Rockin,
Hmmm, I think I might start a little debate here with my comment, but here it goes...
Went to a little known caravan on Friday. Just regulars in a rather 'rough' area of town. First location 3 lockers. First a 5X10 went to our whale for $25. It was full, but looked rather crappy. He'll do great on it, but most (us-7 regulars) felt the work wasn't worth it. Next two almost as icky and went cheap.
Next facility was more of the same. There was one nice unit that ended up going for $600. I was in up to $400. Our whale and a buddy of mine landed the remaining (5) lockers for cheap.
Next facility I decided our whale had won enough and challenged him on a 10X10. It had some interesting items showing including some Earnhardt Jr diecast boxes, vintage furnishings and tons of boxes & bins. Landed it for $425. With our whale saying 'let them have it'.
There were some other nice units with one having 7 beauty parlor chairs, a nice washer/dryer, small fridge and other 'beauty' items. Whale got it for $150 after I ran him up $25. He asked why I ran him up and I said "I wanted that unit.....just didn't know where I could move 7 dryer-chairs" He laughed and said he takes stuff like that to an auction in NM.
We came to the last unit at this facility and it was a 10X10 packed. I looked at it and told the whale I wouldn't run him up. He got it for $100 and will do great on it. He laughed and told me he'd trade me straight up for the first we won!
It sounds like you have developed a "relationship" with your local whale that you seem comfortable with, but if I'm reading the story right it looks like he won 8 units to your 1 unit, and he still competed against you on the 1 unit you won. You had to pay $425 for your one unit, & he got good units for $25, some number between 1 & 5 cheap, $150 & he complained about it!, & you (and everybody else) were nice enough to let him win the last one for $100. He won 3 nice units for $275 & he was "nice" enough to let you win 1 for $425?
This is one of the reasons he is still the whale! I guess as long as you & Don are happy with only winning that one unit, then I will be happy for you. I don't know the story behind this "whale", maybe you told the story before and I need to look it up, & I know there is always a story about a "whale" that you can't run up cause he or she is a multi-millionaire, and if you try to run them up they won't ever let you win a unit so you gotta play nice, blah, blah, blah...
I'm not saying you should look at it like you are purposely "running him up", but I would certainly be more competative with my bidding. I can see letting him get a couple of units for cheap early and hoping he gets his fill, but once he made me pay $425 for unit after I let him win a unit for $25 (and other units cheap); it would be on like Donkey Kong. No way would he win units at $100 or $150!
My point is not that I would be trying to piss him off, but If I'm out to win units, & the same guy or gal is winning all or most of the good units, how am I ever gonna grow my business? I don't think he will really respect you until you start making him pay $425 or more for each unit he wins. The reason I say that (and he could be different) but most of the whales I have run into have short memories. They may let someone get an OK deal on one unit if the know that person didn't run them up, but eventually, maybe the next auction maybe the next month, they are back to winning the good units again, and bidding up everyone on the units they don't win. The only why to keep their memory fresh is to bid competively on all the units
I want, and bid competitvely on all the units
they want.
Just my .02