Who Buys Stolen Property? A New Look at Criminal Receiving

This paper reports the results of field research examining the role of the nonprofessional fence in initiating and sustaining property crime. Interviews with fences, thieves, and ordinary citizens who bought stolen property were supplemented with analysis of official police records regarding the distribution of stolen property by burglars and shoplifters. Findings indicated that “direct marketing” to the ultimate consumer and to part- time and “amateur” fences is more common than previously believed. A typology of fences is developed.