Well I spoke to soon.  Purchaed a unit last week at SecureCare.  When I get in the door she says it's my $150 bid + sales tax unless you have a tax-id.  I was like WTH -- no mention of that at the start of the auction.  If so I'd of stop bidding at $130 or so.  As such my $150 unit cost me $160.50.

We also have a few bidders that own a auction house.  Those I don't have a problem with.  In Alloro's case I'd be very wary and suspecious.  Like you said - are these lockers his "trash" lockers.  I'd stick to ones that were in the paper and not just all of a sudden surrendered.  Would also may watch for an auction or two and talk with people you know that won.

Could very well be nothing wrong but always be careful.

Lol - you will get some looks on the Angels but this is a great time to sell them at the flea / yard sale.  As for the purse - most of the high end stuff has serial #s in them from what I've learned.  Yet, to find anything like that - just 2 knock offs.  As for pots/pans and such most that I find gets tossed in my scrap pile.  I take the handles off, or with large spoons and such I cut the metal from the plastic handle.  Will sort all the stainless later and take it to yard when prices go back up....hopefully in march.

I also got a unit the other day.  Just plugged up the fridge to see if it gets cold.  If so a good cleaning and that should be my $150 back that I paid for unit.   Lets hope anyways.

Let us know how you do on the cloths.  90% of my cloths are going to goodwill before the 1st.  Just don't move for me.

You have to be careful and learn the ropes of the area.  Here are my examples:

1) local manager - told me the regional boss has him combine units sometimes to clean them out.  So you get furniture from one tossed in to another.  They don't go through the units that I can tell.  Mostly trying to clean out units cheaply.  You can sort of tell when they do that or when they do the unit looks even more trashy and gets low or no bids.

2) Caravan auction - one of the local managers will combine units.  We are all just carefull to look for it.  Gotten 3 different people stuff out of 1 unit before.  Person that bought the unit still made money (jewelry) so it don't seem like they toss the units first but you never know.

3) Caravan auction - the manager / auctioneer lets people go in the unit.  Still can't open totes, boxes, or such but we can look behind the furniture and things.  If unit is full we can still only look from the door but is still different.  Really does this on the large units that are only 1/3 full but all you see is the matress in front.

4) Few other units at different places have looked "staged" to me.  May or may not be the case but if I think that I bid about 2/3 my max or lower.

Yet a different caravan I found out when they cut the locks and what all they do.  On friday after 5:30 if people don't pay up they cut the locks, take a picture with a sign showing date/unit #, then close and put their lock on for Sat auction.

Start getting to know the local staff at each facility and you can learn alot.  It's how I found out about #1.  I was chatting up the local guy after the big boss left.  He was telling me about another unit he had that didn't come up for auction but needed to be cleaned out.  So I ended up cleaning out a 0 bid locker, my 2 lockers, and got to cherry pick what wanted out of a 4th.  All I had to do was toss the matress and boxspring in their dumpster.  Found 2 computers to scrap in the trash at same time.  Now I make it a habit of stopping in to chat once every other week.  So I may find out what units have been combined if any or find more free goodies.

I've learned only 1 place is truely crooked and I stay away from them (staged units, person in crowd running bid up, etc).  Most of the places so far seem legit, or I've never heard or seen anything really fishy.  The other few places like above you just have to watch the units.  They don't seem to be pulling stuff out of them as much as giving you extra trash to haul off.  Still not cool in my book but that's life.

I'm use to hot and humid -- still prefer it to winter months.  Of course if I ever get that job near the beach, with my beach front condo I'll just hush and be happy then.

Only thing with Florida are the afternoon showers.  Seems each year I'm down there I can set my watch by when it would start to rain for 10-20 mins then stop and be sunny again.

Only got to only hit one of the 3 auctions today.  This one is part 2 of a 2 facility sale.  Was a good 30 or so people - and about 6 bidders.  A few new faces, a few missing since last week, and most of the regulars.  Was told there was a good 50+ people at the first location.

10 x 10 - lots of junk furniture but washer/dryer in back.  One of my friends opened up at $20.  Was about to win it when someone opened there mouth about the washer in back.  Made people take a 2nd look and thus it sold for $60.  Friend was pissed.

10 x 10 - had 1/2 dozen or more mic stands, filled to the rafters with speaker boxes.  Not small boxes either - good 3' - 4' tall boxes.  Two trunks in back.  It sold for $75 to one of the newbies.  I liked the unit but wasn't about to kill myself on all that heavy wood that isn't going to sell.  Guy was trying to give them away.  Mics were not in the trunks it seems.

Next unit had a car and motor/transmission in it.  Sold for $550.

10 x 10 (same owner as car) - crap furniture, tool cart, nice looking fridge, a battery jump thing, misc other stuff.  Since I knew the car unit and this was same owner I was open to some gambling on what I couldn't see behind furniture.  I opened at $50 and thought I had it till a newbie jumped in.  Then one of the other regulars.  Got it for $150.  Right after the other new regular wanted to buy the gear box (looks new).  I passed as they would of lowballed me bad.  I have a few friends also in racing and a brother-in-law that works on cars.  So will run it by them and then sale.

Next unit was a 5x10 or such - Leather sofa, lamp, and that about it.  Sold for $80 to newbie

Last 5x5 had a few bags, small vac, few other things.  Had some mystery to it and is a unit I normally like.  Once it passed $150 I just started to walk towards the office.  Went to the newbie that bought all the speaker boxes wife.  I suspect they are not going to last long.

Have a pic of the unit I won can post later if anyone is interested.  Overall not too bad of a day.  They never announced it but they charged sales tax.  So my unit cost me $160.50 which sucked.  Should still make my money back if the fridge works.

This board must be getting real popular.  Seems we have a influx of (under 10 post) newbies telling everyone else how wrong they are.  Not just about the shows, but 1st time lockers netting 100s or 1000+ bucks, etc. etc.

Very strange, very strange indeed.


Honestly - if you have been doing this long enough you should have a number of buyers or "go-to" people for a number of different things.  It's when they leave to travel all over the US and still can find not just the right person, but a buyer with cash in hand that really drives me nuts.

Of course all the shows are fake.  If not people really wouldn't watch them, and they wouldn't be so popular.

As for the skimply clad female buyers -- lmk what auctions they going to be at.  I'll make sure to bring lots of $1s.