Storage Auctions
The Storage Locker => Stories about Storage Auctions => Topic started by: fredgsanford on February 12, 2012, 07:41:27 AM
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feel free to add you own storys ;D
#1 went to an auction last january and bought a 5x10 packed to the roof with small stuff , the locker was jammed to the point the owners had a card table wedged across the doorway so stuff wouldnt spill out. I wasnt thinking i was going to get rich off of it but it came cheap and the room triggered that little voice inside that says "i want it" .
i bought a second room 5x10 which was a pile of crap(you could tell from the door opening it was a loser at best) figuring i was already going to be at the facility so why not take a shot)
we got done with the auction , went to the office and i found out the room i wanted was paid for while we were in the building , leaviing me stuck with the add on room
#2 anytime you go to an auction and see someone pull up in a semi , never a good sign
#3 several years ago i saw a beautiful 10X10 gorgeous room , you could tell that a woman owned it there was a headboard out front everything was as neat as a pin and there were 40-50 storage tubs , i cannot emphasize just how good this room looked , in todays world it would have gone over 1k .I won the room for $500 .When I went through the room it turned out it was 2 women owned it and every stupid tub was full of holiday decorations :o :D >:( to make matters worse it was may and not a holiday in sight . Who would have thought 2 women could pack a locker and not have a stitch of clothes in it
learned 2 lessons that day
1 that gay people have nice stuff doesnt always apply
2 sometimes it better to chuck everything and lose the money than sit trying to break even on a unit eventually
#4 i was going to auctions for about 4 years when the realization hit me that even if they are cutting the locks off in front of you , it would cost the facility owner a whopping 3 or 4 dollars to cut the lock toss the room and put a new lock on it to cut again in front of you.
honest people are honest people and dishonest people are dishonest people
#5 if a facility is constantly rescheduleing , do some homework . One place i went to would place the auction ad in the paper and reschedule every month , when the auctions came up he was selling the rooms from a month previous. He was waiting untill the auction date to see if the customer paid , if they didnt he would toss the rooms take what he wanted and auction those rooms the next month
feel free to add your storys here
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went to the office and i found out the room i wanted was paid for while we were in the building , leaving me stuck with the add on room
#4 i was going to auctions for about 4 years when the realization hit me that even if they are cutting the locks off in front of you , it would cost the facility owner a whopping 3 or 4 dollars to cut the lock toss the room and put a new lock on it to cut again in front of you.
That's just wrong what they did. IMO, once the auction starts the owner is out of luck. After all, it's not like they didn't know about this for several months.
As to your cut lock theory, think about what happened to you in losing the unit. What if that owner came in right before the auction and found their lock was replaced!
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well the auction that got paid for out from under me , its known if the person pays at the office before auction payment is made the auction buyer is out of luck , it stinks but the rules are the rules
the lock cut theory is really not a theory , its a fact in some places
the place in particular im speaking of would place the unit say for example room 001 up for auction in may and if the customer didnt pay would cancel the auction toss the room and auction it off in june , they would advertise room 002 to go to auction in june and cancel it and put up mays auctions for sale in june , i watched this and looked at the room #s in the papers to confirm it
i also bought a room back in 2007 from a place that cut the locks in front of you and there was an empty big gulp cup on top of a tv with ice still in it (5 feet into the room so it wasnt an auction buyer )
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some additional caveats...
About #2, If you show up to an auction in our parts driving a box truck or pulling a big trailer and nobody knows you, be prepared to pay BIG money to win a room!
About #4, I like to look at the type/quality of lock either cut or more importantly laying inside the door. I have a hunch that a small cheap lock means really nothing great in unit, and a nice big top quality lock means the poeple cared about what was in the unit and wanted to protect it.
About #5, Definitely be on the look out for the "switcheroo". I always take a copy of the auction listing and make sure the unit being auctioned matches what was advertised. When they auction a unit not listed it could mean it's a "build up unit", where the facility piles up all the stuff left behind by other renters in a unit and when it fills up they auction the unit off. Could be a "garbage unit" where the facility literally puts thier garbage in a unit and they auction it off. Could be a "garage sale unit" where the facility manager puts stuff he/she or friends and family want to sell from thier personal property that they realize with the popularity of storage auctions they just put it all in a unit and sell it at auction instead of trying to hold a garage sale to sell it all. The most disappointing option, they are actually auctioning off the wrong unit, so if you win it, you will end up having to return the property or be involved in a legal dispute.
Other things that suck, finding all the seat cushions for the couches and loveseats ripped up in the unit you won.
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obnoxious newbies, looky-loos and sneaky, mousy girls that try (to no avail) to befriend you and then bid you up!
Oh and dirty laundry, porn and vacuum cleaners~ 8)
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dragging couches full of rat pee to the dump in the heat of summer
bumping a matress standing up on the side of the room and getting hit in the head by whatever was on top of it
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Storage locations that will give your address to the unit owner. Yep, had one show up in our driveway. Not cool! Didn't get too ugly but it could have.
Unit owners that attend auctions. Nothing against them, it's just kind of sad.
Magazines! Seriously why do people keep and store boxes of old magazines. Those suckers are heavy.
Huge boxes of heavy crap. Everyone knows, the big boxes are for light stuff like comforters and stuffed animals not books or the entire contents of the cabinet beneath your kitchen sink.
Finding something valuable in a bag of dirty clothes. Sounds like a good thing but now you have to actually go through all the dirty clothes. Yuk.
Finding personal stuff like baby books and wedding albums when the storage facility says they have no contact with the original owners and won't take the stuff off your hands.
Boxes that leak mystery liquids.
Mildew!
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Some magazines, or articles in the magazines can be worth some money. There was a guy at the flea market that would take old pictures, magazines, news headlines, etc. and put them in picture frames. Would then sell the "art" or whatever want to call it for $50 and up.
As for those huge boxes with books, etc. All I can say (while ducking my head) is a women packed that box.
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As for those huge boxes with books, etc. All I can say (while ducking my head) is a women packed that box.
Better stay ducking. !!!!!! No a man leaving his wife packed that box in a hurry. Or brought it in and repacked it in the storage unit while looking for his brain... LOL
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As for those huge boxes with books, etc. All I can say (while ducking my head) is a women packed that box.
ahem......I do believe you should take money's advice and stay low~ >:(
8)
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Laugh - since I work with 175+ women and it's all female at the house I have to get my licks in when I can ;)
Other things that suck -- finding a jewelry box, bags, and other pouches with jewelry and it all be FAKE.
Only 1 sterling silver gold color bracelet (.925 italy).
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since I work with 175+ women and it's all female at the house I have to get my licks in when I can
Licks in? Biting tongue, biting tongue, biting tounge...
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another one: little velvet or wooden jewelry boxes with nothing in them but a tiny note describing the item that should be in them. "Mom's antique 18k necklace", "Dad's gold cufflinks".....
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Going to auctions for an entire month without winning a unit. 60 bucks in gas, many hours and zip, nada, zilch. Bring on March!
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another one: little velvet or wooden jewelry boxes with nothing in them but a tiny note describing the item that should be in them. "Mom's antique 18k necklace", "Dad's gold cufflinks".....
I have found Pawn tickets for for all the gold that should have been in the unit that was a Doctors estate. I think it was over 30 grams of gold the son pawned.
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I have a few of those little velvet boxes. Even found a large Zales necklace box that had the sales receipt in it. So I knew how much the necklace that USE to be in there cost.
Did find my first 10k gold ring finally in the most unlikely unit / place. Found it in a man unit on the floor next to a shoe I was about to pick up. Only worth 20-30 bucks but still a nice find for a $90 unit. Where as the female unit that my daughter picked out has only resulted in costume jewelry and one .925 italy sterling silver gold color bracelet.
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Must have been time for a family outing. At today's auction, this family piled out of their mini-van and signed up for the festivities. Grandma, Grandpa, Dad, and kids! (Four in the photo - two more kiddies got out of the van when the auction started) Never saw a Mom.
PEOPLE - what on earth compels you to bring the whole "fam damily" to a storage auction!!?? Then the six kids proceeded to push their way to the front of each locker and scream "Daddy, there's a saw!!!" or "Papa, there's toys in here - good ones!!!" The (so called) adults just stood back and admired their offspring!! Then when Daddy would make a bid, one child about 7(??) would scream - "You gonna get this one Daddy!!?? Bid more, bid more, don't let that old guy get it!!" (I kid you not, and the other bidder wasn't too amused). All told they had nine people there. Geez... ???
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Units from a smokers home with 90% of belongings broken and/or covered in 20 years of nicotine. Add 10 boxes of opened dry goods makes a great home for rats and the like. Should have called the trash guys and taken the loss.
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They were getting warmed up for the start of the new season tonight.
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My two year old to the auctions with me. She is my 'business advisor' and I love having her along. Of course she isn't the typical American spoiled self entitled brat - of course she is two so she has her moments. I don't see what the problem is with the family spending time together...
The lack of parenting is a different issue than people doing things as a family.
Sam
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Sam you might want to read this thread.
http://storageauctionforums.com//index.php/topic,2107.0.html
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OK, this might not suck, but I didn't want to start an "Annoy the Crap Out of You" thread.
Went to a facility with 6 lockers run by the owners, not by auctioneers. (In fact, now that I think about it, other than the local U-Haul thing, most every storage auction in my area is run by the facility owners) There were about 50-60 people there.
Anyway, the annoying part is they don't make everyone line up to look at the unit, so there is a large wad of people in front of the locker. (see photo). The REALLY annoying part is someone usually in the middle of the pack will yell out "50 BUCKS" - and they take their bid and start up - before half the crowd has even seen the locker! This started happening at every locker and most bids were up to $300-500 before you got a good look.
Now I realize it's up to the facility to set the guidelines, and with no rules stated up front, it's every bidder for themselves. But does this ever happen to anyone else?
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OK, this might not suck, but I didn't want to start an "Annoy the Crap Out of You" thread.
Went to a facility with 6 lockers run by the owners, not by auctioneers. (In fact, now that I think about it, other than the local U-Haul thing, most every storage auction in my area is run by the facility owners) There were about 50-60 people there.
Anyway, the annoying part is they don't make everyone line up to look at the unit, so there is a large wad of people in front of the locker. (see photo). The REALLY annoying part is someone usually in the middle of the pack will yell out "50 BUCKS" - and they take their bid and start up - before half the crowd has even seen the locker! This started happening at every locker and most bids were up to $300-500 before you got a good look.
Now I realize it's up to the facility to set the guidelines, and with no rules stated up front, it's every bidder for themselves. But does this ever happen to anyone else?
on my circuits it happens constantly and it happens no matter whos running the auction if its an interesting room
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Yep, this happens to me on occasion. Typically if they start the bidding before I have had a clear look at the room I jump the bid. When I here $25 then $50 and I am still in line I will typically yell out a $200! or $300! from the back. It's great cause everybody stops to look at the idoit who just yelled a bid from the back without seeing the unit. It serves two purposes. 1. stops the bidding cold for several seconds. 2. Allows me to cut the line to the front, afterall I am actually BIDDING on the unit! The best part, I have never been caught with a bad unit by using this practice. Every unit I have used this tactic on has finished higher then my rediculous sight unseen bid.
Just a warning, I generally get a good enough look to know what size unit and how full the unit is. I'm not gonna yell out $300! on a 5 x 10 with a lot of daylight and concrete floor showing.
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Most of the auctions I hit we either form a texas line (Metro), or the auctioneer / facility manager waits for everyone to get a look. You can give him your bid before everyone is finished and that is what he will open up with. But everyone gets a turn.
Only one place would start the auction before everyone finished looking. He quickly learned not to as many of the whales / regulars were in the back of the line. So he either sold units for dirt cheap since didn't give everyone time to look, or he had this long pause before could say "SOLD".
Myself - I normally get in the front of the line so can get a quick first look and then circle back for another look if want. One of the regulars is always in front and opens the door so we just follow him.
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Myself - I normally get in the front of the line so can get a quick first look and then circle back for another look if want.
You're reading my mind; I do this same thing. The first pass gives me an idea if I even want to bid on the unit. If I do, I'll swing back to determine value after most have gotten out of the way. Plus I get to focus my light on some of the more valuable items without tipping off most of the newbies as to what is or isn't valuable.
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On a separate note; Are there any other regulars here that cut the chase with a high bid when there are a lot of newbies/lookie-loo’s in the crowd? ;o) Maybe I should be quiet about how to thin out the newbie crowd early when there is a caravan…
Yes, I do and there are others here who also do so. As to being quiet about it, most readers here already know about it and those who don't learn it quickly at the auctions.
Recently I placed the first bid on a 5 x 10 at $100 and there was only about 8 seconds of "shock" before others came in at $25 jumps asked for by the auctioneer. I didn't bid again. Would have been worth it at $100, but not after that.
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I prefer to toy with the newbies on units that I don't want. I stick to the small bid increments and then stop when they start slowing down. This way they end up with the less valuable units and they don't have the money for the better units.
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It depends on the crowd and units. If we have a ton of newbies that are bidding we will open at about the 1/2 way point or higher. So a $200 unit would open at $100 or $150. If it is a packed unit with lots of boxes - $150 to $200 to start at least just to get the ball rolling.
Now - if it's a smaller crowed (20ish) with only 5-6 of us bidding we will open up at the $25 or $50 mark and keep prices down. Specially if there are a large number of units and a small crowd most of us "share the love" on average units. Now a very packed good looking unit -- gloves and brotherly love goes out the locker.
Many of the places around my part now make you go up by $10 increments. So quickly opening at $50 or $75 on a so/so, empty unit quickly wins you the locker or makes the newbies spend all their cash. We had one guy show up last month at our 3 facility auction. No big thing as we get 3-5 newbies each time. However, he started buying just about every locker. So he started to get ran up even on the trash units. He won 5 out of the 13 at that facility but didn't make it to the rest. Figured he either bit off more then he could haul or ran out of money. Think it was money as the last few units he bid on but only up to a certain point each time before he got outbid.
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pushing a flatbed cart and watching the top tote fall off and being able to do nothing about it , sucks more when it was full of glass
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pushing a flatbed cart and watching the top tote fall off and being able to do nothing about it , sucks more when it was full of glass
Yes that would suck. Are you having a bad week? Slow down have an adult beverage and relax.
We had two bad weeks so it will pass. ;)
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Yes that would suck. Are you having a bad week? Slow down have an adult beverage and relax.
We had two bad weeks so it will pass. ;)
LOL no just dug that one up out of the old memory banks
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parking lots that arent flat bite the big one too
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Sometimes jumping the starting bid up like that works. Many times in my area it doesn't. Only once have I seen one of the regulars who did that get stuck with the unit and loose money.
Last year $50 was sort of the gambling price for just about any trash looking lockers. This year even those trash lockers are brining in $100 - $150. I still open or jump the bid to $50 and wait and see. Win some and loose many.
Things that suck -- driving 40 miles to a small town facility that didn't post a phone # to find 6 people and only 1 out of 8 units. Sucked was the 1 locker only containing a pile of moldy cloths up next to one wall. Just the name of the game, but dang I was disappointed.