Calif. surplus items up for bid on eBay
Mixed in with discarded engagement rings and baseball cards, eBay shoppers can now find surplus items from the state of California.
Mixed in with discarded engagement rings and baseball cards, eBay shoppers
can now find surplus items from the state of California.
The state's Department of General Services is selling items including
golf clubs, cameras, watches and bicycles, many of which were seized by
the California Highway Patrol. Oregon also recently offered items on the
popular online auction site.
Ken Hunt, the department's spokesman, said items have been up for about
a month and so far people are paying more money than they would have had
they bought the items from one of the state's two surplus warehouses.
And there's been another benefit.
"It's generated a lot of interest, especially in the media, any time
you mention eBay," Hunt said.
The state is limiting the eBay merchandise to smaller, specialty items.
Traditional surplus fodder like desks and shelving would be too expensive
to ship, Hunt said. Although, if online auctions prove cost-effective in
the long run, other state agencies might try bigger items, he said. The
agency that runs the state fair, for example, has expressed interest in
trying the online method to sell arcade games.
If California decides to stick with online auctions, someone would need
to be assigned the job of photographing and documenting the items, Hunt
said.
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