canonical: https://jentic.com/apis/govauctions.app/govauctions # Govauctions App GovAuctions Data API The GovAuctions Data API returns structured government-surplus auction data: live listings from sanctioned federal sources, sold-price comps, and the GovAuctions Flip Score resale signal. Comps cover the full surplus market across the US, UK, CA, AU, DE, and FR, and every plan carries a total call budget plus a smaller valuation allowance. The API also exposes coverage, usage, webhook subscriptions, and bulk CSV export. ## For AI agents Lets an AI agent search live government-surplus auction listings, value items against sold-price comps, and read Flip Score resale signals across six markets. ## Scope Does not handle placing bids, processing payments, or arranging shipping. Use for government-surplus auction data and resale valuation only. ## Capabilities - Search live government-surplus auction listings by facts - Value a described item against sold-price comps across six markets - Read month-by-month median sale price trends for an item - Score a live lot's resale potential with the Flip Score signal - Pull the individual archived sales behind a valuation - Subscribe to webhooks that push when new lots appear ## Use cases ### Agent-driven resale sourcing An AI agent can source resale inventory through GovAuctions by searching live surplus listings, valuing each candidate against sold-price comps, and reading its Flip Score before deciding to bid elsewhere. Because listings carry facts rather than images, the data is compact enough for an agent to scan at scale. Connected through Jentic, the agent calls only the read and valuation operations it needs. Example prompt: Search live listings for a category, value the top candidate against sold-price comps, and read its Flip Score to decide whether to pursue it ### Item valuation and comps Resellers and analysts need a defensible resale value for an item. GovAuctions returns a sold-price range from the full surplus market and the individual archived sales behind it, so a valuation can be audited. The batch comps operation values multiple items in one request, each counted against the plan's valuation allowance. Example prompt: Value up to ten described items in one batch request and return each item's sold-price range ### New-lot monitoring Buyers want to react the moment a relevant lot is listed. GovAuctions pushes new lots to a webhook subscription, so an agent can trigger a valuation and alert workflow without polling the listings endpoint. Coverage and usage endpoints let the agent confirm what data is available and how much budget remains. Example prompt: Create a webhook subscription for a category and value each new lot it reports ## Key endpoints | Method | Path | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | GET | `/listings` | Search live listings | | GET | `/listings/{id}` | Get one live listing by id | | GET | `/comps` | Sold-price range for a described item | | POST | `/comps/batch` | Value multiple items in one request | | GET | `/comps/trend` | Monthly median sale price for an item | | GET | `/flip-score` | Flip Score resale signal for a live lot | | GET | `/export` | Bulk CSV export | ## Key resources - **Listings** — Search and read live government-surplus auction listings - **Comps** — Sold-price ranges, trends, and the archived sales behind them - **Flip Score** — Resale signal for a live lot in any comp market - **Webhooks** — Subscriptions that push on new lots - **Usage and coverage** — Remaining budgets and per-category comp coverage ## AI readiness This API is usable in Jentic One now. Its AI-readiness score against Jentic's framework shows where it stands today and where improvements would make it even easier for agents to use. - **Score:** 64 / 100 - **Maturity:** AI-Aware - **Dimensions:** - Foundational Compliance: 85 / 100 - Developer Experience & Jentic Compatibility: 61 / 100 - AI-Readiness & Agent Experience: 46 / 100 - Agent Usability: 94 / 100 - Security: 60 / 100 - AI Discoverability: 69 / 100 - **View full report:** https://jentic.com/apis/govauctions.app/govauctions/scorecard - **How the score is calculated:** https://docs.jentic.com/reference/api-readiness-framework/overview/ - **More about the dimensions:** https://docs.jentic.com/reference/api-readiness-framework/specification/#dimensional-model-overview ### Score it yourself Every API in the directory is allowlisted, so you can re-score it with no key required. - **Score your own API:** https://jentic.com/scorecard.md - **Scoring CLI agent skill:** https://github.com/jentic/jentic-api-scorecard/blob/main/skills/jentic-api-scorecard/SKILL.md ```sh npx @jentic/api-scorecard-cli score ``` ## Why Jentic - **Setup:** Wiring GovAuctions by hand means handling its Bearer token or x-api-key header and tracking two separate budgets, the call budget and the valuation allowance, yourself. Through Jentic you install once, import GovAuctions from the API Directory, store the key once, and your agent calls it. - **Permission scoping:** GovAuctions carries search filters and item descriptions in the query and body, so a rule bounds which operations your agent may call rather than which listing. You choose the operations it may call, so the webhook-delete operation is not included unless you add it. - **Credential handling:** Your GovAuctions key is stored once, encrypted, by your own Jentic One instance and injected at execution time. It never enters the agent's prompt, logs, or context. - **Discovery method:** Agents search Jentic by intent such as 'search surplus listings' or 'value an item', and Jentic returns the matching GovAuctions operation with its input schema so the agent calls the right endpoint without reading the reference docs. ## Related APIs - **CompsAPI** — Comparable-sale pricing for real estate versus GovAuctions' surplus-item resale comps. - **Noden Marketplace API** — A marketplace to list resale inventory sourced from GovAuctions data. - **EIA Open Data API** — Another US-government open-data source for public-sector research workflows. ## FAQ ### What authentication does the GovAuctions Data API use? GovAuctions authenticates with your API key as a Bearer token in the Authorization header, or as the x-api-key header, per its OpenAPI spec. The sources listing is public, while the rest require the key. Through Jentic the key is stored encrypted by your own Jentic One instance and injected at execution time. ### Can I value a described item with the GovAuctions Data API? Yes. The comps operation returns a sold-price range for a described item from the full surplus market, the trend operation returns its monthly median price, and the batch operation values several items in one request. Each valuation counts against your plan's valuation allowance. ### What are the rate limits for the GovAuctions Data API? Instead of fixed per-second limits, each plan carries a total call budget and a smaller valuation allowance, and the usage endpoint reports what remains for the month. Check https://govauctions.app for current plan budgets. ### How do I search listings and value an item with the GovAuctions Data API through Jentic? Search Jentic for 'search surplus auction listings' and it returns the GovAuctions listing-search operation with its input schema, then search 'value an item' for the comps operation. Install Jentic One with `curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jentic/jentic-one/main/tools/install.sh | sh`, import GovAuctions from the API Directory, and store your key once. To run it on your own infrastructure, install Jentic One from its GitHub repo. ### Can I limit what my agent is allowed to do with GovAuctions? Yes. Write a rule that allows only the listing-search and valuation read operations, so the agent can research and value lots but cannot create or delete webhook subscriptions, and every call it makes is logged. ### Is there a GovAuctions MCP server? You don't need an MCP server to connect your agent to GovAuctions. Jentic connects it directly from the API Directory: import it, store your credential once, and your agent discovers and calls the operations it needs on demand.