Pawnshops were also involved in the closing of stolen goods. The owners or employees of these stores often paid a small sum, well below the market value of the stolen goods, to the bandits and resold the goods for a profit. [20]: 177 The act of fencing would not have been a crime if it had not been codified by law. There are different types of fences. One way to categorize fences is the type of merchandise they exchange, such as jewelry, power tools, or electronics. Another way is through their involvement in the purchase and sale of stolen goods; For some, fencing is an occasional « side hustle and bustle », » while for others, it`s an economic mainstay. At the lowest level, a hustler or drug dealer can sometimes accept stolen goods. At the highest level would be a fence, the main income from which comes from the purchase and sale of stolen items. Two levels of fences can be distinguished: the lower level of fences are those that directly buy stolen goods from thieves and burglars. At a higher level are the « master fences », which do not deal with street thieves, but only other fences.

[3] An eBay spokesperson said, « Perhaps the dumbest place to try to fence off stolen materials is on eBay, » and the media reported incidents where police bought stolen goods directly from thieves, leading to their arrest. [Clarification required] [33] By early 2007, e-fencing had grown into a $37 billion business. [34] As is the case with the word fence and its derivatives when used in its other common meanings (i.e. as a kind of barrier or housing and also as a sport), the word in this context is derived from the word defense. Among criminals, the fence emerged from thieves` slang, which deviates from the idea that such transactions offer a « defense » against being caught. [1] Florida`s anti-closure law is in Florida Law 812.019. Closure is the term for trade in stolen goods. « This crime, the trade in stolen goods, is an anti-closure law and aims to punish those who knowingly exchange goods stolen by others. » State against the camps.

The thief who frequents the fence is willing to accept a low profit margin in order to reduce his risks by immediately « washing his hands » of the loot of the black market and distancing himself from the criminal act he has provided. After the sale, the fence pays for its investment by obscuring the stolen nature of the goods (by methods such as repackaging and changing/erasing serial numbers) and reselling the goods as close as possible to the white market price without arousing suspicion. This process often relies on a legal business (such as a pawnshop, flea market, or street vendor) to « wash » the stolen goods by mixing them with legally acquired items of the same type. [2] The fence is able to profit from stolen goods because it is able to secretly pay thieves a very low price for « hot » goods that cannot be easily sold in open markets. Fencing is illegal in all countries, but legal proof of a violation of anti-fence laws can be difficult. [3] [2] With respect to the defence of good faith, it applies to the crimes of theft and robbery, while it does not apply to fences, since intent is not an element of occupying its commission. [1] With regard to the classification of responsibility, theft and robbery, the perpetrator is only an accomplice to the crime, while in the closure, the perpetrator is a principal. Section 5. Presumption of fencing. The mere possession of property, objects, objects or anything that has been stolen or stolen constitutes prima facie evidence of closure. E-fencing is the sale of items on the Internet that have been acquired illegally.

There are important differences between « electronic fencing » and traditional fencing. Both involve fraudulently acquired goods and/or services bought and sold in a (series of) transactions involving at least three different parties. In traditional fences, these parties are generally understood as the thief who stole the goods, with the fence acting as an intermediary and the final buyer, with only the final buyer being able to be the innocent and ignorant party. On the other hand, e-fencing can describe transactions where there is a direct interaction between the original thief and the end buyer.