The ethics of buying a used HVAC unit

[Gregory Montalto]

Today while looking at a property in a questionable part of the city, I came across a house that had a security camera mounted to the top of the HVAC unit outside. In asking about it, the realtor said this was common in the area due to metal theft (copper pipes in same house had been cut out, etc).

I asked if they sell the units for scrap metal - and he said "No, the thieves sell them on CraigsList. Soon to be foreclosed upon home owners and disgruntled tenants sometimes sell them too, as part of their process of trashing the house".

Is this practice common everywhere? And the question that no one wants to ask out loud, can you actually get a good deal on a "used" HVAC unit off CraigsList?