The Case of the Mysterious Clark Forklift

All the more reason to be a truthful and responsible member of the community.

You may not agree with things I've said and you may have your opinions about what I do, but don't ever doubt my integrity or dedication to this forum or this industry.

One of the advantages to buying a locker through an online auction is that you can line up buyers for the contents before you purchase. It's not that you are selling the contents, but just putting feelers out there for potential inventory. I don't see anything wrong with putting a forklift up on craigslist with the expectation that one MAY purchase a unit with a forklift in it, as long as the buyer clearly understands that the equipment is not in the seller's hands and that a deal of any kind will not fall through.

It's not like Travis took money from anybody. He's just putting feelers out there. It's like looking down on a person who calls their "cable guy" when a cable installer unit comes up. If I know that I've got a good shot at selling a piece of heavy equipment going into a sale knowing that said equipment is present, it just helps set the budget for that auction.

As far as reselling a combed through locker.. As long as the ad is abundantly clear, which Travis says it was, and any potential buyer fully understands that they are buying the contents listed only, I don't see a problem with it. Nobody needs to know what was in the locker previously or even that the particular locker had been through an auction and you had purchased it. It's just a bulk sale.

No one has suggested Travis has done anything illegal, just actions that are shady and leave him open to criticism. Movieman makes some valid points however.

Of course I'm sure we all have done things in our lives that others would look down on, but not from his position. IE representing himself as a big wig in the storage industry, I would expect Travis deals with shots on his character every day.

No one has suggested Travis has done anything illegal, just actions that are shady and leave him open to criticism. Movieman makes some valid points however.

Of course I'm sure we all have done things in our lives that others would look down on, but not from his position. IE representing himself as a big wig in the storage industry, I would expect Travis deals with shots on his character every day.

I hear you.. Maybe I haven't been on the forum long enough, but with these 2 examples presented, I don't see anything shady.. In fact, I believe these things happen routinely. It's not like there's tons of empty boxes in the locker resale..

No one has suggested Travis has done anything illegal, just actions that are shady and leave him open to criticism. Movieman makes some valid points however.

Of course I'm sure we all have done things in our lives that others would look down on, but not from his position. IE representing himself as a big wig in the storage industry, I would expect Travis deals with shots on his character every day.

1. I'm no big wig. I'm just a guy who loves buying storage units that happens to own a few websites about my hobby. I'm no different than any of you. I don't want to get caught up in the politics of the storage industry.

Now, as to MovieMan, he has had it out for me for quite some time. He's an antagonist and he's always looking to make a mountain out of a molehill.  I tolerate him. Why? He adds a lot to the forum. To tell you the truth, his pessimism and criticism actually drive me to work harder.

1. I'm no big wig. I'm just a guy who loves buying storage units that happens to own a few websites about my hobby. I'm no different than any of you. I don't want to get caught up in the politics of the storage industry.

Now, as to MovieMan, he has had it out for me for quite some time. He's an antagonist and he's always looking to make a mountain out of a molehill.  I tolerate him. Why? He adds a lot to the forum. To tell you the truth, his pessimism and criticism actually drive me to work harder.

I agree with almost everything Travis says above, except for the part about "I'm no different than any of you."

The fact is that as the owner of the forum I personally believe you should be held to be more accountable, and you are already caught up in the politics of the storage industry as evidenced by your encounters with other storage websites and in particular with outfits who run online storage auctions. It's impossible for you NOT to be caught up in the politics of it all when you make statements indicating you will drive the others out of business.

As to having it "out" for you for sometime, you are right in that I have questioned your approach and your integrtity since the days when you were only a member here and not the owner of the forum. The forum took a turn when that happened and while some of it was for the good, some wasn't.

If my criticism of you has inspired you to "try harder" then it has done its job.  Perhaps you subscribe to a Hollywood thesis that "Any publicity is better than no publicity", though if you ever reach the Lindsey Lohan (sp?) level even I will give up on you.

The fact is that as the owner of the forum I personally believe you should be held to be more accountable, and you are already caught up in the politics of the storage industry as evidenced by your encounters with other storage websites and in particular with outfits who run online storage auctions. It's impossible for you NOT to be caught up in the politics of it all when you make statements indicating you will drive the others out of business.

I can agree with that! As an online entity, you are IN the storage industry thus caught up in the politics. This site, your TX site and eventually VSA will all be resources for those of us who chose this business either for business or pleasure. This site is quite possibly the most valuable resource on the web because of the vast majority of topics that are covered and the advice is not driven by sponsors, or with the intention of "making a name for yourself". You (Travis) may not be buying at the volume that the "big wigs" are.. But your entities are major resources. Knowledge is power.