Introduction to the MSU Surplus Store

The MSU Surplus Store Sales Floor
An example of a few of the items we have normally

What do compost, pillows, cars, and bowling pins have in common? You can find them all at the MSU Surplus Store (at one time or another), along with hundreds of other items. Here at the MSU Surplus Store, we stock an incredible variety of items. Some are one of a kind, such as a robot that is designed to navigate based on its vision, others are more common like tables and chairs. One of the most interesting parts of the MSU Surplus Store is what we have for sale and how often it changes.

This unpredictable variety is due to the fact that we pick up items from every department on campus year round! One day one of the science departments might be clearing out old microscopes and the next the English Department might be getting rid of an old conference table. This is precisely what makes the MSU Surplus Store such an exciting place to shop at, but it can be frustrating when trying to hunt down a specific item. This article offers a rough guide to what you can expect when you come to visit us.

There are some constants you will always find when you come to the store. We almost always have a variety of office chairs primarily priced from $5-$25. Additionally, you can expect to find a long lineup of filing cabinets. Filing cabinets range in price from around $35-$80 depending on size and in what condition they are in. Additionally, you can usually find tables and desks of some kind for use in an office or at home as well as shelves in many different sizes. The most common type of shelves are about seven feet high and come with five individual shelves that can be adjusted depending on the height of the stored items. These shelves often come in “bold” colors and are priced at $35. Periodically, we also have wooden shelves and smaller metal shelves.

The next constant you will always see here at the MSU Surplus Store is our Computer Department. This is a great place to find home and office electronics without spending a great deal of money investing in new products. We have computer systems, copiers, printers, monitors, and even laptops on occasion! This is also a great place to get components like cables, speakers, keyboards and mice. While these items can be pricey to buy new at retail outlets, the MSU Surplus Store offers speaker sets for $9, mice for $1.00 and keyboards for only $0.25! The Computer Department also regularly stocks specialty items such as projectors, servers, switches, and many other more advanced computer items.

The MSU Surplus Store Staging Area.
Here we hold items before they are made available for sale every Tuesday and Friday.

In addition to the office items, you will also always find our book store. The book store features fiction, non fiction, magazines, Public Television items, comic books, and vintage magazines! We try to completely restock the book store with new titles at least twice a month and you can get alerts about when we have restocked the store on Twitter. We sort books received from every corner of campus, sell some online in our eBay store and put others on the floor for sale mostly between $1-$2 each. Recently, we have added art and architecture books, children books, and selection of books focusing on Africa to our book store.

Beyond these basic items, there is no telling what you might find at the MSU Surplus Store! We have recently stocked fake plants, a dance floor, an air hockey table, dozens of apartment sized refrigerators, dorm furniture, various lab equipment, nacho cheese dispensers, large speakers, and many many more items! Next time you are in the market for a specific item, consider calling the MSU Surplus Store at (517) 355-0364 to see if we have one in stock, or better yet just stop by!

We are open for viewing, Monday through Friday noon till 3:30 and we sell items on:

Tuesdays from 7:30am to 5:30pm
Fridays from 7:30am until 3:30am

The MSU Surplus Store is not just a store, it's an experience!