Do you own a warehouse? I can't afford a warehouse and don't have space.

What would you recommend to a newcomer  who can't afford a warehouse and wants to get started buying units? I've been a garage sale picker for about 2 years now. My main selling venue is the Flea market and craigslist. I refuse to work with eBay because I've heard some nasty stories about them bringing peoples business down. Anyways this thread is NOT about eBay so let's not go there. There is nothing you can do to convince me to use them.

I am currently living in an apartment. My question is, where do I put the stuff that I get from the unit? What would you do if you were starting out with my situation? Thanks.

Welcome to the forum.

If I were you, I would try to find a storage facility close to your home and rent a 10X20 with double door access (if available.) This will give you enough space to work out of while you're getting started and it won't break the bank (about $100 a month.) A 10X20 is a lot of space if you organize it neatly and the double doors will allow you to access your merchandise easier. Plus, a storage facility is a good neutral meeting place which will make you and your buyers feel more comfortable.

im with travis. Rent a storage unit.

im with travis. Rent a storage unit.

Just don't default on your payments.

I think everyone starts out bringing the stuff home, finding nooks for it then renting a storage unit, then maybe another one ...etc.

At one point I had 7 10x30's which was costing a small fortune in rent so I moved into a warehouse.  I have about 5,000 square feet at this point but thats not for everyone and I wouldn't suggest it unless you are planning to do this full time or have a partner or two.

Once you start getting into the heavy overheads is when you start to lose money.

Welcome to the forum.

If I were you, I would try to find a storage facility close to your home and rent a 10X20 with double door access (if available.) This will give you enough space to work out of while you're getting started and it won't break the bank (about $100 a month.) A 10X20 is a lot of space if you organize it neatly and the double doors will allow you to access your merchandise easier. Plus, a storage facility is a good neutral meeting place which will make you and your buyers feel more comfortable.

  Travis I agree on the 10x20 being a good size to start with and love the ones with double doors , the rents can vary wildly depending on your location, $100 wont get you a 5x5 around here in some cases

  Travis I agree on the 10x20 being a good size to start with and love the ones with double doors , the rents can vary wildly depending on your location, $100 wont get you a 5x5 around here in some cases

I image that applies to most everything in New York. 

typical outdoor, non climate controlled 10x30 in long island ranges from $250-350 which isn't terrible overhead for someone just starting out.

If after a couple of months its full and you aren't making money throw it up for auction and call it a day.

There is a small storage facility by my house that rents 15X45's for $100 a month. They only have about 7 units, the main gate uses a padlock and there are dirt floors and roads, but that's a lot of space for the money. Just goes to show you that the deals are out there if you look for them.

There is a small storage facility by my house that rents 15X45's for $100 a month. They only have about 7 units, the main gate uses a padlock and there are dirt floors and roads, but that's a lot of space for the money. Just goes to show you that the deals are out there if you look for them.

Thats bigger than most thrift stores in long island with rent at 2k+ a month.  Thats a great deal.

I rent a 20 x 55 ft with 15 ft high ceiling and door for $455 no gate so buyers can drive right up

thats decent. do you get heat or power in there? thats what im looking for. During the winter i'm kinda confined to my garage which is only about 600 sq ft.

thats decent. do you get heat or power in there? thats what im looking for. During the winter i'm kinda confined to my garage which is only about 600 sq ft.

Doesn't come with heat has lights but I use propane heaters if i need in the winter. Im looking for a warehouse but cant find one that fits my requirements of size and location, they are either too small or massive or not near me.

In the beginning, if you can’t afford warehouse space, your next best thing will be storing and selling out of a storage unit, or two, or three, or four, etc. At my peak, I had three 10’ x 30’ storage lockers, and a pretty good system at that. I kept all the ready-to-sell furniture in one, the ready-to-sell “smalls” in another, and the third I kept for processing. This set me back roughly $650 per month, but I was making enough keep going. Note: I always put my profits back into the business so that I could grow it. If your loan, savings account, or significant other’s salary is enough to support your bills, I suggest doing this.

So, using storage lockers as storage sounds great right? No, not entirely. First and foremost, although you can now have buyers come to you, you will still have the problem with Craigslist buyers who show up late, or don’t show up at all. But, you can keep working in the meantime. Another downfall is there may be no electricity, lighting, or Wi-Fi access in order for you to post new items online. Let’s just say my smartphone got a workout!

In addition to those problems, you are also limited by the hours of the storage facility. Fortunately for me, because I was an LLC, the storage manager let me access my storage unit’s 24x7, which was great.

If you do decide to go the storage unit route, I recommend:

•   Sign up for the storage units with your business name!  This gives you some leverage and the possibility of 24x7 access to your storage locker(s).

•   If you are getting multiple lockers, try to get them as close together as possible. I had two, right next to each other, and a third that was a hike away, which wasn’t very convenient.

•   Get a system going before you max out your storage. I suggest having one locker for processing and one locker for selling.

•   Leave an aisle in all of your lockers so that you can get all the way to the back. You don’t want to block yourself from selling your inventory. Sales are the life-blood of your business.

I’m getting ready to start my adventure buying storage lockers.  I never even thought about where I would store the stuff.  I may have to buy a storage unit for the stuff I get from storage units.