Six rooms on Saturday, 7/18/15 at a nice, clean, local facility.  Only about 10 buyers.  It was a strange day, since I've been to and bought several lockers at this place, and most of the rooms looked tossed.  I know they don't search them - I mean, they can't due to letting the renters pay up right until showtime.  This place normally has pretty clean, organized stuff and it looked like bombs had gone off in a few units! 

Here's photos of some of the lockers:

$40  http://s1078.photobucket.com/user/Cheesehead99/media/IMG_1596.jpg.html

$130 http://s1078.photobucket.com/user/Cheesehead99/media/IMG_1597.jpg.html

$100  http://s1078.photobucket.com/user/Cheesehead99/media/IMG_1601.jpg.html

$475  http://s1078.photobucket.com/user/Cheesehead99/media/IMG_1602.jpg.html

$265  http://s1078.photobucket.com/user/Cheesehead99/media/IMG_1607.jpg.html
http://s1078.photobucket.com/user/Cheesehead99/media/IMG_1609.jpg.html

I went up to $250 on a unit that had new toys, a rolling toolbox, and some real wood furniture, but it went to $375 and it seemed like a wash without much profit.  A bidder I know won it, and I stuck around while he did some digging.  Most of the toys and kitsch were cheap and not name brand and the toolbox was empty.  He should cover his cost with the dresser and two small end tables, but the back had boxes and other "mystery stuff" so it's a toss up. 

Good luck out there! 

Spent the better part of Saturday attending several auctions/estate auctions.   

First one was a furniture store that went out of business.  Over 500 individual items and over 200 buyers!  One of my local big auctioneers held the sale at their warehouse.  (Mind you, it was 96 degrees here today and the ventilation was non-existant)  Anyway, there were several local store owners who were buying the bulk of the items.  I did pick up two sets of dining room chairs (8 in all) for $10 each - and promptly sold them to another bidder for $35 each - picking up a cool $200 without even moving one thing.  (He showed up late and apparently wanted these chairs!)  My favorite kind of flip.  (You can see the light colored, bleached chairs in the first photo).  We left after about 3 hours and everything we were interested in had been sold.  Wow - needed a shower after THAT!

Actually hit an estate auction that was right on the way home next.  It was a piece deal and then a real estate auction after everything else sold.   We walked in and the auction had just started.  Kind of strange to see nearly 100 people crowded into a 1500-1600 sq foot house bidding on things.  But the worst thing was the smell - it smelled like cigarettes and stale pipe tobacco.......YIKES!      We did an about-face and left.  I don't smoke, and don't mind if people do, but how in the hell am I supposed to sell items that smell like something died!  I would think there would've been an effort to freshen the place up before the auction.  Yeah buddy!

Ended the day at a local twice-a-month consignment auction house off the beaten path.  At least it normally is.  Tonight was over 100 in attendance.  I did get a 12-channel mixing board to $6 - I was in radio years ago and I don't think anyone else knew what it was.  I have already begun to take it apart and clean.  It works great and should clean up nicely.  I also got a mahogany secretary desk for $70 - which I promptly sold for $180 on site.  (Actually had two people who came late and wanted this piece - when they found out it was already sold they asked me about buying it.)  Picked up a few little kitschy things - like a few cut glass vases for $2 each that I should be able to sell on etsy/ebay (similar styles, sizes, etc. are selling for $10-20 and I'm in no hurry).

Oh yeah, there was one storage auction also today - but when I called they had cancelled due to all renters had paid up.  (Seems to be the story around here, it's like the TV shows have educated these folks.)  But all-in-all a profitable day.

Good luck out there!



     

Here we go again.......(the following from eBay)

Great news! On June 19, all sellers can list Auction-style FREE. Pay zero insertion fees, even for your high-ticket items.

This offer applies to Auction-style listings on eBay.com, eBay Motors Parts & Accessories and eBay Canada. Most categories are included. This Promotion starts on Tuesday June 19, 2012, at 00:00:01 PT and will end on Tuesday June 19, at 23:59:59 PT. All existing selling limits (as well as category and item limits) still apply, and may exclude and prevent certain sellers from creating the maximum number of listings—50,000—in this promotion. See terms and conditions for full details.

Oh goody.....50,000 free listings!!  Of course, this means Matches will trot out his six listings......can't wait!!  

Recently (last month) they closed down the UPS Store that was literally one mile from my house...so much for convenience.   

On Monday, the empty store opened as a Goodwill.     Good news, it's a mile from my house - bad news, it's kinda small (30' x 100' ??)  It's in a strip-type mall building and they have a neighbor - but they are the end store, so they may have a little more room inside.  Will be checking them out for size, potential auctions, drop offs, etc.  This is pretty handy since the closest GW up to this point has been about 15 miles. 

At least they didn't open another Dollar Store.....

I know there have been several threads about small crowds, but most are approaching a year old, so I though I would update with today's auction story.....

Local independant facility - three lockers was down to one by start time.  The ONLY buyer there was..........ME!      I had talked to the facility owner and checked in, so I knew I was at the right spot.   (That's the good news)  The Manager even commented "Wow, guess you'll be getting a locker today!"  As we were walking through the gate to head to the single unit, up drives a second buyer - THE LOCAL WHALE!  (bad news)  I'm thinking "O crap, there goes my locker."

Unit was a 5x7 - One-third of it included a couple antique baskets, a few pieces of cast iron cookware, some books, stepladder, weed eater (rusty), and DVDs - and two-thirds was crates and crates of paperwork.  They were the plastic see-through crates, so you could see the bills, taxes, magazines, etc. (I'm talking 5-feet high!!)   My estimated selling value was about $200, so I set my limit at $100.  Mr. Whale started at $25, I went to $50, he went $75, and I went $100 - he walked up, flashed in a light - and bid $125.       I backed out, and he'll do alright with the stuff at his store. 

Still bizarre there were only two of us there, and sad that the other bidder had to be him!  Oh well......there's always the next one.

Hello from Arkansas, via Wisconsin......how's THAT for culture shock!!