Whats the difference between OnlineStorageAuctions.com and Storage Battles?

GAStorage asked: I have used Storage Battles a few times in the past. What's the difference between your service and theirs?


Well, where do I start. LOL

Storage Battles & Online Storage Auctions do basically the same thing - provide a resource where people can buy or sell a storage unit online; however, our site has some major advantages over the competition. Here are some examples:

1. Online Storage Auctions is completely free for the buyer and the seller. All of our competitors charge a fee for their service. Storage Battles charges the seller 10% and the buyer 10%. We don't think this is fair.

2. We built a site that includes everyone: storage facilities, private sellers, buyers and auctioneers. Auctioneers are excluded from using Storage Battles because they don't want to share their commission with the auctioneers. Also, auctioneers in some states don't believe that Storage Battles is operating within the law.

3. We offer storage facilities a legal alternative to online only lien sales if they are located in states where the legality of online storage auctions is questionable. Storage Battles doesn't offer this option and is knowingly allowing storage facilities in these states to put themselves at risk.

4. We have a community forum where users can ask and answer questions about the site or storage auctions in general.

5. On Online Storage Auctions, buyers and sellers can communicate with each other through an onsite private message system. This feature is not available on Storage Battles. Not only that, their site excludes the seller's address which makes it very difficult for a bidder to locate an auction, especially when there are multiple auctions being held by storage facilities with the same name.

6. We are professionals at internet marketing. We have the contacts in this industry and know how to drive more traffic to your auctions. Our site is brand new and we're already getting the same amount of traffic that our competitor is...can you only imagine how much traffic Online Storage Auctions will receive in the years to come?

7. Online Storage Auctions gives sellers the option to set a reserve price which insures the unit will not sell for less than the seller wants.

8. Our site is set up where users can notify their friends about the auctions through hundreds of popular social media sites. Or competitor only uses two.

9. Online Storage Auctions has a blog that is constantly being updated with new articles that are designed to educate users about our site and storage auctions in general.

These are just a few of the reasons we believe we offer a superior product over our competitors. We hope you enjoy using these site and if you have any other questions, just let us know.

BevDance asked: Aside from being in the storage industry for many years, I also enjoy buying auction units. If you are claiming to not charge any fees to either the buyer or the seller, the question then becomes... How is your business making money? You don't seem to have any advertising on your site and we all know that doesn't pay the bills regardless. I'd like to know if there are hidden fees to the buyer? As far as the seller is concerned, why would a storage facility pay 15-20% to an auctioneer when they could pay 10% (or much less according to your website) to list online. So what then is the point of holding a virtual auction concurrent to a live auction? I would like to hear your thoughts on this.


Bev,

Great questions. You asked "How is your business making money?"

Well, it isn't and we didn't intend for it to. OnlineStorageAuctions.com is the Craigslist of the storage industry. We recognize that storage auction buyers don't want to pay a buyer's premium and sellers shouldn't have to pay a percentage to sell their storage units online. There are no fees of any kind to use our site regardless of whether you're buying or selling.

There are a few ads on the site which make enough money to cover our site expenses.

Also, keep in mind, we own and operate Texas Storage Auction Schedules & News and the world's largest storage auction website StorageAuctionForums.com. (We recently merged this site with OnlineStorageAuctions.com) Both of these sites are profitable.

You asked "why would a storage facility pay 15-20% to an auctioneer when they could pay 10% (or much less according to your website) to list online." Auctioneers can keep your lien sale organized and ensure that your sale is compliant with state lien laws. Some operators still prefer to use an auctioneer; however, they want the additional exposure that an online auction can bring. This is why we allow auctioneers to use our site. Some operators choose not to use an auctioneer and prefer to have their lien sales online. By using Online Storage Auctions, your lien sale will get maximum exposure and you'll save the commission which would otherwise be paid to an auctioneer. It's just a matter of which method is right for your facility.

You asked "So what then is the point of holding a virtual auction concurrent to a live auction? I would like to hear your thoughts on this." Well, I would like to stress that having a online auction concurrent with you live sale is only for storage facilities that are in states where the legality of online storage auctions is unclear. If your facility is located in a state where online storage auctions are permitted, feel free to have your sale exclusively online. Having a online auction concurrent to you live sale will benefit you in the following ways:

1. You can attract bidders from a wider area than a traditional auction; people who don’t always travel to your neighborhood for auctions may still bid through the site

2. Online storage auctions expose your sale to a wider audience. You’ll attract professionals, hobbyists and people from the general public who are looking for good deals on second hand merchandise.

3. Online storage auctions tend to net between 25-100% more revenue than traditional auctions, so you can recover more lost rent and expenses associated with your lien sale.

4. Smaller public auction turnouts mean no more headaches about parking or liability issues for huge crowds of attendees