Storage Auctions
The Storage Locker => New to Storage Auctions? => Topic started by: Travis on April 24, 2011, 07:40:07 PM
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Just wondering how many of you use or have used a storage auction listing service. How are or were the results of the one you used?
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Just wondering how many of you use or have used a storage auction listing service. How are or were the results of the one you used?
Haven't paid for one. One of the local ones posts the auctions THEY do and I sometimes get the rest of them from a friend who subscribes. For the limited size of the circle I am willing to explore I don't need to know about a bunch outside that circle.
Be interesting to see what answers you get here.
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Never needed one. Once you get yourself set up on a number of lists and get to know people, you'll end up with more auctions than you'll even want to go to. Now I have my favorites and unless I'm really needing a locker or I'm just bored, I skip a bunch of the others.
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That is one service that i don't need, as i can get everything locally for free. In the whole state for that matter. And if i want to go to Arkansas or Mississippi then i can get everything there for free as well.
Paid auctionlists are for lazy newbies, and they will never last long. If you are serious about the business, then you lay down the foundation in everything you do. Finding places and doing it on your own is more valuble to your total business then beeing passiv and lazy.
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I spend over 60 hours per month calling the storage facilities and organizing the listings for our members in the Houston area. So, considering the amount of time involved, doesn't it just make more sense to pay $7.49 and move on? So, the question is, are these consumers lazy or just smart with their time? I know that when I first got into the storage auction business, I didn't want to spend several hours making phone calls. I wanted to be at the auctions looking for a good deal. Had there of been a list like ours in our area, when I was buying units full time, you better believe I would have bought it.
Now, I realize that there are several of these services out there that are reselling information you can get for free or claim to have free auction listings and offer little to nothing, but I can't speak for them. I think that most consumers know a good value when they see it. Only the strongest of these services will survive after the reality shows end!
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Well, so far 3 of the regular 10 to 15 posters have responded; would be enlightening to hear from the huge silent majority or even the additional 10 to 15 posters (who would fall in the 16 to 30 rankings of posters).
I think this is an area that really deserves some answers; not only are you interested in it, but the paid advertisers and Drew would be too.
Maybe as the number of folks who view the thread goes up the responses will start to come in.
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I don't use a auction list, as I find the listings in the news papers, on Craigslist, and word of mouth ( friends in different towns that let me know about storage auctions).
Also if the Storage Facility has a phone list or email list I'll get on there list and they contact me that way. Email list seem to be the most prominent way for the Storage Facilities.
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The thing is, once you have ben to a auction you know when the next one is.
Here in Memphis all the facillities have regulars days that they run on. And to make it easier, the auctioneer hands out a flyer with all the dates for the whole year. So why would you pay for something that basicly is not needed.
And yes, they are lazy, if you can't do the work of finding auctions, then you are lazy. And btw, looking up new places and find out when the auctions are, is half the fun. And then when you have attended the auction, then you know when it is the next time. It iseasy as that.
Example:
U-stor goes every first tuesday of every month.
Telus goes every theird tuesday of every month.
On top of that the auctioneer has a list for each place allready made. easy!
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I have never used one, maybe would have signed up for a week when I first started but when I first started there weren't a million sites selling lists.
Personally the auctions I go to are normally all from the same one or two auctioneers with the exception of a few independent places I know are low crowd places I attend.
Lists may be good to get started but like others have said, once you've been to one or two you start getting on lists, know what auctioneers websites to checks, etc.
Also, there's more than enough auctions in my city and surrounding cities, more than I can attend so I really have no need or desire to find more or expand as I already have more than enough within say a 30 mile radius.
Sites like this are a great place to market a list however at the same time any newbie who takes any time to read the boards knows how to check the local classifieds, craigslist, auctioneers sites, etc. and probably could get started without one.
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I am from Houston and I thought I needed a list at the beginning but after having alittle talk with Mr A and Movieman I found that a list was not for me. I have gone to a couple of auctions and now find it quite easy to find auctions.
I really dont wanna pay for a list thats going to tell me the hundreds of auctions that go on in Houston or surrounding areas becuase I rather to go to those that are closer to my house and I already know when those auctions are taking place.
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Good, i am proud of you Josepc.
keep doing this and you will be doing fine.
To me it is a reward when you look up stuff, call around, or drive by one and stop by.
That way you bond with the people you should be on good terms with, the auctioneer and the site managers.
I have to say that it has really paid off for me, i mean doing it the old fashion way.
I called around, i drove around and i contacted the facillities directly. That has created a kind of a business relationship with the site managers, and that will be good for you when you start to win lockers. They give you so much more slack and time.
A newbie who comes there and have no relations with them gets 24 hours to clean it out. If you create a relation with them they give you up to a week many times. One place they gave me a whole month to clean it out.
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Good point Mr. A. I kind of limit myself to a small number of auctioneers and local auctions so I'm on good terms with all these guys but like you said it pays off.
I pretty much always get to use their facilities trucks for free. They often will give me some tips on other good facilities. And the biggest thing the 24 hours. At one facility I usually bring the manager lunch and he normally gives me a week to clear out my unit, some guys let me store my stuff for free for a few days or even a week or two if I'm busy. It definately pays to get to know managers and auctioneers.
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The U-Hauls, Public Storage, Uncle Bobs, Morningstars, & several other larger companies have their auctions every month; However, in the Houston area, they are never on the exact same day.
Also, most of the rural facilities only have auctions 1-3 times a year or as needed. It's almost impossible to keep track of all of them. These can be some of the best ones to go to because the crowds are unaware of them.
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Jose, if you really want to see what your missing, email me and I'll send you a copy of our weekly list for free. Compare it with the source you are using and you will see that: 1. We average 10-15 additional auctions per week that were not advertised in the newspaper you are using. 2. Most of the auction buyers in our area use the source you are using the auctions it advertises are flooded with hundreds of buyers. The events we advertise typically have smaller crowds. 3. They list less than half of the phone numbers for the facilities. We list the phone number of every facility. 4. With their list, you can only print out 1 auction at a time. (On average there are 50-75 per week) With our list, you can print the entire week's auctions in less than a minute. 5. If there are any unique or valuable items up for auction, our service lets you know.
But, I'm sure you've heard the old saying...."You get what you pay for"
Go ahead, give it a try...what do you have to lose?
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You mention U-haul.
Well U-aul sends me a invitation per snailmail every month. And yes they do have them on regular days, at least here in TN and AR.
I just got an invitation in my mailbox yesterday from U-haul, where i am beeing invited to auctions in St. Louis,MO and Jonesboro,AR and Little Rock,AR. Pluss Nashville and Memphis here in TN.
Most facillities has a mailinglist, when you sign in on an auction you fill in name and address and phone number, but also email.
That way they can send you information on the next auction. I get like 40 emails every month from facillities, some even call me and let me know. We are then talking about facillity managers.
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Jose, if you really want to see what your missing, email me and I'll send you a copy of our weekly list for free. Compare it with the source you are using and you will see that: 1. We average 10-15 additional auctions per week that were not advertised in the newspaper you are using. 2. Most of the auction buyers in our area use the source you are using the auctions it advertises are flooded with hundreds of buyers. The events we advertise typically have smaller crowds. 3. They list less than half of the phone numbers for the facilities. We list the phone number of every facility. 4. With their list, you can only print out 1 auction at a time. (On average there are 50-75 per week) With our list, you can print the entire week's auctions in less than a minute. 5. If there are any unique or valuable items up for auction, our service lets you know.
But, I'm sure you've heard the old saying...."You get what you pay for"
Go ahead, give it a try...what do you have to lose?
Why are you pushing your product on him. The guy made a choice and you are still pushing it. Is business that bad? So now you have to do whatever it takes to sell a list? I don't like this action in the forum. Sell thru your own website and paid ads, not in a forum like this.
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In Houston it is different, U-Haul does have them every month but never on an exact date. Mailing or call lists are great. They work well in smaller to average size towns. With over 1400 storage facilities in Houston, it would be impractical for the average buyer to invest a month of their time to get on these lists. It would be practical to get on the lists of the facilities in their immediate area.
Not only that, call lists can be unreliable. Lists can be lost. Phone numbers, addresses and email addresses change.
Storage facilities also have a high turnover in management and the new management may not follow the same procedures or even know the list exists. Computers get viruses, hard drives go out, next thing you know the list is gone.
Although, we are on many facilities call list, we still call them routinely because of these issues.
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And the same can happen to your company. No one knows.
You might get a computer crash, you might get sick, you might not get the info from your suppliers, etc....
I have nothing against you running a business, go ahead more power to you, but the way you have been pushing/spamming it in here, is not a way i accept. It is pushy, almost to the point of not beeing serious. And i mean that you are doing it without the respect of others who have clearly told you not to. Also when you target one person who have told you NO, and you still keep on nagging him and pushy your product on him, that to me is not good business manor.
It makes you look desperate when you can' take no for a no.
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Why are you pushing your product on him. The guy made a choice and you are still pushing it. Is business that bad? So now you have to do whatever it takes to sell a list? I don't like this action in the forum. Sell thru your own website and paid ads, not in a forum like this.
Well, you're just a grumpy old man with nothing nice to say about anyone. All you ever do is criticize everything that goes against the grain . You always have to be right and you always have to get the last word.
Now, Jose is a big boy, he can make decisions for himself. Had you have not made some negative comments about us while he was still seeking information on the subject, he could have weighed his options and decided on the resource which worked best for him. Your biased comments actually led him away from something that he could have really benefited from.
By me offering him a free trial membership, I was trying to show him that by listening to you he made a mistake.
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Well, you're just a grumpy old man with nothing nice to say about anyone. All you ever do is criticize everything that goes against the grain . You always have to be right and you always have to get the last word.
Oh no, not another boxing ring !
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I have one The Hart Beat, and it is only because over 95% of the facilities here only advertise with them. Some seemed really irritated with my phone calls. However I think all that will change and I will dump The Hart Beat because of the Amendment of Chapter 59.
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I have one The Hart Beat, and it is only because over 95% of the facilities here only advertise with them. Some seemed really irritated with my phone calls. However I think all that will change and I will dump The Hart Beat because of the Amendment of Chapter 59.
Wow, they've got it sewed up at 95%.
Here's the link for people close to San Antonio.
http://www.salegalnews.com/
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Wow, they've got it sewed up at 95%.
Here's the link for people close to San Antonio.
http://www.salegalnews.com/
Ya unfortunatly, but I do love the ones that post in other places and not use The Hart Beat. Tend to be fewer people there.
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Oh no, not another boxing ring !
I am taking bets!! ;D
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I am taking bets!! ;D
Just leave me out of it !
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Now, Jose is a big boy, he can make decisions for himself. Had you have not made some negative comments about us while he was still seeking information on the subject, he could have weighed his options and decided on the resource which worked best for him. Your biased comments actually led him away from something that he could have really benefited from.
By me offering him a free trial membership, I was trying to show him that by listening to you he made a mistake.
I AM a big boy lol....the reason I don't chose to pay for a list is because I don't go to that many auctions. I probably go to maybe 2 - 4 a month. So at this particular time I am not interested in a list because I already know when the ones I am interested in going to are taking place. I only go to those close to my house or my job anything farther I won't go.
Another thing is that I don't just use the internet to get the auctions, I have also contacted some of the storage places directly and asked them. THere are about 20 storage places around my area and pretty much know when each one is having an auction.
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Tclane.
Push your business in other places, this forum is not the right place to do so. Keep us other out of your business. I am not the only one who have told you this. (time after time) when you do not listen, well then expect to get the wrath. Keep your business out of forum, or pay drew and be a sponsor like everyone else. That way you can keep it in one area on the forum. Right now you are jumping around like a advertising bunny and spreading your spam all over the forum.
One advice to you Tclown, keep doing business this way and you will be out of it before long. People don't like to have half ass good products showed down their throat all the time.
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Mr. A, are you on one of your tirades again? Who was trying to promote their business? Have you seen a link from me anywhere on this thread? I told him that I would give him a free copy of our list to compare to the source he is using. That message was directed to Jose, not you. He politely responded that he doesn't go to that many auctions and doesn't have a need for the service. I understand and respect that. How am I badgering him? How am I spamming the forum? How is it even your business?
I swear, you sound like my wife with all the nagging.
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Gentlemen, Gentlemen.............can we at least act like Business men on this forum and respect one another. We would like to help Drew grow this forum not chase people away!
:o
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whos gonna start the tc vs mr boxing ring thread...lol.
I'm guilty of spouting some spam from time to time myself so I dont have much room to talk but comming from a self proclaimed spammer this is the oldest trick in the book tc.
Ask a question about something not really caring about the answers but b/c it gives you the opportunity to spout on about your site and have it in the context of a question and not just straight up spam...lol.
I dont necessarily think there's anything wrong with plugging your site but try to make it as least spammy as possible.
I used to occasionally list some free auctions and link to my site. Sure its spam but at least I'm supplying some FREE info and upcomming auction info to some of the newcommers.
Tc maybe alittle spammy though it doesnt bother me but a back and forth trying to convince someone to sign up in a thread is kinda wierd.
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I use listing services ;D
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I use listing services ;D
You dog ! But do you use TCLane's....that's the question !
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Yeah, me too...that's one of the advantages of my hard work.
In response to rules for rebels:
You know, the funny thing is that I really wanted answers to the original thread post but Mr. A's comments got me on a rampage. Notice though, that I never mention the name of our service nor provide any links. My true intention of this post was to hear from people who use some of the services that claim to provide national auction listings. Believe me, after the last time I got in a debate about our service, I vowed to never do that again. Not that I didn't prove my point in that debate, it was just a long drawn out process that wish I never got into. I'm very confident in our service and I challenge anyone in the country to provide a list for the greater Houston area that has more auctions listed than us. It won't happen and if someone does provide a list that they would like to compare to ours, I'll have Drew on standby to help out when the server crashes again.
Even if this post was completely planned, which it wasn't, this thread sure did get a lot of people involved. Heck, if you can get Drew to actually write something, it has to be an interesting subject.
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I think its the sourpuss image in your avatar that gets mr A excited ;)
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You want to hear something really funny, I never put the lime & cat thing together. I get it now..sour / puss.
I just liked the picture.
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If I could find a listing service that provided me with ALL the Storage Auctions in the Area for under $150.00 a year I would consider it. However none of the listing services I have checked out can do that!
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So you already know there is a demand for a service. Why don't make a list of every storage facility in your area, call the facilities and then sell the list online. If you and I are having this much trouble finding information, surely others will pay for it.
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I'm not having a tough time finding Auctions,just not as many as I would like to find.
However your idea does have some merit.
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Well, calling the facilities in your area is the only sure fire way to find every auction.
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Well, calling the facilities in your area is the only sure fire way to find every auction.
Which is why I call all the facilities that are not on the listing I use twice a month.
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Very good, your advancing quickly Daniel son. Wax on, wax ... never mind.
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I recently bought a list off ebay, didn't need it was just curious to see what ohters were offering. Basically all the same auctions I know about and posted myself. Didn't cost much though so no big deal.
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What service provided the information? I saw someone selling a list on Ebay as well, I think it was going for like 99 cents. That should be the first warning sign.