I find it interesting how people on here and at the actual auctions think they own the profession.  Just in this thread alone people bid up others and admit to bidding each other up in fun.  So that means that in most auctions you are paying more than a true auction because someone is having fun at your expense.  In the long run people bidding up others will get their butt handed to them.
And when all is said and done treat people like you want to be treated. 

I like what you have to say, Beach64.

I am new to the storage auction scene, but certainly not new to resale.  I started looking into auctions while searching for additional ways of obtaining inventory.

After some research (including these forums), I felt rather prepared for my first auction experience.  I was not prepared for the amount of people there.  I can definitely see where anyone-new or old- would be frustrated with the crowds. 

I can’t really grasp why anyone would be frustrated or complain about people not bidding, though (other than them contributing to a large crowd)?  Obviously, many of these units contain really nothing but garbage.  That’s the point.  Renters never came back for the stuff, so in a lot of cases it wasn’t even worth their money to keep it.  Not everyone is interested in going through a unit that is mostly just dirt and grime.   They will wait for the cleaner looking units.  Crowd or not, people not bidding leaves it free for the interested bidders to win. 

This “bidding up” business for newbies is something I can’t comprehend.  It’s foolish, selfish and just ridiculous.  Especially when you are doing it to new people.  Obviously, if there are new people, many will be new also to resale.  People new to resale might have a very different definition of profit than someone who has been doing it for years.  I know that I, personally, don’t buy a thing unless I can make a minimum 100% profit (unless I can get something that is a super easy sale.)  But someone new might think that a 30% profit for listing some items on craigslist or whatever they decide to do, is great!  If you get people in the practice of “overpaying” early on, good luck ever getting low bids back.  Geez if you don’t really want a unit, don’t bid on it. 

Not to mention the fact that you never know why someone is there.  Of course that new tv show brought attention to this not-so-new auction scene, but that doesn’t mean everyone there is there to resell and make money.  I have seen units with almost full houses worth of furniture.  While a unit like this might’ve gone for $600 or less 9 months ago, it may be very worth it for a family to pay over $1,000 to get a new house worth of furniture.  A new bedroom set alone costs well over that.  And perhaps that is why you see entire families at auctions.

I have been enjoying reading all of these posts.  It is definitely informative!  Just wanted to include my 2 cents, cuz that’s what I do.