I thought I noticed the box thing! Glad I'm not seeing things

Yep, I saw that and pointed it out to my wife.  I thought I was seeing things at first, but we rewound it and there it was...

Wasn’t sure where to put this, it fit here, Auction Stories, or the Lookey loo thread.  Anyway, move it if it seems better elsewhere…

I went to my first four auctions yesterday.  The first one easily had 90 people with about 10 bidders.  That isn’t counting the dozen or so children and infants.  The next three were in a circuit and were less crowded (about 40 people), but my guess is that most lookey loos went to an auction that had 20 units up.  The first auction, though crowded, was a pleasant experience as the auctioneer was friendly and allowed people to really look at a unit.  The last three (all done by the same guy, who I found out later is a regular in southern California) were not as fun.  He would not let your feet stop moving as you walked by a unit.  One guy (a regular) got down on his hands and knees to look under something and got barked at; because he was a regular, he barked right back.  More than once I heard people sharing information as to what they saw in a unit and complaining that they had no idea what they were bidding on.

My favorite unit of the day was a packed unit (10x15) that looked like a lot of junk in the front, but was clearly most of a household.  Bidding started at $100, then $125, then $150… then a regular just yelled out $1000 and it sold for that.  Other regulars were saying it would have gone for more if he hadn’t jumped in.  He scared away the competition and avoided the nickel and diming the noobies were doing.  Overall, prices were all over the map.  A couple units went for fairly cheap for good stuff to outrageous for what looked like junk.

I didn’t bid on anything, but in describing the experience to my wife, I have piqued her interest to the point she wants to go out with me next time I go (probably in a month or so). 

All in all, it was good experience, and I now have a better sense of what I would need to bid to get certain lockers.  I also spent the day as a sponge listening to the regulars talk about the business.  There was a reporter at one facility who was just talking to a regular.  I sat back and just absorbed everything he had to say while she asked the questions for me!  It was perfect.

It seems to me that Amazon's 3.99 for shipping books covers the media mail rate for most books, but the shipping supplies are just not going to be covered in that amount.  The USPS rate plus a decent box to ship a large hardcover book (think a Tom Clancy novel) plus the packing material (unless you use old newspapers) is going to run $1-2 more than the $3.99 you are allotted.

Does anyone know of a good source for shipping supplies to keep those costs under control?

Great... Sacramento is where I am... Hoping to go on a circuit for my first lookey loo on the 26th.  As it's the week after the shows start, I am expecting it to be jam packed!

California Business & Professions Code Section 21707 requires that, prior to a lien sale, the storage facility must publish notice of the sale in "a newspaper of general circulation published in the county where the sale is to be held."

I have looked into this, and the Sacramento Bee (online) does not have these notices, nor have I seen any in the last month (never looked at it before that) in the Penny Saver.  I have not looked in a physical copy of the SacBee, is it possible that they print something in the paper but not put the info online?

I guess my question is, am I missing where the Sacramento area auctions are being advertised?