PropertyRoom.com
It’s the eBay of crime-scene booty. The site culls goods from 570 precincts around the country, destroys counterfeits, then posts authentic stuff online. If you’re the lone proxy bidder on that two-tone Cartier watch or Stihl TS-400 Model concrete cutter, you’ll get the opening bid price, which can be as low as $10. Often the greatest deals, like multiple Cannondale bikes for $10 total, must be purchased as a group. The ideal purchase? Lakefront property in Pennsylvania for as low as $555.

American Self
Storage Auctions
718-401-7800
When self-storage renters stop paying their bills, their locker contents are fair game. Once a month, this company holds an auction to let people bid on the contents. The catch: You’re not allowed to go into the locker, and you can only look at the boxes. There are some clues; tidy packing by a moving company indicates a wealthier defaulter. Employees have seen jet skis and motorcycles untombed; one lucky bidder won a $5 claim that unveiled a safe full of jewelry. Cash and money orders only.

Related:

• Archive: “Features”
• Table of Contents: January 23, 2006 issue of New York | Subscribe!