Buy stolen stuff where it’s cheap and legal
If there’s one good thing about criminals, many of them have good taste in jewelry. Only the best will do, when you’re stealing.
But since crime isn’t supposed to pay that stuff often gets confiscated and rather than parse the goodies out to their relatives and risk a scandal along the lines of that questionable business of “test driving” impounded cars here with some St. Louis law enforcement officials, police all over the country contribute to a new website. It also gives them some new revenue sources.
PropertyRoom.com allows law enforcement officers to sell stolen, lost or seized designer goods to you the buying public.
A 70 percent discount on Dolce & Gabbana. Sounds like justice to me.
PJ Bellomo, chief executive officer for PropertyRoom.com, explained in a press release: “The economy is hurting and people have to re-think every dollar they spend. This is a creative way to look great and avoid paying retail prices.”
“When you are sporting a Coach handbag people don’t know if you paid $600 retail or if you purchased it for $60 through an online police auction,” adds Bellomo. “All they know is that you have a great looking bag and in this economy the more you buy through discounts the more you are able to buy.”
You gotta love the kind of creative capitalism that can make selling stolen goods sounds altruistic.
PropertyRoom.com auctions a continuous selection of high-end fashion designer clothing, sunglasses, jewelry, handbags and cars every week. The products range in price, but are generally sold for less than you’ll find at a retail stores (sorry, Neiman Marcus). Most auctions begin at $1. Recent auctions featured fashions by Gucci, Channel, Louis Vuitton, Coach, and Dolce & Gabbana. Additionally, they often carry Armani, Fendi, and Mercedes Benz designer sunglasses.
How do they do it: The site works with over 1,300 law enforcement agencies across the country selling goods where agencies were unable to locate their rightful owners (But no word on what happens if you find your grandma’s wedding ring on the site engraved with their wedding date and you are pretty sure that’s the same one stolen during your last break-in).
Before listing the items for auction, PropertyRoom.com works with each agency to collect, catalog, photograph, and test all the items. They also offer a fraud-free guarantee.
And if that’s not consolation enough, they work with law enforcement and the company was founded by a former police detective how much safer could the validation process be.
A wayward soul from Las Vegas, Nevada, who now calls St. Louis home and believes that fashion is relative and capricious, but style is always in favor. 
Or you could run for VP and have the Republican National Committee pay for it.
Hey Debra… Good article, cool site. Looks like they have a “Steal it Back” recovery program. (http://secure.propertyroom.com/serial/)
They charge a “HIGH” service fee; so watch out if you bid. I was charged more in service fees than what I bid.Byer be very “AWARE”. Doug
There is also this site as well
http://www.govdeals.com/eas/index.cfm
To the smarty-pants WG Jim, I suppose Joe Biden and Obama showed up at their debate events wearing off-the-rack cheap Farrah and Levis suits from Kohls and decided to not wear their Armani suits paid for by their campaigns. Certainly this must be the case.
Let me get this straight. Goods are stolen by thieves. Insurance Companies replace the goods or provide monetary compensation. The thieves are apprehended. The goods are then either returned to the rightful owners “when possible” OR sold at online auctions for Law Enforcement Agency Profit.
Where is the motivation to even try to return the items to the owners? Shouldn’t the Insurance companies or the general public somehow come into play here since after all they are having to cover replacement of the stolen goods, therefore raising all of our insurance rates? Maybe I am just jealous because I wish I could just repo peoples stolen goods and sell them for a profit.