One of the biggest challenges of getting started in the storage auction business is figuring out when and where the auctions happen.
This is especially difficult if you don’t know anybody else who’s already doing storage auctions for a living or as a hobby. Fortunately, with a bit of digging, you can find the auctions in your town and take advantage of the thrill of auction hunting.
The first place to look is your local newspaper. Storage facilities must post a notice of their auctions in a public place, and most choose to do this through the city paper.
If you live in a big city, check some of the smaller papers for surrounding suburbs; these papers are cheaper, which makes them more attractive to storage facilities.
This will also give you access to the auctions held by smaller storage facilities, which often have fewer attendees, making it easier to get items for a decent price.
Aside from the newspaper, you can also try calling the storage facilities directly or checking their websites. Some facilities do post their auction schedules online, and you can keep track of them on your calendar.
If you do choose to call the facilities for information, just beware that the facility may have already fielded many phone calls and could be impatient with you. It’s best to try to find the information on your own first.
One of the best resources to find storage auctions is an online storage auction directory. These are available at both the national and state level. Whenever you can, try to use a local service.
For example, Texas residents can subscribe to the Texas Storage Auction Schedules & News site; residents in other states may have similar services.
The way these services work is pretty simple. The staff calls thousands of storage facilities and scours the Internet and other sources to determine what auctions are being held in a given area, and then provides that information to you in exchange for a subscription fee.
Considering how convenient the service is, the fee will pay for itself by saving you a lot of time. Just beware of the larger national listings as their results are often vague and not worth the price.
Once you start attending auctions, you’ll be able to network with auctioneers, facility managers and other auction attendees to get insider information about upcoming auctions.
Just be sure to track all of these auctions on your smartphone or pocket calendar so you know when a big sale will happen; that way you won’t miss anything important.
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