HI, my name is BJ... from Long Island, NY.. I used to go to all sorts of auctions in the 90s.. then I had 2 kids (frowned on at auctions-I understand totally) than I was in a near fatal accident which left me disabled. It took me over 10 years to even look at an auction, but, even with that-I am unable to lift and carry 1/10 of what I could 15 years ago. I am also restricted by $$$ now. VERY RESTRICTED. So, now, it is the occaisional general auction. I ONCE IN A WHILE go to a storage auction... but since the introduction of all those LOVELY 'AUCTION' shows-NAMELY= the Storage Wars group and the sickening Storage Hunters.... the PRICES ARE RIDICULOUS as you 'storage hunters' (not the show ones-yuck) from before 2008 know.

I am sorry-this is going to take a bit-but if you have the time, please follow-I want to know if you come to the same conclusion.........

ANYHOOO..... I have attended a number and not bought because of the price. I went to a facility out East from me on Long Island in the Winter. It was Storage Containers-about 20? and one pallet. 8' x 8' x 10'-my spouse and I stayed for HALF OF THEM-most of them-all you saw were boxes-moving boxes- and people were 'winning them' for $1400-$1700. Some misc. Auto stuff-my husband and son are mechanics-said it was worth about $100-that went for $700. Left after that-BTW-about 300 people there. 

Now, about 2 weeks ago, same facility, different auctioneer. One that does units by me. So we went again. About 22 containers, 15 pallets. The rules-after winning anything-you had to (of course) give your # and give in to the cash lady a $100 cash clean out fee. (even for the pallet) $100 for EACH and EVERY container/pallet you won/bought.

Okay. fine. The auction starts and thankfully, for us, the bidders, there are not the 300+ bidders this time (the containers were brought inside this time-it has been raining on and off-unlike the rest of the country=-the last auction was outside).
The first container goes for around $175=great! not interested-forgot what was in it, but, not the $800-$1200 the other auction the 1st went for. 2nd-I think-$200. And so on. Most of the 1st 15 units went for between $150-350. My husband was gun shy though.

Now-We had priced out RENTING A U HAUL-@ $100. But 1st I was talking to the 2 auctioneers there right after looking at the containeers, just asking questions. (one is going to be  Auction Hunters with Alan) Anyhooo They were there by themselves. They both said alot of times, their staff is there for the $$$$ taking, writing down the winner, but the STORAGE FACILITY had their staff doing that, and EVERYTHING ELSE.

So, the 2 Auctioneers are mentioning that this Storage Facility can DROP THE CONTAINERS OFF at your home or business FOR BETWEEN $50-100.  GREAT!!!! One of them point the person out to talk to and I talk to her. My husband asks about a discount for buying multiple units. (we would be charged $100 for our distance for 1) She told him-$50 per for multiple. GREAT-MAYBE I WILL GET MORE THEN 1!

Anyhow, spineless hubby keeps disappearing, so I am not sure about how high to go (it's his money-i am on SSI.) After the 6th unit we were noticing pink and grey paper crunched up on the top of the containers. He asks one of the auctioneers-he says it is packing paper the people get and put in. I had only really noticed it in that unit, thought the owner was trying to hide valuables. My hubby-NO, SOMEONE IS TRYING TO HIDE GOOD STUFF=WENT THROUGH IT=trying to get it for a low amount. Well, the auctioneer went over and PULLED OFF THE PAPER. NOTHING, NOTHING WAS BEHIND THE PAPER. Looked like someone was trying to make like THERE WAS MORE IN THE CONTAINER THEN THERE WAS! (blew hubby's theory).Next  cont.=more paper=pulled out-crappy beat up metal chairs. Next unit-Air. and so on. Obviously, these containers were gone through.

We went through the 1st row, up against the wall and were now starting  the middle row (3 rows=1st on the rt=against the wall, one in the middle and the 3rd against the left wall-got it?).  The 1st unit=@ $200ish, then we get to the 2nd cont. in the row, and a woman from the STORAGE FACILITY-taking down the 'winning bids' NOT THE AUCTIONEERS, said 'CLOSE THIS UP, THIS WAS ALREADY BID ON AND WON'. We all said 'NO! This was not auctioned off'. She kept saying 'We opened the other side and auctioned it up  on the other row!' ' We again were like 'No, only the containers on the rt side, AGAINST THE WALL!' She kept trying and then the female auctioneer came over and said 'I NEVER AUCTIONED THIS UNIT' and she, the storage lady  flashed a little 'anger'? and let it be auctioned after saying 'I guess i was confused'.

 This one man was 'buying ' up alot of units=a #66 along the way... (FYI) The auctioneer would always say 'the winning bid is $XXXX and is #YYY 'PLEASE GO PAY THE $100 CLEAN OUT FEE ' and the Money lady (different person) would say 'Im over here' If you did not pay right away, SHE FOUND YOU! 1/3 of these units had that 'packing' paper crumpled up on the top, and when the auctioneers removed it-showed nothing or crappy stuff, and when it was air, it wasn't like the 'owner' had put enough in to try to 'buffer' the unit for moving it around. Just a few sheets in the front.

I was bidding all along and for 2/3s of the containers, I was bidding against just one person after $100. I finally got one, for $300. We went out to the pallets-just small pallets, most owned by the same person who either worked or passed by a liquor store-everything was in wine boxes and by now, people must have gotten antsy-They were bidding the same prices for lil pallets $300 -as the containers-unless they thought there was really wine in there?

Anyhoooooo right at the end, we go to talk to the Storage facility lady to tell her we only had one container-and she now says-'OH, I CAN'T GET IN TOUCH WITH THE MOVERS. ' and WALKED AWAY!!!! this had been annouced over and over again, we had told her we definitely WANTED TO GET OURS DELIVERED and THANK MY HESITATION that I DID NOT 'BID AND WIN ' another CONTAINER. Walking away. What would have happened? I could have lost my $100 deposits on each of the units... of I could have paid for alll of them and lost money that way or I/WE COULD HAVE BECOME THE NEWEST CONTAINER RENTER!!!!!

Now-all of a sudden, she comes back to the Auctioneers and says tell the bidders not to leave. Okay. Someone backed out? they have another container somewhere? Then WE and the AUCTIONEERS hear from them that Bidder #66 did not pay? Pay for his units? Not only the units, HE NEVER PAID THE CLEAN OUT $100 ON ANY OF HIS SUPPOSED WINNING BIDS! He, according to the Storage Facility, 'won' 7 units and did not put down ANY MONEY. All these  men around me are going 'Can you believe he just skipped out on them'. I was saying to them-'Hey, when you 'won' a unit, that money lady was on you like white on rice, how did she miss him 7TIMES!. For many of these guys, did not sink in. One guy said, well maybe he was going to an ATM. It was Saturday Afternoon, the auction started late-he could have gone and maybe missed the 1st, 2nd unit at the most...but youcan only get so much from an ATM... and THEY ONLY EXCEPTED CASH!!! IF IT WALKS LIKE A DUCK, SOUNDS LIKE A DUCK, it is not a cat!. So, the Storage facility says it is going to auction off the 7 units he won. (A bunch of guys are saying 'this guy is gonna be pissed if he comes back and sees his units being auctioned off-still did notget it). Well, anyhoo-#66 'won' the 1st 3 units-SURPRISE- and surprise, they now went for less. Then he also won a unit with a Dyson Vaccuum -LESS THEN WHAT I WAS BIDDING FOR AGAINST #66!!!!.  The 'last' 3 units of his-2 of the 3 were units I was going head to head with a bidder -but-I cut out because I did not like the price for something I could not see. So, #66 was pushing the bids up on ME! But, the STORAGE FACILITY decided 'not to auction off those 3 at this time'.

1-I am now feeling like we were all over paying-the units went for decent prices-but I felt they -the storage faciltiy had a bidder in there
.2 Also, there was a father and a kid in there-the Father NEVER BID-but the kid kept saying what CLASSIC TOY was in the unit-nearly fell for it myself.
3 that packing papper-to hide emptiness and crappy items, It also means the storage facility was going through the items.
4. obviously not taking deposits from this one bidder. When we finally packed up to leave-there were at least 8 units in that building -once you paid, they brought the unit out into the parking lot and the units had to be cleaned out and taken THAT DAY! More 'fake bidders'?
5-SF woman arguing that we already bid on a container we all knew we didn't
6-promising delivery when it was totally lined up or lined up at all.
7 I also noticed, might not have been them-but on the outside of 2 of the 1st couple of units-'houseware unit' 'sport unit' and on boxes in various units things were 'labeled' in ink. one of my items, in a med. box in script was 'refrig' I thought poss. a mini frig but it wasnt. I can't say they did it. I know you can trust ACTUAL BOXES of say what a mini frig would come in-because it could have been saved for storage-but strange-a storage box being labeled, and a few of the other things in the cont. had the same thing.

I emailed the Auctioneers. Like I said, I have talked to both of them, knew that NONE OF THE OTHER PEOPLE there were not THEIRS. I forgot who the auctioneers were in Feb. 2012-I wish I could find out-would like to find out why they were replaced or if they REFUSED TO DO IT AGAIN.

sorry for the length, but, please, any thoughts? Am I wrong on my thinking? (I tend to be pesimistic). Anyway to find out who did the previous auction?

   good for YOU!!!!!