Auction Scene #3...March, 2012

$100

100 Bucks?  40 x 40l<

100 Bucks?  40 x 40l<

You're right $100 is too much. Make it $50.

Remember that expression "If it looks too good to be true, it probably is" ?

I'm a gambler, but I don't mind letting someone else gamble too. There are always more auctions.

I buy complete computer systems (case, memory, cpu, hdd, cards) for $5 off people.  Don't care if they work or not.  Old style TVs I wouldn't touch.  The new LCD flat screens I'd have to do some research on.  Disposal fee's may eat into any profit that you could make.  Would have to see the locker to give you my bid.

U-haul today, two locations to choose from.  Can't make the first location but did the second.  I was surprised - about 20 of us today compared to the 50 or so last month.  Auctioneer said he is seeing the crowds starting to drop some.  Mostly regulars today with a few new faces.  Most of the lockers went to regulars and one I know went to a newbie.  Prices were moderate to high.  Bid on several but got outbid so still dry so far this month.

Buddy of mine got a double unit for $600 at the first location.  Said it is 2 10x20 units combined and packed full.  Asked me to come help him after work since U-haul only gives you 24 hours.  Glad he got back in the game.  He had been dry for the past 3 months not wanting to come off his cash.

Three auctions coming up - one single and one a "brother & sister" caravan.  With all the rain in the Mid-South, I hope I can either find a locker with hip waders, or the auctioneer is named Noah so I can borrow his ark!  Good luck to everyone. 

Whoever said "Spahn and Sain and pray for rain" didn't live around here!   

***UPDATE FROM 3/10/12***

Facility #1 - 3 units and only 9 bidders.  They were also three of the nicer units I have seen in the last six months or so.  Not "nice" in the sense of designer clothes, VanGogh paintings, guns, and safes - but nice "turn-and-burn" resellable merchandise.  Because of this, the prices were fairly high.  

1)  Pictured below- went for $525, bought by local whale.  Had a nice tool box (in front) - half a dozen designer-type lamps in good shape - otherwise it was chucked full of boxes.  No big stuff.  I went up to $350.
 
2)  Not pictured - went for $270 - interior 5x10 unit with a sleigh bedframe (wood) - TV, couch, tables, chairs, dresser with a missing drawer - it was packed and dusty.  People I knew won, so I helped them unload.  WOW - couch turned out to be leather sectional.  Found the missing drawer - loaded with every leg they needed - and bags full of cushions.  Couch and all cushions in great shape, no rips.  They should be able to double or triple up easily.

Unit #3)  Picture below - went for $450 to an older gentleman I've never seen before - sorry for the split screen photo - some folks just won't get out of the way!  Right side had two small fridges, bike (hanging on right side), new storage rack, cleaning equipment, TV with remote, and on the left side was a bunch of weights - both iron and cement filled.  Also other workout equipment, some sealed DVDs, several tubs, and a near new Dirt Devil vac.  .  Good stuff. I went to $350 on this one too - figuring about $600-700 in sale potential.

Those do look like good units Cheesehead.  Prices still seem a little high to me, specially with the number of people you reported.  However, if it's like around here most of the store people are starting to run low on inventory.  So they may not be bidding against newbies but each other now. 

Auction today was a total bust.  Buddy and me both went to this small town auction.  Had 4 units and 2 in other town.  Got there and they only had 1 unit.  Opened the door and the 8 of us that were there just groaned and said just close it.  Unit was empty except for the pile of trash / moldy cloths in a line on the left.  I buy trash units all the time and make money but even this one made me take a step back.  Try another small town again next saturday.

Saw an estate sale sign on way into town so stopped into there.  That was a waste also.  Asking $12 for tire iron and $8 for a wrench (minus 20% off).  Dresser was $800 - I just shock my head.

Day wasn't a complete bust.  Made $63 turning in scrap, plus sold a dryer for $25 and fridge for $15 before scrapped it.  So $103 bucks for next week.  Buddy headed back to his store and then called me later.  He hit a yard sale in a upper scale area in his area and came home with 53 CDs, vac, and bunch of other stuff all for $50.  Sent me a text later saying he sold the corner cabinet for $49.99 that he got out of the $35 unit he bought last week.  Still has a very nice mirror from that unit (rest of furniture was junk).

Havent been out much lately. So on Weds I went out to U-Haul, they had 2 stop's with 8 and 7 units each, (At least in the paper.) I called both places many times to check on the # of units but got busy signals at both locations all morning.

 Get to the first stop, and it was packed 35-45 people, most of them are regulars and what I call the "new" regulars. Turns out they were down to 1 unit. It was a 8X10, we went to it and he opened the door. Everyone walked up and most of us never stopped to "look". He then told us the other location only had 1 and looked almost the same.

1 dresser with a missing drawer, 1 crappy tv stand, one single box spring.


 We skipped the 2nd location.

Saturday auction, 12 lockers, over 30 people signed in, (I think 34 signed in.) With nearly 100 people in total. Mainly new people who I don't know. I spoke with a full time regular and he said he doesn't know nearly 2/3 of these people.

First unit is a 10-X20, 1/3 of the way full. Has a HUGE disco ball, with 4 big speaker boxes (about 5 foot tall, 3 feet wide.) 2 couches, 2 or 3 turntables and about 40 milk crates with records/cds in them.

Bidding starts at 30, then 40, 45, 55, 200 (I belted that out and got a weird look from most people.) Bidding went up and stopped at $450.

Next few units were all small with crap in them. Luckily people felt like spending so they went for 85-300, but the regulars were all standing around the next unit wondering what we all missed.

 One unit did stand out, it was a 6X12 which  was loaded with old vcr tapes, old books old boxes, some kind of dresser/vanity facing the wall. 25 or so boxes,and it was FULL. Everything in the unit made me think it was easily 10 years old, (Which the property manager said that it had been rented out to the same lady since he started and that was 7 years ago.)

 I stayed in the bidding for that one up to around 95 dollars but it went for about 350 or so.

 Last unit of the day was a 7X10 with about 9 tupperware containers. Had several army boots and bdu's but it was all the old ones. In the corner was what looked to be a old very nice looking 45 player. Bidding started at 50 and I jumped it to 250. Next guy went 400 and then I started walking away. I stood talking to a buddy and when everyone else came through they said it went for 950. I shook my head and hoped that thing was trimmed in gold.

Not much to report .... got a couple of auctions coming up mid week, but supposed to be pouring rain, and if crowds are still big, what's the point of going.

More and more of the regular buyers in my area are foregoing auctions altogether until crowds go down a bit. People are buying 1 a month (and paying for it) rather than wasting time going to over-crowded auctions, wasting time and not buying any.

SOMEDAY, the crowds have to start getting smaller, but when that is, is anyone's guess.

****
Meanwhile, did well at flea on Sat the 10th and bought some good tools on Sunday the 11th which should do well on eBay. Picking still doing well for me.

Tax money is still coming in it seems.  People are paying up on the units.  Wasn't going to make the afternoon auction due to work so texted my buddy to see how many units at the late afternoon sale.  Two units at the noon auction, and none at the late afternoon.  This is down from 20 or 25 units (don't have paper in front of me).  I'm surprised they even bothered other then it's an auctioneer that brings in large crowds normally.

Not much to report .... got a couple of auctions coming up mid week, but supposed to be pouring rain, and if crowds are still big, what's the point of going.

More and more of the regular buyers in my area are foregoing auctions altogether until crowds go down a bit. People are buying 1 a month (and paying for it) rather than wasting time going to over-crowded auctions, wasting time and not buying any.

SOMEDAY, the crowds have to start getting smaller, but when that is, is anyone's guess.

****
Meanwhile, did well at flea on Sat the 10th and bought some good tools on Sunday the 11th which should do well on eBay. Picking still doing well for me.

Same here nothing to report, plus with a slow in our sales at the thrift still inventory rich  of the larger items. Picked up a few things at the monthly equipment auction, a lot of dealers there buying also so guess still rough at the storage auctions.

"SOMEDAY, the crowds have to start getting smaller, but when that is, is anyone's guess."

posted on another thread the noobies still hitting hard thanks to the shows. 

I sort of hate when these places bring out-of-town auction people.  Hate the real auctioneers anyways....don't like paying an extra 10% but that is just normal.

Missed all the auctions so far this week due to work.  Saturday I have a few options open to me.  Will call friday to see which one I hit.  Both are small town places so I'm hoping less then a dozen people.  Monday is my 3 facility evening auction that I got 2 units last month from.  Have a few other auctions this month that are the normal once every other month or once a quarter type places.  Only a few units but if can make the times will be great.

Normal crowd for us (depending on facility) is 20-40 people.  Large crowd is anything over 50 to me as you really start to get either a ton of looky-loos that are wasting your time, or newbie jacking prices up.  Some of our auctions are 150+.  Metro can be 150-200 people, was over 300 in January as they had almost 60 lockers posted online.  That was a long day to snag only 1 unit.

A facility I thought was my personal honey hole brought in an auctioneer from Florida (not the metro guy) a couple of months ago. All I can say is this guy has a big following! There must have been over 200 people there. Crazy!

The prices were sky high and it took forever to see the contents of the lockers. If it weren’t for this guy having one of those great personalities I would have boogied down the road earlier. I won’t be going back to the facility.

  Don't You just hate it when that happens ? Has happened to Us too , We are just biding our time till all the insane crowds and prices go back down .
  These new idiots have to run out of money and storage space ( because most of what they are buying isn't saleable ) soon ( I hope ) .
  Bob