Every man for himself or is there etiquet buy a half dozen go home?

Not sure if this topic has come up but someone had an intersting thread about do you care who wins a unit and talked about a "whale".

Anyhow, do you think there's an unspoken rule or etiquete about if someone's taken half the days units they should call it a day and go home or is it more this is business every man for himself and may the best man win?

I suppose this question is more suited towards the circuit type auctiosn where everyone is spending the day following one auctioneer around rather than just bouncing around to random auctions.

Part of me says yes extend a little courtesy to your fellow buyers but I can also see the argument if someone has the money and can get rid of that volume more power to them. If they suck they will run out of money soon enough and if they are that good they deserve to win and take all the units

I will say that when I see this on a circuit where everyone is following all day and everyone knows one particular guy has gotten 12 of the 15 units or something like that everyone groans when he bids and you start to see the whole auction following as a whole start running that person up.

Just curious your guys thoughts

i have 2 whales on my circuit and i tend to get along with both of them , i dont bid against them unless i want something and they know it and tend to leave me alone when im bidding
every so often the older will tell me not to bother showing to a facility because he will be buying everything (not often but i have heard it from him once or twice ) and if i go to that place its just to look at that point, some people get bent about it ,i really dont though and just look at it as a heads up from him, (Ive gotten plenty of rooms at auctions this whale is at and they have been good ones to boot)so i dont begrudge him anything

back in i think 2008 we had a guy  come down in a semi and try to buy everything in every facility on the circuit and he definitley got me and everybody else bent and was run up and eventually out of the area rather quickly by every regular in the place (rooms were cheap before this guy showed and you could always get a few for under $100 each day) when this guy magically showed up the cheapest room i saw went for 4-500) I paid 475 for a 5x5 that day that normally would have been 100 tops

The business of America is business.
                                                       President Calvin Coolidge

I bid on what I want REGARDLESS of who wants it.....If they get what I want then they pay for it....

Every man for themselves cause Im not there to make friends. I only see them at auctions its not like we hang out and sing Koom Ba Ya at night. Its a business and nothing should be personal cause if you take it that way then your in the wrong line of work.

Just my Opinion.

I bid on what I want REGARDLESS of who wants it.....If they get what I want then they pay for it....

Every man for themselves cause Im not there to make friends. I only see them at auctions its not like we hang out and sing Koom Ba Ya at night. Its a business and nothing should be personal cause if you take it that way then your in the wrong line of work.

Just my Opinion.

I'm kind of split. Part of me says every man for himeself may the best man win. That said I personally think it's not necessarily good business to buy everything even if you are the whale as it's a way to turn everyone against you and cause yourself to pay higher prices at every auction moving forward b/c everyone hates you.

Of course business is not about being friends but that's not to say there's not some etiquete and common courtesy and unwritten rules.

If everything were cutthroat in other types of business companies would do anything to win people may badmouth competitors, file complaints with regulators or government just to make your competitors deal with headaches and take away from their business, etc, etc, etc. This type of behavior would spread and everyone would do less business so by people following some of these unspoken rules things move more smoothly for everyone

Generally even in business where people aren't out to make friends there are often courtesies you extend to your competitors or unwritten rules people follow. Not saying your wrong just kind of playing devils advotage and stir up discussion.

if you want something by all means go for it , i dont begrudge anyone anything (well some of the new ridiculous horde i do , but regulars no)

if you want EVERYTHING your going to piss off everyone in the room and it will absolutely cost you in the long run

  Im not a major player in the auctions i go to but i do have money in my pocket , half a clue what im doing and while i learn something new every time i go out , im not new anymore (started in 2006)
 If someone being greedy and  isnt going to cut me some slack and let me get a room at a decent price that i can make some money on then i will more than happy to bid on anything that marginally interests me and your interested in . Plan on paying 200-400 more than you needed to per room ,multiply that by however many rooms you got and ask yourself was the room you couldnt let go worth the money you just paid extra that day (and everytime i see ya untill you change your tune)

now aside from the 2 whales and the 2-3 people who like the pure crap lockers , theres 8 -12 regulars just like myself at my auctions, being greedy will ensure you dont get anything affordable at any auction on any day within about 50 miles of where you got greedy for months and months

In our circuit we have a Whale that is an a**.  On local territory he does ok, meaning he wins some and leaves some. We have travelled around and have seen him at most of the ones we have attended out of town. 

The ugliest thing we saw was at an Auction out of town and there were three Whales from that area and gained up on him on a nice unit. One bidding other watching it was a little intense.

His wife was concerned about them getting physical with him. He is a really short man and the other Whales were big physical guys.

The three whale team did not buy them all, but they did not let him buy any. he went home empty handed pulling his large enclosed trailer.

Not sure of the history with these people but not pretty.

Guess my point is be careful who you piss off will come back and bite you.

I agree business is business but buying them all will cost in the long run.

Talked to one of the three team Whales and they have a thrift store and they all chip in. We got one that day. He was happy we got one and that we were going to sell it on our way home. (truck empty by the time were home). His son bought his first unit that day too.

My .02.

Well I'm the one who started the 'do you care' thread (and apologies for where it went~collusion, bid riggin' et al) and I for one like our whale.  As I said....he buys what he needs/wants and never overpays and when he has 'enough'....he's done.  Now I have heard stories of him being a jerk to those he doesn't like, but I've never seen it.

There is very little etiquette in this business as it is just that.....a business and a cutthroat one at that.  Let's face it folks~we're a motley crew who are trying to make a living in a very dirty world.  Our days & nights are constant work and we're all looking for the same thing~a decent locker at a reasonable price.....something that is getting harder and harder to find.

You can compare it to another business, but there is little etiquette in any business when it comes to the competition.  Now when it comes to public image and the consumer.......etiquette is apparent, but behinds closed doors?  Lowes is trying to kick Home Depot while both are kicking the crap outta the Mom & Pop hardware store.  Pepsi is trying to kill Coke while RC is bargain brand, as they can't compete.

My 'friends' and I in this business talk a good game and have often backed off bidding if we know the other wants/needs a unit, but when the doors go up and the locker is a really good one~gloves come off and the war begins~

First off, most of the "whales" in my area have really taken a beating by the newbies over the last year and a half so none of them have the money or the resolve to try to win all the units on the trail. The old whales typically look to get one or two nice rooms and thats it.

For me, when I was working myself into the group of regulars, I made sure the main players got a room or two each before I started bidding. Today, when I see a unit I like I try to win it no matter who is bidding on it. Yea, sometimes the old regulars give me that "look" like I am suppose to save the "best" units for them, but they know I am only gonna buy one maybe two units in a day anyway so they get over it.

The newbies on the caravan trails are still overpaying and winning about 50%-75% of the units good, bad, or ugly.

Talking just about the caravan trails it's pretty much every man for themselves because no matter what unit you bid on there are going to be a couple of newbies that run you up anyway, so it doesn't look like you are actually bidding against other regulars.

At the small independent facilities where it is mostly regulars and few newbies, we try to let each other get the units we want and not run each other up.

For myself, and my area it is a bit of a mix.  We have 3 people / whales that may have the pockets to buy most of the units we see.  They like large units with lots of furniture and things.  Mostly it is the 3 of them going head to head on these units.  If we have less then 5 units it's more of a free-for-all.  If we have a dozen or more units things start to get parsed out so to speak.  If the whales have already bought 3-4 units they will back off on each other and the rest of the regulars.  We sort of all do that to a degree.  Most of the dozen regulars we have all have certain niche units we like.  So while we bid on each other if we all already have a unit or two for the day we don't bid as agressively I would say.

Now - for the newbies that come in.  That is a different story.  We don't hold a grudge if a guy wins a unit or two as normally the price is way higher then any of us want to pay.  However, when a new guy comes in and starts to bid/win every unit the field changes.  We had this happen last monday.  3 facility caravan with a large number of units (18 / 6 / 16).  First unit is open, nothing great, sells to new guy in yellow shirt.  Second unit, again to yellow shirt.  Third unit - he keeps bidding but looses to another newbie.  Fourth unit he bids and wins against a regular.  So he has set the pattern of bidding on every unit.  So from then on he got run up.  He bought 5 units total at the first facility.  He didn't show up at the 2nd or 3rd place.  Makes me wonder if he even paid as you pay for the 1st facility at the 2nd (main hq).

Now if there is (very RARE) only 4-5 of us and 10+ units we sort of make sure everyone walks away with at least one unit. 

If everything were cutthroat in other types of business companies would do anything to win people may badmouth competitors, file complaints with regulators or government just to make your competitors deal with headaches and take away from their business, etc, etc, etc.

As someone that has been self-employed since 1991, I can safely say this is exactly how it is out there. If you don't get to see it then consider yourself both lucky and sheltered.

I haven't been to alot of auctions in my area so far, but enough to know who are the whales, and there are 2.

One older couple at every auction I have went to around here (GREEDY and RUDE).

I think since the 1st auction I went to that  they were at, they rubbed me wrong.  Since I usually am they 2nd biggest bidder there, no one else bids more than $200, I make it a habit to run them up 

Where they would get really good units for $200 - $300, I have been making them pay $600- $900

At the auction Saturday I cost them an extra $1000 at least.   I don't like this practice but they show us little guys no mercy, so I make them pay for everyone they want.

I think they have noticed this as they are more rude to me  LOL

I get along with everyone else, and no one likes them.  They own a thrift store and auction house, I think.

Where they would get really good units for $200 - $300, I have been making them pay $600- $900

I think they have noticed this as they are more rude to me

Yeah, I think you hit the nail on the head there Einstein.

It is funny to watch SW and read your posts... If you do this as a business, you should never pay more than you can make money reselling and the same goes for the other guy... There is no such thing as bidding someone up - just bidding what your willing to pay. I am relatively new to the storage auction scene but have been doing auctions and reselling for a decade. The auction houses love me because I will bid on ANYTHING I can make money on. And I bid until I can't make money. I don't care if I am bidding against a 'regular,' a 'whale," or the pregnant widow of 5 children.  If you want it, you have to be willing to pay more than I am...

Sam

PS - I love when someone gets the idea of 'bidding me up.' I don't have any problem with staying at an auction all day bidding 100 times and walking away with nothing while those 'bidding me up' walk out with a substantial bill.

I would say there absolutely is such a thing as bidding someone up. If your about to take an unit at $500 and I throw out a few bids and you wind up paying $700 I've run you up $200. That's not to say your going to lose money as you are right you should never bid more than you think you can make off a unit but if you paid $200 more for the unit thats $200 less you have in your pocket after selling the unit.


Sam

PS - I love when someone gets the idea of 'bidding me up.' I don't have any problem with staying at an auction all day bidding 100 times and walking away with nothing while those 'bidding me up' walk out with a substantial bill.

I think you missed the point iwht your above comment. If they are bidding you up they are going to dump the unit on you leaving you with the bill.