That was a nice hit on that vest!

Movieman gave you good advice.  Try to get on some of the lists to start, and then eventually you'll get on more and more.  After a while, you will get to know which ones you prefer.  Most of us don't go to every auction anyway, but I like to know about them so I have "options".   That way, if there are too many people on a certain run, you can jump off and try someplace else that hopefully has fewer people. 

People on CL are looking for a deal, but two things really help.  One, is that timing is key.  It seems that CL sales really pick up from around the 3rd of the month until around the 15th.  Most government checks come on the 3rd, so those people have their money for the month.  Second, PICTURES, PICTURES, PICTURES!  Don't be a BOZO!  Take good pictures and your stuff will sell a lot easier!  I don't even look at ads without them, and if something looks crappy in the pictures, it's usually worse in person. 

There are a lot of people losing money right now.  I've seen many units sold for way more than what they were worth.  One guy was buying stuff left and right, and he blew through over 15 grand in about four auctions, including buying one locker with a lot of nice looking furniture for $7600 (plus tax, he was in it in the mid 8's!  I've talked to him quite a bit now, and the other day he told me he will be lucky if he get's 5k back out of that locker, and his wife is starting to get a little mad at him.  Their garage is full and he has spent a lot of their savings and they haven't made any money yet.

I was also selling a few clothes at a shop I do business with, and the owner's husband was there, and he started talking about storage auctions.  He told me he was going to get him and his buddy to each put in $600 and they were going to go to the auctions and "tear it up"!  I told him I know guys that go with $20K, and they aren't even "tearing it up" right now!

I do think it is starting to stabilize a little bit.....I got 2 1/2 this week (split one) but prices are still a lot higher than they used to be.  Paid $50, $360, and $1075.  Before, that would have been $10-$20, $150, and maybe $400-$500!

I love it when that happens!  I found a black powder pistol from three months ago in a tub I had never looked through.  My friend asked me what I wanted to do with a tub he had in his hands, and I told him I better go through it because I hadn't got around to that one yet.  He pulls out a couple of things and I'd tell him to put it in the donate or sell box, depending on what it was.  Got down to about two layers of stuff wrapped in paper in the bottom and we both grabbed a piece.  Mine was a gold tinted coca cola glass and his was a matching pitcher.  I thought that was pretty cool, I'd sell those and make a couple of bucks at a garage sale.  Then he moved a few more pieces and he says "Dude, there's a gun in here"!  I thought yeah, right.  I told him maybe it's a cigarette lighter, because I absolutely did not expect any guns in this particular unit.  He kept insisting and pulled it out and said "here, unwrap it".  So, I did and it was a Spanish reproduction black powder pistol.  Pretty good shape, little minor rust, but looked and functioned fine.  Sold it for 75 bucks to another friend!

Moral of the story.....Check your tubs and boxes!

I'll be brief.  Auction today.  125 people in attendance.  Three lockers for sale!  Fun was had by all!

I skipped the auction today and bought a bunch of tools from an unadvertised estate sale.  I got tipped off by a friend, and I got to browse through them last night and make an offer.  They called me back this morning and told me they had a few more things they wanted to add, so I went back over there around noon and looked everything over again and made a new offer.  They called me back about a half hour later, so I took a couple of truck loads to my shop this afternoon.  50 Power tools!  Plus all kinds of accessories, and an antique apple peeler, an old bayonet, saws, router bits, table saw, band saw, specialty tools, bull float, wood and metal clamps, etc, etc. 

In the meantime, I heard the auction that I skipped today had a ton of people, and approx. 20 units sold for over 11K!  Holy crap!  I guess some of them went for well over a grand each.  Lot's of "learning" going on there today!  I think the estate in the hand was better than an overpriced storage locker!  I'm still going tomorrow morning (although with three units and the advertising they've done on CL and their reader board, it's probably a waste of time) and every day next week. 

Went to what would normally be a small quiet auction today and it was everything but.  Nothing new, way too many people showing up for way too few units.  Most of the units were pretty lame and sold for way too much.  The couple that were minimally acceptable went for way too much. 

I bid on a 50-75 unit, and I ran the "winner" up to 350 and dropped it.  The regulars were shaking their heads.  Even the auctioneer was shaking his head (and counting his money!)

I also bid on the other unit, a solid 200 locker if I've ever seen one.  I went to 300, and the bidding stalled out and I was actually afraid I was going to get stuck with it.  But, my fear was for naught when two noobies got caught up in the moment, and it went to 675!  Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups!