State surplus available on Internet | Maryland Gazette (HometownGlenBurnie.com)

The Department of General Services made the shift to auctioning agency property online at the start of February. The items available include everything from office furniture to construction equipment.

The move of state sales to the Internet will save taxpayer dollars and make the items more accessible to Maryland residents, said Dave Humphrey, spokesman for DGS.

"It's real easy," he said. "If I can do it, anyone can do it."

Originally the surplus items were transported from locations around the state and stored in a single warehouse in Jessup.

Gov. Martin O'Malley announced the unit's closure in July. Although it is still operational, it will close down completely by May 31, or once the items housed there are sold.

Mr. Humphrey said the closure will eliminate costs from transportation as well as the positions that would have been required for the general maintenance and operation of the facility. Those employees are to be reabsorbed into positions in other state agencies after the warehouse closes, he said.

Shutting down the warehouse is expected to save about $200,000 annually, Mr. Humphrey said. The warehouse and the land on which it sits are to be sold for approximately $2.4 million.

Since implementing the program, Maryland state agencies have made more than 100 transactions and brought in about $70,000.

"We're embracing technology and we have a much more effective way to deal with the state surplus items," Mr. Humphrey said.

State agencies are to be given priority in the auctions, he said. If none bid on a particular item, it will be open for public bidding.

Auctions of items can be found at www.govdeals.com.