Storage Auctions
The Storage Locker => New to Storage Auctions? => Topic started by: johnnyghonda on June 22, 2011, 09:15:08 PM
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Went to a corporate chain storage facility yesterday and they don't use an auctioneer so no email blast to thousands of hunters. 94 degrees and only 12 people there to bid on 8 units. They went super cheap too. I even bid on a second one by yelling yep and turning away... guy didn't hear me and it was a stacked high in that 5x10I with old people stuff. Went for $10 also. Next time I make eye contact. I really wanted that one. Oh well. Thousands out there. Kind of like when a customer doesn't buy a car from me I don't get bummed. P.M.A. makes a difference in life!
So I won a locker with a run down entertainment center, $35 in stamps, $40 in unused gift cards, some nice clothes, a camcorder, ceramic Brazilian collectibles, coffee table and matching end tables, a hurricane survival backpack with 5 years supply of pouched water! Also an antique type of iron bowl and other knick knacks. Even a prom dress and cap and gown and a dehumidifier. Echo unlimited heavy hooded jacket and lots of good yard sale clothes and items. Couple of gold chains and watches too. So not bad. Still no bigtime treasure find but like I said....
Thousands more in front of me :)
Anyone on here thinking about owning a thrift store? Thoughts?
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Considering on how much you spent on the unit, and the price of your goods, I say you did really really well.
Wish I could find one like that here, I may have, just waiting for them to do the next auction, apparently this place does not have a large attraction, and units go cheap.
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Nice win
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Anyone on here thinking about owning a thrift store? Thoughts?
Use the search function within the forum area (top of screen) and search for "thrift store" or look in the "Stores" topic area for threads started about thrift stores and the like. Several people here doing something on that order. Ironman just posted a nice note about the space he has in a "shared" antique mall. Nice pic with it too.
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For 10 bucks you can't go wrong. You will get a good profit from that one.
Keep up the good work.
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Thanks guys! Yeah I just finished sorting the papers And pictures to take back to the storage facility ... crazy how the units tell a story. This unit had two guys information and believe it or not, both were in jail as my lady and I laughed about the sex letters etc. That's not the crazy part... as I was going thru all the contents from prison letters out comes a mini razor blade that obviously was hidden away for a stabby day in d block. Found another homemade slicer in another bag of prison letters. Just goes to show you gotta go thru everything with care and watch out for needles too. Didn't find any of that or drug stuff thank god.
Yeah for ten bucks it was quite an adventure. Need to sell my stuff before I should get another one.
Hey how would I attach a pic of something here to see if anyone knows what it is?
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Awesome job!Way to be careful you never know.
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Just curious but do you ever see any lockers going for $1 after a bid? Have to assume that its a really, really awful looking and very rancid smelling locker. Thoughts? ???
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I've seen plenty of $1 units. It's usually when everything looks like trash and there is a ton of it. To where the time spent hauling everything wouldn't be worth it. Even if it were free which you see sometimes too.
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Oh, ok. TY Drew. Do people REALLY store trash in their lockers nowadays? Or do you think that its a result of cleaning out the valuables prior to auction and leaving the locker in a trashy condition?
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Oh, ok. TY Drew. Do people REALLY store trash in their lockers nowadays? Or do you think that its a result of cleaning out the valuables prior to auction and leaving the locker in a trashy condition?
Yes, for what ever reason it may be, whether they are just plain slobs, had to move out of their home quickly, and many other reasons. You will find trash, literary trash, in good majority of your units.
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I have bought units before that had trash in them. I bought a unit for $15 at one auction and there was a trash bag full of condiments in jars. Talk about disgusting.
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I talked to a storage facility owner the other day about this subject. He owns a small facility and does not have a perimeter security fence around his property. He told me he had to make sure every door had a lock on it otherwise people would come by in the middle of the night and find unlocked units and fill them with garbage.
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If an auction owners starts the bidding at say $25 and no one responds (the unit contents look like garbage), is that when you can say $1, or $10?
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@ AlabamaDude,
Yep, the worse they can so is no. I have been to some auctions where the auctioneer or facility manager won't take less then a $25 bid, but if it is clearly a trash unit or very little contents then most auctioneers will take a $1 opening bid.
I won a unit like that for $1 just for the treasure hunt and experience. I found $2 in change, found about a dozen pieces of clothes that were sellable, a couple of old video game cartridges, a couple of sellable books. Might make $20 at flea market with what I found. The bad news, spent two hours cleaning it out and $5 at the dump.
I don't think I will do any more trash units, even for $10 or $1, if I don't see money in it, I'm not buying it!
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@ CopiaVita Thanks. I had a feeling it was that way. What was so funny about this unit during Saturday's auction is that the owner was practically BEGGING for a bid after he started the bidding at $25 on a POS. There were 50 + people there and you could really here crickets at this one until someone accepted $25.... 2 minutes later! The locker sold for $45 and afterward, you can hear the new owner just groaning on how he bought an awful-looking locker. Or more so, how he may have overpaid.
I guess you never know. All part of the game. I may have bought it for a $1 but also may have been spending more money doing a dump run. Who knows? I've wasted a few bucks on worse things.