Storage Auctions
The Storage Locker => Stories about Storage Auctions => Topic started by: MovieMan on February 19, 2013, 08:28:23 AM
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I haven't even made a delivery in several years, and I'm happy to say those that I have made have been without pain. ;D
Also, what kinds of limitations if any do you put on deliveries?
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Also, what kinds of limitations if any do you put on deliveries?
Pretty much only one...pay me before it gets unloaded.
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Not terrible wrong but kind of amusing. Sold a very heavy couch and loveseat to a guy who didn't have a truck. He paid up front and we agreed to deliver it the next day. We had just emptied a storage unit with lots of heavy stuff and while on the way to the guys house we were saying "he better not expect us to carry this stuff far or go up stairs". Sure enough we turn the corner to find a three story apartment building and he's standing there pointing to the top floor. He seriously thought we were going to carry them up three flights of stairs into his apartment. Didn't happen. Felt bad for the guy but geez. Left it on the sidewalk. He's like "what do I do?". Um...go hire some teenagers.
Another funny one. Craigslist sale arranged via text messages. After several messages back and forth we agree to meet half way (we live off the beaten track so sometimes we just have to drive a bit or we just aren't going to be able to sell stuff). So we get there and go to show the item only to find out it wasn't the item he was interested in. Oops.
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I do deliver, I charge a flat $20 for delivery within 30 miles of wherever the product is (which of my own units I have it in). I only do curb-side delivery. Meaning, I get it to your curb, beyond that is up to you. Now, I've broken that rule depending on the situation. i.e. going into a single story or on the first floor.
Beyond 30 miles, I usually tell someone that it'd be cheaper to rent a UHaul and come get it than me bring it to them.
Also, I only have a minivan, so some items like refrigerators and such, I don't have the capacity to deliver.. yet. :)
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When I first got into the buisness, I learned the hard way several times about properly tying something down. Unlike most of the posters here, I emphasize delivery on all my craigslist posts. I really feel like this has increased my sales, and puts me far ahead of others who wont offer any kind of delivery. In fact me delivering an item a person has only seen in craigslist pictures is a regular thing for me. So far (100+ deliverys i'd estimate) it has not back fired. But I also make sure my pictures are spot on, and make sure the person is extremely sure this is what they want.
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This just reminded me of another delivery story. Not a gone bad story, just kinda funny. Hope I didn't already post about this on another topic. Had a sofabed for sale. Woman calls several times over several days saying she definitely wants it because she needs more sleeping space but never makes it out with all kinds of excuses. We really wanted it gone (it was flowered and we really never thought we'd manage to sell it). We were going to be in her area so we called and offered to just deliver it. She was very happy and gave us her address. It was a mobile home park. We get there and finally find her singlewide and she yells out the door to just put it by the fence. OK...so we do and she peeks out the door again and says "oh, I need to pay you". A few moments later she comes out, hands us a debit card and says "there's a machine in Safeway, my password is Jill go pay yourself". OK....off we go to the atm machine and got our money, printed a receipt for her, took the card back. We go up to her door and inside are a bunch of older folks obviously living there with her. I'm guessing this sofabed was going to be the bed for 3 or 4 of them in 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' style.