376
Stories about Storage Auctions / Re: 15 bins for $200 total!
« on: April 18, 2011, 11:05:15 AM »If you continue with buying, get ready for "finger lifting" !
Better yet....take some of that $300 profit and stock up on Ben Gay and Advil! LOL
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Better yet....take some of that $300 profit and stock up on Ben Gay and Advil! LOL
377
New to Storage Auctions? / Re: Any suggestions when you see a safe?
« on: April 18, 2011, 11:03:33 AM »Turned out it wasn't, but it COULD have been a big winner.
If I go to the casino and lay down $500 on a single hand of Blackjack, I COULD be a big winner too! That's part of the problem with high prices on so many of these lockers right now.......these guys are GAMBLING that there is something good in there, and their bids in no way reflect on what is actually showing.
Like everybody has said, most of the safes you find in lockers are empty or have nothing of value. If you see something in the locker to make it worth your bidding, go for it, but I would not purchase a locker just because there is a safe in there. I have seen a lot of guys get burned doing that......some of them for a substantial amount of money.
378
Stories about Storage Auctions / Re: Former owner encounters...both at the auction and afterwards
« on: April 15, 2011, 07:52:21 PM »Sorry, pay the bill or I'll buy the goods and they are gone........................
That sums it up quite nicely!
379
Storage Facilities / Re: Storage facilities converting units to cylinder locks.
« on: April 14, 2011, 08:14:05 PM »SimonDavid32...
I see you have health insurance on your mind in your email and website info in your profile.
Tell us a little about your experience in the storage auction scene.
LOL! Hey, where did he go?
380
Stories about Storage Auctions / Re: Lookey Loos Part 4....April, 2011
« on: April 14, 2011, 08:12:14 PM »
Went to my last auction for the week today. Supposed to be two units up for sale. About three of us are there a little early and this lady showed up and asked us if we were there for the auction. We told her yes, and she asked where the office was. Somebody pointed her in the right direction and off she went. Everybody else shows up, and the auction is going to start, and the owner comes outside with his manager and the lady, and they pulled that unit. The lady asking the questions was the owner of the unit, and she made some kind of deal with the owner and saved it at the last minute! I wish they wouldn't do that!
Anyway, that freed us up to go to the unit that everybody was there for. This was a 12x30 warehouse style unit. They actually let everybody walk into the unit provided nobody touched anything. It was good......Honda Trail 70 (which they were going to get you the paperwork on), and kids toy quad (just electric), tool boxes, Generac 4000 watt generator, big bunch of fishing poles, 32' extension ladder, gun safe, ammo cans and ammo box, washer and dryer, box that said "routers", a remote controlled helicopter, lot's of remote controlled airplane parts and bodies, gun stock etc. It looked really good (almost too good if you know what I mean!)
Well, the auction started at 200 bucks. It went to 275 and I yelled out "500", and then it climbed steadily. My last bid was 2100, and it kept going. Finally, when the smoke cleared, the damn thing sold for $3100! But, add on the auctioneer's 10% buyers premium, and almost 10% sales tax on that total, and it went for almost $4K! I hope there was something good hidden in the boxes, because what was in there did not justify that amount!
Anyway, that freed us up to go to the unit that everybody was there for. This was a 12x30 warehouse style unit. They actually let everybody walk into the unit provided nobody touched anything. It was good......Honda Trail 70 (which they were going to get you the paperwork on), and kids toy quad (just electric), tool boxes, Generac 4000 watt generator, big bunch of fishing poles, 32' extension ladder, gun safe, ammo cans and ammo box, washer and dryer, box that said "routers", a remote controlled helicopter, lot's of remote controlled airplane parts and bodies, gun stock etc. It looked really good (almost too good if you know what I mean!)
Well, the auction started at 200 bucks. It went to 275 and I yelled out "500", and then it climbed steadily. My last bid was 2100, and it kept going. Finally, when the smoke cleared, the damn thing sold for $3100! But, add on the auctioneer's 10% buyers premium, and almost 10% sales tax on that total, and it went for almost $4K! I hope there was something good hidden in the boxes, because what was in there did not justify that amount!
381
Storage Auctioneers / Re: Banning a bidder from an auction ?
« on: April 13, 2011, 10:40:13 PM »
So, they finally taped today and I can tell you this much:
One of the local auctioneers banned this guy that sued him over a unit he bought and didn't like. Then, the guy sued the auctioneer for banning him from the auction. So the "strange turn" I was referring to was.........the Judge Judy show called and this is going to be on the show!
The reason it took so long to get back to this is because this was supposed to be taped two weeks ago. But, as they were both sitting in their little separate waiting areas, all done up in makeup, and they were the next case up, that is when Judge Judy had her little incident and had to be taken to the hospital! They got paid anyway, and then it was rescheduled and they got to go back today for the taping and they got paid again!
I do know that the taping did take place today, so it's "in the can"!
This show won't air for 8-16 weeks, so I guess we won't know how this turned out until then, unless one of the parties to this opens their pie hole. They had to sign an agreement that neither one of them would reveal the outcome until after the show airs, but.........you never know!
Stay tuned! When I get a firm airing date for this episode of Judge Judy, I'll dig up this thread again and put it in here!
One of the local auctioneers banned this guy that sued him over a unit he bought and didn't like. Then, the guy sued the auctioneer for banning him from the auction. So the "strange turn" I was referring to was.........the Judge Judy show called and this is going to be on the show!
The reason it took so long to get back to this is because this was supposed to be taped two weeks ago. But, as they were both sitting in their little separate waiting areas, all done up in makeup, and they were the next case up, that is when Judge Judy had her little incident and had to be taken to the hospital! They got paid anyway, and then it was rescheduled and they got to go back today for the taping and they got paid again!
I do know that the taping did take place today, so it's "in the can"!
This show won't air for 8-16 weeks, so I guess we won't know how this turned out until then, unless one of the parties to this opens their pie hole. They had to sign an agreement that neither one of them would reveal the outcome until after the show airs, but.........you never know!
Stay tuned! When I get a firm airing date for this episode of Judge Judy, I'll dig up this thread again and put it in here!
382
Reality Shows about Storage Auctions / Re: Storage Wars....Spring 2011...New Episodes
« on: April 13, 2011, 10:14:55 PM »
They are starting to pay for the show now! I still wonder if what they get paid for doing the show outweighs how much more lockers are costing them and the hassle of the bigger crowds? It's starting to look like they are negatively affected just like the rest of us!
383
Reality Shows about Storage Auctions / Re: Storage Wars....Spring 2011...New Episodes
« on: April 13, 2011, 09:52:35 PM »
Just started watching a new episode tonight, and Barry shows up and there is a huge crowd. He's talking to one of the guys who says this is his first week and he's going "all in" and is going to quit his job! He better wait and see what he's in for first!
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New to Storage Auctions? / Re: What should you do when...
« on: April 12, 2011, 10:22:21 PM »
+1.....take a peak right along with him! Why not, he's the one doing wrong, not you! We've got a guy like that on some of our runs, and he get's away with everything. I just learned to snuggle up to him like he's Gisele Bundchen when he's looking in the unit! LOL! I see a lot of things I might not have otherwise seen. Why let him get all the good units?
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Stories about Storage Auctions / Re: Lookey Loos Part 4....April, 2011
« on: April 12, 2011, 07:04:55 PM »
I will skip the pod auction tomorrow at 5:00 PM because it is the one I was talking about in another post that likes to advertise all over and the local news stations have showed up the last couple of times. I have another one on Thursday that I usually do well at, but after today, I'm not holding my breath!
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Stories about Storage Auctions / Re: Lookey Loos Part 4....April, 2011
« on: April 12, 2011, 05:47:47 PM »
April is looking like crap so far. Went to auction today, one I usually do pretty good at. Instead of the 6 lockers that were supposed to be sold (including the big draw that got me up there!), they only had three, and they were pretty crappy looking. Not too crappy though I guess. First unit, a couple of new guys got into a nice little bidding war and cranked it up to $750. I think the winner of that deal was the guy that dropped out at $725!
Next unit, two guys I know bid, first guy $1, second guy upped the ante to $5. It his $30 in about a second, and then slowly moved it's way up to $130! This thing was almost totally empty and had some particle board that somebody was going to be throwing away. Not sure what that was about.
Last unit was a 5x10 inside unit, and it was packed with junk (although there was a Wal-Mart guitar in the corner) and as I was walking out the door, the last number I heard was $500 and it was still climbing! None of the regulars got one today, today was all about the noobies!
Next unit, two guys I know bid, first guy $1, second guy upped the ante to $5. It his $30 in about a second, and then slowly moved it's way up to $130! This thing was almost totally empty and had some particle board that somebody was going to be throwing away. Not sure what that was about.
Last unit was a 5x10 inside unit, and it was packed with junk (although there was a Wal-Mart guitar in the corner) and as I was walking out the door, the last number I heard was $500 and it was still climbing! None of the regulars got one today, today was all about the noobies!
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General Storage Auction Talk / Re: Has anyone ever bought a POD?
« on: April 10, 2011, 06:25:34 PM »Now we se a crowd of 8 to maybe 25 at the most, and prices are going back down.
I can't wait!
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Other Forms of Selling / Re: New non retail store idea............
« on: April 10, 2011, 12:09:57 PM »
That is very similar to how I do a lot of my stuff out of my warehouse, with the exception of having a lot of garage sales (although after this last one, I may try to do one a month through the summer). I do meet up with most of my CL buyers there, and a lot of them end up buying more stuff when they see all the inventory I have.
I think it's a good way for you to get started to see how you like it and see if you can make some money at it, but it would be hard for me to do it in that size of space. Mine is 30' x 60', and it's too small most of the time! I like to buy the 20' and 30' deep storage lockers, so if you were to go out and buy a couple of 10' x 30's, it would be hard to cram all that into a 10' x 20'!
How tall are the ceilings in the unit you are talking about? You could always throw some pallet racking in there and go up. They charge you by the square foot, not the cubic foot, so if you can go up, it's no extra charge! I have racks running down the side of my shop, but they are only 6' tall gorilla type racks. I currently am selling off a bunch of them and am going to get some 12'-14' pallet racks and a small walk behind forklift so I can get the stuff up and off the floor. I figure any furniture I get, I'll put it on a pallet, take a picture of it for CL, and then throw it up on top. Then if somebody comes in to buy it, I'll get it down. In the meantime, it's out of my way! I also plan on taking some pallets and building some 1'-2' sides on them. Then, I'll stack totes or other stuff inside them, mark the front bottom edge of the pallet with what is in there, and put them up on the racks. I've been planning this for a while, based on my reality and how I operate. I do this on a fairly large scale, so this would not work for everyone.
I think it's a good way for you to get started to see how you like it and see if you can make some money at it, but it would be hard for me to do it in that size of space. Mine is 30' x 60', and it's too small most of the time! I like to buy the 20' and 30' deep storage lockers, so if you were to go out and buy a couple of 10' x 30's, it would be hard to cram all that into a 10' x 20'!
How tall are the ceilings in the unit you are talking about? You could always throw some pallet racking in there and go up. They charge you by the square foot, not the cubic foot, so if you can go up, it's no extra charge! I have racks running down the side of my shop, but they are only 6' tall gorilla type racks. I currently am selling off a bunch of them and am going to get some 12'-14' pallet racks and a small walk behind forklift so I can get the stuff up and off the floor. I figure any furniture I get, I'll put it on a pallet, take a picture of it for CL, and then throw it up on top. Then if somebody comes in to buy it, I'll get it down. In the meantime, it's out of my way! I also plan on taking some pallets and building some 1'-2' sides on them. Then, I'll stack totes or other stuff inside them, mark the front bottom edge of the pallet with what is in there, and put them up on the racks. I've been planning this for a while, based on my reality and how I operate. I do this on a fairly large scale, so this would not work for everyone.
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General Storage Auction Talk / Re: Has anyone ever bought a POD?
« on: April 10, 2011, 11:48:25 AM »
Up in the Seattle area, the prices on pods are still beyond stupid. They have always been more costly to buy than a regular storage locker, but since the shows, they have been out of sight. It doesn't help that the main pod seller up here advertises all over craigslist and even puts up links to auction hunters and storage wars, and all of the local tv stations and newspapers have covered the last few auctions. I don't even bother going to them right now.
But, overall, I would say that the quality of items inside them is probably a little better than the typical storage locker. They are a little more expensive, and usually once they are packed, the renter doesn't have access to their stuff, so if they get behind they don't have a chance to pull the good stuff out!
But, overall, I would say that the quality of items inside them is probably a little better than the typical storage locker. They are a little more expensive, and usually once they are packed, the renter doesn't have access to their stuff, so if they get behind they don't have a chance to pull the good stuff out!
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Garage Sales / Re: First Garage Sale of the Season!
« on: April 10, 2011, 11:40:18 AM »
I actually have a 30' x 60' shop (has an office and bathroom and overhead storage) in a commercial building along a fairly well traveled road. I mainly use it for storage, and this is the first time I have ever actually held a sale there. I have meant to have a sale before, but usually I have so much stuff crammed in there, I don't want to take the time to set it all up.
This worked out well because I had just dropped off two trailer loads of tools at the auction house a couple of weeks ago, and sold some other stuff, so I had it cleaned out enough to actually get it organized again for the first time in a long time.
I know it seems kind of counter productive to invite other auction buyers to come sell at my sale, but we have a mostly different mix of stuff and it was awesome to have the help, as well as blowing people away with the selection of stuff to buy!
This worked out well because I had just dropped off two trailer loads of tools at the auction house a couple of weeks ago, and sold some other stuff, so I had it cleaned out enough to actually get it organized again for the first time in a long time.
I know it seems kind of counter productive to invite other auction buyers to come sell at my sale, but we have a mostly different mix of stuff and it was awesome to have the help, as well as blowing people away with the selection of stuff to buy!