Archive - 2014

Storage Wars: Canada: Season 1, Episode 19: “Com-Paul-sive Behaviour.”

The auction was held in Wasaga Beach, which has the largest fresh water beach in the world. Rich homes usually equal rich storage units.

Rick and Cindy talked about what it takes to stay in the game. They’ve seen people spend too much too fast and end up in bankruptcy.

Paul was really eager to buy. Bogart pointed out they still had to store all the crap they’ve gotten from storage lockers…in MORE storage lockers. He seemed worried about his pops.

Bogart: I think my dad is addicted to buying lockers.

Ursula admitted she NEEDED a good locker. She said the rush on closing the bid and slamming that locker door was pretty awesome indeed.

Ursula: I think that’s what I’m addicted to. More than the actual locker itself.

Roy was ready to hand out some bad advice to whomever was buying, and today he could tell Paul was in a frenzy mood. He suggested that Paul to buy, buy, BUY.

Rick tried to keep Paul away from such a bad influence.

Rick: I’ve seen a lot of buyers go down this road. It’s never pretty.

Paul got a fever. And the only prescription was ‘More Locker”.

1^st Storage Unit

Games and tools. Whatever. Nothing really jumped out.

But that didn’t stop Paul. He was ready to throw down $500 right off the bat.

Bogart talked his dad down off the ledge, which gave Roy the opportunity to grab this unit for $850.

Roy: That felt gooooood. (to Paul) Don’t you wish you could try that?

Inside, Roy found a few gold pieces and a really nice hockey net. It was definitely worth getting checked out. So he took it to an ice rink where women’s Olympic medalist, Sami Jo Small helped him appraise it.

She told him it was only worth $100. So Roy asked if she would sign it, thus jacking its worth up a couple hundred bucks, (since it had her autograph).

Sami agreed… if Roy would play goalie for her and the other women hockey players.

Roy: Just you and those girls? Sure. They don’t look that tough.

See Roy try to defend goal. See Roy get pummeled with hockey pucks. See Roy try to get out of this ice rink alive.

2^nd Storage Unit

A WALL of boxes filled with clothes. And mattresses. Eh.

Don was doing his best to entice Ursula, since she had been looking for possible fashion pay dirt.

Ursula: I guess I didn’t drive all this way, NOT to shop.

But when the bidding started, you-know-who broke into a sweat.

Paul: I need this fix!

Bogart tried to get his dad to cool it, but as the bids went up… so did Paul’s hand.

Luckily, Ursula closed it down, grabbing the unit for $775.

Ursula: Man, that feels good!

But once she got inside and started pulling out all those mattresses…

Ursula: This is as appealing to me as Cindy’s wardrobe.

She nabbed a fair amount of name brand ski jackets and ski boots, but it was a portable easel which had her heading to the Toronto School of Art for an appraisal.

Ursula showed up, fashionable as always, and in the same stripes and scarf as the teacher she needed to show her easel. The teacher told her it was worth about $200.

He then had Ursula paint a ‘Still Life of Fruit… with Penis’.

It’s a long story. Or is it? The room was kind of cold.

3^rd Storage Unit

A big unit, packed to the rafters. But again, nothing seen upfront was looking fantastic. It was a BIG gamble at best.

This one got the thumbs down from both Cindy and Ursula.

But Paul was jonzing by now.

Bogart: You GOTTA be high if you think I’d let you buy this one.

Paul: But this is my last chance!

And as the bid opened up, guess who was there to push an addict headlong into the seventh ring of Hell?

Roy: Is it wrong to bid up an addict? Probably.

Roy pushed the bid up to $475 and Paul grabbed it. Which was a surprise to…

Bogart: We got that??!! (to Paul) You know what? You have a problem.

When the boys opened it up, Bogart knew they had something on their hands.

And it didn’t smell good.

Bogart: Welcome to Paul and Bogart’s House of Garbage. How may I help you today?

Bogart felt this was the worst locker they’d ever bought. His dad said they had some good couches and were worth a shot to get checked out.

They loaded up ALL their couches and took them to an antique consignment store run by a friend of Paul’s… who took one look at their collection and…

Store Owner: No way.

uh-oh.

Bogart: You can’t get any more humiliating than this.

Ah! Ye of little faith, my good Sir Bogart! It most certainly can-eth!

Welcome to Sofahenge! The druids of ye old England would have been most proud-eth of your father’s sofa representation of Stonehenge.

PROFIT SCORECARD:

Ursula Stolf: $175
Roy Dirnbeck: $70
Paul Kenny & Bogart Kenny: -$475
Rick Coffill & Cindy Hayden: $0

Paul had a problem saying ‘no’ to lockers. And it hurt his and Bogie’s wallet. Ever have to confront a co-worker about their addiction before they pulled you under?

Please leave your creative comments in the box below.

Storage Wars: Canada: Welcome To the Jungle

September 18, 2014

Welcome to the Jungle.

Storage Wars: Canada: Season 1, Episode 15: “A-locker-lypse Now.”

Don was back! His return, coupled with a potentially steady stream of good lockers, offered our players another chance at redemption.

Roy was in full fatigues and ready for his next mission: Buy up all the good units… with extreme prejudice.

And lots of money.

Paul and Bogart had been working hard at the store. But the boys needed toys… and collectibles… and stuff that was easy to move.

Ursula had good luck selling household appliances. She was on high alert to pick up lockers which could feed her wallet. And her shoe collection.

Cindy and Rick were ready to get aggressive. If it came down to bigger bidding wars? Then so be it.

When Roy showed up in his fatigues, the others were a little unsure how to handle him.

Paul: Looks like ‘Officer Ego’ has finally cracked.

Every man has his breaking point. Had Roy ultimately met his?

1^st Storage Unit

A nice household unit, which the owners took the time to pack nicely. Always a good sign.

This was right up Ursula’s alley. And Paul and Bogart’s. And Roy’s.

Maybe. It was hard to tell what Roy was thinking behind those military–styled shades.

Roy scouted out the unit, looking for possible signs of monetary potential.

Roy: In war, you always have to be one step ahead of your enemy. Luckily, my enemies are pretty stupid.

The bids went fast and furious. Roy hit Paul and Bogart with chaos and confusion, upping the bid to $1,000… before dropping the unit on Paul.

Paul: I THINK I won.

Roy: You’re never getting that (money) back. Your money is GONE.

Paul and Bogart dug through this booby-trap and found some videotapes, toys, and kids clothes. It was a worn torn wasteland of complete crap.

Roy’s military mind game was proving effective.

But then Paul and Bogie found a tennis ball shooter-outer thing. Maybe it was worth some dollars?

Bogart: If it’s a dud? Then we got SERVED.

They took their ball machine to the local tennis club. The resident club Pro challenged Paul and Bogart to see how they’d do against the machine they brought him. The results?

Tennis Club Pro: Balls are supposed to go OVER the net!

After their amazing display of tennis talent, the Pro let the boys know the ball machine was worth in the neighborhood of $650.

Paul: Advantage: Kennys!

2^nd Storage Unit

Paintings, furniture and power tools. But it was all thrown in a jumble. Was there pay dirt inside? Ursula seemed to think so. So did Rick and Cindy.

The bid opened up and Rick was strong out of the gate. After some back n’ forth with Ursula, Cindy nabbed it for $425

However, Roy remained silent and steady throughout.

Ursula asked him why he had decided to dress this way. Roy didn’t even look her way…

Roy: This mission is classified.

Damn. Cold blooded. Roy had gone down river and there was no turning back.

Meanwhile, Cindy and Rick quickly unloaded their locker and brought the stuff to the PATIO SALE they were holding outside their store.

They employed a little ‘guerilla warfare’ to their sales tactics and killed it, making $1,125 off sales of their locker’s items!

Cindy: We cleaned up!

Call her ‘Mrs. Clean’.

3^rd Storage Unit

A single guy locker, filled with quality stuff. Cindy was intrigued.

But Roy had infiltrated behind enemy lines, found his target… and was ready to instigate Operation: Domination.

Roy: I’m bringing her (the locker) home safe.

It was the end for his beautiful friends, as Roy sidelined everyone with a $2,300 bid. Target acquired. Target hit.

Roy: Mission accomplished!

Roy found a huge LED flat screen, which was an easy $1,000. Between that and the other good stuff he dug out, Roy already had his investment covered.

Roy: I love the smell of money in the morning!

But it was a fleet of cool remote controlled cars that had him wondering exactly how much $$$ he’d ultimately make from this mission.

He took them to an RC expert, who let Roy know he had almost $1,500 worth of good RC cars.

Roy decided against giving the $500 RC car to his nephew. So instead, the little tyke will be getting socks this Christmas.

The horror.

Meanwhile, Ursula left the auction without a locker. Again. The bids went too high too fast. It just wasn’t her day.

Roy: War is Hell!

PROFIT SCORECARD:

Roy Dirnbeck: $1,490
Rick Coffill & Cindy Hayden: $700
Paul Kenny & Bogart Kenny: $100
Ursula Stolf: $0

Roy’s crazy tactics really threw the others this time. What tricks have you ever employed to confuse the enemy?

Please leave your creative comments in the box below.

Why Pay Storage Battles 25% When You Don’t Have To?

September 18, 2014

T.C. Lane

Self-Storage

4 Comments

If you’ve done any research into online storage auctions, you may know that storage units sold online tend to sell for more than their in-person counterparts.

What you may not realize is that auctions held on OnlineStorageAuctions.com earn up to 25% more than auctions listed on competitor websites like StorageBattles.com. If you’re looking for a place to list your storage units for sale, wouldn’t you rather choose a site that will let you put more money in your pocket?

Unlike Storage Battles and other similar listing sites, OnlineStorageAuctions.com doesn’t charge any fees. Our listing service is completely free. That means that there are no buyer’s premiums and no seller’s fees eating into your profits: Whatever is bid is the amount you receive.

Storage Battles charges a 15% premium to the winning bidder. Since buyers take this fee into consideration, they scale down their bidding by 15% to make up for the cost. The seller is unknowingly paying the buyer’s fees. Worse, the seller has to pay an additional 10% in seller’s fees. Combined, this makes for 25% in lost revenue on every auction posted on StorageBattles.com. If that weren’t enough, Storage Battles charges a $20 cancellation fee per unit. No wonder some people are reluctant to sign up for online auctions!

We do things differently at OnlineStorageAuctions.com. Our site is completely free, with no premiums charged to bidders, auctioneers, private sellers or storage facilities. So if you’ve been uneasy about trying an online auction service, consider giving us a try.

You have nothing to lose.

Please leave your creative opinions in the comment box below.

Study Reveals that Women Are Slightly More Likely Than Men to Fall Behind on Storage Payments

September 15, 2014

Tiana Bodine

News, Self-Storage

1 Comment

When you’re in the storage auction business, knowing the demographics of the tenants whose items you’ll be buying is an important part of gauging how much a unit might be worth. After all, affluent people tend to store more valuable items. In an effort to understand the trends behind storage auctions, we asked the question: Do men or women default on their rent more frequently?

Guesses at our forums varied, with plenty of excellent reasoning behind both sides. Some guessed that men would be more common due to military deployment; others suspected that women would be more likely to abandon their units because the contents might not have been as valuable to them.

To complete our study, we analyzed 1,000 gender-specific names of Texas storage tenants that had gone into default and divided them into male and female. Of the tenants studied, 468 were men and 532 were women, showing women as 6.4% more likely to go into default than men.

Of course, this study is by no means conclusive. For more reliable data, we’d need to know what the ratio of male storage renters is to female. Our guess is that more men rent units than women – since it’s often the man in a couple who handles that type of business – which would skew the results even further as a larger percentage of women would default than men. Also, results might vary from one location to the next or on a nationwide scale. We analyzed data from 157 random storage facilities in Texas, but other states might look different.

All the same, it is interesting to see that more women went into default than men. We can only speculate as to the reason, but our best guess is echoed by commenter “Alias300” – women are more likely to rent storage units only during times of huge change or duress, while men are more likely to use the units to store their belongings under more normal circumstances. In other words, a woman getting a storage unit is likely to be undergoing a divorce or another similar life change. A man – either as part of a married couple or on his own – will probably use storage space for his “toys” like extra tools, machinery, hobby equipment and more.

It’s certainly a question that deserves a second look, though. Who’s renting more units? What are they keeping in them, and why? And, most importantly, who is leaving behind their belongings? Understanding these questions can be the key to finding those elusive treasures we’d all love to find in a storage locker.

So, why do you think women are more likely to get behind on their storage payments? Leave your interesting and creative responses in the comments section below.

Craigslist Apps iPhone & Android

September 11, 2014

Chuck G.

Entertainment

2 Comments

Which Craigslist app to post your merchandise is best for you? Depends if you have an iPhone or an Android phone. A few apps work on all devices; however, you usually have to choose to either download from iTunes or Google Play. As a reseller, you need the flexibility to post an item anywhere at anytime. Hence, you need a reliable app. Few are free. Few are not. Click on each link to see the entire description of the app to help you choose which app best suits your needs as a reseller.

Craigslist iPhone Apps

1. Mokriya – Free

POST IN UNDER 1 MINUTE
Just add a title, description, some photos – and reach millions of Craigslist users!
The EASIEST way to post.
Manage all your Craigslist postings using an intuitive interface.

2. CSmart – $2.99

CSmart is the SMARTEST Craigslist browser which unlocks the hidden potential of Craigslist. The quickest way to browse and search Craigslist with excellent features like multi-city saved searches, notifications, starred/favorite listings, search history and previously viewed listings history all in one easy to use screen.

Note: Quick shortcut to post a new listing on Craigslist website. Built in posting function coming soon in a free update.

3. Daily – $1.99

For a newspaper or magazine style browsing experience.

FULL-FEATURED:
Post to Craigslist directly from the app .
Use your iPhone or iPad 2 camera to add photos to your postings or add photos from your photo library.
Manage your Craigslist ads - Even use multiple Craigslist accounts.

4. cPro – Free

POSTING:
Over 1,000,000 successfully posted Craigslist ads from the app!
POST a Craigslist ad in under 1 minute!
Post from MULTIPLE Craigslist ACCOUNTS.
Take pictures with your CAMERA or use photos from your PHOTO ALBUMS.
Full-fledged Craigslist ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT including REPOSTING with photos, editing, and deleting/undeleting posted ads.

Craigslist Android Apps

1. Mokriya – Free

POST IN UNDER 1 MINUTE
Just add a title, description, some photos – and reach millions of Craigslist users!
The EASIEST way to post.

2. cPro – Free

POSTING:
Over 1,000,000 successfully posted ads with the use of the app!
POST a Craigslist ad directly from CraigsPro.
Post from MULTIPLE Craigslist ACCOUNTS.
Take pictures with your CAMERA or use photos from your PHOTO ALBUMS.
Full-fledged Craigslist ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT including REPOSTING with photos, editing, and deleting/undeleting posted ads.

3. CityShop – Free

Posting ads directly from your Android Phone.
Posting with or without an account.

Which Craigslist app do you use?

Please leave your creative comments in the box below.

Storage Wars: Canada: A Fast Talking Pecker

September 10, 2014

Storage Wars: Canada: Season 1, Episode 10: “Canadian Pecker.”

Don was still on vacation, so Patrick Pecker filled in for him as auctioneer.

Patrick Pecker: I’m more aggressive than Don. Today, I’m bringing the full Pecker.

Cindy and Rick knew it’s always good business to be respectful to the auctioneer. When they arrived, they made sure to shake hands with Pecker.

Still high off his last big score, Roy was ready to show everyone who the boss was at today’s auction.

Ursula brought a good luck charm with her. She needed her mojo to grab some better lockers. And, of course, the charm matched her outfit.

Paul and Bogart were dressed for success. Now that Bogart was a partner, he felt the Kenny ‘brand’ needed a makeover. So he made Paul ditch his signature hat and Hawaiian shirt for a button down shirt and tie. Paul looked sharp, but wasn’t sure how a fancy haircut and shirt would make him a better buyer.

Once they all arrived, Roy was giving his old nemesis, Pecker, a lot of grief before the auction even began.

Someone should have told Roy: Never piss off the Pecker.

1^st Storage Unit

A little light, but there was furniture, a snowboard, and some mystery boxes.

Roy had to raise a ruckus to get his bids recognized by Pecker. It was more effort than what he was willing to put in.

Paul and Bogie got the unit for $350.

Bogart: Buying with style!! (realizes) Wait, did dad just call me ‘potato’?

This was Paul’s first locker without his lucky hat! And he was ambivalent when they opened it up. Inside, they found a few heavy items, like a poker table. And not so heavy items, like a fountain pen.

They also found a nice kite board and the kite to go with it. Bogart said he was not going to be the guinea pig to test it out.

Paul: I’ll do it myself, if I never ever have to wear this shirt and tie again.

They took the kite board to a local beach to meet a kite boarding aficionado. He let them know the boy’s used board and kite was worth around $1,000.

Bogart: Surf’s up!

Paul was just happy he got to wear his Hawaiian shirt to the beach.

2^nd Storage Unit

Good stuff: Display tables, soft drink machine, and nice tables.

Roy kept upping the bid. And then… he opened his mouth one too many times.

Pecker gave Roy the closing bid. But Roy said he never put the last bid on it!

After some back n’ forth, Roy accepted the bid, and took over the unit – but he maintained he never bid at $375.

Roy: (under his breath) Pecker head.

But once he got inside the unit, Roy was singing the Pecker’s praises. He found a very nice table, and some candy vending machines… filled with money!

Roy: (as quarters drop out of his pockets) I got money coming out of my ass!

Roy took the vending machines to his buddy, who let Roy know the machines were… worthless. Wah–WAAAHHH.

But he did help Roy count up all the change Roy found in the machines: $1,455 in quarters. Jackpot!

3^rd Storage Unit

Eh. Just some tools and not much else of interest. And not very neatly packed. The only one who looked interested was Roy…

Who grabbed at one of the bags in the locker. A BIG ‘no-no’ in this business.

Pecker told Roy to back off and that Roy should know better.

When the bids started, Pecker reprimanded Paul for making chitchat with Bogie while the bidding went on…

Pecker: I should make you pay $100 just for all the noise.

Although Pecker was perturbed by Paul, Ursula landed the locker for $150.

She found a few old toolboxes and a few nice old collectible tools. Which she took to her friend, and veteran iron worker, Merv (who looked like an MMA fighter).

Merv told Ursula she had a ‘spud wrench’ and that it was used to both tighten and align bolts.

He then brought Ursula up to the building frame he ‘d been working on and let her tighten some bolts. Ursula just, uh… wanted to know what the wrenches were worth. And she wanted to get back down to the ground. Quickly.

Merv let her know, all the stuff she brought him was only valued around $160.

Ursula: That’s it! I’ll give you that much to take me back down!

Back at the auction, Rick was pissed he and Cindy were once again leaving without a locker, but Cindy took it all in stride…

Cindy: No reason to let the Crazies make you crazier.

Meanwhile, Bogart and Paul were still at the beach, doing their best to learn some paddle boarding.

Let’s just say the Kenny family needs to stick to buying lockers and trying not to piss off Pecker at their next purchase.

PROFIT SCORECARD:

Roy Dirnbeck: $2,189
Paul Kenny & Bogart Kenny: $750
Ursula Stolf: $145
Rick Coffill & Cindy Hayden: $0

A miscommunication between Roy and Pecker ended with Roy profiting. Ever make money off someone who tried to do something you didn’t want them to?

Please leave your creative comments in the box below.

Storage Wars: Canada: Boys and Their Toys

September 7, 2014

1 Comment

Storage Wars: Canada: Season 1, Episode 13: “The Rise of the Liquidator.”

Friends, let me just say: When the stakes get raised, they get RAISED. And when Jeff Schwarz, (also known as The Liquidator), stepped in for regular auctioneer, Don, he promised to give all the usual suspects a lot of bang for their buck.

Wait. Is that a good thing?

The auction was in Ursula’s neck of the woods, so she knew there could be some big money items in those lockers.

Rick and Cindy got a hot tip there were some ripe units to be had. Rick brought a large wad of cash. Cindy wanted to make a big score.

Much to the dismay of Bogart, he and Paul came in a mini-van. Paul wanted a vehicle they could stuff boxes into. Bogart just wished they had something less ‘practical’.

Roy cruised into the facility in his pristine Karmann Ghia. He was in a good mood and ready to set the pace for everyone else.

The gang was surprised to find Don absent and The Liquidator in his place. Where was their trusted auctioneer?

1^st Storage Unit

A nice unit filled with contractor materials. Easy stuff to flip and make money.

Jeff proved to be a much more aggressive auctioneer as he challenged all the bidders to not let the previous bid be the final bid.

Jeff: Come on! You’re not gonna let him take it from you, are you?!

They don’t call him The Liquidator for nothing, kids.

Ursula: This guy is making me dizzy.

After a very fast back n’ forth, Roy got the locker for $2,100.

Whoa. A lot of $$$ for the first unit of the day. But hold on… because it all got much crazier.

There was a little switch-a-roo on who ultimately got this locker, so read on to find out who ended up with it. And why.

2^nd Storage Unit

Okay. Maybe the coolest unit ever: Full sized NASCAR racing simulators.

Which got all the guy’s hearts racing. The ladies were just… confused.

Ursula: What do you even do with this?

All the boys knew this one was gonna bid large money. Rick let Cindy know this was big time loot.

Rick: This is the unit we’ve been waiting for. You don’t see this every day.

Roy had already spent too much on the previous locker. Now… he needed to partner up with someone.

Roy: Who do I hate the least?

So Roy pulled Bogart aside and told him they should go 50-50 on this one. Since Bogart knew he and his dad didn’t bring enough money, he agreed to Roy’s partnership.

Unbeknownst to Paul.

Then Roy and Cindy went head to head on this. When the bids hit $9,000 people started to sweat.

And in order for Roy to shake Cindy, he needed Bogart to come in strong with a final bid of $9,100…

Bogart: Right here!

Which almost gave Paul a heart attack!

Paul: What??!

Bogart let his dad know he had made a deal with Roy to split the cost and profits.

Paul: You let me know AFTER?! (sighs) I got a bad feeling about this.

Meanwhile, Jeff was in hysterics he had sold the locker for that much dough.

3^rd Storage Unit

Two more NASCAR simulators. With all the missing parts from the previous locker. The volume just got turned up to 11.

Roy huddled up with Bogart and Paul. They needed these two cars and the parts inside or their previous unit would not be worth what they paid for it.

They agreed to set a limit at 4K.

But Cindy and Rick were going to drive the price up first.

Roy and Bogart got the unit for $4,100. Which oddly, was feeling like a bargain.

But Roy was pissed. The money was high and tempers were higher. And Bogart had to step in between Rick and Roy before they went fisticuffs.

Cindy: Roy is being a cry baby.

And just when Roy, Bogart and Paul thought they were in the clear…

4^th Storage Unit

The computer raid system for all the simulators was inside this locker. Along with another car body.

Paul: We’re in trouble.

Or as Roy put it…

Roy: Jeez, we are f***d.

Rick and Cindy knew if Roy and his new partners didn’t get this locker, Roy was righter than he knew. And after all the heated words between Rick and Roy… Cindy was looking for a little payback.

Cindy: They need this one and everyone knows it.

Bidding started and Rick actually took the high road and asked Cindy to do the same. Besides, someone else jumped in and did their work for them.

When it looked like a stranger may walk away with the unit, Paul came in for the trio and grabbed it with a final bid of $5,000.

These boys were so far in, they couldn’t see which way was up.

Roy needed money to help cover the other lockers. He appealed to Ursula. She took pity on him and bought his locker (Storage Unit #1) for what he paid: $2,100.

Check that total, kids: $18,000. For three lockers.

Cue, The Liquidator… giggling like a 13 year old school girl. While Roy, Paul and Bogart loaded up everything and went on a search for a buyer.

Their first potential offered them $9,000. Paul was a little too eager to accept and Roy put a stop to it before any hands were shook.

Later, a connection of Paul’s landed the gang in front of the owners of the Barrie Speedway. After some shrewd negotiating, Paul got them $48,000 for their NASCAR simulators!

Paul: VA-ROOM! VA-ROOM!

They had gambled BIG and had taken the checkered flag.

Meanwhile…

Ursula dug through Storage Unit #1 (which she bought off Roy) and found a lot of great tools and furniture. And a used toilet.

She promised herself never to buy another contractor’s locker – nor make a deal with Roy. Ever again.

She took a few brand new looking chainsaws to a professional ‘log sculptor’ who said Ursula had about $650 dollars worth of chainsaws. On top of everything else in the unit, she had made a small profit.

Ursula went home happy as a lumberjack, while Rick and Cindy went home with their buy money … and Roy, Bogart and Paul enjoyed a free lap around the NASCAR track in the real thing.

PROFIT SCORECARD:

Roy Dirnbeck, Bogart & Paul Kenny: $29,200
Ursula Stolf: $125
Rick Coffill & Cindy Hayden: $0

Roy formed an uneasy alliance with Paul and Bogart. And it turned out well for all three of them. Have you ever had to partner with an enemy in business?

Please leave your creative comments in the box below.

Storage Wars: Canada: Head ‘Em Up, Ride ‘Em In!

September 2, 2014

1 Comment

Storage Wars: Canada: Season 1, Episode 12: “Big Cow Trouble In Little Ajax.”

Paul and Bogart were in the market for a ‘shopper stopper’ for their store in order to pull customers in off the street. Was this where they’d find it?

Rick was bummed about coming to the city of Ajax. He and Cindy had not had good luck there. Would they continue to bat zero at this particular auction?

Roy wanted to score big so he could go on vacation. Apparently, he needed a break from the usual suspects. Did he know they probably feel the same way?

Ursula was dressed well (as always) but had to work without a big budget. Would she be able to fake till she made it?

These questions and more looked to be answered as life in the trenches of Canada storage auctions continued as usual.

But then…

Enter Jeff Gardner. Who pulled up in his ‘Cow Car’.

And that was just his entrance.

Was this crazy dude going to be serious competition for the others… or simply a nuisance?

1^st Storage Unit

Scarce at best: Van seats and some furniture. No one got too excited.

Paul and Roy seemed ready to make a play though.

Meanwhile, Jeff seemed more interested in chatting up Ursula.

Roy: This guy looking to buy lockers, or get lucky?

Jeff: It’s called multi-tasking, brother.

Cindy: Ahh. Is little Roy jealous? I love that.

And multitasking he was. Jeff grabbed the locker for $300.

2^nd Storage Unit

A much nicer unit, filled with easy to sell items: Tools, pool table, bikes. This got everyone’s interest.

But guess who shut everyone’s show down with a quick final bid of $1,000?

Look! Up in the sky! It’s a Looney! It’s a Tooney!

No. It’s Cow Man.

Paul: This could be a problem.

This may have been one of the truest things Paul has ever said.

3^rd Storage Unit

A big locker full of household items. This had everyone ready for action.

Paul felt good this is where they’d find their shopper stopper. There was just one thing- uh, person – standing in their way.

And Roy was even more miffed by Jeff… who continued to flirt with Ursula, (apparently one of Cowman’s many powers) as the day went on.

Roy: This is why I don’t associate with storage people. They’re all nuts.

And when the bidding started, who do you think was runnin’ everyone ragged?

“Jeff” be thy name.

Jeff: I can play this game all day long.

But Bogart refused to let the Jeff walk away with him and his dad’s locker, so he came in at the last moment and grabbed it for $850.

Bogart: Take that, Cowboy!

And soon after opening the unit up, Bogart found a tackle box filled with Dungeons & Dragons-type gamer figures worth good money.

They also found they found what looked like a practical special effect used in a horror movie. A very life-like dummy. This may be the shopper stopper they were looking for.

The boys took it to a CPR INstructor who told the boys their CPR practice doll could be worth some $$ if it worked. Paul breathed life into the dummy’s inflatable ‘lungs’, proving it did still work.

Bogart: Dad really knows his way around inflatable dolls.

The Instructor said the boys could probably get $500 for the practice dummy.

4^th Storage Unit

A nice unit. Filled with good furniture and some nice clothes.

Jeff was ready to make a play for this one.

Roy: It’s MY turn to shut this Cowboy down!

But not until Ursula drives the price up on you, buddy. Hm. Were Ursula and Jeff ganging up on Roy?

Regardless, Roy got the locker for $1,200.

And inside, he found a very nice, very LARGE tool box.

Which he could not open.

So he took the two old railway lamps he found to a guy named Bob (at the Railway Museum) for some clarity. Of the three lamps Roy found, one was valued at around $1,000!

Roy: (to Bob) You’re the light at the end of my tunnel.

With the way Roy’s day went, hopefully he will catch the Midnight Special to more profitable lockers soon.

5^th Storage Unit

A nice couch, nice appliances. And thanks to Bogart, Jeff found out there were some nice items nobody might have noticed.

Jeff: Loose lips sink ships, brother.

Gotta keep that info on the DL, Bogie.

Bogart: This guy is everywhere!

Ursula had been locker starving lately and she really wanted this one. Cindy gave Ursula a little of her own medicine and drove the price up to $700 before dumping it on her.

But inside, Ursula found the furniture was nicer than expected. A really great marble table ended up putting her in the black. She knew she could get at least $1,000 for it.

She also found a great foosball table, which she took to a foosball champ. He let her know the table she found was worth around $400.

Considering how she felt when Cindy bid her up, Ursula’s day had turned out first rate. And Jeff was nice enough to give Ursula a lift to her vehicle in his Cow Car.

Meanwhile, Rick was bummed he and Cindy went home empty handed.

Cindy reassured him that after all the wanna-bes were out of the game, they would endure.

PROFIT SCORECARD:

Ursula Stolf: $975
Paul Kenny & Bogart Kenny: $920
Roy Dirnbeck: -$25
Cindy Hayden & Rick Coffill: $0

Jeff made quite an entrance in his Cow Car. What was your best head turning entrance?

Please leave your creative comments in the box below.

Storage Wars: Canada: Who You Gonna Call?

August 31, 2014