MSU Surplus Store FAQs

General

Product & Stock

Vehicles

Delivery & Pickup

Payment

Returns

Shipping

Community Reuse Program

MSU Departments

Recycling

 


General

 

The Surplus Store is open for curbside pickups Monday – Friday and for in-store purchases Fridays only. View our store hours here . Our public drop off center is open 24/7. It’s located directly across the street from the Surplus Store at 468 Green Way, East Lansing, MI 48824.

 

In-store items are available for purchase Fridays only during our sale hours . You can shop any time on our online webstore at www.msusurplusstore.com.

 

The MSU Surplus Store is located at 468 Green Way, East Lansing, Michigan 48824. For directions to the store please see our Driving Directions .

 

Our parking lot is free and open to Surplus Store customers during our sale hours .

 

CATA route 32 stops directly in front of the Surplus Store at stops 5802 (SBD Farm Lane past Green Way) and 5803 (NBD Farm Lane before Green Way).

 

Maybe! We post our student openings on MSU Handshake, but you can also fill out a Student Employment application on our website. For questions regarding job opportunities, please contact us at surpluss@msu.edu.

 

The Surplus Store does not purchase items from the public or MSU community.

 

No, unfortunately, it is against MSU policy to donate any items of value.

 

No.

 

The Surplus Store does not offer discounts to members of the MSU community.

 

No.

 

No. All items are priced as marked. Although we can hear offers from the public, we are unable to adjust prices on request. Check back for price markdowns by:

  • Calling us at (517) 355-1723
  • Emailing us at surpluss@msu.edu
  • Signing up for our newsletter at the bottom of our Home page

 

You can subscribe to our newsletter at the bottom of our Home page. To unsubscribe from our newsletter, go the bottom of any newsletter and click unsubscribe. You can also email us at surpluss@msu.edu and let us know that you no longer wish to receive our newsletter.

 

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Product & Stock

 

All kinds! Our stock comes from MSU departments, but also faculty, staff, students, alumni, and retirees. We sell everything from farm equipment to desks to lab equipment to household décor. Check out our social media accounts or sign up for our newsletter for a peek at some of our many items.

 

Our stock changes daily. For the most up to date information on items we have in stock, visit our social media accounts or sign up for our newsletter . You can also Contact Us with questions regarding specific items.

 

The items on our website represent only a small selection of the items we have available in store.

 

We don’t offer holds on items, except for vehicles and items offered for sale over $5,000.00. General merchandise will not be reserved or held for individuals, including University personnel who are purchasing for personal use. Once you purchase an item, we can hold it for five (5) business days.

 

Yes! Simply head to our Service Counter and ask to see the item(s) you are interested in.

 

We will attempt to contact customers who have shown interest in an item but cannot guarantee that you will hear from us. For regular updates on products and sales, you can sign up for our weekly newsletter at the bottom of our Home page

 

If we are unable to sell an item, we generally will try to give the item away. If we are unable to do so, we will recycle the item appropriately based on the item type.

 

No, unfortunately University Stores who previously sold these also no longer sells diapers. You can learn more about University Stores at their website .

 

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Vehicles

 

Vehicles are sold on a first come, first served basis with respect to holds. In the event of mutual interest at the same time, vehicles will be sold through verbal auction. See Policies & Procedures for more details regarding vehicle sales.

 

Yes, vehicles may be placed on hold for one business day. You can place a vehicle hold in-store or over the phone. See See Policies & Procedures for more details regarding vehicle holds.

 

No, you will have one business day to come up with payment. See Policies & Procedures for more details regarding vehicle sales.

 

Most vehicles for sale through the MSU Surplus Store are maintained on a regular basis by the University. Detailed vehicle history records are unavailable to the MSU Surplus Store.

 

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Delivery & Pickup

 

Five (5) business days, unless pre-arranged.

 

General merchandise may be picked up during sale hours , within five (5) business days from purchase. You can pull your vehicle up to our Merchandise Pickup on the north end of the building, and a sales associate can assist you with loading. A copy of your sales receipt must be presented when picking up merchandise.

 

Loading merchandise for customers is a courtesy. For full details regarding our loading policies, visit our Policies & Procedures page.

 

Simply come in to the Surplus Store during our sale hours , and head to our Service Counter. Provide your name and order number to our sales associate there.

 

We don’t offer delivery for in-store purchases, unless the purchase was made on an MSU account number and is being delivered to an on-campus address. We do offer free delivery for online purchases made by staff, faculty, and students that are going to on-campus addresses.

 

We do not offer pickup services for general items. Large donations may be picked up, for a fee. Please Contact Us with questions regarding donation pickup.

 

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Payment

 

We accept cash, personal check, business check, certified check, money order, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover. For more information regarding payment methods, view our Policies & Procedures .

 

Yes, although some exclusions do apply. For more information regarding payment methods, view our Policies & Procedures .

 

Michigan State University.

 

Yes, 6% Michigan sales tax applies to most customer purchases. Taxes for vehicle purchases will be paid at a Michigan Secretary of State branch. Customers with tax exempt status will be asked to fill out a brief form at checkout to remove tax.

 

Purchases must be made online or in-store.

 

Yes! For online purchases, add items to your cart and proceed to checkout. When you reach the payment method, select Departmental Purchase and follow the on-screen instructions to complete your order. For in-store purchases, provide your contact information and account number at the time of checkout.

 

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Returns

 

Yes, we do offer returns on eBay and Amazon purchases. We don’t typically offer returns on our own website, although some exceptions may apply. Please Contact Us for details regarding your return.

 

No, returns are not accepted for purchases made in-store, although some exceptions may apply to specific merchandise. Please Contact Us or speak to a sales associate for details regarding your item.

 

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Shipping

 

Your confirmation email has a link to your purchase’s tracking information. You can also log in to your account on msusurplusstore.com and find tracking information within your Order History.

 

No.

 

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Community Reuse Program

 

Members of the MSU community, including faculty, staff, students, alumni, and retirees can drop off items during our sale Hours . Items can be dropped off at our Merchandise Pickup, located on the north end of the building.

 

The MSU Surplus Store accepts a wide variety of items from the MSU community. A full list of accepted items can be seen on our MSU Community Reuse page.

 

Items can be dropped off at our Merchandise Pickup, located on the north end of the building. Pick up the phone in the yellow box to the right of the Merchandise Pickup door and a sales associate will assist you with your items.

 

We charge a $10 fee for TVs and monitors dropped off. All other items can be dropped off free of charge.

 

MSU Surplus will remove any data that is on equipment sent by an MSU department or the public. If we are unable to remove the data, an item may be recycled/destroyed to ensure that the data is not recoverable.

 

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MSU Departments

 

Our Budget Booster is a curated newsletter specifically for MSU departments looking to save money on lightly used items. To sign up for the newsletter, please visit here .

 

Yes, if desired by the parties, the MSU Surplus Store can assist with providing valuation and processing of the transaction.

 

All University owned items that are being decommissioned should come to the MSU Surplus Store to be made available for purchase by the public. MSU employees wishing to purchase something from their department would do so under the same guidelines as all other public sale purchases. If the item is too large or difficult to move, MSU Surplus may conduct an onsite sale for the item(s).

 

You can either Submit a Service Request on our website or Contact Us .

 

Assets need to be transferred to MSU Surplus before they are picked up or dropped off. Please see here for more information on how to transfer a capital asset.

 

Surplus pickups are a courtesy service on-campus, but some exceptions may apply. An SSRC staff member will contact you if charges may apply to your request.

 

In order to register to submit a service request you must contact us at recycle@msu.edu. Please provide your name, contact information, building and room number, as well as your account number.

 

Go to our Service Request link and type in your MSU NetID. Once logged in, you will be able to view a log of your previously entered service requests. On the right-hand side of each request, the status will be listed. For questions concerning your request, please Contact Us .

 

There is a 48-hour turn around on Surplus requests, unless otherwise discussed/scheduled. You can Submit a Service Request on our website.

 

Generally, credit is only given for items valued at $100 or more, although some exceptions do apply. For questions regarding credits on Surplus items, please Contact Us .

 

We can only provide credit back to account numbers that start with AA, AB, AM, AN, AR, AS, AU, DN, DS, DT, GV, PN, XA, XH, or XT.

 

Generally, credit is only given for items valued over $100. If an item sells for more than $100, generally credit of 80% is provided back to the MSU department the item came from. For questions regarding credits on Surplus items, please Contact Us .

 

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Recycling

 

The Surplus Store & Recycling Center provides confidential shredding services to MSU departments. Shredding services are not available for the public.

 

Check with your local program to learn how/where to properly dispose of mattresses.

 

Check with your local program to learn how/where to properly dispose of batteries.

 

Check with your local program to learn how/where to properly dispose of light bulbs.

 

Check with your local program to learn how/where to properly dispose of paint.

 

Members of the MSU community, including faculty, staff, students, alumni, and retirees may bring their Styrofoam to the Surplus Store’s Merchandise Pickup. Styrofoam must be rinsed clean of food waste and placed in large clear plastic bags. Loose foam may not be accepted.