Belgian tax authority sells confiscated goods on eBay

The federal tax authority in Belgium has for the first time sold seized goods via auction site eBay, yielding a total of about €50,000 this year. Previously the state sold confiscated goods from its own store or through public auction, reports the VRT.

When a court calls for the confiscation of goods in a bankruptcy or drug case, the items are declared forfeited and subsequently taken into ownership by the federal government. In such cases, the tax authority is tasked with selling the goods, to provide an additional source of income for the state treasury.

In the past this was always done through public sales or within a designated shop for this purpose in Haren, near Brussels. However, this year, for the first time the state made use of eBay, which helped the tax authorities recover as much as €50 000.

Among the goods sold were three Rolex watches worth more than €17,000 and a car for €13,000.

Following the successful sales on eBay, the FPS Finance has said it will continue using the online platform in the future: "It's an experiment worth repeating, because organising a public auction takes a lot more work than putting something on eBay."