Policies Governing the Use of BEN's Attic:

• All PENN faculty and staff with a PennKey have the ability to view, suggest or purchase a listing on Ben’s Attic. When suggesting a listing or making a purchase, the name of the users Business Administrator must be entered and will be validated by the system administrator.
• Fees: There are no fees for the use of this application
• BEN's Attic will not approve postings of any item that is determined to be:
  1. Computer related equipment – please contact your LSP for this disposal
  2. Hazardous materials including asbestos, chemicals, biological agents, toxins, recombinant DNA, radioactive materials and sealed sources. Hazardous material must be transferred and disposed through the Office of Environmental Health & Radiation Safety (EHRS) in accordance with the Waste Management section of the EHRS website. For chemical recycling or questions please contact EHRS directly.
• BEN's Attic holds no liability to provide support (either technical, mechanical, software related or otherwise) for post-sale items.
• If the item has a University Property Management Inventory tag and ownership of equipment is transferred between schools/centers, the selling department is responsible for completing the Equipment Change Form.
  
  Please refer to the Relocations Procedure for detailed instructions and is applicable to all capitalized equipment.
• In case of motor vehicles, the Office of Risk Management is responsible for maintaining title, registration and insurance information for all University vehicles. The selling department must notify the Office of Risk Management whenever ownership of a vehicle is transferred from one department to another, however Penn remains the owner so there is no need to transfer the title only need to transfer the vehicle as an asset. For additional information, contact Endo Mayuko (215) 898.4327 in the Office of Risk Management.
• Property or equipment that was used with or is potentially contaminated with hazardous or infectious substances may be transferred through Ben’s Attic provided that (1) hazardous material has been removed, (2) the equipment has been thoroughly cleaned and decontaminated, and (3) all hazard warning labels have been removed. Complete procedures for the disposal or transfer equipment are found in the Waste Management section of the EHRS web site. The seller (PI and/or Department) is responsible to work with EHRS to assure compliance.
  
  Additional requirements for equipment used with RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL include:
  Certain equipment typically contains a radioactive source. DO NOT transfer these devices without EHRS approval. Contact EHRS at EHRS-LICENSES@LISTS.UPENN.EDU to obtain approval.
  • Liquid Scintillation Counters
  • Survey meters/Geiger counters
  • Static eliminator devices
  • Gas Chromatographs
  
  Other equipment that has been used for radiation work must be decontaminated and monitored with an appropriate radiation detector before transfer. Refer to the Radiation Safety section of the EHRS web site for additional information.
• Surplus property is only available to University departments. Personal purchases of surplus property are not permitted.
• Surplus property will be listed at a maximum of ninety (90) days unless otherwise posted by selling department.
• Sponsored Research Requirements: Please refer to OMB Circular A-110. Procurement Standards, Sections 40 through 48 for guidelines on procurement requirements for equipment for federally sponsored projects when acquiring an item from another department.
• All suggested listings will be reviewed by the program administrator for adherence to policy before items are approved and posted.
• Listings can be made at $0, if you merely want to dispose of surplus property.

Seller's Responsibilities

• It is the seller's responsibility to investigate and determine an appropriate minimum price for the auction.
• It is the seller's responsibility to ensure that the item for sale is in proper working order.
  1. Surplus property is listed for sale –As Is -– This means that the item is sold as is, with no warranty or guarantee as to the condition of the item unless otherwise noted.
  2. Manufacturer transfer warranty – These warranties are for manufacturer warranties that may be transferred. Note: Contact your manufacturer to ensure that the warranty is indeed transferable.
• It is the seller's responsibility to provide appropriate pictures of the item(s) for sale. If it is necessary to take further pictures of the item(s). It is always a good idea to take as many pictures to promote your product.
• It is the seller's responsibility to properly clean and prepare the item for sale.
• It is the seller's responsibility to provide a complete and accurate listing of specifications for the item(s) being sold.
• It is the responsibility of the seller to provide the original packaging or package it to prevent any damage during transfer.

Buyer's Responsibilities

• It's the buyer's responsibility to arrange item transportation between buyer and seller.
• The buyer is responsible for processing a budget journal transaction to the selling department’s account number in the amount of the winning bid or sale.

Surplus Property disclaimer

University of Pennsylvania online auctions are open to the University faculty and staff. Sale of all surplus property is, as is and where is, without warranty. The description of surplus property offered for sale has been compiled from available data, but there is no guarantee or warranty on the part of University of Pennsylvania as to condition or quality of surplus property. University of Pennsylvania WILL NOT SHIP. No service of any kind will be furnished by the University, and the successful bidder shall assume any costs of shipping, unless otherwise indicated. No refunds or adjustments will be made on any award(s). Bids submitted shall remain firm and effective for a period of seven (7) days following the closing date. Successful bidder will be required to remit payment within ten (10) calendar days and remove property within fifteen (15) days from date of notice of award. No property may be removed by the purchaser prior to making full payment.

Disposing of Unwanted Items

If after 90 days in Ben’s Attic, a buyer for an item is not found, Sellers are encouraged to donate appropriate items through local volunteer agencies. We recommend Penn Volunteers in Public Service (Penn VIPS) or West Philadelphia Free Cycle. Sellers and Buyers can join the latter group by visiting their website at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/westphillyfreecycle/

Items with a significant dollar value that are not claimed on Ben’s Attic can often be sold outside of the University through our partnership with Gov Deals. GovDeals provides services to various government agencies and Universities that allow them to sell surplus and/or confiscated items via the Internet. Contact BensAttic@upenn.edu to obtain more information on using this option.

Financial Policy Manual (refer to policies 1106.0 through 1106.7 – the disposal policies are 1106.3 (general) and 1106.31 (computer equipment))
Property Management Procedures (refer to the procedure on retirements)