Storage Auctions
Online Storage Auctions => Online Storage Auctions => Topic started by: Travis on March 24, 2013, 08:34:46 AM
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Virtual Storage Auction is now live. Check it out and if you have any questions, feel free to ask them on the site's forum.
http://virtualstorageauction.com/
As promised, the site is completely free to use. No buyer's premium and no seller fees. It's not just for storage facilities, private sellers and auctioneers are welcome to sell their units as well. It will probably take a few months to get going, but once the storage facilities that are using Storage Battles realize that they can get the same service for free, they will abandon ship. Since the site is free and offers a legal alternative to storage facilities located in states where online storage auctions are questionable, I think it will attract a lot of new storage facilities that haven't had their lien sale online before.
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Virtual Storage Auction is now live. Check it out and if you have any questions, feel free to ask them on the site's forum.
http://virtualstorageauction.com
My compliments to whomever did the layout in those units.
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My compliments to whomever did the layout in those units.
Believe it or not, both are real foreclosures.
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No dust, no piles of trash bags, neatly stacked boxes, aisles, etc...
I don't recall ever seeing a unit so neat, let alone 2 of them.
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The first online auction was posted on Virtual Storage Auction today. It's a private sale in California with what appears to be store fixtures.
http://virtualstorageauction.com/auctions/non-lien-sale-private-seller/mission-viejo-california/
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It's a private sale in California with what appears to be store fixtures.
A great unit for someone opening a store or for a metal scrapper.
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The first online auction was posted on Virtual Storage Auction today.
Congratulations ! The FIRST is always memorable ! ;D
Now to see how it plays out especially considering the following:
1) Starting price appears to be $1,010 (I don't think anyone can bid $1K as it already says current bid..though I think that's not an actual bid).
2) Reserve not met...wonder what that amount is?
3) Store fixtures (at least in my area) are quite common especially in bulk. There are at least two stores that have them for sale in bulk or piece by piece.
4) In the Mission Viejo area I would think a lot of that stuff would be available too.
5) It's not available for two months. I guess if your store opening was 2 to 3 months from now you could take a chance you would get it; if you already had a store and could wait two months that would be a LITTLE different.
BUT, it will be interesting to see what it goes for.
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I hope no one gets bent out of shape because of the two pics and a clist link I am providing below. I am doing so only to show what I think many prospective buyers would do if they saw the gondola auction above starting at $1K. If I was in that area and needed shelving I would look on clist right after seeing the listing. I would have found multiple sales of stuff available right now, that I could touch, haggle on price and take away with me today.
The first pic shows gondola sections at $100 per section. You would 10 at that price (don't know how many in the auction since we can't count them (really) and lister didn't elaborate (something I think I would have done) ).
(http://webs.lanset.com/rjsmovie/images/gondola1.jpg)
The next pics shows similar gondolas being sold at $251 each.
(http://webs.lanset.com/rjsmovie/images/gondola2.jpg)
The link below shows a lot of product but gives no price for all or by the piece.
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/bfd/3721334296.html
Of course the Los Angeles area is huge, but depending on where one lived I would guess there would be product available.
That said, I'm sure this lkr will sell...we'll just have to wait 2 months to see for how much.
Edit: A while I ago I did an edit and said (mistakenly) the sale was in Fresno, not LA area. I don't know where I got that idea as I checked it again, and Mission Viejo IS in the LA area. Sorry for any confusion a few of you may have experienced if you read this around 3:45 pm Pacific time.
Edit #2: Now I know why I had Fresno on my mind. The map in the listing shows the marker near Fresno. Fresno is 265 miles NORTH of Mission Viejo. Map needs some work assuming the sale is really in Mission Viejo.
No $100 gift card needs to be sent....happy to help with this fledgling project. ;D
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Yeah, we will see how it goes. The seller definitely left plenty of time for exposure. I'm going to be keeping an eye on how many views he gets.
I think anyone who is planning on opening a store starts looking for this type of stuff months in advance.
You're right, the seller should elaborate more. I sent him an email suggesting that he add some more detail. People can ask him questions through the site though.
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Here's where Fresno is compared to Mission Viejo.
(http://webs.lanset.com/rjsmovie/images/mission.jpg)
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Since he didn't add an address, the maps thrown off.
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Since he didn't add an address, the maps thrown off.
Clist has that map feature too (you can opt to use it or not). I don't use it, instead I put in my own graphic map
with a nice big red arrow pointing to my storage unit location.
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I put in my own graphic map
with a nice big red arrow pointing to my storage unit location.
Is the red arrow labeled "Waldo"?
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Since he didn't add an address, the maps thrown off.
Looked at it today (4/8/2013) and map now shows a marker in city of Mission Viejo. Chances are any one interested in this auction in California already has some general idea of where that city is, but the early Fresno map shown did throw me for a loop for a few minutes. Just a bug. Users can't be expected to cooperate with the fine points of the software the way a software planner would.
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I'm going to be keeping an eye on how many views he gets.
The first time I looked at it there were 20 views; now on 4/8/2013 there are just over 80 so that's a big jump in maybe 3 days. I think I looked at it maybe 8 times of those 80 plus.
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Another private seller just listed an auction on VirtualStorageAuction.com. This is a good example of how the private sales will work....plenty of inventory for the right person.
http://virtualstorageauction.com/auctions/non-lien-sale-private-seller/dallas-texas-3/
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Another private seller just listed an auction on VirtualStoageAuction.com. This is a good example how the private sales will work....plenty of inventory for the right person.
http://virtualstorageauction.com/auctions/non-lien-sale-private-seller/dallas-texas-3/
Ah, another lister and on this one we only have to wait 10 days to see the outcome !
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Ah, another lister and on this one we only have to wait 10 days to see the outcome !
Should be interesting to see what it sells for and how much traffic it gets.
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It's really not a bad unit. The shelving, the delta saw, etc. There is some real value there for the right person.
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Another private seller just listed an auction on VirtualStorageAuction.com.
I couldn't help but notice that special little saying at the bottom right corner of picture #3. :D
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I'm just going to leave that alone. ;D
Something tells me there are more stickers like that in the unit.
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It's really not a bad unit. The shelving, the delta saw, etc. There is some real value there for the right person.
If this were for sale in my area I THINK it would sell for $1,500 to $1,700. That would be based on what could be seen from the door and peering back in as far as possible. The gamble factor would also kick in. Only 7 days or so to see what it sells for....if it sells.
His estimate of it being worth $5K seems high to me based on what the dozen pictures show, but that might be part of the difference in seeing in 3-D live as opposed to 2-D on a computer screen.
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If this were for sale in my area I THINK it would sell for $1,500 to $1,700. That would be based on what could be seen from the door and peering back in as far as possible. The gamble factor would also kick in. Only 7 days or so to see what it sells for....if it sells.
His estimate of it being worth $5K seems high to me based on what the dozen pictures show, but that might be part of the difference in seeing in 3-D live as opposed to 2-D on a computer screen.
Well, everyone's opinion of the value of used merchandise varies. I personally don't see 5K there but there is a lot of stuff I can't see. I think if it sells for $1500-$1700 the seller will be happy. I'm pretty sure it's going to sell, his reserve is realistic. After all, it is in the Dallas area and we are marketing it to our 1000 +/- members there. The only drawback...Assured Self Storage posted like 50 units in Dallas on Storage Bungles and they're all set to end this week.
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If this were for sale in my area I THINK it would sell for $1,500 to $1,700.
His estimate of it being worth $5K seems high to me based on what the dozen pictures show
Herein lies the big difference between a private sale and an actual storage auction. With a private sale the seller has a vested interest in getting top dollar for the contents. With a storage auction the management is looking only to seek the money they're out and to get the unit back up and ready for renting.
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Herein lies the big difference between a private sale and an actual storage auction. With a private sale the seller has a vested interest in getting top dollar for the contents. With a storage auction the management is looking only to seek the money they're out and to get the unit back up and ready for renting.
That says it all ! ;D
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If your a reseller though, it doesn't really matter. It's all inventory regardless of whether it's from a private seller or from a storage facility. Some resellers will actually appreciate the disclosure they get from a private sale. To be able to know exactly what's in a unit and the condition of the contents takes a lot risk out of the equation.
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If your a reseller though, it doesn't really matter. It's all inventory regardless of whether it's from a private seller or from a storage facility.
Huh? Is that why the two or three legitimate listings on the new website have RESERVES?
Seldom does one see a RESERVE at a lien sale. Sure, once in awhile, but even that is suspect.
Equating a private sale by someone who has a locker full of merchandise to a true LIEN sale is like comparing the proverbial apples and oranges. They're both round, but that's about it.
There are two types of people who might use your new website....1) sellers (of a variety of types) 2) buyers (of a variety of types, including newbies).
The BUYERS (who have experience) will definitely see a differece between a LIEN SALE and a private seller, just as they do at a regular storage auction at a facility. Manager's units (put togthers) and other "private" sales "never" (or at least SELDOM) do as well as the LIEN lockers at a regular auction.
Nope, I think Alloro made a very good point.
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If your a reseller though, it doesn't really matter.
Why not? A reseller also has a vested interest in getting top dollar, just like with a private sale.
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What I meant is, if you're a reseller and you can make money on the unit's contents, it doesn't matter whether it's being sold by a private seller or a storage facility. Sure, if you're a treasure hunter or a gambler, it makes a huge difference.
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Sure, if you're a treasure hunter or a gambler, it makes a huge difference.
That covers about 99.99% of us that buy storage units.
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I think if it sells for $1500-$1700 the seller will be happy. I'm pretty sure it's going to sell, his reserve is realistic.
Hmmm.....
Wish I could see what his reserve is. I might be tempted to bid if I lived in the area and knew what he wanted at a minimum.
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Whoops !
Maybe he sold it locally as a private sale.
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Maybe he sold it locally as a private sale.
That's probably it. It wouldn't be hard to do since his phone number was in the ad. The only thing he might have lost by not letting the sale go through as an auction was the potential of a higher price, but with only a few days left and no bids he might have been better off just taking the local offer.
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Yeah, that's probably what happened. Private sellers have the option of listing their phone number and anyone can contact the seller through private messages. Someone probably made him an offer he couldn't refuse.
This doesn't bother me at all. Sure, I would have liked to see it go to auction but if it worked out well for the seller, then it was a success.
I actually have a "buy it now" feature on the site. It's disabled at this time but if there is a demand for it, I'll reinstate in for private sellers.
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Yeah, that's probably what happened.
Then the ad should still be there with a SOLD LOCALLY banner slapped across it. At least that way the site gets some ataboy points for helping the sale.
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Yeah, I hear you. It's going to take time for this site to take off. The site has only been live a month and it's going to take time for storage facilities to hear about it. Even once they hear about it, they still have to place a link to VirtualStorageAuction.com in their legal notice, so there's another 3-4 weeks. I have spoken to the owners of a few large storage facility chains. I have a good feeling they are going to be on board in the next month or so. I've hired a marketing firm and they will begin the campaign for the site next month.
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I've hired a marketing firm and they will begin the campaign for the site next month.
If you don't mind me asking...you keep saying it doesn't cost anything to list, yet you keep spending money to run the site. Why would you keep the site up and running without any revenues to support it?
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If you don't mind me asking...you keep saying it doesn't cost anything to list, yet you keep spending money to run the site. Why would you keep the site up and running without any revenues to support it?
He's a philanthropic kind of guy; does it out of the kindness of his heart. ;D
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If you don't mind me asking...you keep saying it doesn't cost anything to list, yet you keep spending money to run the site. Why would you keep the site up and running without any revenues to support it?
The site is free...but I never said it doesn't make money. It makes money the same way this forum does, through advertisements. The ads aren't on the main pages so you wouldn't know they were there unless you explored deeper into the site. Eventually, I'll put ads on every page, but for now, while the site is still being established, I'll keep the ads to a minimum.
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The site is free...but I never said it doesn't make money. It makes money the same way this forum does, through advertisements. The ads aren't on the main pages so you wouldn't know they were there unless you explored deeper into the site. Eventually, I'll put ads on every page, but for now, while the site is still being established, I'll keep the ads to a minimum.
The more web views you get the more you can charge, just like in radio that is why we drive everyone to our websites
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The more web views you get the more you can charge, just like in radio that is why we drive everyone to our websites
Yep. And the best part about it....
1. Other people provide the content by listing their auctions.
2. Storage facilities place our URL in their legal notice which is free advertisement and traffic for the site.
3. Other than the occasional customer service call/email, the site essentially runs on auto pilot.
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Storage Battles is the future of online storage auctions. 8) There is no charge to use the site. The only charge is after you have purchased a unit. The cost is not that high and the service we offer is far more valuable than our competitors.
That's like saying going to a restaurant is free...unless you want to eat something. :-[
Sure, 10% isn't that high. That's only $100 that you have to pay on a $1,000 unit. Do you know what's better than 10%? Free.
How is your service more valuable? Both Storage Battles & VirtualStorageAuction.com provide the same service. We both market the auctions through the same sites. It seems like the best value for the buyer would be not having to pay a ten percent buyers premium. It seems like the best value to the seller would be not having to pay a 10% seller's premium and not losing the ten percent that the buyer didn't bid because they took the buyers premium into consideration.