Is buying storage units bad Karma?

Does it ever bother you that you profit off someone else's misfortune?

I'm not profiting off someone else's misfortune, I'm profiting off someone else's negligence. There was a bill to be paid and it wasn't. The reason is as irrelevant to me as it is to the storage company.

Here's an ode to the hundreds of family photos, baby books, high school diplomas, wedding albums, and ashes of loved ones I've thrown out over the years. I think I've built enough bad karma for all of us. 

I think I've built enough bad karma for all of us.

That might explain why your avatar won't stay up straight. 

That might explain why your avatar won't stay up straight. 

LOL...I love it when your humor is clean! It's quite refreshing. 

LOL...I love it when your humor is clean! It's quite refreshing.

I keep forgetting not everyone made past 5th grade. 

I bought a unit a while back.. had some good antiques, paintings, furniture ..etc.  Then there were boxes of family photos, an urn with ashes, a cat urn with ashes, wedding dress, baby pictures ... the whole life locker.

I tried to give it all back to the facility manager, they didn't want it, I tracked the person down on facebook, no response, found their email in the unit, no response.

That was a tough one but it all went into the dumpster. 

They just didn't care so why should I.

Any time that I find those kind of items I try to give it back and reach out to the people.  I would always rather give it back then dump it.

As for buying the units its the same thing.  When I pay for the unit I always tell the manager I'm going to wait 1-2 days to empty it out.  If the person calls looking to buy the unit back I'll sell it no problem.  Once I get it to the shop they'll only be able to buy back items individually and if its past a week consider it gone.

I had one where the facility manager called me 2 months later and said the guy was looking for his grandmothers urn.  I told her it went into the garbage and the guy flipped out and called the police on her ... thankfully she didn't give me up... he said that because his grandmother was in there he thought he could pay 2 months late ... lunatic.

I had one where the facility manager called me 2 months later and said the guy was looking for his grandmothers urn.  I told her it went into the garbage and the guy flipped out and called the police on her

I wouldn't dream of throwing someone's ashes in the trash. At least have the decency to sprinkle them in a field or in a river. It's not the dead person's fault they are survived by callous idiots.

I wouldn't dream of throwing someone's ashes in the trash. At least have the decency to sprinkle them in a field or in a river. It's not the dead person's fault they are survived by callous idiots.

I can assure you the ashes will eventually make it into a field, possibly even a river and an ocean.

I can assure you the ashes will eventually make it into a field, possibly even a river and an ocean.

Prove it. There are way to many regulation in place to prevent garbage run-off from going into lakes, streams, and rivers for your remark to be accurate.

Prove it. There are way to many regulation in place to prevent garbage run-off from going into lakes, streams, and rivers for your remark to be accurate.

Technically, the garbage dump is a field and I said POSSIBLY a river/ocean. Do those same regulations prevent particles from being blown away in the wind? I'm just sayin'....

I'll let you know when I start making a profit! 

Seriously, it's only bad karma if you believe it is. You can pretty much psycho analyze any human endeavor and break it down into an imperfect, un-harmonious action. Is it bad karma to pump black sludge out of the ground and burn it? Is it bad karma to bulldoze forests to build houses? Is it bad karma to cut down that two year old steer in the prime of his life and stick his a$$ between two sesame seed buns?

Seriously, it's only bad karma if you believe it is. You can pretty much psycho analyze any human endeavor and break it down into an imperfect, un-harmonious action. Is it bad karma to pump black sludge out of the ground and burn it? Is it bad karma to bulldoze forests to build houses? Is it bad karma to cut down that two year old steer in the prime of his life and stick his a$$ between two sesame seed buns?

Couldn't have said it better myself. 

I think this thread is really quite encouraging for the general population of storage auctioneers. I just feel so heartened knowing that you guys are reaching out to the owners to return back their keepsakes and memorabilia. I mean, it really is quite a hassle and I feel for all the people who have ever lost their items because they just didn't manage to make payment on time, but I also agree (with @alloro and @auctionguy) on this one that if they didn't feel the need to do something about it and I've already done what I can, then there's nothing to be guilty about. I tried.