I agree with Movieman........I think the quality (and the quantity) of the lockers has actually been declining overall. Sure, there are still those really awesome units occasionally, but I would say that in the last year or so we are paying more money for lower quality units than we ever have.
The "Shows" have been a big contributing factor for a number of reasons:
1. Way more people showing up at the auctions, causing prices to double and triple!
2. Renters also watch the "Shows", and have realized that, "If I don't pay my bill, they will sell my crap"! So, I think some of them are pulling the valuable stuff before it gets overlocked, or not putting the best stuff in the locker to begin with. How many lockers have you seen that look like they have been rummaged through and just the garbage is left?
3. The facilities are loving the overall higher prices, especially on the good lockers. There is one company I am familiar with that has the managers "estimate" what the locker will go for at current auction prices. If it's a nice locker that they think will bring, say $800, but the renter only owes say $400, they will actually pull the locker from the sale and let it ride for another month or two, under the guise that it's nice stuff and they are going to give the renter more time to come up with the money to pay. They win either way.....either the owner comes up with the cash and they get all their money and a little extra rent, or, the locker get's sold at auction and they get to keep a couple extra months rent because now they don't have a big overage they have to send to the renter. Damn smart from a business standpoint, but leaves the auction buyer looking at a bunch of crappy lockers on a long day of touring storage facilities on auction day!