Going to my first storage unit auction this weekend.

[wyldwolf]

My brother, who makes a tidy sum each year selling on Amazon and ebay, is dipping his feet into storage unit auctions. I'm going along for the ride and taking my 6-year old daughter who I'm hoping will yell 'yeeeeeup' for her uncle when he wants to bid.

[Scuba]

1. Please update us after the auction!

We have a small antique biz, and the TV show has piqued my curiosity. It occurred to me that the new fame has reduced the opportunities.

[wyldwolf]

2. I will

I think the there's probably a 'weeding out' process here. Not only do you have to have cash in hand, you're also responsible for clearing out the unit in a timely manner. There also seems to be a 'sixth sense' some have about what is valuable and what isn't. It also helps to have established connections on where and how to sell the stuff. All this probably keeps the novices (like me) to a minimum.

[Scuba]

3. Sounds like you're pretty aware of the key issues. Good luck.

[Vinca]

4. I really want to do that, but I don't have a place to put large amounts of stuff for sorting.

Maybe I'll reorganize the garage when the weather warms up. Those taped up boxes would be like Christmas!

[grasswire]

5. I used to see huge box lots at Pioneer Auction in Amherst and at Douglas Auction in Deerfield

I think the Pioneer Auction has relocated and come to think of it I think Douglas is in South Deerfield.

Anyway, there would be box lots of dozens of sealed boxes that would go for a song. No peeking prior to the auction. Several times my partner and I bought those lots, and we were never disappointed. Some amazing stuff was therein. And it was really exciting, hauling all that stuff home and going through it.

Today I might worry about bed bugs, though.

[Atman]

6. This SUCKS. These guys are predators.

Last edited Fri Feb 3, 2012, 03:51 PM - Edit history (1)

I lost damned near everything to one of these "auctions." Including my wedding album, my golf clubs and over 600 lps. We were broke, rented a bin for $35 a month to store our stuff as we put our lives back toghether. Or so we thought. We couldn't pay online or with a credit card...we had to show up each month with cash. We movedto another town, now our storage bin was an hour away...I showed up one day, a week after our due date, and my bin had a Master Lock on it. They wouldn't take my money. They sold off all of our stuff at one of these "auctions." DON'T EVER USE A STORAGE PLACE. One of the biggest scams in America.

[badhair77]

7. Something similar happened to our family.

I live 90 min from my hometown. My brother stored our ill father's things in a storage unit. Somewhere along the way he forgot to pay the bill and everything was sold. I am heartbroken when I think about it. There is no way I can watch that show. Those buyers remind me of vultures.

[Vinca]

9. Vultures? I don't think that's really fair.

The things are put up for sale by the storage facility owner and people show up to buy it. There would be no storage facility business if the owner let people go for months on end without paying the bill. I do have sympathy for people who lose things, but they know the deal going in. If you're a forgetful person, best to store your stuff elsewhere.

[badhair77]

10. Sorry for not replying earlier but I only saw this now.

Maybe I was harsh if you are thinking in general terms. However, I was speaking of the buyers on the TV show, at least on the segments I saw. Sometimes they pick the most extreme individuals to follow to ramp up the drama for the show.

It is a business but some businessmen are more client-oriented and understanding than others. If people are blatantly not paying their bill the owner deserves to be compensated for that lost income. However, some owners try to work with people in trouble.

With my brother's instance our father was dying and my brother was having trouble juggling all the emotions accompanying that situation. But then again, it's just stuff - sometimes it bothers me more than others. There were personal papers involved, somewhat like the previous poster's wedding album. Some "stuff" you cannot replace. So live and learn.

[TeamPooka]

20. Like gyms betting you won't show up, the storage business is also built on the bet that

they will get to sell your stuff in the future.

[wyldwolf]

8. So not much to report

We hit a few yard sales early yesterday morning. Slim pickings. Best things found were some new hockey jerseys from a team that no longer exists (can be quite valuable), and a box of NASCAR toys worth considerable more than they were sold for.

As for the the storage auction - bleh! Lots of junk.

And without anyone asking, the auctioneer volunteered that the owners of these $60 a month units were six months or more past due.

[safeinOhio]

11. Word of advice.

I use to buy them years ago. Never bring anything in the house. Mice and cockroaches. I bought a bunch one day. Too much for the back of the truck so I put a couple of boxes on the seat. Half way home a mouse ran across my dash.

[Vinca]

12. I think a bedbug phobia is holding me back from going to one.

It still sounds like it might be fun though.

[McCIoud]

13. +1

[GBlaire]

14. Spam deleted by azurnoir (MIR Team)

[Bay Boy]

15. Also helpful is if you have someone that can

stash valuable items in the back for you to 'discover' on camera.

[wyldwolf]

16. DOH! NOW you tell me.

[kemah]

17. The Yuuuup guy from storage wars quit over that

He thought it was making people go out and buy hoping to find that hidden gems.If people had any sense they would go and take out the most valuable stuff and leave the junk behind

[Vinca]

18. So much for storage unit auctions. LOL.

http://news.msn.com/crime-justice/twelve-bodies-found-in-massachusetts-storage-unit-prosecutors-say

[vinny9698]

19. To those who complained about losing personal papers, photos,

Why did you just take them with you and put them underneath your bed? I can see storing large things, sofas, beds, cabinets,
But a few boxes can be put in your house very easily.Also the stuff you store is used stuff and can probably be bought in a future garage sale for less then storing your used merchandise.

[vinny9698]

21. I have had better luck going to online school auctions

You know exactly what you are buying. They give you a day to go look at the stuff. I bought a library book shelf 15 feet that cost the school district $3500 for $200. The warehouse guy told me that since they are the ones in receiving and shipping and taking care of the auction pick ups.
Good luck,
Storage lockers are just full of junk the owners have taken any thing of value out.