PropertyRoom Review

Wednesday, January 22nd

2025 Online Auction Site Reviews

PropertyRoom

• One-stop shop inventory
• Timed bidding auctions
• Only a few hundred items in stock
• Offers unique vehicle options
• "A+" rating from the Better Business Bureau

If you're on the hunt for a unique online auction experience, PropertyRoom might just be your ticket. While it's not your typical penny auction, PropertyRoom offers auctions that start at just $1.

Focus on seized property

What sets this platform apart is its focus on police-seized property. With an extensive network of 4,400+ law enforcement agencies, municipalities, and small businesses participating in live auctions, PropertyRoom offers a unique inventory you won't find at other auctions. The company has been in business for over 20 years and holds over 700,000 auctions every year.

Easy browsing across the whole site

PropertyRoom is managed by their on-staff ShopKeepers who help put together curated categories to make shopping that much easier. So, it's no surprise that navigating PropertyRoom is a breeze. To register, you just fill out a single form and set up your preferred payment method (even PayPal for added buyer protection). The user-friendly interface includes a range of collections and items visible on the front page with helpful photos to give you a clear idea of what you're shopping for. Plus PropertyRoom offers a personal touch: you can set up watchlists and email alerts, and add your shipping information, so you can narrow down your selection to items near you.

Easy bidding, but non-police can't sell here

Bidding is a straightforward process that keeps you engaged and excited about potentially scoring a great deal. Most of the auctions are just bid and click, so you don't have to constantly monitor the auction. Keep an eye on the date and time that they'll end though to make sure you keep the highest bid when the auction closes. With some of the auctions starting as low as $1, you can find some excellent deals on this site. However, this isn't a place where you can sell old items. All of the inventory at PropertyRoom comes from items seized by law enforcement. So, if you're not affiliated with a police station, you're not able to sell at PropertyRoom.

Lower-than-average inventory

At PropertyRoom, you can find items on auction spanning from electronics to cars. We even saw a Mack Truck on sale during our research. You can expect to find categories like bikes, coins and bullion, collectibles, computers, electronics, fashion, art, jewelry, musical instruments, steal of the day, sunglasses and eyewear, vehicles, and everything else you can imagine including firearms.

Comparison items

To see how the inventory at PropertyRoom stacks up against the competition, we checked out searches for watches, autographed items, and iPads, which we also looked at with other auction sites. At PropertyRoom, we found:

• Watches: 422 results
• Autographs: 11 results
• iPads: 30 results

In general, PropertyRoom is one of the lower inventory picks in this review. So, if you have your heart set on something specific, this may not be the ideal auction site.

Good place for vehicle auctions

One notable highlight of PropertyRoom is their car auctions. They provide ample photographs and a wealth of information about each vehicle, including the VIN number and odometer mileage. However, many of the cars on sale have been in accidents or are damaged in some way, so you need to be prepared to take it to a mechanic or rebuild the car yourself.

No return policy

Unfortunately, PropertyRoom cannot approve returns or guarantee third-party repairs for items in any situation. If you have received a product that doesn't match the described working or physical condition, you're stuck with the item "as is”. The company further states that it isn't responsible for any damage that isn't pictured in the photos. So, it might require you to reach out during the auction to check on anything you might be concerned about before the auction is won.

Low ratings warn about dishonest listings

While PropertyRoom does hold an "A+” rating from the Better Business Bureau, feedback from third-party review sites shows another side. There isn't a single review site that rates PropertyRoom higher than 1.5 stars out of 5, which is somewhat concerning. The most regular complaint is that PropertyRoom sells items that don't actually match the photos or product descriptions, and once the buyers have the item, it's too late to do anything about it. Customers also complained about hidden shipping fees and warned others to check item descriptions closely.

PropertyRoom has some room to improve

While PropertyRoom is a unique auction site with low-cost starting points, those don't make up for the less-than-stellar features of this service. With a low inventory and no unique items you couldn't find on another site, PropertyRoom doesn't stand out in that area. Plus, with no return policy in place and a concerning amount of reviews talking about dishonest listings, PropertyRoom falls right in the middle of the pack.