Posted by David Sherman on Saturday, February 11, 2006 at 5:16PM :
In Reply to: Re: I would guess a little higher than that posted by Ugg on Saturday, February 11, 2006 at 4:08PM :
First, the taxpayers don't get as much for the surplus as they did when the DRMOs did their own auctions. GL has a sweetheart deal; in relieving the DRMS of the hassle of selling stuff, they also relieve the American taxpayers of the monetary value of the stuff. GL, by the way, is a French company. Secondly, yes, stuff disappears far more often than it did under DRMO management. Stuff in warehouse lots gets broken, boxes that held small high-value items are found empty, small items disappear off of trucks (taking the hardtop and winch off of your truck was pretty ballsy!), etc. If you protest loudly and can prove that what's there when you went to pick it up is not what was specifically photographed or listed on the website, they'll let you out of having to buy whatever it is, but then you've wasted a lot of time and have no truck to show for it.
I wouldn't hazard a guess as to who pilfers. Some of it may well be other "customers" wandering around in the yards. Likewise, some stuff in warehouse lots may get broken by careless customers rummaging through the boxes. Regardless, it's just another sign of lousy way these "privatized" sales are being run.
The traditional surplus dealers around every DRMO, which are mostly small businesses run by hardworking people who rarely make much money anyway, are getting put out of business, the people who have come to rely on these dealers for good machinery at low prices and parts for the machinery are losing their sources of supply as the prices go through the roof, and the taxpayers are not getting the return on the value of military surplus like they used to. That leaves only one answer to who is really making money off the new system.
Follow Ups: