ASU Exchange Zone provides safe space for online sales
The ASU Police Department on the Tempe campus is providing an Online Exchange Zone in the lobby of the building at 325 E. Apache Blvd.
Photo by: Arizona State University
This week, there have been more than 2,500 posts on Craigslist related to Arizona State University.
About 320 of those posts were regarding football tickets. There were 59 bicycles for sale. Six offers to design web pages. And at least one person looking to sell a Barbie doll dressed like an ASU cheerleader.
Let’s say that you can’t live without the doll. You want to buy it, but don’t want to drive to a stranger’s house to complete the deal.
Now that transaction can be done in a safe place on the ASU campus.
The ASU Police Department has set up an “Online Exchange Zone” area in its lobby for students, faculty and others affiliated with the university to complete sales that are initiated through websites such as Craigslist. Either the buyer or the seller needs to be affiliated with ASU.
The zone, to the right of the lobby entrance to the ASU police station at 325 E. Apache Blvd. in Tempe, will be available while the lobby is under surveillance, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.
Police officers will not screen items or supervise trades. And university policy bans the exchange of weapons, drugs or stolen property.
An “Online Exchange Zone” log is available at the front desk. Sellers and buyers are required to provide an ASU ID number, names and phone numbers for both buyer and seller, date, time and items being sold.
Four visitor-parking stalls on the east side of the building are available for people using the exchange zone, and are under video surveillance.
ASU Police urges buyers and sellers to skip the sale if one person does not want to conduct the trade at the “Online Exchange Zone.”
Chief Michael Thompson said that safety is the top priority of the department.
“The Online Exchange Zone is one more way to allow our community to conduct business in a safe environment for the seller and the buyer to ensure the transaction is legitimate and where all parties feel comfortable,” he said.
Even if you just want to get that Barbie doll.