Ripoff auction

Went to an auction in Athens, Ga. on Saturday.
This establishment was owned & operated by two men of Middle Eastern origins.
Every locker that they took us to, had already been unlocked that morning.
There were seven units, even though the paper only listed 6. There was NOTHING of value in any of the units. The units that did have furniture in them, were packed so poorly, that it was obvious that things were just thrown in. I mean thrown in, in such a way, that the furniture was damaged.
One unit had a Vizio 46" LCD TV box in it. Closer inspection with a flashlight, showed that the box was empty. Who stores an empty TV box?
It was so obvious, that these units had been rummaged through & picked clean.
I was fairly pissed when we left. What a waste of time!

We've all been there !

As to the tv box being there, I've bought lockers that had those and they were in the back BURIED by other stuff.
I think SOME people save boxes in case they have to take something back or want it for protection when they move the stuff later from one house to another. Still, if you see them up front you have to wonder if they aren't "bait".

Edit:

What was the crowd like and how were the prices for the "junk" ?

Most of the time it is bait, I try to look and see if the box was opened before. I had a box in front once that did not look to be opened, it was a $90 compressor. After winning the unit I inspected the box, damn no compressor, just full of personals. But then this last unit I got saw a box, I knew it was opened before hand. But looked as if that original wrapping was peeking from the sides. Sure enough I just scored a $150 printer, looks like it was used just a few times.

We've all been there !

As to the tv box being there, I've bought lockers that had those and they were in the back BURIED by other stuff.
I think SOME people save boxes in case they have to take something back or want it for protection when they move the stuff later from one house to another. Still, if you see them up front you have to wonder if they aren't "bait".

Edit:

What was the crowd like and how were the prices for the "junk" ?

About 12 people there. Nothing went for over $300. I couldn't figure out what the heck they were even bidding on. A bunch of broken crap, that wasn't worth much new.
I know that there will be plenty of times when the lockers just don't pay, but this was a scam through & through.

Nothing went for over $300. I couldn't figure out what the heck they were even bidding on. A bunch of broken crap, that wasn't worth much new.
I know that there will be plenty of times when the lockers just don't pay, but this was a scam through & through.

That's even more to the point...what they were bidding on, and still going as high as $300.
In my opinion, we're still pretty much in the thick of it.

At least you'll know not to go back, or if you do, see how it looks the 2nd time around.

What are the laws/rules on them going through the units first and picking the good stuff out or setting stuff up to make it look like there is more value there than there really is?

I recently went to one place that had 3 different locations having auctions that day. At the first place, a few guys were saying how they had taken stuff that didn't sell at last months auction and moved items to another locker and put them in with some other junk, and it was just a really shady vibe. Can they move things around and cherry pick out what they want?

Rules ?  "We don't need no stinkin' rules !"

And like a speed limit, the ones that exist can be violated by those who choose to do so.
Over time you learn which facilities are more honest than other facilities.

A unit with good stuff taken out doesn't mean something unsavory has taken place. Often times people make payment plans or other things and get let back into the unit. They then clear out the good stuff and either abandon the crap or plan on continuing to pay but fall behind again.

If you see a unit with like 5 locks on the ground this is what has happened. It doesnt mean the owner is stealing stuff just means the people may have taken their good stuff out.

Also, dont assume a box contains the electronics. Personally I throw boxes out right away but my parents have every tv box, computer box, etc they have ever bought.

I bought a unit with a nice 50" Phillips Plasma in the front. Everyone said there was no tv in the box, I guessed there was. Turns out there was. Paid $400 for the unit. Got $500 for the tv and still made a killing on the rest

That's what's dangerous about the high prices these days. Back during my tv story I just mentioned there were 4 tohers at the auction. I knew even without a tv I could make money. Today however that units would have gone for $1400 in my area.

People pay high prices when they see good things. What people dont keep in mind mainly newbies if you ask me is that A. is there even a tv in there? B. Does the tv actually work or has it been water damaged, wires chewed by mice etc.

The great thing about storage auctions used to be you got in at a good price to absorb the risk of the electronics not being there, not working, etc however now with prices so high if your banking on something being there and its not you are probably going to be lucky to break even.

I always like to see the facility cut the lock right before your eyes. The last auction I went to the owner was telling me and the rest of the crowd what was in each unit before they opened the door. It really rubbed me the wrong way. She said stuff like "This one doesn't have much in it." or "This has some interesting pieces of art in the back." I doubt I will go back there again. On the other hand two local facilities cut the lock right in front of you and every month they advertise 10 or more units each. I will not miss an auction here. My advice for storage facility owners is if you dont already, cut the lock in front of your buyers!

Went to an auction in Athens, Ga. on Saturday.
This establishment was owned & operated by two men of Middle Eastern origins.
Every locker that they took us to, had already been unlocked that morning.
There were seven units, even though the paper only listed 6. There was NOTHING of value in any of the units. The units that did have furniture in them, were packed so poorly, that it was obvious that things were just thrown in. I mean thrown in, in such a way, that the furniture was damaged.
One unit had a Vizio 46" LCD TV box in it. Closer inspection with a flashlight, showed that the box was empty. Who stores an empty TV box?
It was so obvious, that these units had been rummaged through & picked clean.
I was fairly pissed when we left. What a waste of time!

Being that I live in an apartment with very little storage space I have a storage locker. I keep my camping gear and a bunch of other things. My empty tv box is there in case I move I still have. I have empty camera boxes and lens boxes as well. I have about $20,000 invested in camera gear so I want boxes in case I move or go to resell them as I will get more for them. If I stopped paying for my locker and it went up for auction all them empty boxes are in there.

Just because there is a box does not not mean that there is anything in it.

I always like to see the facility cut the lock right before your eyes. The last auction I went to the owner was telling me and the rest of the crowd what was in each unit before they opened the door. It really rubbed me the wrong way. She said stuff like "This one doesn't have much in it." or "This has some interesting pieces of art in the back." I doubt I will go back there again. On the other hand two local facilities cut the lock right in front of you and every month they advertise 10 or more units each. I will not miss an auction here. My advice for storage facility owners is if you dont already, cut the lock in front of your buyers!

A few places will open the door, take a few pictures and close it, put their own tag and lock on it.  I too wish that they would not say "this one has this, or that" as it only runs the bids up but thats the nature of the beast.  The goal of the auctioneer is to make as much as possible off the unit.

I don't think they are rummaging through it, just probably something that caught their eye.  You have to keep in mind that no one can step foot into the unit until it is sold. Until it is sold, that merchandise still belongs to the previous owner and if they came in at the very last minute and paid their bill and then noticed someone had been rummaging through their locker, there could be a lawsuit filed.  This is considered trespassing, breaking and entering etc.

I really don't think the auctioneer or the storage company wants that monkey on their back.  I don't mind storage companies cutting the lock to get the door up and get a picture. 

Im with you on them blurting out what is in there though.  I too wish they would keep their mouths shut but it won't happen, they are in this to make money too.

Every auction I have been to in GA already has the owners lock cut off and the facility lock on it.  Some even have tags in addition to the lock.  Don't know about Athens but it may of just been normal or it could be fishy.  I know the last silent auction I went to there were only 4 units up.  The lady told us up front the first three were bad, with the fourth being decent/good.  I didn't see anything wrong with that.  As I know for a fact that they open the units, take a picture with a sign stating the day, unit #, and owner.  Then they close the unit and put their lock on.  If a person is active military they put their lock on but don't sell the unit which I thought was cool of them as many single guys get deployed on short notice and the locker is easy to forget about.

I've seen bidding go crazy on units with empty TV boxes a few times.  There was one at one of those pods places, opened it up and a huge flat screen box was right in front.  A few of us shined our lights through the little handle hole on the side and the box was clearly empty.  The rest was boxes, conveniently marked "clothes", "bathroom", "kids" and such.

I forget what it went for, but I think is was close to $2K, the TV new wouldn't have cost that.  Didn;t get to see the look on the buyers face when they found the box empty.  Would have been nice to see.

I always like to see the facility cut the lock right before your eyes. The last auction I went to the owner was telling me and the rest of the crowd what was in each unit before they opened the door. It really rubbed me the wrong way. She said stuff like "This one doesn't have much in it." or "This has some interesting pieces of art in the back."

I suppose the owner was trying to be helpful, but she really was not heping anyone, especially her business. The purpose of the auction is to clear the unit and recover lost income due to default. Down playing the contents of a locker doesn't bode well for her. Her best bet would be to either provide a itemized list of contents or say nothing at all.  I personally recommend she provide a catered breakfast to all bidders.