Auction Scene #9...September, 2012

Ho hum.

Ugh!! Slow beginning to September. Looks like everyone else is in the same boat. Selling is down to a slow trickle and buying is non-existent.

I finally have an auction tomorrow. Two locations and one has never had a public auction to my knowledge. Should be interesting. Will keep you posted.

Alright~time to liven this place up a bit! 
August stunk for us.  Minimal auctions with prices too high and Don and I both bought stinkers.  We'll make the money back, but finding venues to sell from has been tough with weather conditions.  We're either sweltering or showering.   And craigslist has completely died!

So we missed Cubesmart this month as we didn't have a ton of capital nor did we feel like dealing with long drives to look at piles of garbage.  Talking to a couple regulars today told us we made the right choice.

Today found us caravaning with a Phoenix based auctioneer who comes down here every other month.  His auctions usually draw a huge crowd and high prices, but I've gotten some great units too.  Well today found a a minimal crowd (about 15 at the start) and lots of pretty good units.  We are watching our finances, so were being quite picky.  I did buy one for $10 that I will come close to making 10X the investment.

On to the next two facilities where I saw nothing I wanted then on to a facility with 9 units up for auction.  Ended up buying 2 for $200 each.  First one had a locked tool box....just the smaller 4 drawer kind, a washer, dryer, treadmill, a couple crates of dvd's and beyond that.....who knows.  It was packed full.  Told Don I'd go to about $350 on it.  Couldn't believe it when I got it for $200~one thing to note was a regular with deep pockets looked over and asked if I had the bid (@ $200).  I nodded and he grinned and said "Sell it!"  Felt good to know he would step aside for us......guess we've officially arrived at regular status.

A couple more units that were ok, but nothing that jazzed us until the final one opened and it was quite full of furniture.  Went head to head with a couple guys outta Vegas.  Landed it at $200.  Should be a good one with two dining sets (real wood), a wild assed sectional (hope it's all there) and some wicker furniture.  We'll see, but I think it will be prove to be quite profitable.

Went on to the next facility and really wondered why as 3 lockers is a lot to unload, but thought what the heck.  While waiting for the auctioneer we borrowed a pair of bolt cutters from a cantankerous old fart (we actually like each other....we just don't let anybody know) and broke into the one tool box we took from the one unit.  It was full.......of tools!!!  And not just made in China crap tools, but some serious good air/impact body working type tools.  Also found a diagnostic test kit in there.  Hoping for more tools or the air compressor tomorrow!

Didn't buy another locker and bowed out as we were tired, hot and hungry.  Came home and were hit with the most monstrous storm of the season.  Had to pull a few folks out of the sandbar that now crosses just south of our home.  Yikes.

I have no idea how we did here, but feel we may have knocked it outta the park.  Will update tomorrow as we will get everything back here and start the 'dig'.

Tired now.....gonna kick back and research some more tools~

That is nice Rockin - sounds like you did good.  The washer/dryer alone if works is your $200 right there.  Which would make everything else in that unit profit.

I missed auctions last month due to work.  Was sent out of town just before my 3 facility auction that my daughter loves.  Buddy said crowds were normal for that auction - and he got a 10x30 packed full for $950.  Missed some of the later auctions last part of the month due to work but those I normally miss.

This month's auctions start today.  Will be missing today's auction due to a meeting that was rescheduled due to Monday being a holiday.  Also, I will miss next weeks 7 facility caravan due to dang workgroup I was assigned to wednesday....grrr.  Good news - have 3 facility caravan on Saturday.  Not going to be many units from the sound of it.  Silent bid auction but sometimes I can get a decent score.

On the selling - both craigslist and ebay have gone cold again.  Not made it out to the flea due to work/family obligations.  So hopefully some of that will turn around...I need to make some money.

Yard sale picking has made me some money.  Have more inventory then anything since I keep buying and not had a chance to sell......

Rockin, Craigs, I'm going to make the assumption that you guys are primarily selling furniture & other large items on Craigslist. I would think that sales of furniture that would look good & fit well in a college dorm room would be big sellers right now. Probably most kids have moved in to the dorms by now, but there may be a few stragglers. I did well selling desks (student,office) last month.

Other then the desks and small dressers, my other sales have slowed as well; but I have changed my sales strategy. I'm not a big retail shopper, but i spent some time last month doing product research at retail stores and I was shocked at how much everything has gone up in price!

Even places like Walmart, Big Lots, Thrift Stores of America, Target were selling (albeit new) crappy chinese furniture for hundreds of dollars. Little crappy computer desks go for $150 at Walmart now. Little crappy 4 chair dining table sets $250!

So I raised my prices and advertised solid wood furniture, made in the U.S.A. Sure the calls have slowed down, but I think  a lot of sales were going to other pickers and re-sellers who were just gonna flip the furniture themselves.

I've decided I'm not gonna sell vintage solid wood American made furniture for less then the crap they sell at Target, Walmart, Big Lots, et. al.

Friday, 9/7/2012...

Got 2 today; a 10 x 10 and a 10 x 30.  Details later. Worked all day and flea sales tomorrow.

Wow what a day. First facility had 9 of the ten units left. The last bid number handed out was 57. That takes a lot of time when so many of the units are upstairs. Temps were in the mid 90's today. Do I have to say hot with all of those bodies in such a confined space.
There was a lot of junk but three of the units looked good. Prices ranged between $5.00 (only thing I saw in that one worth anything was a 5 gallon Home Depot bucket) to $700.00 (Unit was pretty nice but not for that much. I put a $300.00 price on it). Most units that I was only willing to bid $150-$200 went for $300-$400. One new couple that I had never seen before bought 3 units.
Second facility has just been bought by the owner of the first facility. I was talking to him when we got there and he said he had 80 lockers that had been behind on rent. 30 had paid up. Today he sold 20 of them (only 15 were listed with the auctioneer). He still has 30 that he has liened. He will be having another sale in November to clear the rest out (something to look forward to).
Several bidders dropped off but picked up a few new ones so I would guess there were about 45. I started talking to some of the bidder while waiting for the auction to start. Many had come as far as 50+ miles away. One lady had a storage there before the new owner took over. She told me that the first owner hadn't been doing the auto pay for her unit so on the day before escrow closed he called her and told her she owed $3000.00. If she could come up with any money that day he would let her have her stuff. She paid him $400.00. She was hoping there would be some good units because others maybe couldn't come up with any money.
Of the 20 units 7 looked really good. Again most went to high for me. One unit went for $5.00 (showing several dozen mason jars with mystery stuff in them and a seat out of a car. Still amazes me how many of those are in storage lockers). One unit went for $1100.00 (Set of quad tires and rims, bicycle, couch, neat tiger wood trunk, etc.).
I purchased a unit with the following showing. Nice neutral couch, oak dinning table and ladder back chairs, headboard and one matching nightstand, HUGE tv, X-box, 2 guitar hero guitars, one box, round metal tray, rock-band box for x-box 360. I paid $200.00. Couch is a hide-a bed, tv works, box is full of nice blankets, metal tray is a nice hammered brass, rock-band is the drum set and is brand new (everyone told me it was empty which is normally my luck) 2 house speakers that were hiding behind the tv, large framed world map behind sofa, microwave, and a few other small items. All in all I did ok with this one.
The man that purchased the $5.00 unit did the best out of all of us. His unit was next to mine and he kept coming over to show me what he found. There were 5 or 6 boxes under the seat. One had a full 12 piece set of green coke glasses with handles one had some cool porcelain statues. One had a full set of china. Not sure what was in the rest but he was thrilled.
Sorry for the book but it was one of the funnest days I have at an auction in a long time.

Cobia - most of the stuff I sell are electronics, odds n ends, etc.  Furniture I take to my buddies thrift store to move.

3 facility caravan - silent auction - 16 registered bidders, about 25 people total.  Was 3 old regulars, 2 6-mo regulars, and the rest new faces to me and I know for a fact 2 sets of newbies.  15 total units today.  I ended up with 4 units total for right at $200.  We had some nice tool units for a change.  If it wasn't for the newbies I would of won them.  As it is one newbie won 5 units (paid $300 for one tool unit) and their friend bought 2.  I know for a fact they were new as they had no locks, had to buy from facility, was asking all the newbie questions, etc.  Think they are going to end up haven to rent the units out they bought so many.

So I will be busy for the next few days helping wife and cleaning units....plus full time job.  If the ring I found in my $5.55 unit is real I will have found my 2nd gold ring in a year.

Friday, 9/7/2012...

Got 2 today; a 10 x 10 and a 10 x 30.  Details later. Worked all day and flea sales tomorrow.

It's Sunday, 6 pm on the west coast and finally a quiet moment.

The crowd at the 3 auctions I went to (a chain) was small...maybe 15 of us there with 6 of my close competitors among them.

The first place is normally not too good but there were a couple and I probably should have bid on them but didn't. Two people will be happy with the results they got for the reasonable prices they paid.

Next place had 15 !  They usually list that many and it goes down to 5 to 7, but not this time. Thought I should strike and I did getting the 10 x 10 for $180. It was nice and clean with 18 sealed boxes nicely labeled (and accurately labeled too). A lot of books (including bibles) and 125 DVDs. One of the guys asked me later if they were all full and I reminded him of the appearance of the lkr and while that isn't always the case, it was this time. I brought in $75 from the DVDs I sold and still a lot left.

The other good point about the 10 x 10 was that the former owner was there. I got a check from her (post-dated) for $100 for the promise on my part of providing her with certain bags of clothing and of course all the photos, etc. SOoooo..lkr coming out good.

Third facility had 2 lkrs. I got a 10 x 30 for $200; it's full around the sides and back to a level of 4 feet or so and holds good promise so happy with it too.

Hot here in California as it is in other parts of the country but one difference is we get NO rain until maybe Dec. Sure a sprinkle once a month until then, but no real rain, and can be 100 into late October.

Anyway, business as usual with some good surprises and (as usual) a lot of work !

It's Sunday, 6 pm on the west coast and finally a quiet moment.

The crowd at the 3 auctions I went to (a chain) was small...maybe 15 of us there with 6 of my close competitors among them.

The first place is normally not too good but there were a couple and I probably should have bid on them but didn't. Two people will be happy with the results they got for the reasonable prices they paid.

Next place had 15 !  They usually list that many and it goes down to 5 to 7, but not this time. Thought I should strike and I did getting the 10 x 10 for $180. It was nice and clean with 18 sealed boxes nicely labeled (and accurately labeled too). A lot of books (including bibles) and 125 DVDs. One of the guys asked me later if they were all full and I reminded him of the appearance of the lkr and while that isn't always the case, it was this time. I brought in $75 from the DVDs I sold and still a lot left.

The other good point about the 10 x 10 was that the former owner was there. I got a check from her (post-dated) for $100 for the promise on my part of providing her with certain bags of clothing and of course all the photos, etc. SOoooo..lkr coming out good.

Third facility had 2 lkrs. I got a 10 x 30 for $200; it's full around the sides and back to a level of 4 feet or so and holds good promise so happy with it too.

Hot here in California as it is in other parts of the country but one difference is we get NO rain until maybe Dec. Sure a sprinkle once a month until then, but no real rain, and can be 100 into late October.

Anyway, business as usual with some good surprises and (as usual) a lot of work !

its great to hear your got a couple good ones , where in california are you im thinking of moving in a couple years but that heat would kick my behind .

 ...where in california are you im thinking of moving in a couple years but that heat would kick my behind .

Didn't you already move from Texas to the Sacramento area? Seems to me I remember you going to an auction in Yuba City recently.

Edit: Did a search here on Yuba City and it was member "leota" who went to the auction there.

Anyway, anywhere in the central valley of California from Fresno to Yuba City will hit 100 on any given summer day without a problem. You want cool breezes...move to Santa Barbara....of course a 3 bedroom house from the 1950s will run you $300K there.

    I bought a unit in Santa Barbara last week. It was at an auction where there were 5 lockers, but only 4 bidders. Each bidder got one locker and one locker didn't sell. My buy was a 5x10 for $325. The view was mostly blocked by a mattress and boxspring. A construction worker toolbelt w/ handtools was visible, along with a 50ft extension cord. A kids plush rocking horse was on top of the mattress.
    As luck would have it, there were more tools, quality cookware, nice clothes, a solid mahogany raised panel bed and two nightstands. The 36 inch flatscreen was a nice bonus. I should be able to get about $1200 out of it at my shop.

Didn't you already move from Texas to the Sacramento area? Seems to me I remember you going to an auction in Yuba City recently.

Edit: Did a search here on Yuba City and it was member "leota" who went to the auction there.

Anyway, anywhere in the central valley of California from Fresno to Yuba City will hit 100 on any given summer day without a problem. You want cool breezes...move to Santa Barbara....of course a 3 bedroom house from the 1950s will run you $300K there.

thank you for the info! Ive lived in long island ny for most of my life . The home prices actually sound a little cheaper in santa barbara than here . A run down 3 br cape on a 40x100 lot here would be over 300k and the taxes would be over 6k a year to boot

If you want more info on Santa Barbara real estate go here:
http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-search/Santa-Barbara_CA?source=web

There are some townhomes in the $300,000 range. Small, poorly situated, single family homes are more like $400.000. Half decent ones are more like $600.000 to $800.000. Nice homes are a mil or two. Pulling enough $$$ out of a storage locker to buy a home here would take a miracle.

My Monday caravan has come and gone.  Crowd was up from other auctions but still not that bad.  About 20 bidders or so.  We lost a few of the newbies when it started to rain on us.  28 units up for sale this time.  Prices were mostly low, with a few great low buys, and a few nice lockers going for decent prices.  I didn't get agressive on anything since didn't see anything that really grabbed me and I'm full on inventory right now.  Did buy a $5 5x10 that had a bamboo ladder showing, some trash, 3 boxes with cloths, etc.  Be a quick 10 min clean out job.  Purchased unit as I saw a tan leather jacket and what looked like a box for an air matress.  That and $5 is nothing and very easy to make money on units like that.

Don't think I'll make any other auctions this month due to conflicts with work.  We will have to wait and see.