Container Wars: Season 1, Episode 12: “All That Glitters.”
Morning coffee and smack talk at the concession stand. Ty irked that Mo treated him like wet food stamps. Jason ranted about being screwed over for no reason. Uh, it’s an auction and that’s what players do, Southern boy. The rest of the cast feasted on their breakfast burritos.
1st Container: Port of Origin – Burns Harbor, Indiana
Destination, Japan. Several items covered in moving blankets or tarps. Huge tool cabinet and what could possibly be a load lifter in the back.
Uzi however convinced there’s a car in the back. “Bet my life on it,” he said, because Japanese like to street race.
Matt attack bids drove the Israelis way beyond a reasonable limit. Israelis moaned and overpaid. Matt smirked.
Trio unloaded the merchandise. Air compressor, tire changing machine, three large tool boxes (empty), one small tool box full of commercial grade tools, and a race car, uh, well, not exactly.
It was a converted VW with a nitrous tank and racing motor. Your guess is as good as mine? With $30k in tools and $20k in the vehicle, trio quick to proclaim:
Israelis: We are the kings.
Cost: $40,000
Profit: $10,000
2nd Container: Port of Origin – Jaipur, India
Huge items in front covered either in shrink warp or tarp. Only a few fabric rolls in the back were visible. Israelis are in the fashion retail business and knew the fabric was not high-end quality. Mo’s bet that the fabric was silk. After Mo won the bid, Eyal gave Mo this bit of advice:
Eyal: Stay in the furniture business, believe me.
Fabric not silk, but cotton. Team Muscle uncovered a fabric roller, that however not enough to dig them out of the hole. Mo found a briefcase with gemstones. Could it be early retirement for the duo?
Uh, no. Wishful thinking, but don’t buy that house in the Hamptons just yet. At appraisal, Mo and Ty received the bad news; not gems, but costume jewelry worth about $700. Mo asked Ty to trust him on this container.
Ty: That’s it. My partner’s officially on probation.
Cost: $18,700
LOSS: -$15,000
3rd Container: Port of Origin – San Diego, California
Destination, Korea. Rolls of net (but not the type for fishing), golf clubs, putting green turf, few umbrellas, and lots of crates. Israelis already bought a container, but they would bid just to drive up the price.
One small glitch in that plan – Uzi. He got carried away. Shlomi pushed him. Eyal grabbed Shlomi’s arm. Boys, please learn to play nice in the shipyard sandbox.
Jason putted a bid high enough to win. First box, t-shirts. Second box, khaki pants. Not looking good so far. Crate full of brand new tennis rackets (a bit out of the golf context). Driving range equipment (not in the best condition) included steel dividers, netting, golf clubs, and a golf cart.
Jason: Game. Set. Match. Jason.
Cost: $14,500
Profit: $5,500
4th Container: Port of Origin – Guayquil, Ecuador
Destination, Fresno. Two huge tarps covered the crates. Clues were fresh produce on a box not covered by the tarp. Dirty burlap with bugs on the floor, gross.
Now, it’s 40 feet of container and Deana bet that there were forklifts or harvesting equipment in the back. Did that bet pay off? Uh, no.
First half of the container – bananas. She did find a very rusty 3-wheel bike with well-used machetes, but that really didn’t do her any favors. Last half of the container – bananas, bananas, and more bananas!
“Deana, banana, fo-fana, ban…na…nas!”
Cost: $21,000
LOSS: – $15,200
Which container would you have bid on without seeing the contents inside?
Please leave your insightful thoughts in the comment box below.
