"At PropertyRoom.com, we consider it our mission to create and maintain a Fraud Free online marketplace. To that end, we go to great extent to provide you with a secure and reliable experience. We uniquely possess expertise in both law enforcement and ecommerce security. When doing business with PropertyRoom.com, you can trust in every transaction and communication. Consider yourself safe with us."

This alone makes me like it more than eBay. I registered, and wish them well. Thanks for posting this!

This is actually a great tool. It was mentioned on G.1440's blog last year [blog.g1440.com] and I've used it to pick up jewelery and other gifts at great prices.

When you have to shop (gifts, for example) it's a great place to go. When you don't have to shop, it's another easy way to accidentally blow a few hundred bucks on an impulse shop...

This looks like a well run site. Unfortunately, I'm not in the market for grow lights and digital scales. But if that ever changes I know where to go.

Take whatever is listed on there with a large grain of salt. I bought a bike a couple years ago from them (only for parts, mind you) and even though the description said it was in working order, the frame was bent, there was no chain and the derailleur was so rusted that it was beyond repair.

Luckily, they don't use paypal so I was able to easily start a chargeback with my CC company after their customer service dept. didn't want to do anything about it. Got my money back and chalked that debacle up to experience.

Bummer no international customers. Oh well I suppose this will keep my wallet intact.

This is an intriguing prospect. I've always wanted to own a white leather and gold couch set belonging to some mafia don from the 80s. :-P

thanks alot consumerist, my well kept secret is now out in the open.

I got some really nice jewelry there for my gf for pretty decent prices. Shipping seems a bit high but the website is legit.

Be warned about property room as they also let companies peddle their product under the guise it was seized property. Most of their watches all come from the same company that claims they are $1000 watches, but you should be able to win them with a bid no higher than $60 unless you chase it.

@jjups: eBay does the same thing. Buy.com sells items on eBay among other companies.

Wow. Crooks sure do have a lot of jewelry.

Mmmm... Simpson's quotes. Is there nothing they can't do?

@FooSchnickens: I've bought there once, jewelry (costume!), but I think it's like every online shop, it differs by seller. Good in with the bad.

@gqcarrick: Yeah, I think I paid $13 for a bid I won for $1. Still, cheaper than actually buying jewelry from a jewelry store.

@kingofmars: Oooooh! I'm in the market for both!

(My husband grows super-hot peppers, and I'm in dire need of a kitchen scale so I can try some fancier bread recipes. Really. Promise.)

Frankly, I'm skeptical about sites and shops that advertise things like "factory outlet!" "lost freight!" or "police-seized!" etc.. Is it really lost freight? Or is it refurbished returns, floor models, or some other generic cheap crap?

These people market to the found-stuff impulse. You think you're getting a deal because the original source of the item was "free" (seized by police, lost by someone, etc) and therefore you're going to be able to buy it for "almost free." In reality, you're going to end up paying almost as much as you would for the item if it were new in the store. So you're paying current retail prices on (probably) refurbished, out-of-date items.

It might start out as police property room items. But when they run out of inventory are they gonna quit?

@jjups:

Most of their watches all come from the same company that claims they are $1000 watches, but you should be able to win them with a bid no higher than $60 unless you chase it.

Ugh. I hate companies that do this. Those watches are crap - cheap chinese (or Japanese, for some of the slightly more expensive ones) movements, bought in bulk. If you don't care about anything but the way it looks, save yourself 30 or 40 dollars and go buy them at the airport gift kiosk or the flea market for ten bucks - they're right next to the stall with the super cheap "designer" sunglasses.

This website...it's so beautiful...

To go with the Simpson's reference, I want to buy something and have it be like when Bart pops open Bonnie & Clyde's glove compartment to find a stack of cash.

@jjups: there is a little button for property room only stuff in the search.

I checked out the site and looked at a couple of auctions I might actually be interested in, but either A) the shipping is ridiculous, B) you only find out the shipping AFTER the bid, or C) you never know the shipping cost. Most of the auctions I saw were either B or C, in which case I would never bid on them. At least eBay displays the shipping costs for its auctions, or lets people put in a cost estimator.

@bagumpity: will they run out of stuff though?

The one time I used it, the site was for both police auctions and private vendors. The prices of 'cool' items were insane, and the cheap stuff was cheap for a reason.

I bought one thing, and the shipping cost more than it. Wouldn't go back.

@captainpicard: I hear you. I've hoarded this site for some time now, but thanks to those meddling kids at Consumerist, everyone knows! Bah!

@captainpicard: Seriously.

Simpsons quotes. Laura, I love you.

This kind of reminds me of that unclaimed baggage store. I'm in the market for a coke covered, slightly used toothbrush. Or maybe something with bullet holes in it.

Wow...What a rip-off! They are hawking a western digital 160gb HD for $69. Can be had new for $39 with a quick google search.

Color me unimpressed...

@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): Dat'l? Habenero? Bhut Jolokolia? Jalapeeeeno?

@3skr1mad0r: In Scotsboro? I watched a whole 30 minute show on the Scotsboro Luggage content outlets.

Someone should tell Schafer-Wilson that if the artist is alive the paintings are worth less. ;)

@jjups: That's exact same scam the giclee print artist is running. Selling prints on the site for $30-40 and claiming they "retail" for multiple thousands.

The site is flooded with retailers. If you select "show property room inventory only," it will cut the results from over a dozen pages to only a dozen items.

@FrankieAvalonin'_GitEmSteveDave: On a steeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek?

I purchased a $2500.00 Deporte platinum band watch on Property Room for 32 bucks! It's uncanny. The watch came with letter of authenticity, that I verified through Deporte - which isn't easy to do. I was really shocked. Suffice to say I have since then given the site a lot of business.

@skubisnack624: maybe it contains 100,000 stolen credit card numbers. jackpot!

@The Porkchop Express: yes, when all the criminals decide to stop being criminals

@theblackdog: Eeeowww!

Hm, not much for me there until more nerds with small children start having all of their stuff seized.

I found a digital microscope (although my daughter is far too young still), but then when I googled it, the price wasn't any better than can be found elsewhere.

But I'm sure if I liked jewelry and stuff there'd be deals...I just don't like jewelry. I ordered my husband NOT to buy me an engagement ring because a) it's a waste of money, b) I've known about blood diamonds long before any movie came along, and c) big rocks on my fingers would get in the way of my crafting. I'm just not a glizy gal.

@kaceetheconsumer: Glitzy. I don't know what glizy is. *sigh*

@FrankieAvalonin'_GitEmSteveDave: I haven't seen the show but yes the one in Scottsboro. Did the show make this place look worthwhile? I've been to their website but they don't sell anything online.

@skubisnack624:

Agreed. For that price you could be getting 750gb according to Pricewatch.com for a generic drive, and the auction isn't even over yet. Probably around that price for a 500gb WD. I know they had those at Costco recently for near that price. Whoever bid on that is a fool, unless they're counting on being some sort of data on there, which might be worth it depending on what it is.
I looked at the DJ equipment and it's pretty much a wash there. You should be able to get much better equipment for the same price or used of those items for equal to the current price or less.

@captainpicard:

What exactly are you buying that isn't a total rip off? Jewelery (which is inherently a rip off)?

@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): We all like "hot peppers". Remember that growing "hot peppers" in sunlight is dangerous and grow lights are much safer. mmmmm.... I want a spicy burrito

@captainpicard:

seriously man... i've bought $1000's worth of stuff from here... although it did go down hill when they started allowing third party sellers :(

@trinidon2k: You can limit your searches to only their items, though, so that's nice.

[propertyroom.com]

my favorite bid item crate o books $1 ( 300+ books)

I've checked that site out a while back hoping to find some good deals most of it is junk and what wasn't junk was overpriced in my opinion.

I was v interested but a little wary by how many small scales and radio equipment are on sale. I guess drug runners use the very best high tech equipment.

And I really don't want to use a power tool seized from a crime scene.

Picked clean and only overpriced retail garbage remains. Their target audience are the ones that were first in line at the Circuit City / CompUSA liquidation "sales".