OSA needs YOUR help!

As most of you know, OnlineStorageAuctions.com doesn't charge a fee to buy or sell storage units on the site. That being said, we obviously don't have the same budget as some of our competitors for marketing our service to storage operators. We are actively seeking investors, but until that point, we need YOUR help getting the word out.

Over the years, I've learned that the best form of advertising is word of mouth, so I would like to ask each of you to speak to your local facility managers about OSA, especially those companies who currently use one of our competitors.

Tell them you're tired of paying a 10-15% buyer's premium.

Also, let them know that they can sell their storage units on our site at no cost.

OSA is the most visited storage auction site on the web and we have the user base to consistently deliver optimal results.

Since the beginning, I've wanted to keep this site free for everyone, but I need your help. You guys & gals are out there in the field everyday and these facility managers know and trust you. Your recommendation goes a long way and can do wonders for the future of OSA. If this site has helped you in any way, I'd greatly appreciate your help now. 

so I would like to ask each of you to speak to your local facility managers about OSA

That's a good deal for sellers, but as a buyer I can't think of one reason why I would want my local places to offer their units online. Them doing so will cost me more money than a 10% buyer's premium will.

Them doing so will cost me more money than a 10% buyer's premium will.

How so?

Because instead of 12 bidders standing in front of the unit with only half of them actually bidding, there will be a 100 bidders online running the price up. So a unit I might get for $100 locally will end up going for $500 online. Like I said, good for the seller, bad for the buyer. I'd rather pay the 10% ($10) buyer's premium instead of an extra $400.

Even though I agree with you that storage units sold online generally sell for more, there is no reliable data, nor will there ever be, to support that. Every auction and storage unit is unique and there is no way compare them.

Even at live auctions, you'll see units that sell for way more than they're worth. Why is that? There are all sorts of factors that influence what a unit sells for. 

Another thing to consider is the time and gas you'll save by buying online.

Now, I realize that online auctions aren't for everyone. If, you don't believe that getting your local facility managers to switch to online auctions is in your best interest, then I would never ask you to recommend them. However, if there are already online auctions occurring in your area, and that facility uses one of our competitors, it's in your best interest to educate them on the most cost effective service. They save 10% + cancellation fees and you save 10-15%.

Let me ask you this, if your friend or family member was looking for advice on where to sell their merchandise, would you recommend Craigslist or eBay to them and why?  Craigslist right?  eBay & Craigslist are equally effective services; however, when you're selling locally, Craigslist is the more cost effective solution. OnlineStorageAuctions.com is the storage auction industry's Craigslist.

Like it or not, self-storage operators are migrating toward online storage auction services, and it's hard to stop a moving train. The landscape of this industry will look completely different a few years from now. Live storage auctions will be the minority. The visionaries in this, and related industries know what's coming and they are embracing, adapting and preparing with without haste.

Tell them you're tired of paying a 10-15% buyer's premium.

So you're saying you will never ever charge a buyer's premium on OSA?  I see the FREE things only lasting until you have enough business to justify adding a BP or charge a straight % fee to the Storage Facility.

If I'm wrong, I'm wrong, but I doubt I am.

There are other ways for the site to make money besides charging fees. As the site grows, so does our ad revenue. I've also thought about giving sellers the option to highlight their listing for some negligible fee like $9.99. Sites like Craigslist and AuctionZip have become profitable with free (or mostly free) business models, so there's no reason we can't do the same.

Hey Travis, you've done a great job putting together and improving this site and have been a great guy to chat with over the years so I would be honored to help spread the word and tell people about your site.

Not sure if it would be worth the cost but if you'd like to get some cards made up or stickers or even have like a PDF file with a prinable card I'm sure myself and some others would be more than happy to pass them out to others at auctions or facility managers. just a thought.

If you have any banners send one my way I'd be happy to throw a banner up on www.freestorageauctionlists.com to help promote the site and the auctions. I know its not the best or highest traffic site out there but everything helps.

Because instead of 12 bidders standing in front of the unit with only half of them actually bidding, there will be a 100 bidders online running the price up. So a unit I might get for $100 locally will end up going for $500 online. Like I said, good for the seller, bad for the buyer. I'd rather pay the 10% ($10) buyer's premium instead of an extra $400.

It all depends, I have bought units online in cities several hundred miles away and still payed 1/3 to 1/2 of what I would have payed at live auctions near me. I'm no whale, but once a person establishes him or herself in a market, it gets real hard to get a deal on a storage unit at live auctions.

It all depends, I have bought units online in cities several hundred miles away and still payed 1/3 to 1/2 of what I would have payed at live auctions near me. I'm no whale, but once a person establishes him or herself in a market, it gets real hard to get a deal on a storage unit at live auctions.

That's a really good point Cobia.

I've gotten some really good deals online and I've seen some units sell for ridiculous prices. I think the deals are still there, you just have to be patient for the right one to come along.

Travis,

   It's been over a month, have you had any success with this approach?

Travis,

   It's been over a month, have you had any success with this approach?

No, I haven't had a storage facility operator tell me that they we're referred by someone who is a member of this forum, nor did I expect immediate results. I planted this seed in hopes that our members would educate their local storage operators about Online Storage Auctions ℠ and how we can save both the buyer and operator money.

Being a newcomer and not actually physically doing auctions yet but mostly mentally preparing myself right now, I would surely hope you would keep this going. But I really feel one day once you've reached your goal you will go up at least a 5-7%