Here's a few interesting finds that I've run across, some gross and some unique:

1.  3'x2'x2' box of *****'s, strap-ons, and other sexual toys.  All used of course!
2.  5 Gallon carboy glass jar full of piss and one giant dump.
3.  Solid maple antique work bench with solid would vice screws
4.  Antique Chinese Mahjong table
5.  Glass case filled with small animal skeletons
6.  200 DVD Porn collection (from a womans locker)
7.  500 bottle vintage liquor collection (un-opened)
8.  200 Johova's Witness Books and about 1000 magazines (ended up dumping them in one of those book donation bins)
9.  A bunch of Japanese Anime figures and toys
10. 30 unopened Christmas Presents

There are so many more wierd and interesting items but my memories of them are starting to blend together.  For all of you newbies looking to find treasure, it takes many hours of hard work and dozens of runs to the dump to in order to find something as cool as a jug of piss and ****!   

NORTHWEST REPORT HERE:  As the end of the month is approaching a few auctions sprung up, so I decided to test the waters today to see if any opportunities came my way.  I'm currently working about 65 miles south of my home (driving daily) so I thought I would try some new facilities during my "early lunch."  So far this month the quality has been very low and the prices have been average to high.  This month has brought some of the most disgusting lockers that I have seen in a while.  Now onto the report:

Auction #1:  Stop 1 of an auction train for a large national chain facility in a low income part of town.  There were roughly 25 people present with 15 bidders.  Even being 65 miles from home I still recognized 3 major players.  When I saw them I knew if anything "good" came up it wouldn't be going cheap.  First unit was a dirty couch and 3 mattresses.  It didn't sell.  Second unit was a 10x20 3/4 full with basic low end household items and lot's of kids toys / clothes.  This went for $300 which I thought was a decent deal, but not my cup of tea.  There were a couple of full 10x10's that sold next for $275 and $400.  Yes, the volume was there but the quality wasn't.  The 6th unit was a 10x25 packed 3/4 full that seemed to grab all of the newbies attention.  In the front there were 10-15 clear plastic bins and about ten of them contained Christmas items and 5 were blankets and linens.  I was trying really hard to find something of real value and all I could find was a beat up older rolling tool chest in the front.  Opening bid was $250 and it quickly went to $600, then one of the regulars that I recognized yelled out "$900" from the back.  At that point a newbie got all excited and within 15 seconds the newbie won it for $1,400.  I was thinking $600 max, but maybe he'll do OK on it......I overheard him say that he had a storage unit at the facility next door, and he was going to dolly everything down the street to that unit.  Wow!!! 

Auction #2:  I left the train and hit up a facility that is hooked up with a local auctioneer call Tillmon's Auctions.  I've heard some shady things about this auctioneer but thought there might be some value visiting this facility with all of the other auctions going on.  This was a very nice facility with only 12 bidders for two units.  Now, this auctioneer brought his "daughter in training" along and apparently she was setup to run the auction.  They opened the door on the first unit (10x10) and right away the first thing that came to my mind was that it had been gone through and was staged to look appealing to the untrained eye.  All of the boxes had been gone through, there was a crappy couch, and in the front on the floor was a cheap jewelery case out in the open for everyone to see.  I was thinking $30-$40 locker MAX.  The bidding started and within 10 seconds it was up to $250!  I was confused as to what just happened because I didn't see anyone bidding.  I looked closer and Tillmon the auctioneer dude was bidding on the unit?!  The bidding ballooned up to $385 and the auctioneer was clearly bidding the unit up in order for "his daughter" to make more on the buyers premium.  This was the most blatant fraud that I have seen in the 15 months that I have been doing auctions.  The funny thing was that it backfired and Tillmon was the high bidder at $385!!   At that point his daughter addressed the crowed and said, "You know you can keep bidding if he is bidding."  She then tried to talk up the unit and no one was buying it so he "won" the locker.  After I saw that crap I walked out, got in my car, and drove off as fast as I could.  What a joke!

Another month with poor quality, newbies paying rediculous prices, and auctioneers running scams to make a buck!!

Cobia, stories like this are quite common these days which sucks, but on the bright side you never see these folks again the next month.  Only problem is there are more 1st time newbie buyers willing to overpay for a few units in search of treasures the following month. 

A few months ago I watched a young couple buy a 10x15 packed 100% floor to ceiling with boxes at a silent auction.  After the auction I walked by their unit and they were going through a couple of boxes so I started asking them a few questions.  They said they were super excited because it was their first auction ever won,  which is fine because I think we all were excited on our first.  Upon further questions I learned that they didn't own a trailer, but had a Suburban to haul away everything.  I also learned that they lived about 30 miles from the auction!  By my calculations I was thinking maybe 20 Suburban loads?! 

There excitement slowly went down the drain as the woman pulled out two boxes full of rocks and one box full of index cards!  I felt a little sorry for them but at the same time I couldn't help but smile knowing that I would probably never see them again.  Sure enough it's been three months and they have yet to show up eager to buy!

With the high fee's at auction houses and consignment stores have any of you found it worth while to sell through these avenues?  I was thinking that maybe antiques, art, or unique furniture pieces may be worth looking into, but have yet to try it and continued to use Craigslist and Ebay to sell.

"New Regular" here, who's been a long time lurker over the last year and has really enjoyed the insight and knowledge gained from this forum.  Thanks everyone!

I agree with Cobia and Craiglauction regarding freshness of inventory and the sliding scale for current inventory.  I do this as a hobby on the side to make extra money so I don't have a store or a warehouse to keep and move my inventory.  I actually don't even have a garage and have done 53 units this year, so managing space is key for me and keeping the wife happy (too much sh** in the house).   

I tend to donate most of the clothes (except name brand) that I find mainly because I'd rather not store them and for me they don't do well at garage sales.  I do the occasional lot on Ebay but overall it's not worth the time, for me.  This is a personal preference, but for someone who only buys 1 or 2 units a month they may want to spend more time with the clothes.  I'd rather get rid of them, focus on other items, and purchase more inventory.

Sometimes it's tough donating or tossing items that have a little bit of potential, but it's almost like a breath of fresh air so that you can move on to the next unit.