|
You forgot it was in your pocket or purse. And standing in line at the busy security checkpoint at the Portland International Airport, you probably didn't have much choice: leave it behind or miss your flight. So you parted with that pocketknife, pair of scissors or screwdriver and went on your way, knowing you can always buy another one. It's a scenario repeated hundreds of times a year at PDX, and until recently, few people knew where all those items now considered unsafe for plane travel ended up. It wasn't in a dumpster, that's for sure. More than likely, your Swiss Army knife, Snap-On screwdriver or knitting needles are up for bid on the internet auction site eBay, being sold by the city of Portland, along with dozens of stolen bicycles, computer equipment and other items that end up in the city's property rooms. City of Portland and State of Oregon officials have adopted the practice of selling items on eBay in a big way. The city and state have multiple eBay accounts for selling everything from confiscated scissors to tanker trucks. A quick search Thursday turned up hundreds of items ranging from a box full of kitchen knives to a late-model snowmobile to surplus maintenance vehicles. Initial prices are extremely low, so most of the items had multiple bids. Terry Brooks of the Oregon State Surplus Program says stolen property and surplus items come into a Salem warehouse, are sorted, labeled and then placed on eBay for sale to the public. Some of the most popular items sold by the city on eBay are bicycles. Portland is well-known as a cycle-friendly town, and the large number of bikes means a large number get stolen as well. Tye Routley oversees the stolen property room in Portland, and says he sees all kinds of bikes come through his facility, from boxes of parts to full-on race bikes. Many bikes listed by the city that sell on eBay for about $50 cost well over $400 when they were new. A pair of kids BMX bikes and a pair of name-brand mountain bikes both had a starting bid price of just 99 cents. Routley says the city always tries to reunite bikes with owners, but if an owner does not have a serial number or does not report their bike stolen, he has no choice but to list the bike for sale online. In 2004, eBay sales sent over $70,000 to the state's general fund, all of it from the sale of confiscated or stolen items that were never claimed. Sales figures for 2005 were not yet available.
|
