UCSD Surplus store

[andy3055]

Just yesterday I came across this from a friend. For anyone who has a specific need, this could be a great place.

https://surplus.ucsd.edu/Browse/

[spicyjack]

I just picked up a decade box from there last week.

Right now due to COVID-19, walkins are not allowed. If you want to go in and poke around, you need to make an appointment, send an email to <surplus at ucsd.edu>, or you can call the number on the site and leave a message.  They're open between between 1-2:30pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and they'll assign you a time in that block.

The guy showing me around also said that they were in the middle of migrating their website, and I found things on the site don't work as you expect, but keep poking at it and you should eventually get to find what you're looking for.

[andy3055]

Glad, at least one person made use of it. 

[PaulAm]

Many large universities have surplus sales operations and you should check out any in your locality.

Precovid I picked up a lot of interesting stuff at the University of Michigan Property Disposition store.  Used to be really good but changed last year and prices on lab equipment went nuts ($150 for a Tek 5000 series scope, for example).  It's even worse now; they've gone to all on-line sealed bid and they put minimums on many items.

Still worth checking though, you never know when someone will get a grant and do a lab refresh.

[andy3055]

True, they are all different in the way they handle the stock. The nearest community college has so much of stuff they let go each year but they are sent to some place no one knows about. UCB is another place. They have some on offer to the public and the rest is silent auctions. Still may be worth checking.

[CatalinaWOW]

Many, many moons ago a friends dad was on faculty in a local physics department.  After Sputnik was launched and panicked Americans into a feeling of national inferiority a law was passed allowing universities to buy government surplus equipment for $0.25/pound.  Oscilloscopes, optics, transmitters it didn't matter - $0.25/pound.  Many goodies came out of this.  I don't know if the law was ever repealed but it might be worth checking with any faculty friends you might have.  Has to be purchased by the university, but AFAIK there were no controls after that.

[Golds]

Thanks for sharing!

[methods]

Thanks for the link, I get down there at least once a month.  Surplus, pull down, repaired, refurbished...  This is really the only way to go for test equipment.

I would take a good quality used piece of equipment for double the price of some new junk.  😁

We want to encourage durable goods. . .  And the test of time is 50% of new value.  The meter stick I use to judge most things is the fluke 87v multimeter.

...

I personally steer clear of things that have giant transformers and dials or click buttons.  I look for any kind of digital interface and at a minimum analog programming.

. . .  Universities tend to hold on to things for quite a long time, but...  they also do pure science which means you can get some very hard to find stuff.

Say for instance a decade box.  Very useful tool!

Isolation transformer
Old scope probes
Inductance meter

... 

I'll report back on what I see there.

-methods

[andy3055]

Some Fluke stuff. Looks like good prices, if they are in good order.

https://surplus.ucsd.edu/Browse?FullTextQuery=fluke

[mairo]

Its nice to see that this university is selling the surplus equipment rather than trowing it in the bin as what many other universities do - bring some money back to the university rather than paying waste removalists to take it, it gives chance for extra life of the equipment with someone that may need it and also to set up the bidding/selling online environment the CS department can be involved with good real life project examples for students.

[_Wim_]

This seems like a very nice deal to me. If only it was not at the other side of the world...

https://surplus.ucsd.edu/Listing/Details/1630905/MICROSCOPES-RESIDUE-ASSORTED-PALLET-LOT