Archive - 2013

Storage Wars New York

Storage Wars: New York: Season 2, Episode 13: “Bidding in the Rain.”

Everyone’s singing in the rain… Okay, not really. John Luke smelled donuts, oh yeah! Joe P brought a mother-of-all flashlights to see all the way to the back of the storage units, as well as to blind the competition. Get that thing away from me, Joe P, I’m trying to type here. Sheesh.

Candy & Courtney: We’ll have coffee. We’ll talk. We’ll win an auction.

Sounded cool, gals. Mike needed quality merchandise to get people into his store. Chris and Tad knew the rooms in Long Island were outdoors, so buy big! That’s if they can agree on anything.

1^st Room
Mattresses tossed about, washer on top of a dryer, set of four tires, sofa (unsure of condition), and rest a mess. Mike cut in front of Candy and Courtney which irked them. Ooo, the gals would make him pay. Uh, well, not really. C&C still need to learn the risk skill of bidding HIGHER, then drop a room on another player. Mike won easily at $275.

Joe P: Two cats fighting over a dead mouse.

Mike had a trash pile and a good pile. Guess which pile was bigger? Modern chairs, couch, an outdoor grill, and a type of gymnastic spring board valued at $300.

2^nd Room
Boxes, leather tool belt, water cooler, and junk. Mike cut in front of Candy and Courtney, again! What is this, the 2^nd grade? Courtney whined to auctioneer John Luke. He was amused at the situation.

Mike: This is business. Not a fashion show.

John Luke started the bid at $125. Dottie the dog barked. John took that bid. Seriously, Chris and Tad, you need to give Dottie something to chew on during auctions. Tables turned and Mike bid up Courtney and Candy, but not by much really. C&C won at $450.

Gals had to quickly dig before the rain. Bamboo curtain, gong, and then it POURED. Candy and Courtney grabbed trash bags and made their own rain coats. They continued to did and found an animal rug, electronics, and pins. Vintage pins, mind you, from the 1939 New York’s World Fair. Valued at $125.

3^rd Room
Decent furniture pieces, machinery, and dust.

*Note* – If a storage unit is ‘dusty’ not ‘dirty’ that may be a good sign. Dust indicates the locker has been untouched for a long while.

Think antiques. That’s what was on Chris’ and Tad’s minds.

Guess who learned to finally bid up a storage unit then drop it in on another player? Candy and Courtney. They made Chris and Tad pay $1,600.

Chris: Come on girls, we didn’t do anything to you.

Don’t take it personally, Chris, it’s just business. Guys had a lot of boxes to go through. Books, household junk, buffet table, end table, industrial sewing machine, smoke glass table, pair of pageant dresses, and a brand new uh, incubator? At appraisal they learned contraption was a 100 egg incubator. Valued at $1,000.

No bad eggs there, Chris and Tad!

Profit Scoreboard:
Mike Braiotta: $2,491
Chris Morelli & Tad Eaton: $1,450
Candy Olsen & Courtney Wagner: LOSS -$60
Joe P: $0

Would you cut in line at an auction?

Please leave your opinions about this rainy episode in the comment box below.

Storage Wars: New York: This is My Pretty Face

August 20, 2013

Storage Wars New York

Storage Wars: New York: Season 2, Episode 14: “A Few Good Bids.”

Little rain. Not enough to keep John Luke from his favorite knish in New Jersey. Joe P out for some ‘fresh meat’ (metaphorically). Mike out for some big-time industrial equipment. Candy and Courtney out for clean rooms with good stuff. Chris and Tad, well, they were out of it as Chris once again got lost on his way to the auction. Guys, it was only a ten minutes drive.

1^st Room
Nice and neat. Comforter, cheap boxed sofa, hope chest, boxes, rubber container, air conditioner, baskets, end tables, and miscellaneous. That storage unit was exactly what Candy and Courtney wanted, BUT, so did Joe P. Oh, and he make the gals pay, or overpay. C&C won at $1,800.

Candy: Bidding $1,800 for this locker was a little dangerous, but danger is our middle name.

Riiigh! You hold that thought, girl friend. Courtney took out a few nice wooden chairs from the room. Candy played with an old Remington typewriter. Costume jewelry, custom leather folding chair, chandelier, glass table top, and the room continued with to overflow with quality merchandise.

Unique find was a cylinder two-piece brass object. Ice ball mold used in the cocktail industry to create perfect ice balls for drinks. Had a few nicks. Held a value of $800.

2^nd Room
Mirror, refrigerator, cheap furniture, and boxes in disarray.

Tad: What’s the advantage on an advantage if we don’t take advantage of our home field advantage?

Riiight! If that wasn’t confusing enough, Chris and Tad would once again bid against themselves. They need a “designated bidder.” I vote for Dotty the dog. The guys won at $500.

Couple of metal end table, rubber tub full of shoes, two dressers, and candle pin bowling set. Tougher to knock down the candle pins compared to regular bowling pins. Not vintage, though. Appraiser stated the pins were about 10 years old. Valued at $100. So much for home field advantage, advantage… uh, what Tad said, yeah.

3^rd Room
Semi-organized and HUGE. Ton of boxes in front and office equipment in the back. Mike wanted this room and no one would stand in his way, well, almost no one. Joe P called a friend to see how difficult it would be to move the merchandise. Too late for that that return call. Mike stole the room for $600.

Mike: I’m holding the golden goose and any other bird that says money.

Riiight! Have no idea what that means. Time clocks, boxes and boxes of flat screen monitors, executive desk, 40 computers, all-in-one computers, cubicles, box of headsets, and a stenotype machine used in courtrooms.

Mike took the machine to a courtroom. Boy, was Mike ever nervous (way too many childhood memories, so we’ll keep it at that). He had a student stenotype machine valued at $1,200.

Profit Scorecard:

Mike Braiotta: $12,660
Chris Morelli & Tad Eaton: $880
Candy Olsen & Courtney Wagner: $110
Joe P: $0

Who do you think had the best quote of the day?

Please leave your insightful opinions in the comment box below.

Storage Wars: Canada: Meet the Cast

August 20, 2013

Storage Wars Canada

A&E’s Storage Wars Canada is the first spin-off of the original reality television series Storage Wars franchise filmed outside of the US.

Premise is the same: Follow a group of buyers who look to strike it big by buying storage units at auctions after rent is defaulted. The Canadian players are experienced however they appear as a mixed nut of American knock-offs.

Auctioneer Don Reinhart

Don has 48 years of self-taught experience conducting auctions since 1965. His motto: “If you don’t play the rules my way, you don’t play.” Well, that sounds more like a New Yorker. He was born into a family of auctioneers, so the auction scene is in his blood. But seriously, he’s as old as Christmas!

Follow him on Twitter @SWCDonReinhart.

Roy Dirnbeck – “The Instigator”

He likes to mess with players and has deep pockets, plays dirty tricks, and intimidates. Roy owns a successful courier company. His motto, “You know what Canada, start paying your bills or I’m gonna own your sh–!” Roy states that he’s not interested in dealing with garbage.

Follow him on Twitter @InstigatorRoy.

Ursula Stolf – “The Knock Out”

She has a successful online business of reselling high-end fashion and accessories. Ursula’s late father introduced her to the storage auction business when she was a child. Her motto, “Don’t tell me I can’t, ’cause I can, and don’t tell me don’t, ’cause I will.” She’s got the attitude and love for fashion same as the New York duo Candy Olsen and Courtney Wagner. She cute, has a toned body, and she’s fun!

Follow her on Twitter @UrsTheKnockOut.

Cindy Hayden and Rick Coffill – “The Veterans”

Both have 15 years in the auction business and own a thrift store, Storage Treasures, in which they like to fill with high-end antiques and collectibles. Her motto, “I’m usually a good girl, but if you cross that line at an auction, I’m coming after you.” Both will use dirty tactics if needed to win a locker. She the tough gal and he’s the quiet one.

Follow them on Twitter @TheVeteransx2.

Paul and Bogart Kenny – “The High Roller and The Kid”

Father and son team. Paul was a professional poker player for three decades. He used his winnings to create a successful side business of buying and selling collectibles. His motto, “My wife tells me not to be caustic, sarcastic, or demeaning to anybody today. Sometimes I make it through the day, sometimes I don’t.” Paul now mentors his son Bogart the tricks of the trade, but the two disagree about everything.

Follow Paul on Twitter at @highrollerpaul.
Follow Bogart on Twitter at @thekidbogart.

Update: After seeing over a dozen episodes, this is the most fun cast as a collective than all of the Storage Wars shows. Canadians are a riot. You have to see them in action via the internet in America.

Please leave your insightful opinions in the comment box below.

Will Electronic Rent Payments Reduce the Number of Units Available?

August 19, 2013

Self-Storage

2 Comments

Storage units go up for auction whenever their owners fall behind on payments.

This means that, without delinquent tenants, there would be no auctions and no resale business.

That makes some auction-hunters nervous about anything that might reduce the incidence of delinquency and the availability of units.

Across the country, some storage facilities are choosing to streamline their rental process by offering electronic kiosks.

These kiosks take payments 24 hours a day, which allows renters to pay their bill without ever needing to talk to anyone. Some facilities take this a step further by letting their renters pay the bill online or even reserve a unit electronically without needing to talk to the facility.

As this technology becomes more common, some auction hunters begin to wonder: Does this mean that fewer units will go into default, resulting in fewer sales?

Electronic bill bay is very convenient, and it undoubtedly will help some renters pay their bills on time. It most likely will not do much to reduce the number of delinquent tenants, however, so this technology should do little to stop storage units form going up for auction.

This is because units don’t become delinquent after just one missed payment. It usually requires two or three months of delinquent payments.

By that point, convenience is most likely not the renter’s primary concern. If kiosks allow partial payments, which could keep the unit from going into default, that may prevent a handful of delinquencies, but the majority of people who fall behind on storage unit payments enough to lose their unit do so because of extenuating circumstances like poverty, incarceration or death.

The tenants who would have lost these units previously would most likely do so anyway regardless of what bill-paying options were available.

On the other hand, there are a few benefits to electronic bill payment. For some people, financial troubles are accompanied by extreme guilt or shame. These people may be afraid to talk to the storage facilities about payment plans, but might be willing to make partial payments electronically in order to save their units.

All in all, electronic rent payment is something that auction-goers shouldn’t worry too much about. It’s something that will likely work to make things easier for storage facilities and renters without having much long-lasting effect on the storage auction business.

Please leave your insightful thoughts in the comment box below.

Storage Auctions as a Great Side Business for Teachers

August 19, 2013

Online Storage Auctions

Auction-hunting is a great business opportunity for many people, but it’s particularly valuable as side income for people with a fair amount of free time.

There’s a good reason why so many of the traditional auction-hunting crowd are retirees: Going to auctions can be very time-consuming, and it’s not always lucrative enough to support a full-time income.

In order to run a successful resale business, you will need to have some extra spending money, storage space, patience and enough time to sell the items you find.

Without all of these factors, you won’t be able to make a profit. This is what turns a lot of people away from the resale business: It’s not always easy to keep a job to pay your bills while attending auctions and selling items.

There are, however, a few people who are better-suited to this lifestyle than others. One group who can certainly benefit from the resale business are teachers. Summer is prime auction season, and you can use some of your free time during the vacation to pick up a few units.

If you have some storage space, the contents of these units can be sold slowly throughout the year. This allows you to hold onto the good items you find until you can find the right buyer or the items gain popularity.

For example, you can hold onto all of the Halloween and Christmas items you find over the summer and put them up for sale before the holidays to maximize profits. Since you don’t need to worry about making an immediate profit, you can afford to wait until things are worth more and then resell them.

Throughout the school year, you can sell the items you bought over the summer at flea markets or weekend yard sales. You can also run a virtual storefront on a resale site like eBay to allow you to sell items with minimal effort. This can allow you to gain a slow extra income throughout the year without needing to do any additional work after the end of the summer.

Another valuable option is to move the items you purchase into a storage unit of your own, and auction that unit online through OnlineStorageAuctions.com. That way, you can sell units in bulk to interested buyers and get money without needing to spend much time individually selling items.

Since storage auctions often slow down in the cooler months, virtual auctions might gain in popularity among full-time resellers, and you have an option for selling off things that could otherwise be challenging to sell one at a time.

Please leave your creative thoughts in the comment box below.

What About Facilities That Don’t Have Public Auctions?

August 19, 2013

T.C. Lane

Storage Auctions 101

In most states, storage facilities are required to hold public lien auctions. This means that the auction must be advertised and open to the public.

The purpose of this is to provide the tenant with ample opportunity to reclaim his property, and also to ensure that the belongings are disposed of and not simply pocketed by the storage facility.

However, this is not necessarily the case in every state. Moreover, these laws are not always upheld. Because there is little legal oversight of storage auctions, quite a few of the smaller and privately owned facilities opt not to hold public sales at all. Instead, they’ll have a few dedicated buyers who routinely take their items, usually for a preset price.

You’ll often find out about this by cold-calling facilities and asking about their auctions. If they tell you that they don’t hold auctions or have “a guy” who handles their abandoned units for them, then you know that they’re using dedicated buyers. You might also notice that some storage facilities in your area never seem to hold auctions; you can follow up with them to confirm your hunch.

Once you’ve determined that a facility in your area doesn’t hold public auctions, you have a choice. You can either take it off your list and focus on other facilities, or you can try to become “the guy” who handles their delinquent units.

Doing so can be quite profitable as there is no competition. On the other hand, you might also end up with a lot of units that you don’t know what to do with. Since you can’t just walk away from a unit like you could at an auction, you have to be prepared to take home a lot of junk items.

In order to become the go-to person for the storage facility, you might need to build up a relationship with them. It helps to be friendly and courteous, of course, and it may also take some time to form a good business relationship and get them to trust you enough to invite you into the fold. Persistence definitely pays off.

Being a facility’s dedicated buyer can have some benefits, but it can also put a damper on your other auction attendance. It’s also not strictly legal in some states. It’s up to you to decide whether the benefits outweigh the drawbacks so you can make the choice that will work for you.

Please leave your creative comments in the box below.

Can You Make a Profit on Rare Books?

August 19, 2013

Storage Auctions 101

Most of the items at the core of your resale career will be quick and easy to sell. The key to making a profit is always to find items that will sell quickly and easily for a profit.

All the same, you may often come across items that aren’t so immediately profitable – but that doesn’t mean that they can’t be sold with enough time, patience and technique.

One hidden source of income is rare books. You won’t come across these very often, but when you do, it pays to know what to do with them. While most used books you find will be lucky to resell for a few cents, a few can be worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

These include first editions, signed copies and other popular rare books. You’ll sometimes find these in the units of collectors, librarians or senior citizens who never realized what they had.

If you find some interesting-looking old books, here are a few signs that they might be worth something:

The book is a first edition; the older the better.
The book is in excellent condition, with minimal signs of wear.
The book is from a very popular or famous author.
The book is signed by the author.
The book is an “advanced reading copy” of some very popular title.

The more of these factors that are true for your book, the better your odds that it will be worth something. Set aside any of these books that you might find, and take some time to research their value when you get a chance. Here are some resources:

Check eBay to see whether the book has been listed recently or is currently selling.
Use TerraPeak or Worthpoint to find older sales history for books not found on eBay
Check Etsy to see whether they’re being sold as vintage books that way
Do some basic searching to see if you can find out any details about the book’s rarity or value.

If none of that works, it might be worth stopping off at the library or a local used bookstore. Many cities have a rare books dealer who can provide you with more information about your find. They might even be able to point you toward an interested buyer or give other tips for selling.

Once you determine that your books might be worth something, your next task is finding buyers. As with other valuable collectibles, you might need to spend some time searching for the right customer.

If the local rare bookstore or dealer will buy the book, that’s one simple solution. You can also try your luck with eBay. If that doesn’t work, you might also have some good luck reaching out to people on book enthusiast forms or other locations where collectors congregate.

Selling rare books isn’t always easy, but it can be fun and profitable. The next time you find boxes filled with books in a storage unit, take a few minutes to look through them and see whether any appear to be valuable. Otherwise, you might be losing out on some serious cash.

Please leave your insightful thoughts in the comment box below.

What to Do If You Find Human Remains in a Storage Unit

August 19, 2013

Storage Auctions 101

4 Comments

Although it’s not exactly common, it’s also not unlikely to come across human remains in a storage unit.

Most of the time, these will be in the form of cremains, which are often stored along with the rest of a family’s belongings during a move or other transition period.

Occasionally, though, you’ll find something weirder: A coffin, formaldehyde-preserved body parts or even a murder victim.

Within the past few years, all of these have been found and turned into pretty high-profile cases, and it’s not impossible that it could happen to you as well.

So, how do you prepare for the possibility of finding a body or other remains in a storage facility? Knowing what your options are in advance will help you make a smart decision if that comes to pass.

First off, it’s always best to play it safe any time you find anything suspicious in a storage unit. If there’s even the slightest chance that foul play was involved, you need to call the cops immediately and have them deal with it.

Of course, this probably won’t be too hard as most auction hunters have very little desire to take human remains home with them. Just be aware that the contents of your unit may be seized temporarily or permanently if a criminal investigation is warranted.

In the case of cremains, you have a few options. The first and simplest is to simply leave them, along with any other personal effects, with the facility manager, who may then try to contact the original tenant to return them. You can also try to get the tenant’s contact information and try to return the cremains yourself.

In most cases, families will be relieved to get such a personal item returned to them. Occasionally, though, they can be a bit combative with you about the other items you may have kept for yourself from the unit.

If the original tenant cannot be found, your next best option is to contact a funeral home in the area. They may be able to identify the cremains based on any information you can provide about the tenant, allowing you another channel for communicating with the tenant.

They may also be willing to hold onto the cremains for you or tell you how they can be properly disposed of as there are state laws governing the storage and disposal of ashes.

Please leave your insightful thoughts in the comment box below.

Container Wars: I Want My Mummy

August 19, 2013

Container Wars