Calling or checking newspaper/online for auctions

We have 100's of storage places in town and I cannot see calling them all. What's the best, least expensive, way to get a handle on the who, where and when?

1) read the legal notices..if you have "hundreds" of storage places some of them will be having auctions this month.

2) Go to an auction. Ask the auctioneer if he/she has a printed or online schedule of upcoming auctions.

3) Go to an auction conducted by a different auctioneer. Ask same question in point 2 above.

4) Repeat step 3.

5) Before you know it you will be making millions.

You're welcome.

Millions, huh? Let's hope you're right!

Thanks for the info. Sounds good.

I don't mean to be rude or a pessimist but if you think it's too much work calling a few dozen storage facilities the storage auction game is not for you.

Once you buy a unit it's a lot of work cleaning it out and organizing. Then it's calling around to dozens of resale shops, putting ads on craigslist and having to return calls and emails to sell your merchandise.

It's not like storage wars where you buy a unit with a piece worth 10k, take it to your expert they give you 7k and you walk away rich.

Personally I write a form letter asking a facility to put me on a call or email list about future auctions. Stamps are expensive at 0.44 cents a piece but I am able to use free postage at work.

It's really not that difficult to call around. Get out the phone book and go ddown the line, ask if there's upcomming auctions, if so they will notify you, if not they will often ask if you'd like to be put on a contact list.

A "few dozen" does not even come close to the actual number we have locally but I am not going to turn this into a math thread. 

Perhaps, in my SA infancy, I did not clearly articulate my question which, simply stated, was what is the BEST way to get started finding local auctions.

I have seen subscription services, ebooks, training videos and mystics all making suggestions, well, maybe no mystics, as to where to begin.

If you guys, the "experienced" unit buyers tell me that I have to call EVERY site in the greater Tampa Bay area, well, then I'll start calling.

I am just trying to benefit form your knowledge.

Movieman gave you good advice.  Try to get on some of the lists to start, and then eventually you'll get on more and more.  After a while, you will get to know which ones you prefer.  Most of us don't go to every auction anyway, but I like to know about them so I have "options".   That way, if there are too many people on a certain run, you can jump off and try someplace else that hopefully has fewer people. 

I agree, don't spend too much time calling all around. I would say call everything within 10 miles of you if your in a pretty populated area. There will be plenty of auctions close by without traveling far.

Once you start going to auctions you'll find many more. You'll network with people at teh auctions and maybe exchange some info, also many of the auctions will be these circuit auctions where in addition to the one you found out about the caravan will continue going to another 6 or 8 auctions that day.

I sell auctions on ebay starting at 0.99 cents for a list so it's pretty cheap to get started. Don't sign up for these year long subscriptions, you dont need to pay for auctions for a whole year, after a month or so of doing it full time you'll be able to find out about moer auctions than you are even able to attend.

Depends on where you live but unless you know about an area with really great units I don't see any reason to travel more than 30 min from my house max. There's more than enough units in my area.

Never in a million years would I call around to find out when the auctions are. 

Check your state laws regarding how they must provide notice of auction.  In my state, they are required to put two notices in the local paper.  In my area, the papers put these notices online.  I spend five minutes a day checking these online notices.

The time to call the respective storage locations is the day before or the day OF the auction you have already learned about. This is to confirm that the auction is still ON. No point in going if it's been called off due to lkr owners FINALLY paying their bill.

Even if the auctioneers run websites with dates and details, they are only human and sometimes a cancelled sale doesn't show in the list  (as cancelled) the day of the sale.

Keep in mind the easier an auction is to find out about teh more people will be there.

I find the smaller facilities who don't use auctioneers and often have silden/sealed bid auctions are the best ones to attend.

Anything found on auctionzip or similar places are going to be flooded with people.

you can find most newspapers online. I can find the ones around springhill and brooksville(Moms house) from atlanta ga. just got to look.

As the owner of a storage auction listing service in the Houston area, I can give you first hand knowledge on this subject. We actually call over 1400 storage facilities bi monthly and scour obscure newspapers to find every storage auction event occurring in the greater Houston and surrounding areas.

Whether you choose to call the storage facilities or scan legal notices, it involves a lot of time & effort, but the results will pay off in the long run. I am not aware of any major city that has a single information source that provides 100% of all storage auction events, other than our city, Houston, TX, which has Houston Texas Storage Auctions. This being said, most storage auction information websites list the auctions of the major players in the storage industry and a handful of others. Most auctioneer's websites only list the storage auctions that they are conducting. Usually, the smaller independent facilities, especially in the suburban and rural areas, advertise their event in obscure local newspapers. This can work to your advantage.

Ever since Storage Wars & Auctions Hunters premiered, there has been an increase in the number of individuals attending storage auctions in our area. I assume that remains true in all areas the country. The auctions in our area that used to have 15-30 people in attendance, now have 50-100 buyers. The smaller independent storage facilities haven't seen a major increase in attendance because their auctions are difficult to find.

Here is what I recommend to all newbies: Invest some time & effort in researching the independent storage facilities in you immediate area. A great way to do this is to go to Google Maps or YP.com. You can search for self storage facilities by zip code or by city. I suggest that you start with you own zip code. Make a list, then call all of the storage facilities. Some of these facilities do not have auctions, cross them off of your list. Most storage facilities that do have auctions keep call lists to notify storage auction buyers of upcoming events. Call these facilities and ask them if they have a call sheet, then request to be put on it. This is a great way to find auctions that the crowds are unaware of. This will increase your chances of buying a storage unit at a good price.

If you live in the greater Houston or surrounding areas and are looking for storage auction information, check out AuctionsTX.com. It is the only information source which provides listing for 100% of all storage auction events occurring in the greater Houston and surrounding areas. Plus, there are 25-40 auctions listed per month that are only available on this website. These are the auctions you want to go to because they typically have fewer people who attend.

I truly hope that I have been helpful & have a blessed day.

I believe for national listings you can check out

AuctionZip.com

I believe that was a stupid question. Better Question. I bought 3 units now what the hell am I going to do with all this carp in my garage. My wife thinks it has bugs in it

Finding auctions to attend is easy with just a little legwork and a bit of networking. Buying units is even easier, just a matter of enough money. For any newbie, I'd concentrate on finding places to sell your "treasures" & "trash" after you buy a unit. The real work begins when the auctioneer says SOLD and thats where most people fail.