PODS vs UHAUL vs Other Facilities

I didn't post this in the noobie area because it's going to be more of an opinion poll than a set question and straight answer. I know everyone has an opinion about this subject so i like to start a topic discussion on your personal experience with PODS, U-HAUL and regular facilities. Is the quality of PODS better than most because they are more expensive or have you found that major u-haul storage locations have better prices versus equal quality? Also when it comes to major chain facilities have you found that the quality tends to be trashier because of the high turn over? Chime in.

I didn't post this in the noobie area because it's going to be more of an opinion poll than a set question and straight answer. I know everyone has an opinion about this subject so i like to start a topic discussion on your personal experience with PODS, U-HAUL and regular facilities. Is the quality of PODS better than most because they are more expensive or have you found that major u-haul storage locations have better prices versus equal quality? Also when it comes to major chain facilities have you found that the quality tends to be trashier because of the high turn over? Chime in.

In my area, U-Haul sucks, not because of the corporation, but their locations are in lower income parts of town, so there is almost no nice quality units that come to auction. PODS on the other hand is great! Some if the best quality stuff you will see. The bad part is PODS, since the TV shows, have been the most expensive auctions in the area, and they only have auctions once or twice a year. Major corporate chain facilities tend not to be the best chance of scoring a great unit for a low price in my area, primarily because the corporate chain facilities well advertise their auctions and get lots of attendees. My best scores have been from small, independent, NICE LOOKING, storage facilites in mid to higher income areas or close enough to higher income areas to be the closest facility to serve those residences.

In my area U-Hauls are good. There are 3 in my town and many more within 50 miles, though I don't make a point of going to them out of town (or much of anything out of town anymore).

Pods had a facility here and they were the world's worst at answering their phone or having any valid info before the auction. You had to show up and hope for the best and usually it was cancelled. I think I went to 4 there over a period of several years..then the place just closed down.

I got two units there at 2 separate auctions. Paid $2500 for one which was showing the tail end of a Honda Quad 350. The facility had no idea about titles, etc. Fortunately auctioneer was more savy and sold the vault as parts only for the Honda. It also had a Honda dirt bike.  The quad had Honda finance interested in it and it took me 11 months to get clear title. I sold the quad for $$2300 I think it was and the dirt bike for maybe $700. Both were like new. Rest of locker was pretty good too with a .22 caliber target pistol in hard plastic case, washer/dryer, household goods. Overall though I only made $1800 profit after the initial cost.

I had Pods deliver the pod to a storage facility where they left it right next to my corner unit for a few days and then came to pick it up. I think they only charged me $40 or so to do that which I thought was quite reasonable.

I don't travel the 30 miles to their other facility and they only have an auction once to twice a year that I know of.

PODS! seem to have the best stuff due to people pack pods at there homes and they keep filling them up day after day.

PODS! seem to have the best stuff due to people pack pods at there homes and they keep filling them up day after day.

On the other hand, once they are filled at home and transported by the Pods people to a warehouse, they are THEN pretty inaccessible. SO, it's a two-edged sword. If they put really nice stuff in there (at home) it will be hard for them to pull it out at random and that's good for us. Their container may be 50 feet up in the air and hopefully NOT in the middle of a three stack row.

The other side of that sword is that they MAY NOT put super nice stuff in there knowing it will be hard to access.

****
On a related note: went to a vault sale at a non-pod facility; same idea though, break open the front panel to show the insides. These typically went HIGH even before the newbies showed up, and often were just like any other lkr from what I heard...I never got one due to the prices.

There may be some truth to the idea that these are packed by people on one side of the country and moved a long distance. Several of the vaults I saw at one sale (Mayflower) were stamped ITALY all over the place, and the prices were outrageous because people thought there was going to be lots of valuables in them.

Talking to the buyers who got them....turns out they were military (and low end troops at that) who just shipped all their crap back to the states. Now if had been a colonel or general it might have been a different story, but then those guys probably wouldn't have defaulted now would they.

Well I have yet to see / get a POD auction.  Only 1 place in town does it.  Every time that I have gone it was canceled.  Even when I put my number on the list they don't call.  U-haul in my area is mostly lower income due to the location.  The converted factory they made into storage units is highly prone to bugs, rodents, etc.

As for quality items I've seen them all over the place.  The % chance is higher near the uppper income area's then mid and lower.  I've done better in RoI with the mom n pop places then the big chains.  Example is Metro has auction guy from Florida - large crowd, 10% bp, and tax.  Compared to say American that has 5-10 bidders and same type units.

On the other hand, once they are filled at home and transported by the Pods people to a warehouse, they are THEN pretty inaccessible. SO, it's a two-edged sword. If they put really nice stuff in there (at home) it will be hard for them to pull it out at random and that's good for us. Their container may be 50 feet up in the air and hopefully NOT in the middle of a three stack row.

The other side of that sword is that they MAY NOT put super nice stuff in there knowing it will be hard to access.

****
On a related note: went to a vault sale at a non-pod facility; same idea though, break open the front panel to show the insides. These typically went HIGH even before the newbies showed up, and often were just like any other lkr from what I heard...I never got one due to the prices.

There may be some truth to the idea that these are packed by people on one side of the country and moved a long distance. Several of the vaults I saw at one sale (Mayflower) were stamped ITALY all over the place, and the prices were outrageous because people thought there was going to be lots of valuables in them.

Talking to the buyers who got them....turns out they were military (and low end troops at that) who just shipped all their crap back to the states. Now if had been a colonel or general it might have been a different story, but then those guys probably wouldn't have defaulted now would they.

I went to one of those vault type moving company actions and yea it was a lot of servicemen who had shipped stuff from Europe and didn't pay up and come get it. Most of the prices went crazy when you could clearly see military stuff showing. I won a few pieces and my military stuff was hidden in the bottom of the boxes.Fatigues, service metals, other stuff. It was like Christmas morning, everytime someone won a lot they started ripping through the boxes looking for the armory (the moving company didn't care). I saw a lot of fatigues, duffle bags, EMPTY ammo boxes, combat helmets, NO GUNS!! Obvisously most every one thought these guys were going to ship home thier M5s or whatever. NOT! All the vaults were Sargeants or lower rankings so I knew not to get two excited. While everyone was bidding like fools on the camoflage, I was picking up furniture pieces on the low-low.

you know, I never did figure out the reason why these places can charge tax on a auction. IMHO, posession transfers from the previous owner to the auction winner with the facility never really having possession of the contents except for the lock on the door. So, does posession in reality actually transfer frome the tennant to the facility to the auction winner? Hmmmm...

It seems to me (at least in Georgia) there is no consistancy either. Some facilities charge sales tax and others don't. I would think if it were state law that they had to charge sales tax everybody would do it. No?

I'm almost tempted to call our State AG office to get the lowdown...

I don't understand how they can charge tax on your belongings after you die, and pass it on to your relatives, but we could start a whole new forum on the insane tax policies inthis Country, so I just have a resale certificate and don't pay sales tax. I bet if you questioned the facilities that don't charge sales tax they would say it's included in the final price, and just re-work the sale price back from the percentage sales tax for the state to come up with the final bid amount in their books.

Well, I got to follow a U-haul caravan and go to a PODS auction last thursday. And yes U-hauls in general are junky low income areas where people use the storage to unload the stuff they broke while moving. I'm not saying all were junk just most. PODS wasn't all that much better except more of the complete household was present in each pod. The serious bidders were bidding as if there were a harley in each pod. I think the brand name caused alot of over bidding. I am not a veteran of this, but $2700.00 for a locker that is almost exactly the same locker as some I've seen go for $250.00 at regular chain facilities seem a bit stupid. It wasn't higher end there wasn't brand name anything showing and it only had $650.00 owed and the person still abandoned it. Maybe he knew something I didn't but i don't intent on going back to a PODS auction if I have another option. Bidders just get a little personal at them....

PODS have higher prices and seem to pull in people I don't usually see at sus.  In this area seem to go about 3x-4x higher...true before tv shows started.  I have only been to a couple and that was a several years ago.  People got nasty so I didn't go back.  No patience for it.  Pawnshop types not flea market types.  I apologize to any nice pawn owners on here.

I would have to agree, PODS are always more expensive and pull the "big shot" spenders that we don't see at the typical storage auctions. There may still be good money to be made on a POD even after spending $2700 depending on your level of experience in re-sales and the marketplace you are selling in. Those type of prices are best suited for someone with a store who can charge top dollar for the furniture and other items found in the PODS.

The absolute best worst room i ever got was from a uhaul. It was an 8x8 upstairs unit  packed about 3 foot high and the records were good and plenty of them , the tools were good and again lots of them , the guy was an amateur photographer and the cameras were good too and there were 8 or 9. the computer at the time was recent and quality.The price was only $80 and the unit gave and gave and gave
This is back in 2007 or so


the bad parts and they were really pretty bad , everything was heavy and had to be hand carried to the end of the aisle and down a flight of stairs to get to a cart, in and of itself not so bad BUT the place was the biggest hellhole ive ever been in . MOST RATS IVE EVER SEEN IN ONE PLACE. ive smoked for a long time and generally cant smell anything , this was awfull , all you could smell was rat . there was crap everywhere . i saw 10 or 12 dead ones durring the auction and many live ones running around durring the course of the day . For those of you that dont know if youve got a bunch , 30 or so people walking around at an auction durring the day, and you see live rats running around with no fear of humans, theres a ****load of rats
while i was emptying the room i was watching several of them run back and forth under doors  down the aisle from where i was

some of the uncovered items looked like they had been stored under a rabbit hutch

  on the lighter side my cat had a good time sniffing the hell out of everything