In the PoliceAuctions.com database, you can find many municipal auctions that local police departments host, auctions where confiscated, criminal, and evidence bicycles are sold. The selection will vary from one end of the spectrum to another, from bicycles that are not worth the trouble to bicycles that are high-end bicycles available for bidding with no reserve.

Transportation Alternative Magazine published an article about a bicycle auction in New York City where a bidder was able to purchase a top of the line Scott bicycle for as low as $100 and another Ross bicycle for $80, brands that can easily retail for thousands of dollars.

Believe it or not, there are brand-name bicycles sold everyday that can cost more than a mortgage payment of a house. Bike shops easily sell out of their inventory of bicycles priced over $2000. These expensive bicycles will most likely stay within the possession of the owner. However there are situations where the owner’s bicycle lock didn’t prevent a thief from stealing it or the bike was stolen right out of their garage. If they’re lucky, the police will somehow arrest the thief and be able to return the bicycle to the rightful owner. However, when a bicycle’s owner cannot be found, the police department will auction off any property that is not claimed.

There are a number of bicycles brands that a person could find in an auction that represent a real bargain opportunity. Look for bikes with brand names such as, Specialized, Giant, Trek, Gary Fisher, Raleigh, Marin, RedLine, GT, Rivendell, Scott, Ross, Schwinn, Bianchi, KHS, Fuji, Kona, and Cannondale. Also keep in mind there could be some bikes where the frame has been repainted or the stickers were removed. At this point, look at the parts that are on the bike. Keep an eye out parts that have the name SRAM, Shimano, Campagnolo, Chris King, TruVativ, and FSA.

Having brand-name parts on the bicycle will mean two things. The first is that the bike was probably a higher end bike when it was first sold. The second thing is that the person purchasing the bicycle could resell the parts and make more than what they sold the bike for. Purchasing an auction bicycle to sell the parts on places like Ebay or Craigslist can yield some high returns, especially if the whole bicycle was bought at a price far less than what one of the parts off the bike could sell for. It happens.

One thing to consider, avoid department store bicycles. Auctions will be filled with these low-end bicycles that are not worth the time and money, department store brands like Pacific, Vertical, Magna, RoadMaster, Huffy, Next, Rhino and MGX. If you’ve seen a similar bicycle at the local Target, or Wal-Mart, it would be best to stay away from those.

The reason why department store bicycles should be left alone at auctions is very simple; it’s the quality. Most of these bikes may look like their expensive cousins, but the overall quality of the frame, wheels and other components are sub-par.