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Messages - craiglstauction

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106
Stories about Storage Auctions / Re: Auction Scene #2...February, 2013
« on: February 21, 2013, 10:20:15 AM »
Tax time is here and the crowds have grown once again.  I think every thrift store owner in a 100 mile radius has come to the auctions in my area.  Prices have ranged from reasonable to "wth retail".  Last auction with 15 units in 7 locations had a crowd of 50 or so.

Monday is going to be a nightmare IMO.  The place had a "short" auction in december and none in January.  So this month they have 114 units listed in the paper in 3 locations.  So I suspect we may see 20-30 units out of all the locations.  With so many units listed in the paper however I suspect 100+ people.  Really hope I am wrong.

107
Stories about Storage Auctions / Re: Health Care Items
« on: February 21, 2013, 10:16:03 AM »
We had a medical equipment unit come up for auction back in January.  It was like 7 or 8 x-ray machines.  I was like cool - can make some money on the parts from the boards / scrap.  Was thinking $100 max.  I was way off - the unit sold for $1150.  The guy that bought it was like "each of those machines are $800 or so" and I just laughed.

Most everyone knew that the unit is the left over surplus from the hospital a block away.  I surplus equipment for the hospital I work for.  99% of the time the surplus stuff don't work or is so old it has no value other then scrap.  I've not seen the guy back since then.

108
Online Storage Auctions / Re: Everything but a mint on the pillow
« on: February 21, 2013, 10:08:11 AM »
Well those bar stools are $20 each.  You just have to take the "crap" that goes with the rest of the unit.

109
Stories about Storage Auctions / Re: What influenced you to go to your first auction?
« on: February 21, 2013, 10:05:31 AM »
I had seen a storage auction listing 5 or more years ago when I was looking for some auctions.  At the time my father and I were into equipment auctions.  Those auctions both dried up in the number of auctions a year and the crowd for them grew.  More and more people were looking for used equipment instead of new.  Then one night I saw an advertisement for auction hunters and decided to watch it.  One episode and I was like "oh that is so much bs" but it reminded me of the listing I had seen years back.  So back to searching the net and found my first storage unit auction on a saturday.  Oh what a circus that was.  Anyways - I spent time researching the local auctions, reading articles, books, and of course found this site.  Few months later I bought my first two units and have not looked back.

When I started a dozen people was a large crowd.  Now, only 20 bidders is considered a small crowd.  As for the "regulars" it's about a 3 way split.  You have the old timers that have done this for 10+ years and still do it more as a hobby.  Then you have the 5 year or so thrift store / auction house people -- we have 3 of them.  Then what I consider the "new bloods" of us that have done it for a 1yr - 4yr.  There is only myself and my buddy that are still doing this 18 months or so after we started.  There are a few 6-9 month old people still hanging in.  Mostly the crowd just comes and goes.

110
Stories about Storage Auctions / Re: When you find bibles/ religious items in a locker what do you do with them?
« on: February 21, 2013, 09:55:51 AM »
I keep the CDs of course. For most of the bibles however they end up getting tossed if they are signed/dedicated to someone.  Use to turn them back in with the personal stuff but the companies said they didn't want the crap back.  Goodwill and churches don't want them....only new unused ones.

I have a few small ones new in plastic but they have not sold yet.  Maybe it's due to liven in the south ans everyone has 5+ bibles each, not counting the "family bible".

111
Stories about Storage Auctions / Re: Restaurant Equipment
« on: January 31, 2013, 09:44:38 AM »
Nope - I've bid on a few stainless steel tables and things of that nature but have always gotten outbid.  The few times units of that nature have come up for auction they for 1000s.

112
Stories about Storage Auctions / Re: Health Care Items
« on: January 31, 2013, 09:39:45 AM »
I've not really had much equipment to sell.  I have one 3 wheel triangular walker for sale.  I can tell you the following however.

1) Hospital beds - nothing but scrap metal.  Most places "rent" these beds and is covered by insurance.

2) Wheelchairs - hit or miss.  Guy at the flea market found one at a yard sale for $5.  He sold it 10 mins after putting it out for $100.  The "big boy" or wide style wheelchairs sell much better versus the smaller ones.  Electric chairs I've not seen sell.  Most of the fellow buyers I talk to prefer not to find them in units.

3) Crutches - do ok.  My buddies store sell more of them around Halloween as props then during the year.  Wood crutches except close to Halloween go in the trash.  Metal ones are always kept to sell or scrap.

4) Stehoscope's - I have 2 of them and have yet to sell.  Of course I've not tried very hard either.

113
Stories about Storage Auctions / Re: $$rate of unit vs contents
« on: January 31, 2013, 09:31:34 AM »
Most of the storage places around here all have the same type unit sizes for around the same price.  I will give almost any location a chance.  Normally after the first 1 or 2 auctions I can determine if it's really worth my time or not to attend them in the future.  For the most part I have 2 locations I go to every auction.  Then I have 3-5 others that I attend if I have the time.

I've seen a few 10x20 size units with stuff that would fit inside a 5x5.  You just never know.

114
Stories about Storage Auctions / Re: Exercise Equipment
« on: January 29, 2013, 12:32:06 PM »
My buddy with the store has sold a few exercise items that he has gotten in.  It's pretty much hit or miss with the stuff however.  The only thing that sells well is the solid metal weights.  People use them for all sorts of things...to include scrap metal.

115
Stories about Storage Auctions / Re: Auction Scene #1...January, 2013
« on: January 28, 2013, 02:23:00 PM »
Well I could tell the NY Storage wars started up.  Saturday was my 3 facility auction that I've done well at before.  This month we had over 30 registered bidders, a good 60 - 75 people total for a big total of 7 units.  Only about 10 regulars, everyone else was new faces to me.  Only 1 good looking unit that I'm sure was up there in price as it had a small digital lock style safe in the front, lots of furniture, and was packed.  Only 1 other unit was decent, the rest were 0 bids for me.

Auctions really kick off again next month.

116
General Storage Auction Talk / Re: How much weight do you give to the writing on boxes?
« on: January 14, 2013, 10:18:49 AM »
Only about 1 in 5 units I trust what is written on the box.  Normally that is due to 90% of the unit being a specific type.  For example we had 4 different "crafting" units come up for sale.  The whole unit was related to crafting.  So if the box said x-mas material, or patterns, etc. I trusted it.  Only other time I put stock in the writing is when it's a professional / military move and the boxes don't look to have been opened/re-taped.  So when the box says "Kitchen - Dish" or "Bedroom #1 - linen" you are pretty sure of what you will find.

If I can inspect 3-4 boxes near the door and what is written on the box is what is inside I'll take a chance on the rest.  By inspect I mean look in the open box or via the handle holds.

117
General Storage Auction Talk / Re: What do you do with printers?
« on: January 14, 2013, 10:13:14 AM »
I'm very surprised you can get 5 - 10 bucks for them.  Your small home printers get the ink cartridge pulled to turn in to staples/office max/etc for credit.  The larger office printers I will test out.  If they work I can re-sell them.  If they don't work I pull the memory and ink cartridge out of them.  A few of the more popular HP printers that don't work I'll strip for parts.  Is a bunch cheaper to buy a used fuser then new.  Sometimes, you can't even buy new parts for some of the printers.  In today's economy every workplace looks to save money somewhere.


118
General Storage Auction Talk / Re: Beware of staged units!
« on: January 14, 2013, 10:07:12 AM »
This doesn't surprise me at all.  You have to look very carefully at everything.  I've seen more then a few units that looked "staged".  Many good looking items up front, open, etc. close to the door.  Then boxes, totes, or blankets covering the rest.

Just recently I found out one location of my 7 facility trip let the tenant back in to pull some items out of his unit he was going to loose.  The lady that bought the unit got what she wanted (beat up working fridge) for $50 so was no loss.  But I was pissed to find out that the facility manager had came up to her the next day and asked "Did you find anything good in there?"  Upon chit-chat back and forth is how she found out that the facility manager had allowed the owner to pull out some boxes and other stuff.

Big thing now is to combine units to look like they are full, nice units.  Only to find out it's 4 different people in the unit with mixed results.  I don't mind combined units but they should be declared loudly to all that they are.

119
General Storage Auction Talk / Re: Does your house look like Moe's back yard?
« on: January 03, 2013, 11:50:48 AM »
Not seen it since don't watch Texas but I'm sure my yard does.  It was a forclosed property with a single wide and 2 large storage buildings.  Even after 5 years and 3 roll-off containers I have trash/junk everywhere.  Now add my auction buying with full sheds, 4 tarps, a trailer, and plastic bins stacked everywhere.  Yep - I qualify.

I'm sure when people come over they think I'm a horder.

120
General Storage Auction Talk / Re: How much money do you take to an auction?
« on: January 03, 2013, 11:48:14 AM »
I've gone to an auction with as little as $200 (and bought a unit).  The most I've ever taken was $2k.  Normally it's $400-$600 "auction money" with another $300 in reserve.  This doesn't include any "regular money" that I may have in my normal wallet.  I carry two - one with my auction / buying money and the other with my normal cash, CC, license, etc.

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