Lookey Loos Part 3....March, 2011

Post here regarding crowds, outrageous newbie behavior, etc when the "Ides of March" come around.
Spring weather and income tax refunds should bring them out in droves !

Today takes the cake on lookey lunacy. At one of the boony auctions no less.
official count 162. And I have to wonder if that was just sign in sheet, because I thought more like 200 or better.
These guys where with the program. Get there to sign up. Coolers fill with drinks .50 all proceeds to local charity. Manager is out directing traffic. I'm thinking, looks like a sporting event. And guess what? They must have thought the same thing. Cause they gather everybody up in front of the auction and the owner sings the National Anthem. And they where filming it for utube. can't wait. I'll try to post a link when I find it. was up few minutes ago.   

Uh Oh, might be time to get a job!  LMAO!

Uh Oh, might be time to get a job!  LMAO!

don't let my wife hear you say that.

I keep tell myself that things will get back to normal soon. And I'm sure it will. Because as much fun as this can be it is still work. When these guys start to realize that people just don't leave their really valuable belongings in a storage unit. One they can't pay for, it will get back closer to normal. If not this year then next. Of course there is the rerun season.
How many 1st run shows are there. I can only remember 6 or 8 at most. 3 or 4 with the Haff/ton. 5 or 6 with the other, "storage wars" the one where only the 4 guys are bidding and one of them always hits the big score.
Watch that anymore and I might have to hook up the trailer and drive to California this summer.   

Just read my last post. So it looks like I'm now talking to myself. How much would it cost to drive from Atlanta, GA to LA? Gas this morning $3.25 and RV gets 10 miles to the gallon. If I don't go over 65mph.
I can stop in vegas and buy $12,000 unit for $480, that should help out with trip cost.
When I get there every unit should be filled with antiques and guns. Sounds like a winning plan to me. What I need from you guys is a good way to sell it to the wife. She has to stay here and work. Any ideas

Terry...

I can't help you convince your wife, but I can tell you this. In my city the price of regular at an ARCO (formerly BP) station is $3.69 a gallon.

There are of course good lockers everywhere it's just a matter of buying 100 or more a year and you will hit some good ones !  I buy about 50 a year because that's all I need and all the work I want to do.

I'm still buying but the prices are going up and the time it takes just to buy is up to. never seen this many people. Husband and wife with 2 toddlers and a stroller. And if you read my other post. 150 + Singing the National Anthem. I built high-rise condos with more people at site meetings without sing the anthem.
of course maybe we should have. anybody not singing send them back home.

Not going to an auction until Thursday the 3rd, but am taking the standard advice and leaving two local auctions with maybe a total of 15 or so units for an auction 40 miles away that is showing 13 right now and probably half that by auction day.

Hedging my bets even further by taking the significant other and two dogs on a hike nearby. At least something will go right...IF the weather co-operates.

Will report back on this at end of day Thursday.

The veterns among us need to find a new revenue stream, get out that snow cone machine you found in a unit 5 years ago and still havn't sold, bring out the portable grill and open a little concession stand. I have 5 brand new coleman coolers from an auction a few months ago I still havn't sold, cans of pop 0.50 cents.

my next one will be the 8th. and it is the local run. Atlanta weather is one of my biggest factors.
 I've only bought 5 this year. and haven't sold enough to make much of a profit. If you total all expenses gas and time. I'm not even breaking even.

That's what has been so frustrating, this time last year I would have been way a head with less time invested.

Now all the noobies are bidding stupid and the regulars that do it 365 aren't even giving me a break.
 I don't go for the big units with furniture. I do the small stuff and they know if I bid, I was buying.
 And since we were looking for different stuff they would mostly back off and not try to bid me up (Yes! I have been called the trash collector). And the noobs are still looking for treasure.

This has always been just a hobby and done from spring to fall. 2 reasons, well 3. #1 is I sell at outdoor flea markets. #2 gets dark too early in the winter and I had to clean out and process everything in the dark. and of course #3 I don't like being cold.

This year was going to be the start at full time. I'm construction contractor, sorry, I mean I was a construction contractor. So I'm still waiting to see if this is "The Year" I open a thrift store. Or just wait till things calm down.

The place I've had my eye on, has been on the market for over year and half. I've been on him hard for last couple months but he doesn't want to come off the asking price. And so far, doesn't want to do reasonable month to month lease.
And of course I don't want a mortgage payment. I guess he can afford to let it set empty.

Sitting here at 4:30am with foot on a ice pack. Wide awake on pain killers. Thought they put you to sleep.
Oh that's right they did. 10 minuets at a time every other hour. Cortisone shot right in middle of my heel. second one in last 7 weeks.hurts like 9 kinds of hell. This time I ask her for tongue depressor. She ask me why and I told her I need something to bite on.

I've rambled enough. time for another 10 minuet nap. 

I'm with ya on the pain thing. I've got a screwed up back and have to go thru epidurals in my lower spine. HURTS LIKE $#!@*&^%$ when the injection starts but then the pain goes away and I'm good to go for a while. It's a real ***** doing the physical part of this business when your age and back and knees are shot. Luckily for me my Son and Wife are in this together. My son is a hoss and can work like three south of the borders and even though wife has had five back surgeries she fights thru it to. We all make a good team. I'm in this part time for now but who knows, that may change once the tv shows lose popularity and the crowds thin and the prices get reasonable and the lookey loos lose interest when the real work hits them and their income tax runs out and they don't get rich and they....oh nevermind, I'm singing to the choir here............

This week has been nuts.

I tell you, this week has been nuts, crazy and everything inbetween.

About 45-50 people at the auction, 14 of us the regulars, rest of the pack, new newbies that i have not seen before.
Well i did not know what was planned, but i got the clue pretty fast.
The regulars with deep pockets outbid everyone, bids starting at 400 dollars for a 5x5 with just trash. Every now and again they stuck a unit to the newbies for 1200-1400 dollars. Maybe worth 1/3 of that.

They pretty much sent a signal to the newbies, that if you want to be a part of it, then you better pay.
Some of the newbies left halfway thru the auction because they did not have enough money. LOL 3 newbies left after buying one locker becasue they spent it all. LOL

Well then we had this little "pecker" or shall i say "rat", he is a newbie who have been around for 3 or 4 auctions. He won a locker 4-5 weks ago, for 125.00 but he could not pay for it, so basicly he is bidding without money.

Well this got out, and he is running around bidding like a mad man up to 800-900 dollars, and he bids on every unit, does not matter what it is. Well some of the old guys found this out, they ran 3 lockers up to 650, 725 and 1100 and dumped it on him. Here is the funny part. He got so angry that he won the units, and complained that he had ADHD and could not be held responsible for his bidding. The auctioneer asked him if he had the money for the 3 units he won. He flat out said no, so the auctioneer asked him how he was going to pay for it. NO ANSWER.  This was the last time he is attending that auction tour.

Bidding more than a locker is worth is a great way to lose money, regardless of whether you are a newbie or a 'regular'.

If your a regular and friendly with auctioneers point him out at future auctions and let them know. People like that are idiots and a huge waste of time. Sure the locker may go to the second highest bidder but even that price is too high as none of his bids were real.