Went to two different auctions today by the same auctioneer.  First one had 12 lockers, and out of the 12, only one was even interesting.  There were around 25 bidders, about 7 regulars and the rest noobies.  Most of the lockers sold for around the $400 range.  I didn't even bid, the one that was interesting in my mind went for a little over $500, and I wasn't interested for that price.

The second location ended up only having one locker left after three got paid up at the last moment.  I did go up to $150 on that one, but it ended up selling for around $175.  Prices are definitely down from the peak, but still too high for what I'm seeing being sold.

Went to a facility that has an auction about once every three months today.  It was AWESOME!  10 people show up for 13 lockers, and a some of them were together, so basically only 8 bidders! I got two units for just over 100 bucks!  One had a matching washer and dryer, so I don't think I'll have any problem getting my money back plus some!  I hope this is a sign of things to come!

Jedi, this one is for you my friend.

The Newbies Strike Back

This is such a strange cycle, one day at the auctions almost no newbies, the next day a hoard dropping ridiculous money on lockers!

Not really strange, it just follows the Welfare/Social Security check payment schedule!

So I got two lockers today at a smaller facility North of Seattle.  Not cheap, with everything included, I paid $1045 for the two units.

So far, I have found a Bulova 14k gold watch, and another watch that has a 10k bezel.  I also have a pretty nice roll top desk with all kinds of drawers and storage compartments......way nice than most I get.  I got a really cool leather chair with the brass tacks all the way around.  It looks like a normal chair, but it's actually a recliner!  No rips or tears, and actually in very good condition.  

I got a nice, very old, round table with big massive base.  The auctioneer I take some of my stuff to thought it should go for $300-$500 at the auction house, so I may go that route with it.  There is also a writing desk in one of them that the people really went out of their way to cover up.  I pulled off part of the covering, and what I saw looks really nice, so hopefully it will be good.  

The one lady was also the QVC Queen.........there are tubs full of brand new QVC boxes!  I'm skeptical about that stuff.  I suppose it has some dollar value and will probably make good garage sale/swap meet stuff, but I doubt if it's worth a whole lot.  

I've also found some jewelry, but other than the two watches, I haven't found anything else that is gold or silver.   I still have a lot to go through.  I got one unit emptied and rented the other one for two weeks so I can have some time to go through it.  I have auctions the rest of this week, so needed to buy myself a little time.  

I'll post some pictures up when I get around to unloading the trailer and go through some more of it.

Another little helpful hint for you guys that like having garage sales.  Start your sale on Thursday.  You'll probably be the only one going, and if you have out good signage, you should kick some butt!  Friday is a good day too, typically the busiest day of my sales. 

Bummer deal!  I like stopping by garage sales too, just for the fun of it and to see if I can pick up anything to make a buck on.  A little over a week ago, I picked up a raised panel toddlers bed with mattress for $5 at a garage sale.  Took it to my storage unit, took a picture, and sold it a couple of days later on CL for $65!  Not going to get rich any time soon doing that, but it's fun!  Depending on the weather and how much time I have, I may go out and fill up the back seat and bed of my pickup with stuff on a Friday morning........just a quick 200-300 extra for the week without too much effort. 

He does "Door to Door" in the Seattle area too.  Here's a link to his site:

thomashaywardauctioneers.com/