# Public Surplus Buyers App — user reviews > 91 indexed App Store user reviews of Public Surplus Buyers App by Webcat LLC, rated 2.20/5 from 221 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/public-surplus-buyers-app/id1414560881/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/public-surplus-buyers-app/id1414560881.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 37 · 4★ 19 · 3★ 18 · 2★ 29 · 1★ 118 ## What do users think of Public Surplus Buyers App? Overall sentiment: negative **Pros** - ✅ Basic auction browsing functionality works - 👍 Easy bidding process when app functions - 🔍 Advanced search capabilities available - 📱 Mobile convenience for checking auctions - ⭐ Occasional good deals found on platform **Cons** - 🐛 Frequent crashes and errors - 🐛 'Expired Token' and authentication errors persist - 🐛 App freezes and locks up regularly - ⚠️ Inconsistent information between app and website - ❌ Missing core features compared to website - 🔧 Poor app stability and reliability - 📸 Images fail to load consistently - ⏱️ Slow performance and laggy scrolling - 🚫 Cannot zoom on photos - 🚫 Cannot select or copy text from descriptions - 🚫 No watchlist persistence across devices - 🚫 Cannot filter by won auctions - 🚫 Location settings not saved between sessions - 🚫 No share/send functionality - 🚫 No Q&A section visible in app - 💰 High buyer fees without proportional app quality - 😠 Poor customer support and unresponsive to issues - 🔐 Account deletion requests ignored - 🌍 Cannot search by single state or radius - 🎯 Confusing category naming ('motor pool') - 📲 Forced updates break functionality - 🔔 Notifications are buggy and unclearable - ⚡ App requires constant reinstallation to fix errors **Commonly reported bugs** - Login errors and authentication failures - Expired Token error messages - App crashes on startup or during use - Black screen on app launch - Wheel of death/infinite loading - Images not loading or displaying - Description scrolling disabled - Bidding functionality broken - App logs out unexpectedly - Notifications stuck/unclearable - Inconsistent auction information vs website - Search results incomplete or not loading fully - Scroll-to-refresh glitch hiding auctions - App freezes during critical bidding moments - Force close errors - Server errors and downtime during peak times - Location services not working properly - Photo pan/zoom not functioning correctly - Notifications not triggering for ending auctions - Search button off-screen or unresponsive **Most requested features** - Photo zoom functionality (pinch-to-zoom) - Save default location/state preference - Share/send auction listings via email or text - Ability to filter by won auctions - Search by radius from zip code - Single state search option - Watchlist that syncs across devices - Q&A section visible in app - Copy/select text from descriptions - Landscape mode support for photos - Dutch auction bid support - Thumbnail view for listings - Better notification system - Account deletion option - Save search filters and alerts - Faster app performance - Smoother scrolling experience ## Newest reviews (14 of 91) ### 2/5 — Loss of scroll for Description in 1.8.0 *2026-03-16, version 1.8.0* Newest version 1.8.0 does not allow the user to scroll in the description, it can be expanded but not scrolled through. ### 2/5 — Sellers are there primary customers not buyers! *2025-11-07, version 1.6.5* Deals can be found but it takes lots of work. Auction fees are ridiculous when coupled with some sellers also collecting local sales tax. ### 2/5 — Horrid but gets the job done *2025-09-04* It would be hard to find an app with more bugs than this one. And don’t get me started on their web site (beyond exceptionally horrid would be too kind). Where to start! As another reviewer said, why would anyone think it is a good idea to show a nationwide view every time I open the app?!? Notifications are super buggy. I will clear out/delete all my notifications and messages and yet the app persists in saying I have notifications! Both within the app and on my phone Home Screen with a red numerical ball on the app. The only way I’ve found to truly clear them is to log out of the app entirely and then go back in, which is a painful process already. And their web site? Ugh. I could write a book on how horrid it is from a UI standpoint. **Developer response:** So sorry for the frustration! That definitely doesn't sound like the smooth experience we want for you. Could you reach out to us at buyersupport@publicsurplus.com with your account details? We’d love to look into these redirections and get this sorted out for you immediately. Thanks for your patience! ### 1/5 — Non-functional *2025-08-01, version 1.5.47* It’s a hot mess, and that’s being generous. Hasn’t worked is several months (used to be a daily thing for me to check, so it’s not like I don’t know how it used to - mostly - work). If it doesn’t get fixed soon I’ll just delete and move on with my life. Whatever product manager is in charge of this disaster should be ashamed. ### 1/5 — Error *2025-07-30, version 1.5.46* Accepting… you must accept that there are errors. And then a force close close. ### 2/5 — Issues *2025-07-17, version 1.5.46* I often have to delete and reinstall the app when errors occur. It would e nice if there was a watchlist to help track items of interest. I believe there used to be one, but it’s no longer available. ### 1/5 — Is this fake app, why the publisher is not public surplus.com? *2025-07-15, version 1.5.46* Please Verify ### 1/5 — Does not work *2025-07-10, version 1.5.46* Used to work. It hasn’t worked for me for over a year and several updates. ### 1/5 — Inconsistent information *2025-07-03, version 1.5.46* The app in the website do not run side-by-side. The information is wrong in the app compared to what is presented via the website. The auction that I bid it on in the app said it close at 6:30 Eastern time on the web browser. It said it closed at 4pm The app is just inconsistently costing me what could have been a good Auction ### 1/5 — Can’t bid *2025-07-02, version 1.5.46* Ive tried to bid on an auction last night (7/1) and the app told me to log in to bid even though I was logged in. What’s going on?!? ### 1/5 — Hasn’t worked in months *2025-06-13, version 1.5.46* This app is actual garbage not only was it hit or miss whether it would function before now it’s been completely unusable for the last 4 months. “An error has occurred” anytime it’s opened. The only error that occurred was hiring whoever was responsible for its design. ### 1/5 — App doesn’t work *2025-06-07, version 1.5.44* Hasn’t worked for months ### 1/5 — Old *2025-05-22, version 1.5.44* This app is really very insufficient!! It like it’s 50 years old. ### 1/5 — Operations manager *2025-04-28, version 1.5.44* This site goes down at the most ridiculous times like when a bid is closing and you can’t make a bid , then you try to log back in, the site displays an error and you try to hit ok but the frame just freezes up ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Customer support *2026-04-17, version 1.8.2* Customer support is BS , biggest scam ever . Contact through email only. I created an account by out of curiosity didn’t like it, tried to delete my account, but option is not available. Sent request several times in 45 days yet no action. ### 1/5 — Can’t log in *2026-04-05, version 1.8.2* I can login just fine on the browser, but the app just keeps telling me there’s an error with login to try again later. Lost several bids because of this. ### 1/5 — We are going backwards *2026-03-08, version 1.8.0* Photo zoom is terrible. I zoom but then can’t pan across the image? It just goes to the next one. Latest update killed being able to see the description. I literally have to copy the url and view the listing on the web browser to see. Totally defeats the purpose. Also, notifications are dead now too. ### 1/5 — Doesn’t work *2026-02-10, version 1.7.2* Made me upgrade and now doesn’t work at all. Says there is no coverage in my area. Which is not true. ### 1/5 — Worst App *2025-12-05, version 1.7.0* This app was designed with frustration in mind. The website isn’t any more friendly either. I find myself just on the computer more than not. ### 1/5 — Crash’s out *2025-11-28, version 1.7.0* App crash’s out a lot and won’t work at least 50% of the time. Needs bugs fixed ### 1/5 — Feel like I’m in the 90’s *2025-11-20, version 1.7.0* If the developer of this app was paid more than 200 bucks then you guys were scammed. My 14 year old could probably make something better. The attorney general needs to investigate how much money they pocketed from the taxpayer for this horrible excuse of an app. ### 1/5 — 1998 called, they want their technology back *2025-11-16, version 1.7.0* The website and associated app are built on outdated, buggy, and overall terrible technology. You’d think locking up all those government contracts would allow them to invest the tiniest portion in modernizing and creating a functional app. Nope. ### 1/5 — Images don’t load *2025-10-11, version 1.6.4* Can’t see any of the items on auction, very frustrating. Just going to delete the app soon ### 1/5 — Constantly Crashes *2025-08-04, version 1.5.47* It works for a little bit then you will get “an error has occurred” you have to delete and reinstall the app. No wonder this app has such a low rating. The app developer needs to be replaced! ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Update *2026-04-29* The little bug was fixed and everything is working as it should **Developer response:** Thanks for your feedback! We’ve released an update that should fix this issue. Please update to the latest version and let us know if it works for you. If you still need help, reach out at buyersupport@publicsurplus.com. Thanks for sticking with us! ### 5/5 — Perfect *2026-01-18, version 1.7.2* This Is Where I Met My Wife ### 5/5 — I’ve gotten very nice Mac from this site *2025-04-01, version 1.5.43* Amazing say I am on it often, don’t listen to bad reviews. It works very well now. As of 2025. I have won and lost bids on here. ### 5/5 — Not working *2024-05-03* Won’t work on my iPhone won’t load page I have adequate internet so that’s not it the online portion is fine just the app is crashing ### 4/5 — Very Location Dependent; no website integration *2021-10-05* What you get out of this app depends a lot on whether you are near the sellers’ location, since most institutions don’t ship items. I have a few gripes about the interface. 1. The distance control in advanced search is terrible. It should be a logarithmic scale not linear. The website uses a dropdown, and selections are basically log-scale. 10, 25, 50, then 100, 250, 500. 2. Your watch list from the desktop website doesn’t carry over here or vice-versa. Same account, two worlds. Make sure you watch auctions with the app if you want a reminder when they end. 3. You can’t zoom images on the app. Since places just kinda plop their auction lots in there without a lot of care to description, pictures are worth 1000 words. Sometime I can *almost* make out a model number. I find the same auction on the website and save the picture from there, then zoom in. Other than that, it gets the job done. ### 4/5 — Send feature *2020-02-12, version 1.1.6* Decent app. Would be nice if there was an option to send a listing via text/email, etc. ### 3/5 — Good functionality. Subpar design. *2026-05-05* This application works fairly well and it does what it’s supposed to do. The problem is that it’s not very pleasant to use due to the poor design execution. Large areas of wasted screen space, unbalanced text and image sizes, flat color scheme, image zoom seems to have a logic of its own. ### 3/5 — It’s about as good as the website *2026-04-29* I’m glad there is a mobile app, but they’re really lacking a lot of functionality to make this useful. For example, you can’t filter by auctions you’ve won. Just by auctions you’ve bid on and then you have to scroll through to find any you’ve won. You can’t search by radius, only by state. You also can’t only search by one state at a time, not multiple states. Vehicles are under a category called “motor pool,” which is confusing when you’re shopping for something with an engine. It’s not a bad service, but their website and app leave a lot to be desired, especially for such a high buyer’s fee. ### 3/5 — Bilig *2026-03-13, version 1.8.0* On iPhone on the description the scroll bar has disappeared so I can’t see all the descriptions ### 3/5 — Add support for Dutch auction *2024-10-07, version 1.5.37* App constantly signs out. App notifies of ending auctions about half the time. There is no support for Dutch auction bids on the app. --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-29.*