University of Michigan Property Disposition

I’ve been here a dozen or so times. Each time, they have less and less to offer. C’mon dispo, get some good stuff in! Things have been beat up and pretty worn lately.
I have already bought some file cabinets, tables, many chairs (some really cool), picture frames, rolling carts, desks, bookshelves, and lab chairs. But, I want more!

Having an apartment full of sterile yet aesthetically pleasing furniture is something I’ve always aspired to.
Unfortunately, Herman Miller is currently out of my budget at the moment.
That being said, when I heard about a giant warehouse on the North Campus (scary!) where the university sold off their ancient facility furniture I was tickled pink.
Lab tables? Useless File cabinets twice my age? 30 pound steel frame chairs?
SIGN ME UP.
Okay real talk before you go and I can say this bc I am understandably weird but you have to be a few sandwiches short of a picnic to be hanging out here. I can say w/​confidence that I was one third the age of the other «clientele» at the disposition center and the only person w/​o a large van +10 YO.
I mean, science is great but it just doesn’t make sense to me why grandpa needs to wait outside of the disposition center at noon on to buy one of the 100+ used microscopes available at the center. Says the girl who purchased an office desk the week finals ended.
But all weirdness aside, this place is seriously fantastic. There’s some really unique stuff, it’s cheap and it’s a bit off the grid.
Before you hop in your car and blow your pennies at the disposition center, here are some tips to keep in mind to make your trip the best:
1. Bring a big car. There are a lot of big ticket items and they’re cheap and you’ll likely leave with something. The cheapest delivery service is around 70 dollars (more expensive than most items).
2. If you don’t have a big car on hand, they’ll hold your items for three days. Not all is lost if you can’t grab a big immediately.
3. Come frequently. New stuff comes (and leaves) every day.
4. This place is the best for office chairs, office desks and file cabinets. If you’re looking for other furniture you might not get too lucky.
5. There’s lots of lab equipment. If that’s what you’re into. Is that what you’re into? Okay.
6. The hours are *not* the same every day. Check before you make a visit.
7. The map on Unilocal is not accurate. You need to keep driving a little bit. It’ll be on your left with a sign for the disposition parking lot. You’re welcome.
8. No returns. Hope you liked that locker from biochem.
9. Bring a friend. This place is a million times more fun to go to with someone!

Years ago my sister-​in-​law found Limoges China under a table in a dusty box. Enough said.

For getting this stuff for free and putting it back for sale the place is really expensive. Comparing to best buy it is cheap. However for used stuff the place is way overpriced. If you compare one to one with ebay you will realize the difference. 100 $ for a 14in dell monitor that came stained for a lab, is just crazy. A new LED 19in at any electronics store is 89 $. They just add prices from there beast guess. I looked at a ice making machine. Steve said it was new. If you wonder who Steve is, I’m guess it was the manager. I looked at it again maybe I was just looking at the wrong unit. The asking price was 700 $. Used on ebay for 302 $ with 50 $ shipping. New 1800 $. I am an engineer and I know what I’m looking at. The unit was used and very unlikely that it did not need some work again it was most likely used at a lab to make ice. Mostly because it was firefly dirty. The inside of the unit was rusted. Thanks but no thanks. Buyers beware compare prices before paying.

Hard to find, limited hours but the treasures abound. Great for cheap office furnishing if you don’t mind secondhand. Recycle people!!! Love this place. Fast easy transactions. Nice staff. In and out in 15 minutes with two desks and a cabinet.

This place is where the used equipment of the University of Michigan goes to die. Or be revived by the lucky public! Being that there’s only one source of goods, the selection is very hit or miss. Also, pricing can be a bit arbitrary (which can lead to some great deals). Though not consistent, this is, on the whole a very worthwhile destination.

A geeky gal’s dream. The best place in town to get a computer for real cheap. Desktop PC mini towers for $ 150. They were running a package deal which gave a discount if you also got a monitor at the same time. They have thin LCD monitors at great prices, so upgrade that «giant TV set thing» on your desk!
There is a test bench and don’t expect anybody to help you. The lady working there had no idea how to hook up a computer and wouldn’t admit it. You have to be able to recognize power cables for the CPU («the box») and monitor, and figure out whether you need an adapter or not to hook the monitor to the CPU.
At first, I had no idea why I couldn’t get the thing to work. As soon as I figured out that the monitor I had randomly grabbed was DEAD, I was fine. The second monitor worked enough to flicker and roll. The third one worked perfectly. Be ready for that.
I told someone to recycle the first two monitors. He obliged.
There are no labels on the cases to quickly show you the configuration of CPU, clock speed, etc. So use the CMOS to find out. You have to know how to do that. It’s actually quite easy, if you read the message that comes up as the computer boots.
The drives are all wiped. There will be a sticker on the case that is the product key for Windows. I think you can use the Windows product key as your legal copy of the OS, but you’d need to make your own Windows install disks + emergency boot disk.
You have to supply your own keyboard and mouse. There’s no reason a person can’t outfit themselves with a computer for cheap. I will keep this place in mind next time I need to get someone up and running on a PC.

This is a pretty nifty place, and I recommend you clear out an afternoon to fully explore what it has to offer.
I found a centrifuge for $ 35 and an xbox controller for $ 4. The coolest thing was a motorized bike, but it was already sold. :(
There seems to be a lot of variation in the sorts of items you can find.

This is where to legally and safely dumpster dive in Ann Arbor. Bring a truck if you want some furniture.

Mariah’s review has this right on the button (I’ll have to send her a Unilocal Compiment!)
My wife needed a locking file cabinet for her office. Getting a new one was prohibitively expensive, so I looked up UM Prop Dispo. They had about 100 sturdy and secure steel file cabinets, and I found one with a working lock and key — we spent $ 10 instead of $ 200, and left giddy. That’s worth the trip, any day.

With all of the folks writing about other thrifty places in Ann Arbor, I’m surprised that no one has mentioned U of M’s Property Disposition yet. You’ll find some of the weirdest stuff here, as well as some of the most practical.
If you were making a sci-​fi movie and needed to create some sets, I’d recommend a stop. There’s often all sorts of odd-​looking equipment that comes from scientific or medical departments. Strange apparatuses, stainless steel surgical-​looking trays, and all matter of outmoded electronics live here. In college, my roommate and I found some sort of booth that looked so bizarre we swore it was a time machine. Alas, even its discount price was a couple of hundred dollars, putting time travel just beyond our reach.
There are also old and slightly damaged monitors and TVs. Though I wouldn’t pay money for a damaged plasma screen, the selection of modest flat-​screen monitors they have seems pretty promising. It looks like the university cycles out CPUs and monitors once they are about 3 – 4 years old, and they send the leftovers here.
The most practical stuff here is storage or office-​related. There’s a lot of dorm furniture, but you can occasionally find a display cabinet or set of shelves that doesn’t scream «dorm room» and is under $ 20 – 30. Their office chair selection is probably the best in town, though timing and luck are always factors. I’ve never found an Aeron or anything, but plenty of perfectly usable chairs. Whether or not you feel like doing a little upholstery clean-​up probably figures in, too.
They have super-​cheap file cabinets, as well. Though they are usually the steel, heavy variety, they can come in handy if you have (or you friend has) a strong back. Grab two of those and an old door from the Recycle Center and you’ve got yourself a desk!
They used to sell any of the abandoned bikes that they clipped off the bike racks here, too, and you could find some pretty amazing deals. I haven’t happened here at the right time for that recently, though, so I’m not positive if that’s still the case.
Make sure to double-​check their hours before making a trip. Even their regular hours are a little funny, but they are also closed aroudn certain university holidays and other dates.