they blocked out the whole Suffolk county, Long Island, New York website and maybe other private websites that are available to the public just because of
this.
They might might also think that the county website are a policing website during an investigation.
We have been trying to tell them for two years that this is there error.
I have some 50 pages that I sent to them.
Thank You
any class action suites against governmentauctions.com yet...I'd love to join in. Any lawyers out there willing to take a case ? email me at fiorainvestments@yahoo.com
Count me in, too.
TO ALL STAY AWAY DONT DO IT:governmentauction.com is a ripoff, I purchased some coins I never received. I was told they were put in another package that was delivered, only one item in package no coins. According to there rules coins are to be shipped separately. So why were these supposedly shipped with an unrelated item. Its all BS. Either the company is behind it
or they have thieves in there packing dept. Still dealing with it, dont see it getting rectified.
Well, I did get my issue resolved. received all my items including coins everything is what I thought it would be, thanks government auction all is well
I suppose I'm a bigger fool than most. I actually purchased LAND from this company. They claimed all that would be owed was the bid price and $295 per year for HOA fees. Now, I have received an invoice from the HOA and they are charging me 'back-owed" HOA fees which are prior to my purchase date! The amount I would owe in back HOA fees is more than I paid for the property. I have contacted governmentauction.com and will await their response. I'll update this when a response is received. If it's not corrected, I intend to contact the attorney general of my state.
Just be wary, until you receive my update. Unfortunately, there is no way to ask questions during the auction.
In Illinois this is now law that the new owner can be charged up to 1yr back HOA fees.
So they do actually give you the land though, you just made aware of actual fees and debts associated with the property
Please let us know because I've called and emailed with no response period, I live in California and bidded on some land in Colorado won and received an invoice. I've called and emailed to ask questions but no one has responded to me period, thank you for the heads up - Sheryl K.
The sad thing is, that information isn't given upfront to where you aren't aware of this information. No one should be caught off guard and should be told what the actually property is and anything that could affect a person
I just got some things from one of thier auctions last weekend. Didnt overpay and was not looking to make a profit. I took w a" grain of salt" the jewelry estimates, since I have worked lapidary since I was a kid. those really big emeralds, rubies, sapphires- opaque, poorly cut and color treated beyond redemption- worth thousands? I think not. Nice paperweights if you dont pay too much. i got one for what I thought its worth...no where near the estimate.
The thing that got me was the "one of a Kind" stuff. I missed out on a bid for a " one of a kind" piece, which went for a really low price to someone else. Miraculously, its back in this weekends auction! so they do have house bidders to take price higher for sure. They dont get enough - its back.
I noticed the same pieces of jewelry being resold and that is what made me think, hmm... My believe was that the materials they were selling were gotten from the government from one way or another, I don't believe that is the actual case with the coins and jewelry. They should be made to change their misleading name.
We bought some land from governmentauctions.com only to find out there are no roads going to this land and no way to actually find exactly where it is or even get to it other than walking through the woods and guessing... a realitor told us this happens all the time.
I didn't find this site until I won 3 bids totaling over $800. What will happen if I don't pay for these items I won?
So what happened when you didn't pay or did you pay?
I paid on the last day after won they threatened me that if I don’t they would send it to collections and they sent it to collections anyways. A few days later my credit score dropped 36points for not paying on it but in fact I did pay it. I still haven’t received anything from them.
I almost purchased so glad a searched for scams in relation to this website
I tried to withdraw from the land bid by calling them but could not get in touch with anyone. I'd jumped into a bidding frenzy without knowing if there are any back taxes or HOA's fees. Forget about road frontage or accessibility. No pertinent info about California Pines. Raw land I understand but there has to be some disclosure about the properties they auction off. Should they not disclose this info to bidders? Of course, they should. They are not transparent in their auction deals and now I won the bid that I didn't want. And they quickly sent me an invoice for the bid. Should I get an attorney involved now or try talking to them first?
That might now be a bad idea and see what to do concerning this.
The people complaining on here about their land purchases need to do some due diligence first before claiming someone "ripped them off." It's your responsibility as a buyer to understand what you are buying! It's not the seller's responsibility in any deed transaction to make sure you have called the county assessor, obtained records for clean chain of title, understand building codes, verified water/septic/power, physically visited the land, etc. It's called DUE DILIGENCE for a reason, people.
Absolutely and it tells you that on the site..
Due diligence is great. When given enough information to do the work. These folks are selling a mining claim without being able to provide the record locator for the ontario mining claim system. These folks are a scam.
very hard to check when you give fake APN lot number. I was interested to buy but wanted to be sure the land existed and what was the location on the map. Each time I checked the lot APN at the county database they were non existent.
@Land investor, you can run a due deligence when you have the lot number, APN number, so when these are in accurate it raises red flags. I won a bid for a 40 acre and the land APN is not even accurate on landglide to be able to call county office. MY thinking is same as everyone, they never respond to emails, nor calls, if its a verifiable business because wouldnt the respond of have someone dedicated in responding to client's concerns. I will not send my money 'as payments for bid won' to an anonymous weblink except I am stupid.
Bidding so far it's a very poor experience for me. I won a lot of stuff that may be worth some money in the morning, by afternoon it shows someone else won them. Like someone said before there might be someone in house bidding and make you loose if they feel you don't pay enough for the item. It's alright I won't pay for anything I will simply keep my money. I already made a mistake purchased a land I paid 236 USD so far and I request to cancel it for me because I already see a similar one post on the website again and the same land with the exact wording sold on another site for 80 USD. Let see what happen before I make more mistakes.
Anyone has good experience buying any land so far before I sign my payment contract? Please let me know.
How did it go for you?
i just bid in a auction yesterday 4/9/20 i asked if they would combine shipping on the 5 jewelry items i got all 5 could fit in a 2inch by 2 inch box USPS shipping would be about $5.00 they are charging me over $30.00 to ship i ask by email if that was a mistake and they said no that is the combined shipping cost also there fees are crazy high the amount of the items i won in the auction was about $200.00 there fees and shipping are about $90.00 i did look very close at this company the Government Auction name sounded good but its a different company call" All Finance LLC " in Tehachapi Ca.93651 what a scam
governmentauction.com is a total scam...
governmentauction.com has listings that have appeared EXACTLY the same as other listings that have previously closed as sold/won on other auction sites. Landandfarm.com seem to sell adverting to them. I've logged a support ticket to see if I can speak to the leadership at landandfarm.com to report this "client" of theirs.
I'll report back with my findings.
Thank you. I would also like to read the response you receive.
So I got a call from them asking for payment. They said they're going to send me their EIN
I've been investigating them for a few months for an investigative news report and I've found that Government Auction goes by several names that are registered to the owner or to the exact office address they claim to operate from. Names such as...
• The Land Office
• USA Land Auction
• Bid4Assets
• Government Auction / Government Asset Auction / Government Auction Luxury
• Blue Sky Acquisitions, LLC
• PS LANDMAN, LLC
• Anthony Sabastian
The company operates by publishing their fluff articles, using Press Release bulk orwarding companies go publish their nonsense on various local news websites to make it seem like they're legitimate and reputable and they do spend a lot of time making fake reviews as well.
In reality, the company, particularly All Finance LLC or Finance All LLC operates exactly like predatory learners such as payday loan companies by making themselves most attractive to the poor, the elderly and suckers - all of which are least likely to know how to do their due diligence and are also most likely to default, allowing the cycle to continue. And the land they sell is ALWAYS bought for penny's on the dollar then resold at a massive premium. They'll buy land for $1, 200, write misleading descriptions about the property that they never even visited then resell it for well in excess of +$8, 000. I've seen them selling land that is clearly unlivable(on top of a series of flood prone arroyos, earthquake fault line, mountian side, only accessable by ATV or completely inaccessible due to it being land locked, etc).
It's Land Contract operation, and only 3 states regulate such operations: Maine, Oklahoma and Texas. Texas and Oklahoma are especially strict about such operations so the consumer has more rights and protection. Right now, they aren't even operating within the law in Texas since Texas requires such companies to provide land survey data, disclose any info that will negetively impact the land owner, not mislead buyers by inflating the value of the land, etc. But until someone sues, they will continue to operate under the radar.
I look forward to publishing my full report on these people and, just like them, I'll use PR forwarding services to distribute my full report as well. I won't stop until they're bankrupt and/or the states they operate in take notice and start crushing them with an iron fist.
I bid in some lots in NM and the NM land office has the tax value right at my bid price so my taxes are $5.00 each, but they are basically dirt roads and flat desert land. I knew about the area already so I knew what I was buying, my complaint is on the gemstones the auction off. They have the GLA give inflated appraisal cards on them and claim it’s just for insurance purposes. See below, their own response. I believe they are inciting insurance fraud by that claim, knowing the values are inflated and we are supposed to insure them with incorrect values. That is just wrong.
Hi Akemi, what happened with ur report? Did you publish it? Why hasn’t anyone contacted the FBI about this company? If would fall u see them I presume because it seems like major fraud and it’s all over the internet and deals with land etc..
I will share my info, and tell my story, contact me at jahblaque@icloud.com. I have an interesting story about Tim Richardson, and Debbie. Thank you
im interested in knowing more been swindled out of 1300..please call jessie at [protected]
I'm talking to Tim Richardson now. Is that a bad idea? I don't see your experience here.
Did you ever get this sorted? I just won an auction yesterday. Now I don’t want to pay…
DeeDee, if you haven’t paid , don’t do it. I was scammed out of 10k to buy 160 acres in Canada. They have me on a payment plan but can’t give me any information on the land. Weird right? I think I was scammed and I signed a 15 year payment plan on top of that but again I have no proof that I own the prop. There is no record of the transaction so I couldn’t even go see the property and prove that it’s even mine. I’m still trying to figure out who to contact to get this resolved. Take care, Don
Thank to all for your experience. You saved me from being scammed.
I’m up for a class action due to some transactions back in 2017. The jewels are not even close in value to what they estimate and it’s fraud for us to use those values for insurance purposes, knowing they are not correct. Regarding the GOV Auction company and the GLA, I’m wondering if they are protected by some idiotic CA law.
DebbieP at Landwatch.com is shown as the owner of the property listed for sale, but when you click on the property website to look up the property from the Landwatch.com website it takes you to the GovernmentAuction.com website where you need to bid on the property. After sending DebbieP numerous emails to contact her for more information on the listed properties on the Landwatch.com website I have never received any reply back. I have been interested in buying some of the listed properties for years and years but never get a reply from this mysterious DebbieP. Strange? Also, over all of those years the property pictures in the description are the same. I am interested in purchasing the property shown because from the pictures in the description I can tell that I have been to that particular place before, and the price to purchase is shown as a minimal price compared to what many realtors are charging for similar properties, but is this a phony description? Probably. It is either some kind of a scam, or somehow we have entered the Twilight Zone.
Had same issues with Debbie am not following through on my bid until questions or payments on so called property lot in British Columbia are answered
I am an experienced investor; and have bought land on many different sites. I cannot speak for what these guys listings looked like in the the past, but I love to buy land in Hawaii; and recently bought a piece of raw land on the big island of Hawaii for less than $3K. The auction listing had the correct APN, the market land value from the County of Hawaii was clearly listed on the county's site ($7,500), it was also clearly listed as "raw, agricultural land", etc. If the APN's or Parcel numbers were not clear in the past, then that is a real issue, but I had zero problems with this last month. I cannot comment on gems and all of that (as I don't buy any of that), but amateurs should not be buying land on-line. This is a long-term buy and hold investment, not a quick flip. Just be careful out there. Lots of good and bad deals on-line. If it looks too good to be true...it is.
RickF30, would you be interested in selling your property in Hawaii that you just mentioned? Cant find a decent priced rental in Kona,HI.
Hello! What site do you buy land from that is legitimate? Thank you!
Turns out, GovernmentAuctions is actually sourced from a company formerly known as JM Global which was taken over by TMSR Holding Company Limited whom happens to have a stock ticker of WYIGU, revealing it’s true owner as that of China Sunlong Environmental Technologies with the same number attached to it as all SEC Filings for JM Global (+[protected]) and email (mit127@hotmail.com) both of which link to Tim Richerson.
So is this some Chinese data trawler making money off of real estate and gem/bouillon scams and if so can it be tolerated or should it not go beyond property crimes or theft and is this more of a firth column investigation?
Curious to hear the thoughts of all.
I won an auction on proxibid.com for $2. They billed me $200 plus thousands of dollars. $2 was only down payment... This business is a big scam. They have more than 10 businesses in the same address. they keep changing their names. Because of them my proxibid account flagged.