Update on auction caravan #1

Well I have no comparison when it comes to declining quality in the units but I saw more garbage, particle board furniture and mattresses than i have seen at the dump and i used to be a bulk trash driver for waste management.

The day started at 9am first facility only had one locker a 10x15 with 10 mattresses, a wooden king sleigh bed, 2 sets of metal frame bunk beds and about 35 neatly stacked 2'x2' grocery store boxes. Went for $750 I didn't even offer a bid.

The next two facilities cancelled. The day before each had 12 lockers up for auction, but by that morning all had called or come in to pay. (bummer) That's 24 lockers less than I thought I would see...

The fourth facility had ten lockers for auction. The first three were all the same owner. All 5x10's. First had a mattress jammed in sideways so no-one could see anything but a piss stained mattress. Went for $350? Second had a big china hutch with no drawers and some other things wrapped in synthetic blend blankets. Went for $180. And the third had a lot of stacked professional movers boxes with guess what, the drawers to the hutch from last locker. I knew just what to do. He of course bid very low started at $50. I shot a $150 out and then he definitely knew i was there. We shared one understanding nod, he followed with a $160 and i waived off. I'm new at storage auctions but I'm not a sucker.
The next four 10x10 lockers all were full of garbage and garbage. All no sells. Then they opened a 5x5 that had just a little pile in the corner with a shoe box sticking out it look really rough. Also there was an off brand Ipod dock w/clock and fm radio in plain site. Everyone but me passed on this locker as the auctioneer was about to say no sell I offered him 5$ he immediately sold it to me. Again everyone who stuck around was giggling until i opened the shoe box. There sat a factory new pair of Air Jordan XI's. they were the black patent leather over white with a translucent red sole type. Last I checked these suckers were worth money. Also in the pile was a new in the box digital camera (off brand), two new in the box Emerson electric shavers and two new in package Diamond Style brand 4" masonry cutting wheels. I missed the next two sweeping out my little score.

I will keep going on the story later I have a C-list delivery to make across town Jordan's going bye-bye..

TO BE CONTINUED

caravan #1 continued:

The next facility had 7 lockers left to auction, down from 12. First locker had two commercial oil fryers that looked all intact. And a commercial 10 burner stove. This locker had a minimum bid of $300. One person bid and his bid bought it. Next three lockers were typical household items; couches, boxes and the like. All went between $250-$400. Fifth unit had two dead cats in carrier's (sheriff's dept was called). And last two units had nothing but bicycles and bicycle parts. Maybe 15 complete mountain bikes, 10 complete beach cruisers and about 250 bicycle wheels with no tires. I started the bidding with a 150 dollar offer but a bidding war broke out between a whale (or so I'm told) and a newbie (but dumby). They spiraled quickly from $200 to over $2000 in four bids(200newbie,500whale,1000newbie,2000whale) after the whale bid the $2000 the newbie stopped, walked over to unit looked and to my surprise bid $2500 the whale smiled and waive him off. Everyone was in shock. $2500 for used off brand pieced together bicycles. That guy really likes bikes!
And the last unit was almost empty except for a large samsonite wheeled suitcase, a medium matching suitcase and a samsonite upright garment case. There was a flat triangle box in the corner some one bid me up to $30 and i won.
The contents were the luggage it has value, there was a brand new circuit training trampoline in the large suitcase, nothing in the medium and nothing in the garment case, but in the box in the corner there was a brand new in the plastic Right side upper control arm for an automobile. I could use advice on what auto.

TO BE CONTINUED

The next facility i completely skipped and took my wife to lunch. And when i got back to facility number 7 i was pissed. Someone told me a 10x10 full of old good furniture and dusty boxes went for $350 Anyway turns out this would be my last 6 lockers to see. the other facilities had been payed up. 1st 2nd and 3rd lockers went to whale. All were retail store overstock or close down storage with clothes racks and display cases and boxes of costume jewelery, neck ties and dress shoes. He spent over $1500 per locker so he must have a very good market for those things. And the 4th locker was a facility stuffer locker in which we could go in and poke around before bidding because it was all the stuff they found on site not secured and took it so it wouldn't waste and stuffed it in there for a sale. nothing great some amatuer artwork, four chairs with wrap around lucite backs and a lucite bottom table with a glass top. Went for $500. Last lockers were purely garbage.
So all day I spent $35 on some stuff. sure I got $300 for the Air Jordan's(luck) and will get about $250 out of the rest. Why can't i seem to pull the trigger on bigger fuller lockers? I'm not scared or shy. Maybe cheap but I understand (to make $ it take $) but I just haven't yet. The end for now)

So all day I spent $35 on some stuff. sure I got $300 for the Air Jordan's(luck) and will get about $250 out of the rest. Why can't i seem to pull the trigger on bigger fuller lockers? I'm not scared or shy. Maybe cheap but I understand (to make $ it take $) but I just haven't yet. The end for now)

You've got about $500 in profit. Take a shot at a bigger buy and see what happens. Could be good, could be even, could be bad. Of course use good judgement in that (or those) buys.

Good recount of the day Jesterc - thanks.  As for pulling the trigger on larger units it could be a mental block.  I'm not shy about bidding on large units, crap units, or anythign in between.  However, I have found myself at times stalling and sputtering on anything over $300.  I have figured out for myself it's a 2 part thing.  First - I bid and lost my tail on a $875 silent bid last year that I spent 2 months recovering from.  Second  for myself gambling $50 - $150 on a unit depending on what I see is easy.  I've bid up to $170-$180 many times and won/loss.  But once I hit $200 subconciously I'm thinking of other things to do with that money I suspect.  I've bid and won on a few $200 - $250 units but those were ones I knew would make money and I really wanted.  I've bid and lost on a few $300 units that sold at the $500-$750 range.  You may be the same.

Also - it's easier to recover $50 - $100 from a unit then $1000.  Look at your market, ability to sale, etc.  Now that I have a thrift store I can sell at I'm more inclined to buy furniture units that I would stay away from previously.

oh yea by the way the control arm and ball joint i got is for any 2000-2005 Mitsubishi Eclipse, Dodge Stratus, Chrysler Sebring or Mitsubishi Galant. Anybody drive those lemme know. LOL. I don't think i'll be able to sell it in my thrift or my yard sells...

oh yea by the way the control arm and ball joint i got is for any 2000-2005 Mitsubishi Eclipse, Dodge Stratus, Chrysler Sebring or Mitsubishi Galant. Anybody drive those lemme know. LOL. I don't think i'll be able to sell it in my thrift or my yard sells...

LOL is right. The chances of anyone on this forum needing that are less than zero...in my opinion...and nationwide the chances of finding that person must be very small too.

Frankly I don't see the attraction of car parts, but I am not really a car person. I avoid lkrs showing a lot of that stuff.

On the other hand I once bought a lkr showing a lot of napa advertising stuff, NAPA boxes and a LARGE front end brush catcher for some kind of SUV.  Turned out it was a brush guard for a Land Rover and I sold it for around $400 on eBay, so I can't deny the possibilities totally. Sold maybe 400 fan belts to one guy also on eBay.  But that was one lkr of the 375 lkrs I have bought in almost nine years. Nope, car parts not for me.

Yea, I kinda figure that. I might frame it and hang it on the wall as a reminder. Even though that part is $112.0 new I'm gonna deeply discount it on e-bay for $40.

Car parts sell well in my area.  Specially the performance parts, or the common parts from specific models.  We have 4 dirt tracks, a drag strip, and a few other race tracks in a 100 mile radius.  So cheap parts are always in demand.

We had a dozen car units go up for auction last month.  Even the 10x20 unit with 50+ used tires, 2 hoist, and a few other items sold for $1200.  The ones with mostly engine blocks, etc. sold north of 3k.

Yea, I kinda figure that. I might frame it and hang it on the wall as a reminder. Even though that part is $112.0 new I'm gonna deeply discount it on e-bay for $40.

Forty or fifty dollars for a $112 item is a great price for that part....at LOCAL PICKUP.  The local pickup cuts the audience down substantially from the 48 states to maybe a 20 mile radius of your home, but that's the way it is.
I do the same thing with something huge and bulky...but I have had people drive 150 miles one way to get a few of these items. It would be an item I couldn't ship economically.

So, for someone within maybe 20 miles of your location (who needs THAT item) an eBay listing should work well.

Since it's being listed as local pickup only, why not put it on Clist (too? or only?) and offer it at $75 firm, or $65 firm. That saves the local buyer not quite half the new cost but is still a good deal, and NO EBAY FEES FOR YOU.

Car parts are great. Big money makers for the old stuff them seem to really good at the swap meets.