Auction Scene #1...January, 2012

Movieman sounds like you have something that is draining the battery like a light in the glovebox that doesn't go out when closed, underhood light doing the same, just something somewhere not going off when you shut down.  This can be a real pain to find.  Good luck!

My first vehicle had this same issue. I resorted to unplugging the battery when parked. Yes, it is a less-than-stellar fix, but was cheap and not that hard.

7 facility Public Storage auction caravan~Don drives 30 miles to the first and gets a call from a buddy saying "They just paid up here.  Meet ya at the next facility."  So he turns around, heads to the next location, talks for a bit with the 'gang' and the auctioneer comes out and says the remaining auctions are cancelled due to technical issues and will be held next month.....WTF?!

Looks like we're done until next week and Don will be outta town and it's a heavily publicized auction so.....better get back to listing on ebay~

I had mentioned in another thread that I was going to attend a PS auction today, but after some thought, I'm skipping it.

We are in the classic inventory rich/cash poor situation and I need to focus on the sell-side. Ebay is offering free listings today and tomorrow on top of the normal 50/month promotion. I plan on getting about 10 listings up today and then using up the rest of my 50 this weekend.

It's a lot of listings, so I'll be spending most of my day working on that. Now, off to take pics.

"Say Cheese!"  

Going to a lot of auctions today..home for lunch between some of them.

Auction A, B, C.  Auction B was a conflict of time with Auction C.

I went to C....only 10 or so bidders as I expected, but one of them has more money than sense.
The auctioneer is weird..he is the facility owner. He always asks his local mgr how much is owed on the locker.
First one, a 10 x 30 with doors at each end, owed $1250.

The bidder with no sense (who has never been here before) offers $750. I would have started it at $300. Then it goes up until the original bidder gets it at $850. Lkr was essentially 1/2 full but stuff was spread over the entire length and width only 3 feet high. He might break even or make a bit.

Next one goes for $500 (a 10 x 10) and pretty nice. Might break even or make a bit.

Next one goes for $500...(a 10 x 10) and not so nice...first bidder got it also, so now he is in 2 lkrs for $1,350 and that was it for him.  Next two lockers are trash and each sold for $250 or so.

My contribution to this auction was to run all these people UP, UP, and UP. May they learn a lesson from this.

***

Auction A (I heard) only had 40 people but prices were outrageous.
Auctioneer is a dips**t and got to Auction B 40 minutes late so I got to go to it.
Prices outrageous. Didn't have to run any of the 80 people there up...they did it to themselves. All 4 lkrs went to newbies at high prices.

***

Home for lunch and skipping 2 facilities with only 2 lkr each.  After that the next 2 are suppsed to have 15 and 17 each but we know how that goes.

****
After lunch: facilities D and E....I heard they did indeed have 2 each and all 4 were trash. I made the right decision not to go.

Facilities F and G (15 and 19 supposedly). F went down to 9....8 were trash; #9 went for $550 because it had one of those Little Rascal type wheelchairs in it with plastic still on the arms and seats. One guy claims he can get $500 for them (of almost any brand); a regular of the 8 years I've been active said he had 2 over the years and had one of them for a year before it finally sold for $200.

Facility G I got to late because I was actually MAKING money when an eBay customer drove 90 miles to pick up an item. The "G" group did come across with 14 lkrs. Ten had been done by the time I got there. One had gone for $500 and consensus was that was twice too high. The other 9 at that point had gone between $1 and $20...what does THAT tell you?  So, with 4 left, the next 2 were trash, then a 10 x 10 about 1/4 full with a big air compressor, pallet lifter, a few small tool boxes....went for $550.

So, I ended the day only having the joy of sending a few folks away with fewer bucks and some mediocre lkrs. The only place I even bid was the very first facility I went to with about 10 bidders...and it was still a bust for me. Oh well.

Well my daughter and I attended the 5:30 auction this evening.  From a start of 8 units, we were down to 3.  I was # 19 on the bid sheet, with a good 50-60 people there.  I had heard bad things about this place but figured would go mostly to look.  Guy announces the rules and this is one of the places that takes Cash and Credit Card.  I was like oh crap.  Guy asked was there any questions and one lady pops up and ask "So you take credit cards - that means we have to pay the outstanding balance of the unit" or something like that.  I gaged and had to work hard to smother a laugh.  I was like you got to be kidding me.

As for the units:  Frist - full 10x10 with dresser, couch, baby items (stroller, bouncy, etc), full but tossed in every which way.  Sold for $475 to one of the new regulars (3 months).  Second unit was another 10x10 with a beat up cheap trunk, a nice looking wood trunk, 1 nice display type cabinet for nick-nacks.  About the size of a old medicine cabinet.  The rest of the furniture was beat, broken, and water stained.  Some guy and his wife won it for $375.  Last unit was another 10x10 that when they opened the door I saw about a dozen office/computer chairs stacked on top of other stuff.  Was in back of the crowd and I didn't even stop to look.  Just kept going and got in my truck.

4 units in paper up for sale Friday.  90% chance of rain Friday and 100% Saturday.  If strike out Friday will try Sunday and then we will be into Feb.

We are in the classic inventory rich/cash poor situation and I need to focus on the sell-side.

It's a lot of listings, so I'll be spending most of my day working on that. Now, off to take pics.

"Say Cheese!"  

CHEEESE! 

We too are inventory rich /cash poor. There was only one auction this week and it was in a town north of us. Like this place, but skipped it. Auction on Monday new place for us and right down the road. Only 4 units, so with income tax may get paid up.  Our Thrift is having problems still. Sells have dropped to nothing, Will go pick up things that I know will sell at the Flea. Need to get that money rolling in.

Spent the day picking my hoarding Aunts house. Work paid with items to sell and will sell for her for a commission. She has really nice stuff. So got a truck load of stuff for the flea this Sunday. Thinking about holding off on some of the clothes (think just a bad time of year for them). undecided.

Got two radio flyer wagons one regular size and then a small one. And a enamel bread box. Just worry about I might end up owing her money, I like her stuff. 
Plus she is into smalls , I need all the help I can get in that department. 

Good Luck to all.

Had our big corporate facility caravan run and a small independent facility auction yesterday. The other big corporate facility run on Tuesday I skipped but heard it was the usual junk for rediculous prices.

The big corporate auction only had 13 units between 3 locations. I think thats the least amount I have seen on this run. We started with 80+ people but because of the rain and high prices we ended with about 40+. I counted 9 regular bidders, about 10 older newbies or regular lurkers and the rest new faces. What I did'nt see was ANY newbies that won units on this same run in November and December. That is a clear indication to me that they lost money on the units or have turned over so little inventory or so little profit they have already given up on "storage wars". As usual, the new newbies paid the premiums and won most of the units. One guy who has won a unit or two at other auctions decided to gamble with the high prices and he won two units. It will be interesting to see if he is back next month or if going big to compete with the new newbies will wipe him out. The average price for a 5 x 10 3/4 full to full is now just north of $400.

At the independent facility had 6 units. We lost about half the regular bidders, and 3/4 of the newbies. Prices came down to where you could make some money on a unit. One of the regulars that I am friends with won two units for pretty decent prices. Unfortunately, I had to fight off a newbie for the unit I wanted so I paid at the upper level of my limit. (10 x 10 3/4 full) I haven't gone through the whole unit and inventoried everything but I think a realistic estimate is I will make 1.5 times the money back, if things go better than expected, I could double the money. Anyway at least I got my first unit of the year, so I'm up and running in 2012. Not sure I expect to win as many units this year as last year do to the prices, but as we like to say, and I heard plenty of yesterday, "You Never Know!"

Well my streak of only 2 units a month avg continues.  Struck out last night (didn't even bid) and didn't win any of the 4 units just now.  Today's auction is one that only holds auctions every other month.  Normally the lockers are not great but ok, and the prices match.  Today was a mix story.  I was # 17 on the bidding sheet.  We were using the back of the page which is a first.  Saw only 3 other regulars.  The rest were new faces to me.

Unit 1) Particle board furniture, table w/ no chairs, odds and ends - $175 (noob)
Unit 2) Washer (coin op), Dryer, 1 tub with looks like a blanket, couch, and boombox - $85 (noob)
Unit 3) Bed frames, guitar, plastic trees - $50 (I didn't bid to give one of the regulars chance to win)
Unit 4) 3 matresses, 2 box springs, dresser w/ cloths, round table w/ 2 chairs, stack of CDs and various DVD cases. - $200 (regular I think)

I bid on unit 2 and 4.  Passed on 3 since regular liked it.  He has lost money his last 2 units.  As he said I could of bid $60 and gotten it.  Told him it was ok - other then the guitar ($50), not worth the cleaning w/ chance of rain.

Unit 4 I liked - was about the best looking unit except for the matress/boxspring.  I stayed in till $100 and quit.  Cost me $20 to dump the matress/box and the furniture looked marginal.

Previous auction I may of been able to get #2 for $50, #3 if had wanted it, and #4 for 100 or less.  Is why I love this place.  Can normally get cheap lockers that don't have a WOW factor, but make you money.

Calling to confirm the auction on Sunday.  However, I think it will be as much of a circus as MLK monday and Saturday auctions are.

The regular that bought #3 - talking with him about yesterday afternoon at the Public Storage auctions.  He said there was moderate (50+) crowds at the 3 facilities.  He paid $300 for a unit and said he will loosse $200.  This on top of his $120 loss from our caravan at start of the month.  Told him he was skunking out.  He is one of the old regulars that didn't give me a hard time when started and even told me some of the companies to watch out for.  So I try to re-pay the kindness when I can.  So on a marginal locker I'll pass on it if he is winning.

Forgot to mention:  Place has 1 other location near where I live.  Can't make it as too far from work so called father to hit it up.  Only 1 small unit there.  If none of the noobs go, we may snag it for cheap.  Waiting on a phone call now

Rainy day Thur, went to first auction with 30 bidders, prices remain reasonable for smaller units and high for large units. Picked up 2 units at this facility. Last two stops of Public Storage had 20 bidders but only 5 units, prices higher with this crowd, 200-300 for small interior units, didn't see it. Scored my first gold ring, new DVD player, bunch of great kids clothes/toys. Yardsales are huge in my area and this is great inventory.

Gratz on the ring Millertime.  Sounds like at least decent size crowd compared to the 50+ I keep seeing.  I'm still waiting on my gold.  Keep getting close but no cigar.  So far a class ring (fake w/ no stone), gold plated ring w/ tag, junk jewelry.  Only thing so far is sterling silver bracelets.

Talked to dad about the other facility that I didn't attend.  Crowd was about 1/2 of what I had.  Think due to just being 1 unit.  The unit sold for $450 however.  I was surprised when he told me as the paper just said BBQ, boxes, bags.  He said it was a 10x10 with one of the nice large grills that you can use charcole or gas.  Everything else was so/so.  He said grill prob would be a 200 sell.  But didn't see where the rest of the money was going to come from.  Think it was one of the new regulars that got it.

Here's a pic of the crowd of 80 or so who were at 3 auctions I went to on the 26th.

I did a new run today bought 3 lockers. Crowd was fair about 25 to 30. 

1) 5X10 some boxes that were jumbled up with a military uniform and a EMT uniform sitting on the top dirty old. About 1/3 full cost $30

2) 10X20 about 1/3 full must be a over a 100 boxes saw a nice looking oak table. Unit dirty $400

3) 10X15 about 1/2 full.  Cleaned this one out already about 75 boxes well packed lots of boxe marked Mom and Dads or Grandmas. $300

I did find some information that someone was in the Navy on #3 and the customs service found a 20 years of service from the Customs service.  Hauled stuff home have not sorted yet. 1060 pounds to the dump already.

I rented the big one for a month figured I would not get it cleaned out in the 48 hours allowed.  Did find out it was a woman who was involved in Horse rescue. Maybe I will find some saddles.

@ Movieman that looks just like here in Florida.

I did a new run today bought 3 lockers. Crowd was fair about 25 to 30. 
  Did find out it was a woman who was involved in Horse rescue. Maybe I will find some saddles.

Sounds good on the lockers.

On the rescue thing  not sure what you will get out of that. Most of them run on a shoe string. Down here it is crazy with the animals, people turning them loose because they can't feed them. And a lot of hoarding issues with animals.  Hope you find something in that unit.

The $30 unit belonged to a guy who used to own a sporting goods store in Renton that I had done business with.  He left with about a dozen guys ready to kill him since he sold guns on consignment and never paid off the owners.  He is in Alaska now. Got about 20 holsters a fair amount of ammo all kinds not a lot but a couple hundred worth. Got 2 fake guns the metal Japanese made ones. A puma knife, 3 S&W grips, a bunch of vintage 1960 scouting stuff, lot of police and EMT patches two badges one EMT one ambulance. Lot of uniforms a few Harley items lots of other interesting items.  The usual dirty magazines and condoms. Probably $400 to $500.
 
Hauled one load from the biggest locker will sort some tonight and try another load tomorrow. Found about 10 pounds of Rat crap so far is all.
 
Took 720 pounds to the dump from the $30 locker. I am not into that locker $75 but no more dump fees on that one. 
 

Just found out my normal sealed bid auction most likely will not have units this month, on top of that the same place is where I sell out of, well snow plow driver hit me well I was going around row of locker. SOB