I wouldn't say theft is a big problem at my garage sales but I am sure it occurs from time to time. I have a pretty good memory so I will notice right away if an expensive item is missing. If people want to steal a few items I'm only selling in the 50 cent to $2 range, I'm not gonna sweat it. Sometimes I do have to kindly remind people "It's not all you can carry for $5!" or "It's not buy the first item for $10 and every other item after that is free!"

I've actually have had similar experiences where I have not been able to go through everything and someone will bring me something valuable and they will say "how much for this?" Typically I just blame my wife or kids for putting it out and say it wasn't supposed to be sold. LOL.

You probably know how it is when you get a bunch of storage units and you got them for a reasonable price, if your customers stole 10% of the items for sale you would never know it and probably still make your money back.

Question? Why do some people at garage sales/flea markets think that once they have spent $20 or around that amount that everything else they can stuff in thier arms should be discounted to free?

Customer: "I just spent $20 and bought this and that!"
Me: 'Thank You, and I knocked $5 off the price of what you bought, and now you have another $10 worth of stuff in your hands."

Ive only done deals on-site with some regulars I consider friends. I have tried to pick from newbs, but mostly they are so wide eyed and frantic after winning a unit they can't see straight let alone think about the offer. Rarely do they call me back. To be honest, I don't let newbs pick from me either, I tell them I don't know what I want for item X, I will call them back, typically I don't, especially if they seem to be trying to really get into the storage auction game and bidding on many different units. If I recognize someone who never or rarely bids on units and they ask to buy something from a unit then I might work with them cause they are only looking for specific items, but I am damn sure not going to let someone who competes against me buy something to flip for profit.

Just doubled the booth space at the vendors mall I sell at. Of course that means double the rent, so I need to double the sales (at least).

Glad the space came available though, the flea market I like has gotten a lot more competative, more vendors/sellers; and really no change in customer traffic.

Thought I would start a new thread about vendor's malls or maybe it should be it's own categorie under "The Marketplace"?

No way, hate that color green. It only looks good on Smart cars and fishing worms.

Nevermind, that color doesn't even look good on them!

Trade up from time to time, Our house is pretty full of stuff now, both to keep, and constant inventory to sell. What's beginning to happen more often is I have to sell furniture I would like to keep only because our house and the size of our rooms is too small to even keep and upgrade the furniture. Some of our furniture is "heirloom" pieces passed down from family members, I guess we could put it storage and replace it with better furniture from storage units, but then I would feel like we are starting to become hoarders.

It feels wierd to sell better quality furniture at discounted prices then I own in my own house.

In Georgia, the renter agrees that the items placed in storage are without liens. This is because the owner of the facility actually has a lien on the items when they are put in storage at the facility. The only exception is where there was a certificate of lien on an item that pre-dates the day the item went into storage. As in the instance of a car, truck or some such.

There is one sentence in the statute that answers the OP question;

Any sale or disposition of the personal property shall be held at the self-service storage facility or at the nearest suitable place to where the personal property is held or stored.

Are Internet sales legal in Georgia – I would guess no!

And thank God for it!
 

Oh contrar, I have bid on internet storage units in Georgia! Legal or not, they are happening!

They are legal in my state due to the fact that auctions are not even required to dispose of the liened contents. The storage facility can take possession of the contents and do what they want with them, so if they decide to hold an auction it just benefits us.

I have bid on a couple of "online" units but haven't won any. I am just not comfortable biddng as high as I would if I could see the unit in person.

Bad weather doesn't effect me one way or another, if the auction is on I will be there!

As far as the crowds?

If it rains or storms there will be the same amount or MORE people at the auction.
Snow? about the same number show up.
Wind? not an issue.

The only weather related event I have seen lower crowds is a heat wave. Last June we had temps reach 106 degrees (with 85% humidity, not that dry desert heat) on an auction day. I won two units and they were some of the cheapest units I have bought.

I remember a couple of years ago we had a really bad tornado outbreak in our area, several surrounding towns were wiped out, over hundred dead, but there was an auction the next morning and I thought no one would be there. Nope, all the regulars showed up, and everybody was looking at each other like "what are you doing here?"