Storage Auctions
The Storage Locker => Reality Shows about Storage Auctions => Topic started by: MovieMan on January 08, 2014, 08:25:49 PM
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I got reacquainted with why I stopped watching the tv shows.
An episode from Season 2 in New York showed one of the newer guys buying a crap locker for over $1,000.
It was a 5 x 10 showing nothing but bulky, black garbage bags filling the door.
Sure enough, he starts opening them and lo and behold, plastic water bottles. Other stuff he pulled out was similar crap including a half eaten sandwich in a paper bag. Can you say street person ?
BUT....there was one little bag with I think 4 plastic Pez dispensers inside...shaped like pistols. He goes to a Pez convention in Connecticut where an expert appraises them at a total of $3,400 with each priced in the $800 to $1,600 range.
I just looked them up on eBay...not exactly the same ones I'm sure...but the prices ranged from $40 to $90...those were the completed prices.
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I was at that auction. The producers made them buy that one because they needed to have one for the show. They actually told them they didn't want it but the producers made them bid and subsequently paid for it so not a bad deal for them.
And of course they put their one little bag of treats to make sure they could get it checked out... its ridiculous.
I sometimes play at home and ebay things when they come up and not once have I found a price remotely close to what they get quoted.
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Movieman, you're totally right as far as the evaluations being way off. Not only are the appraisals from the professionals unrealistic, but the buyers 1st guess on items as they're pulling them out are 4-5 times high.
I can barely stomach watching any of the shows now because of how predictable they are. If it's a crap locker you know someone's going to score an item in the back work 2-3K. I've been doing this over 2 years and have purchased 94 lockers and have yet to find any single item of value over $900. I can literally count on both hands the items that have been worth in the $500 to $900 range. These guys find items worth over $1,000 in every other locker! If you're new and thinking about hitting it big with one purchase you're better off going to the casino.
Just the other day the Texas big guys pulled out a Lane Cedar chest in decent condition. "That's an easy $400-$500 all day," said the bigger man. It took me 3 months to sell a cherry Lane Cedar chest recently and I got $80 for it here in the Seattle market.
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I chuckled when I heard the same comment on the Texas show.
I got a whopping $50 for my Lane chest - in Tacoma. Got more for the Roos chest though!
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I haven't had a Lane chest for maybe 5 years, but as I recall the two I had each brought between $75 and $125.
They have to be in beautiful shape to do that too. Guess hope chests aren't as in vogue as they used to be.
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Maybe the Texas Big Men's chest was lined with silver? About a year ago I had a lower end Lane chest and it sold for $20. I kind of wish I kept the nice one that I sold for $80, especially since I now know that it's worth $500 :D
Don't you guys love how everyone uses the saying "I'll have to get this checked out," when in reality all they have to do is a simple Google or Ebay completed listing search.
What else have you guys noticed that is way overpriced during initial evaluations or professional appraisals on Storage Wars? I'm always laughing when Mary and Jenny are stating what they can get for large pieces of furniture such as China Hutches or large dressers. For example a dresser will be totally beat up and not worthy of $10-$20 in my opinion, and it's $400-$500 in their dream world. But wait! They found the top portion and it's actually a china hutch so it's worth $1,200 now!!! I sold a pretty nice solid wood china hutch with all of it's glass shelving tonight for $85, and I was absolutely thrilled to get that beast out of my garage (been in there for 6 months).
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Just the other day the Texas big guys pulled out a Lane Cedar chest in decent condition. "That's an easy $400-$500 all day," said the bigger man. It took me 3 months to sell a cherry Lane Cedar chest recently and I got $80 for it here in the Seattle market.
I saw that too...and just laughed. I just sold an oversized cedar chest that looked like it was never used. Took a few weeks to sell at $150. Heck, several furniture makers sell them brand new for $300.
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What else have you guys noticed that is way overpriced during initial evaluations or professional appraisals on Storage Wars? I'm always laughing when Mary and Jenny are stating what they can get for large pieces of furniture such as China Hutches or large dressers. For example a dresser will be totally beat up and not worthy of $10-$20 in my opinion, and it's $400-$500 in their dream world. But wait! They found the top portion and it's actually a china hutch so it's worth $1,200 now!!! I sold a pretty nice solid wood china hutch with all of it's glass shelving tonight for $85, and I was absolutely thrilled to get that beast out of my garage (been in there for 6 months).
Or you've got to love it when they lose their ass on a unit and decide to use the materials for a painting. Some of the paintings look good, but you could have found that same piece of wood sitting by a dumpster. Did you really have to spend $500 on a unit?