Say you've got a mess of old photographic darkroom chemicals left over from the days when cameras actually used silver-emulsion film. With the silver market bouncing around at $17 an ounce, you figure it's time to extract the precious metal lodged in the liquid.

Trouble is, you don't have the slightest idea where to find a used electrolytic silver recovery system.

And that's when you check out the City and County of Honolulu's new public auction Web site, where it's possible to find everything in the way of city surplus — from a used school bus to a commercial oven to, yes, something as obscure as a used Kodak electrolytic silver recovery unit.

"For anyone interested in owning an old garbage truck, this could be the opportunity of a lifetime," said city spokesman Bill Brennan.

According to Brennan, the Department of Budget and Fiscal Services is no longer holding live public auctions by sealed bids. Instead, it has created a Vendor Self Service public auction Web site as a way to reduce the city's inventory of property that's no longer of practical official value.

The list includes such things as Nikon cameras, Sony color monitors and Dell computers. The number of available items at any given time can vary from barely more than a dozen to 200, said Glenn Cruz, personal property management specialist with the city.

So far, he said, the public's reaction to the new site has been excitement.

Still, "some were not that happy because the site is not that user-friendly," said Cruz, who explained that the governmental Web site, while familiar to auction-savvy types, can be confusing to everyday folks who are used to elaborate, colorful, Internet sites.

"We know it has limitations," said Cruz. "And we know it has to be improved. But this is the first time we've used the program. We've just launched it and said, 'OK, let's go with it — start saving money and making money for the city.' "

Cruz said the system isn't all that challenging once people get the hang of it. First-timers can simply dial the auction's Help Desk at 768-5535, and someone will help them through the process. At the same time, the Help Desk person will show them how to register to bid, he said.

Potential bidders can access the Vendor Self Service System Web site by going to www5.honolulu.gov/web app/vss/Advantage, clicking on the "Register" bar, and following the directions.

Or, if they prefer, they can test-drive a simple demo by accessing the site, clicking on the "Public Access" bar, clicking on "Business Opportunities," then clicking on "Search for Surplus Auctions," and finally clicking on "Last" at the bottom of the page's auction item menu.

Double-clicking the final listing in the "Number" column will lead to the "DEMO SURPLUS AUCTION."