'Surplus' sale offers used items at low prices
File Photo | Taryn Wattles
Olena Mellinger, a Mount Pleasant resident and wife of a professor at CMU, searches for a new chair with her two children on Friday at the surplus sale inside the Auction Building. Mellinger has furnished parts of her house with the items she finds at the sales, including a couch for five dollars.
Walking into Central Michigan University’s auction building during Friday’s surplus sale, West Bloomfield junior Patrick Doherty knew at first glance he’d find the computer parts he needed to beef up his PC rig.
“I was literally going to go out today and go buy a new keyboard and mouse,” said Doherty. “I definitely knew they had them from the last time I was here, so $10 is cheaper than $50.”
Held each month, the CMU surplus sales offer students a chance to buy off used university equipment at discounted prices. The lot of treasures includes everything from furniture, office equipment, workout machines, clothes, computers, entertainment items and kitchen appliances. Both students and non-students alike can buy the items for the same prices, which are placed on the wares with tags not unlike a garage sale.
Andrew Lumetta, a junior from Novi, said he goes to surplus sales every month “to find random stuff.” He said he usually comes for computers.
Neelima Potluri and Krishna Pavan Moola, both computer science graduate students from India, said they had never been to a surplus sale before and wanted to see what it was like.
“We don’t have any furniture at home so we thought we could buy it here,” Potluri said. Potluri and Moola left with a couple of chairs for their home.
Jennifer Pendarvis, who doesn’t attend CMU but whose boyfriend is a graduate student, said she stopped by the surplus sale because she was curious to see what they had available.
“I’m surprised by all the Epson projectors, actually,” said Pendarvis. “It’s just kind of interesting.”
CMU Surplus Sales are held in the auction building once a month from noon to 2 p.m. at 275 W. Bellows Street, near Northwest Apartments and Trout Hall.
The final three 2014 sales will be held on Oct. 31, Nov. 21 and Dec. 19. Items are sold as is and all sales are final. CMU also holds online auctions at http://www.publicsurplus.com. Contact Mike Viers, manager of CMU Surplus Sales, for more information at (989) 774-3919 or viers1mj@cmich.edu.
