the allure of crime

This is interesting. They're auctioning items that were taken from criminals, and the owners were unable to be found:

Stealitback.com

This might seem mundane to you, but look at the prices.

For example, a Sony Clie PEG-S320 is about to close on this site... for $145. You can get a used one online at Amazon, or almost any other online store for $74, and you can almost bet that it'll be in better condition.

So why is this? Are people really insanely overbidding for shit items on that site just because they were stolen? Is the demand that high for goods that you can show your friends and say, "Hey, I got this from a police auction"? I really don't get it. I took one look at the prices on this site, and laughed.

Often on Ebay, I see prices well above retail for new items. But it's usually only a few dollars, because people are idiots and they get caught up in bidding fever. But I've never seen items so overpriced on Ebay that they were twice market value on old, outdated electronics. Very odd.