Affectionately know as "The Junk Sale", you are sure to find the unexpected at the University of Waterloo Surplus Sale. From laptops to exercise equipment, furniture to computers, cell phones to bicycles... this sale has quite the selection, stocked for the most part by asset disposal at the university (and some "lost and found" items too, I'm guessing). They usually have a supply of computers such as Wintel type PCs, Macintosh and even some SUN Solaris hardware, and they almost always have printers, modems, video cards, monitors, hard drives and other electronic bits and pieces. I've seen microscopes, blackboards, jewelery and have even heard tell of someone buying parts for a polygraph machine.

Prices are a steal, are labelled including the tax and are conveniently calculated to come out to even dollar amounts. They only accept cash and cheques (no electronic processing of debit or credit cards), and they won't offer you a refund or return, so it's "buyer beware".

Attending the sale which is held on a semi-regular basis (usually twice a month), is a real event that you have to experience yourself. The lineup commonly extends out to the street by the time the doors open, and then it's a mad rush for the "good stuff"... a bit of shoulder to shoulder action (like being at a dance busy club), and a slow trickle of happy shoppers carrying and wheeling away their purchases.

Some etiquette for attending the sale:

• Never "bud" into the line up at the register.
• Don't stand in one place too long... that is, be mindful of people who are "cruising" to find what they're after.
• When Dave (a regular at the sale) bumps into you or asks you what he's holding in his own hands, don't freak out. He's not being inconsiderate. You wouldn't know it at first, but Dave is blind (even though I think he "sees" more things in this world than I can).

Some links:
The UW Surplus Sale website (check it for dates and times)
Google map for finding the place (you go in the side door on the right)

The junk sale is a must if you are "computer mechanic" trying to keep an old PC running, a student looking to furnish your off-campus room, or anyone looking for a bargain and wanting to be part of the experience.