The Taxman Selleth
          
               The Customs Service and the Marshal's Service aren't
          the only agencies selling seized property.  The IRS also
          confiscates property, not necessarily from drug dealers,
          but from any taxpayer who can't pay his or her tax bill
          in full.
               The IRS is known as an agency willing to sell
          merchandise cheaply.  Say you owe $10,000 in taxes, and
          the IRS seizes your two cars.  If the cars sell for
          $4,000 total, you still owe $6,000.  The IRS is going to
          collect somehow, someday.  In the meantime, it wants to
          sell off seized merchandise quickly, often taking
          whatever bids are offered.
               Recently, a young couple went to an IRS auction.  A
          retailer that had specialized in baby furniture went out
          of business and owed the IRS money, so the tax collectors
          auctioned off the property.  This couple, who had just
          had a second child, bought baby clothes, a musical lamp,
          and a rocking chair for $161.  That was a savings of more
          than 50%, the couple reported, based on what they had
          paid for similar items for their first child.
               In another district, the IRS held a public auction
          of property seized from a printer.  Property to be
          auctioned included printing equipment, presses, cameras,
          typesetting equipment, cutters, and platemakers.  Not the
          types of things everybody can use, but possibly very
          useful if you're in a related business.
               Another recent IRS auction involved an attempt to
          recover taxes owed by a married couple.  The property: a
          platinum art deco piece studded with 40 diamonds, to be
          sold via sealed bids.  As you can see, the IRS will go to
          great lengths to collect what it considers its due, so be
          alert for items that appeal to you.
               In a typical IRS auction, viewing time is limited to
          the hour before the sale begins.  All merchandise is sold
          "as is" -- normal for government auctions -- with payment
          by cash, check, money order, cashier's check, or
          treasurer's check required immediately.
               The IRS sells a lot of real estate on reasonable
          terms -- 20% down, 30 days to come up with the rest --
          but frequently there are questions about title to the
          property, so check carefully.  In fact, the notice for
          the printing equipment sale mentioned the possibility of
          mortgages, encumbrances, and other liens.
               To get on the IRS mailing list, call 800 829-1040 or
          local hotlines at the following numbers:
                    718  780-4020       New York
                    213  894-5777       Los Angeles
                    916  978-5520       Sacramento
                    415  556-5021       San Francisco
                    206  553-0703       Seattle
               You can also contact your local IRS office.  If you
          have a problem getting the information you need, ask for
          the collections division and request notices of public or
          sealed-bid auctions.  Announcements are made on IRS Form
          2434.