Riverhead hawking surplus property online

In an effort to get rid of surplus property, Riverhead is going to put items it no longer wants up for auction — online.

The town has entered into an agreement with PropertyRoom.com, an Internet auction house based in Mission Viejo, Calif., which in 2009 had contracts with about 1,800 municipalities and police departments to dispose of surplus property. Its web page displays items ranging from diamond rings to coffee makers up for bid.

The town plans to offer everything from old cars no longer worth repairing to stolen property that has been declared abandoned and is gathering dust in the police department.

The agreement calls for the online company to get 5 percent of a winning bid and a 15 percent premium for large items.

Riverhead officials say it will take about two months to complete an inventory of surplus property in all town departments and put it online.