PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- Municipalities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey have discovered the Internet is a handy and profitable way to unload confiscated items.
Municipalities are putting cars, watches and jewelry confiscated in drug busts on popular Internet auction sites, such as eBay and GovDeals.com. They save money they would have normally paid to an auction house and broaden their perspective buyer pool, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Municipalities are also selling old equipment on the Internet.
"You name it, we sold it," said Ed Grant, chief financial officer of Cape May County, N.J. Cape May County has pulled in $90,000 in the last nine months from Internet auction sales in the past nine months, the report said. Philadelphia, Pa., has done even better, selling $910,922 worth of equipment on line since February 2006.
"There's a buyer for everything," said Terry Bassoon, director of marketing for GovDeals.com.
GovDeals.com, a private company in Montgomery, Ala., now boasts 1,600 government clients that turn to it for help selling unwanted items.
With a global audience on hand, Burlington County, N.J., sold a 20-year old shredder to a buyer in Utah, reaping $376,000 for their efforts.
