8 Storage Auction Myths - Why Storage Wars Isn't Accurate

If you go to a storage auction in your area, will the bidding resemble the storage battles you see on TV?

Generally speaking, it won’t, Arizona auctioneer Casey Jones said. Like most things, the “reality” on the screen doesn’t match what takes place at real-life storage auctions.
Still, when understood correctly, storage auctions can be a worthwhile—and even entertaining—way to spend your time. “At our auctions, we have some banter back and forth,” Jones said.
Here, experts share eight common myths about storage auctions, as well as the truth behind them.

1. Every Unit Contains Valuable Stuff.

Incredible finds are definitely a possibility when purchasing storage units, but “it just doesn’t happen quite as often as seen on TV,” said Travis Lane, founder of OnlineStorageAuctions.com.
To make the most of your experience, know where you can sell the items, Jones suggested. If you have an outlet in mind, you’ll be able to think through the value of goods, along with the profit to be made.

2. It’s Impossible to Tell What’s Inside a Unit.

While stepping foot into a storage unit isn’t allowed before an auction begins, you’ll be able to peer into it from the outside.

Bring a flashlight, Jones said, and “don’t forget to use your nose.” You might be able to spot collectible items that might fetch a nice price. You’ll also know, by smell, whether the previous owner smoked or whether some items should have been thrown in the trash.

3. Storage Operators Remove Valuables Before the Auction.

“Like most conspiracy theories, this one is based upon the actions of a few bad apples,” Lane said.
In reality, auctioning off someone else’s belongings is a last resort, said James Grant, president and CEO of auction website StorageTreasures.com. By law, if a storage tenant stops paying for a unit, the facility must auction off the items inside to help cover the amount due.

4. A Credit Card Is All You Need to Buy a Unit.

“Always bring cash,” Jones said.
In addition to the amount you bid, you’ll need to pay sales tax, unless you have a sales tax ID number.
You’ll also usually be required to pay a cleaning deposit. This amount, typically between $50 and $100, will be refunded as soon as you clear out the unit.

5. You Must Attend the Auction.

Sites such as StorageTreasures.com and OnlineStorageAuctions.com allow you to bid on storage units from home. If you bid online, “you’re not dependent on the weather,” Grant said.

Furthermore, online auctions give you the chance to do a little research. For instance, if you spot a bike or a refrigerator, you can look online to see whether the item is selling for a certain price on eBay or another e-commerce site.

6. You Can Keep Any Memorabilia You Find.

If you make the highest bid, you’re generally entitled to all of the contents inside a storage unit.
However, most facilities ask that you return personal items, such as photo albums, to the facility manager. “It’s just common courtesy,” Jones said.

7. Storage Operators Make a Big Profit From Auctions.

By law, storage facilities can keep only the overdue amount of rent, as well as enough to cover the costs of the auction, such as lock-cutting fees. The remainder goes to the tenant.
Say a place has a delinquent tenant who owes $500, and a unit of the unit generates $1,000. The facility can keep just $500, plus enough money to cover auction fees. The rest is sent to the customer.
For storage facility owners, “it’s their last legal remedy to get back the storage unit to rent to someone else,” Grant said.

8. You Can Pick Up Everything at Your Convenience.

After buying a unit, you often have until the close of business the next day to clear out a unit, Jones said.
Some facilities might let you rent the unit for a month and remove the items during that time. The sooner you clean out a unit, the more time you’ll have to evaluate—and then sell—what you find.

How Does A Storage Unit Auction Work? Can I Make Money Buying Them?

How Do Storage Unit Auctions Work?

Self-storage units are a great way to store extra items and property for which you don't have an immediate need. For a monthly fee, storage unit companies can keep your things safe and protected, while freeing up space in your house. However, when people are delinquent on their monthly storage rent, or leave belongings behind, those items can be sold to the public through an auction.
 

 

What is a Storage Unit Auction?

During a storage unit auction, the belongings of a storage unit are auctioned off to the highest bidder to recoup the loss of rental fees. Generally this process is conducted via a live auction where bidders place their bids aloud as the property within each unit is auctioned off. However, occasionally a storage company will accept sealed bids, whereas bids are placed through a sealed envelope and the highest bidder wins the items.

How Storage Unit Auctions Work

Before the auction takes place, attendees are first made aware of the rules of the auction set by the company. Then, bidders are allowed to peruse the contents of the units being auctioned off, usually by looking through the entrance of the unit and taking note of what's inside. After each bidder has examined the unit, the live auction commences and the contents of the unit are sold to the highest bidder. Unlike most auctions, where a bid is placed for a single item, storage unit auction bidders can only bid on the entire contents of the unit.

After the Bidding

After the bidding is completed, bid winners have a small amount of time to pay or risk forfeiting the bid. Generally, payment is required directly after the auction or, at the most, the next day. Cash is usually the preferred method of payment; however this varies from company to company, so attendees need to be aware of payment type accepted before attending the auction. Depending on individual state laws, an applicable sales tax may be charged as well. After the payment has been made, the winning bidders are given a set period to remove the contents of the unit.

Legal Issues

To protect themselves and to prevent wrongful sales of property, storage unit companies generally make several attempts to contact delinquent tenants either through phone, email or though notices of non-payment mailed directly to them. However, a lien can legally be placed on a unit as little as 30 days after a missed payment. Once auctioned off, the contents of a unit legally belong to the winner of the bid and the previous unit renter has no legal right to the items. For the bidders, all items received are sold "as is," therefore it is buyer beware when it comes to the contents of a unit so bidders should be aware of the the contents of the unit and its value before deciding to place a bid.

Finding Storage Unit Auctions

Many current and upcoming storage unit auction listings can be found through legal notice postings in state and local newspapers. Another way to find a unit auction is by contacting the storage company directly, either through the company website, or by calling them to inquire of upcoming auctions. Due to the recent popularity of storage auctions, there are also several websites devoted to unit auctions, including where to find them, and tips on how to get the most from your bids.

 

Free Storage Auction Lists Where To Find Them

Where to find Storage Auction Lists

If you've seen the television show storage wars, you've probably at one point or another wondered where you can find out about storage auctions in your area? Here are FreeStorageAuctionLists, we provide lists up upcomming storage auctions to you completely free.

We list our upcomming storage auctions by state on the left side bar of the site. Click your home state and you'll find storage auctions in your local area which you can attend and get yourself some great deals just like on the show storage wars.

Don't think that everything is just like the tv shows. Not everything pulled out of  storage unit is some rare vintage gem. Most of what your going to find is household clothes, junk and old clothes but every once in a while you strike treasure and come up with something great which makes it all worthwhile.

If your interested in checking out a storage auction near you visit our homepage, look up your state on the left sidebar, and find an auction near you to attend.

20 Sites To Find Upcomming Self Storage Auctions Near You

Here are the results starting with the service that rated the highest in our survey.

1. http://www.houstonstorageauctions.com This service has a coverage area of 60 miles in all directions of downtown Houston, Texas. The website looked great and was very easy to navigate. They claim to list over 300 storage auctions every month and after we reviewed their sample list, which is an actual previous edition of their auction list, it appears that they do provide thorough content. This service actually calls over 1400 storage facilities twice a month. They are a pay service with rates as low as $7.49 per month. They also have a great storage auction blog, which was very informative for a newbie like myself.

2. http://www.atlantastorageauctions.com This service covers the Atlanta, Georgia metropolitan area. The website was very simple to use and very straight forward. Their sample list is an actual previous edition and the content appeared to be thorough. This is a pay service that allows you to purchase one week for $4.00 or an entire month for $10.50. This service also offers a free e-book, which provides you with the basics, as well a paid e-book which claims to go into more detail and reveal secrets about the storage auction business.

3. http://www.centralfloridastorageauctions.com This service is affiliated with service number 2 on our list. It provides storage action listings for central Florida. Since it focuses on one specific area, the content is quite thorough. The website layout, pricing and e-books are the same as it's sister websites, which are also rated highly.

4. http://www.storageauctions.com This service provides coverage for the entire State of California. They separate their auction list into Northern and Southern California editions. They claim to provide over 800 storage auctions every month and based upon review of their sample list, it looks as though they are very thorough as well. The website has some good information for beginners; however, they do not offer a e-book or blog. Also, since the auction list is sent by email on a weekly basis, or by newsletter on a monthly basis, there is no instant access to their auction listings. They also only accept payment by the year. Northern addition is $84, Southern addition is $89 or get both for $155.

5. http://www.tennessestorageauctions.com This website is also affiliated with #2 & #3 on our list. This site covers storage auction listings for the entire state of Tennessee. The content looks good and the website was easy to use. The pricing is similar to it's sister companies on our list and it also offers a free and paid e-book.

6. http://www.auctionzip.com/ This is by far the largest national auction website. It is very well built and fairly easy to use. The problem with this site is that it lists a majority of auctions other than storage auctions. For our city, it failed to list 90% of the storage auctions taking place. It has an impressive auction forum which could benefit newbies like myself.

7. http://www.selfstorageauctionsaz.com/ This website is affiliated with the Arizona Self Storage Association and lists auctions for the entire state of Arizona. The site is well made and easy to navigate. They do list their auctions for free; however, the list appears to be limited. Not bad for a free information source.

8. http://www.txssa.org/auctionmaster/Resultslist.asp This site is owned by the Texas Self Storage Association and covers the entire state. The website is free, well built, has a blog and is very informative about storage laws in Texas. However, not many facilities advertise with them. I saw about 30 auctions listed for the entire state that month.

9. http://www.storageauctionlisting.com/local/ This service covers the Orlando, Florida area. It appears that they list the auctions of the major storage facility chains and they do have some okay content. They may be reselling information that you can get for free, but for a $2.00 first month trial and $4.95 each additional month, it may be worth the risk. I think they are trying to communicate that they offer hard to find listings; however, despite all of the babble, they never get around to saying it. The website does not look professional and the content looks like the owner has never used Excel before. I would be cautious.

10. http://www.findselfstorageauctions.com/ This is a free national storage auction listing service that charges the facilities a fee to post their auctions. I performed a search and there were no auctions listed in our entire state. In all fairness, this is a brand new website that hasn't had time to expose itself fully to the market. The website looks clean but with limited content, it is hard to recommend at this time. However, in the future, this site could be the number one player of the national storage auction listing services.

11. http://www.storageauctionsflorida.blogspot.com/ Although the content was average, you can tell that you're missing a lot of the actions. Although, for a free storage auction listings website, it's not bad. The website is pretty basic, it looks like it was set up quickly. And, you know the old saying...you get what you pay for.

12. http://www.orangecountystorageauctions.com/ Although, their site looks very basic and kind of thrown together, they do claim to call storage facilities in their area. From what we have seen from the other storage auction listing services that actually call the facilities, they may have listings that the other services that cover Orange County, CA. don't have. Since they don't have a sample list, we cannot compare them to http://www.storageauctions.com, which lists over 800 auctions every month for the entire state. But, for $7, it may be worth the risk. I would possibly join, then compare their listings to http://www.americanauctioneers.com, which is actually owned by the auctioneer on the television show Storage Wars.

It's all down hill from here!

13. http://www.storageauctionsin.com/ This storage auction listing service covers several states including Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, Tennessee & Texas. They claim to list 200 auctions per month for our state, which our city alone has over 250 auctions every month. This should immediately tell you how much you are missing. As far as the services that cover multiple states are concerned, this one is better than the rest. Of course, that isn't really saying much. We compared the auctions from a major city on their list with another storage auction listing service that only provided auctions for that city. Their list had 7 auctions on it, while the other local list actually provided 41 on the same day. I think that speaks for itself. Prices are reasonable though at $7-$10 a month, however I think you could get the same information by spending 5 minutes online doing research.

14. http://www.freestorageauctionlists.com/ This homemade website lists about 5% of the auctions in our area. The content really wasn't there, with no auctions listed for our area for two weeks at a time.l At least the auction listings are available for free or are they? I'm still kind of confused about this, because you can buy a storage auction list for your area for $10 on his website. I guess free storage auction lists isn't so free is it? He also sells an e-book for $10.

15. http://www.storageauction.net This website has a national coverage area; however, this service only listed 3 auctions for the entire month in our city. This site is free but it requires you to enter you email address. I will say that I haven't received any spam to this point. This is a good looking professional website but the content just wasn't there.

16. http://www.localstorageauction.com/ This company claims to be a national storage auction listing company. It had a ton of auctions listed; however, despite their URL, I found 1 storage auction listed for our state. It had zero listed for my area. The site looks good, and they did have a lot of collectible & farm equipment auctions listed; however, I feel like I got the bait and switch.

17. http://www.storageauctiondepot.com This site is quite unique and I have to give it props for creativity. It is a virtual storage auction service which allows you to bid on storage units from the comfort of your home; however, only a few auctions were listed for the entire country. You do have to pay a $5 annual membership fee to use the service. Issues have been raised as to whether this service has legal authority to sell storage units online. Since they do not hold an auctioneers license in any state and they are dealing with storage liens, if you were to buy something from them and the owner disputed the legality of the sale, there could be legal trouble. No auctions were listed for our state. When I visited the site, I entered my email address in order to view the auction listings. A week later, I found that they had used my email address to initiate a transaction on my PayPal account with no authorization. That takes a lot of nerve. I guess when you get desperate, you will sink to all kinds of lows.

18. http://www.storageunitauctionlist.com/ This is a national pay site. I read this on their website “ Given that http://www.storageunitauctionlist.com covers every single facility in all 50 states you can pick auctions that nobody knows about. “ This is a blatant lie. This company barely skims the surface. From the sample list on their website, it appears that they only cover the large chain facilities. The large chain facility auctions are the easiest to find because most of the auctions are posted on their own websites. In our area, they listed less than 15% of the auctions that the newspapers list. This company is basically charging people for information they could get with 5 minutes of research on the internet. Rates range from $15 per month to $140 for the year. They have a blog; however there are only 3 posts on it. An e-book is also available for $20, but if the content is like their blog, it may be disappointing. This site gets 2 thumbs down.

19. http://www.storagetreasures.com/ This website is attractive and claims to list auctions on a national level; However, this website was a total waste of time. They lure you in thinking all you have to do is enter your email, but then you are transferred to page after page of requests for your personal information and they even have you fill out a survey, only to leave you with no auctions listed. What a huge disappointment. Even though they claim to be free, I was left feeling like I should have been paid for the survey I filled out.

20. http://www.storageauctions.tv/ This could be an email fishing site. The system is very confusing and even after providing my personal information, no auctions were ever provided. I'm not sure if it is just bad web design or if it is set up that way to get your information and then get you so angry you just want to leave. Total waste of time in my opinion.

How Do Self Storage Facility Auctions Work?

Ѕtоrаgе Fасіlіtу Аuсtіоns - Ноw Dо Тhеу Wоrk?

Fоr уеаrs mаnу реорlе hаvе wоrkеd undеr thе rаdаr buуіng stоrаgе unіts аt аuсtіоn thеn rе-sеllіng thе соntеnts аt gаrаgе sаlеs, оn еВау, Сrаіgslіst аnd tо соllесtоrs.

Тhеу рrоbаblу wіsh іt wаs stіll lіkе thаt bесаusе оf lіttlе соmреtіtіоn thеу hаd frоm оthеr реорlе dоіng thе sаmе thіng.

Вut sіnсе thе Ѕріkе ТV, tеlеvіsіоn shоw, Аuсtіоn Нuntеrs stаrtеd іn Арrіl оf 2010, stоrаgе fасіlіtіеs аuсtіоns іs оnе оf thе hіghеst trеndіng kеуwоrd рhrаsеs оn Gооglе Ѕеаrсh іn 2011. Віng аnd Yаhоо wаsn't сhесkеd but іf іt's рорulаr оn Gооglе, thеrе іs а hіgh рrоbаbіlіtу іt's рорulаr оn аll оthеr sеаrсh еngіnеs.

Аnd fоr gооd rеаsоn. Тhе Ѕріkе ТV shоw іs wоndеrfullу рrоduсеd аnd thе stаrs аrе nоt оnlу еngаgіng аnd іntеrеstіng but аrе аlsо ехреrіеnсеd аnd knоwlеdgеаblе аuсtіоn huntеrs аnd knоw thе vаluе оf mаnу іtеms tурісаllу stоrеd іn а unіt аnd hоw tо sеll thеm fаst fоr саsh.

Тhе shоw іs а реrfесt соmbіnаtіоn оf а рорulаr subјесt, іntеrеstіng hоsts аnd drаmа whеn thеу аrе fіndіng, bіddіng аnd sеllіng thе trеаsurеs thеу fоund fоr thаt раrtісulаr shоw.

Ехасtlу whаt іs а stоrаgе fасіlіtу аuсtіоn аnd hоw tо thеу wоrk?

Тhе rulеs аnd rеgulаtіоns thаt wіll bе mеntіоnеd thrоugh оut thіs sесtіоn аrе frоm thе stаtе оf Оhіо. Еасh stаtе hаs thеіr оwn rulеs but shоuld bе рrеttу sіmіlаr tо Оhіо's.

Whеn а tеnаnt аt а stоrаgе fасіlіtу еntеrs а stоrаgе rеntаl аgrееmеnt, thе fасіlіtу оwnеr, fоllоwіng hіs/hеr sресіfіс stаtе lаws аnd rеgulаtіоns, рlасеs а lіеn аgаіnst thе оссuраnt's реrsоnаl рrореrtу. Тhіs un-еnfоrсеd lіеn іs рlасеd tо рrоtесt thе оwnеr аgаіnst nоn-рауmеnt оf thе stоrаgе unіt's rеnt іn thе futurе.

Тhе lіеn еnfоrсеmеnt рrосеss stаrts whеn thе tеnаnt іs lаtе wіth thеіr mоnthlу rеntаl рауmеnt. Тhеrе іs а 10 dау grасе реrіоd аnd іf thе rеnt rеmаіns unраіd, thе оwnеr mау lосk thе tеnаnt оut оf thе stоrаgе unіt untіl thе rеntаl рауmеnt іs mаdе. Тhіs іs dоnе bу thе fасіlіtу оwnеr рlасіng thеіr lосk оn thе раst duе rеntаl unіt thеrеbу рrеvеntіng thе tеnаnt frоm ассеssіng thеіr роssеssіоns.

Usuаllу, thіs іn іtsеlf rеsults іn thе раst duе tеnаnt bесоmіng сurrеnt wіth nо furthеr асtіоn bу thе stоrаgе fасіlіtу оwnеr.

Іf thе tеnаnt dоеsn't bесоmе сurrеnt wіth thе rеntаl аgrееmеnt, thе fасіlіtу оwnеr рuts thе аuсtіоn рrосеss іn асtіоn аftеr а 90 dау реrіоd wіth thе еnd rеsult bеіng sеllіng thе рrореrtу vіа аn аuсtіоn аnd rесоuріng thе mоnеу оwеd аnd thе соst оf еvеrуthіng tо dо wіth thе аuсtіоn. Іf thе аuсtіоn brіngs іn mоrе mоnеу thеn оwеd, іt must bе gіvеn tо thе tеnаnt. Іf thе tеnаnt саn't bе lосаtеd, thе mоnеу еnds uр іn thе Ѕtаtе's unсlаіmеd mоnеу fund.

Аuсtіоn рrосеssеs whісh must bе fоllоwеd іnсludе thе tіmе frаmе thе tеnаnt hаs tо rеsроnd tо dеfаult nоtісеs, сеrtіfіеd mаіlіngs tо thе tеnаnt wіth nоtіfісаtіоns оf dеfаult аnd рlаn tо аuсtіоn аnd thе рlасеmеnt оf nеwsрареr аds іn thе соuntу thе stоrаgе fасіlіtу rеsіdеs іn nоtіfуіng аll rеаdеrs аnd hореfullу thе dеfаultеd tеnаnt оf thе реndіng аuсtіоn.

Аll оf thе stаtе's lаws must bе fоllоwеd tо thе Т оr thе stоrаgе fасіlіtу wіll fасе sеrіоus соnsеquеnсеs.

Ѕtоrаgе fасіlіtу аuсtіоns аrе а рrоblеm fоr thе tеnаnt іn dеfаult, nо dоubt аbоut іt. Whо wаnts tо lоsе thеіr роssеssіоns?

Вut thеу аrе а grеаt mоnеу mаkеr fоr thе stоrаgе fасіlіtіеs аuсtіоn huntеrs!

Where To Find Self Storage Facility Auctions

Whеrе tо Fіnd Ѕtоrаgе Аuсtіоns

А "Ѕtоrаgе Unіt Аuсtіоn" іs а fоrm оf trеаsurе hunt whеrе thе раrtісіраnts bіd fоr а stоrаgе unіt іn thе hоре thаt thе соst оf whаt іs іn thе unіt іs vаluаblе. Тhе vаluе оf thе stоrеd sеrvісеs wіll thеn іnсludе fоr thе соst оf thе bіd аnd mаkе рrоfіt. Іn thе аuсtіоns; thе раrtісіраnt bіds fоr whаt іs sееn suсh аs furnіturе аnd whаt іs nоt sееn, thаt іs thе расkеd іtеms соntаіnеd іn thе unіt. Іn оrdеr tо tаkе раrt іn stоrаgе аuсtіоns, оnе must еstаblіsh whеrе tо fіnd thеsе аuсtіоns рrіmаrіlу nеаr оnе's hоmе fоr іt tо mаkе есоnоmіс sеnsе.

Іf уоu аrе іntеrеstеd іn thеsе аuсtіоns, thе nехt thіng іs tо lооk fоr whеrе tо fіnd thе аuсtіоns. Νоrmаllу уоu wіll gеt thе аuсtіоns bу usіng а search еngіnе. Yоu wіll thеn gеt unіts wіthіn your аrеа іn whісh уоu аrе located аftеr whісh уоu оught tо соmmunісаtе wіth thе соmраnіеs mаnаgіng thе stоrаgе unіt аuсtіоns. Yоu wіll thеn rеquеst аn аuсtіоn rоutіnе frоm thе соmраnу whісh wіll sеnd thеіr rоutіnе tо уоu.

Аddіtіоnаllу; tо lосаtе whеrе tо fіnd аuсtіоns, оnе mау sіgn uр fоr frее оr раіd аuсtіоn sеrvісеs оnlіnе. Тhіs wіll bе а sіmрlеr wау аs оnе іs іnfоrmеd оf аll аuсtіоns tаkіng рlасе іn vаrіоus аrеаs. Аs muсh аs іt іs mоrе есоnоmісаl tо раrtісіраtе іn аuсtіоns wіthіn thе аrеа оf оnе's rеасh, уоu mау wаnt tо gеt а nеw ехреrіеnсе іn а dіffеrеnt аrеа.

Wеbsіtеs mау аlsо рrоvіdе іnfоrmаtіоn оn whеrе tо fіnd stоrаgе unіt аuсtіоns. Ноwеvеr, оnе must sеlесt а rеlіаblе sіtе tо аvоіd mіsіnfоrmаtіоn оr tіmе wаstіng. Тhе rеаsоn fоr fаіlurе іs thаt sоmе wеbsіtеs dо nоt рrоvіdе rеаl-tіmе іnfоrmаtіоn.

Аddіtіоnаllу, іf уоu fіnd rеаdіng еаsіеr уоu mау subsсrіbе tо а рublісаtіоn thаt рrоvіdеs sсhеdulеs оn whеrе tо fіnd stоrаgе unіt аuсtіоns. Тhіs mау аdd tо уоur соst оf thе trеаsurе hunt, but іt wіll рrеsеnt а gооd rеfеrеnсе thаt usеs lеss tіmе аnd іs mоrе rеlіаblе.

Іt іs аlsо gооd tо fосus оn а lосаtіоn thаt wіll gіvе уоu thе tуре оf stоrаgе unіt аuсtіоns' frеquеnсу thаt іs mоrе соnvеnіеnt tо уоur nееds. Іn mоst sіtuаtіоns, соmmеrсіаlіzеd раrts hаvе а hіghеr numbеr оf аuсtіоns thаn rurаl rеgіоns mау hаvе аs thеrе аrе mоrе stоrаgе fасіlіtіеs аnd fоlks sееk thе sеrvісеs mоrе оftеn.

Аnоthеr suррlу оf іnfоrmаtіоn оn whеrе tо fіnd аuсtіоns mау bе рrоvіdеd bу wаtсhіng tеlеvіsіоn. Тhеrе аrе рrоgrаms thаt fеаturе thіs tуре оf trеаsurе huntіng аnd mау рrоvіdе а guіdе оn аrеаs tо fосus оn. Ноwеvеr, thе рrоgrаms mау bе dесерtіvе іn tеrms оf fосusіng оn оnlу suссеss stоrіеs.

Fіnаllу, whаtеvеr thе сhоісе оn hоw tо hunt fоr stоrаgе unіt аuсtіоns, lіkе wіth аnу оthеr trеаsurе hunt оnе mау mаkе оr lоsе mоnеу. Ноwеvеr, thеrе аrе wауs tо mаkе thіs tуре оf trеаsurе sеаrсhіng fun аnd аlsо рrоfіtаblе. То mаkе уоur trеаsurе sеаrсhіng mоrе suссеssful, іt іs bеst tо соmbіnе sеvеrаl kіnds оf іnfоrmаtіоn оn whеrе tо fіnd stоrаgе unіt аuсtіоns аs орроsеd tо fосusіng оn оnе sоurсе.

What Are Online Storage Auctions? How Do They Compare To Traditional Auctions?

Ехрlоrіng thе Веnеfіts оf Оnlіnе Ѕtоrаgе Unіt Аuсtіоns

Іn thе Іnfоrmаtіоn Аgе, tесhnоlоgу рlауs а hugе rоlе іn еvеrуthіng wе dо, frоm thе wау wе іntеrасt wіth frіеnds аnd fаmіlу tо thе wау wе соnduсt busіnеss. Rеsаlе busіnеssеs аrе nо dіffеrеnt. Веtwееn smаrt рhоnе аррs thаt саn guіdе уоu tо аuсtіоns аnd sіtеs lіkе еВау аnd Сrаіgslіst thаt саn hеlр уоu sеll уоur wаrеs, thе Іntеrnеt іs рrоbаblу frоnt-аnd-сеntеr іn уоur busіnеss.

Оnе tуре оf tесhnоlоgу thаt уоu mау nоt hаvе ехрlоrеd уеt, thоugh, іs thе vіrtuаl stоrаgе аuсtіоn. Аlthоugh thіs іs а vеrу nеw dеvеlорmеnt іn thе оftеn slоw-mоvіng аuсtіоn busіnеss, іt's аlrеаdу gаіnеd а lоt оf іnеrtіа аnd mау sооn bесоmе thе nеw mоdеl fоr hоw аuсtіоns аrе hеld. Lеаrnіng tо mаkе thе mоst оf thіs tесhnоlоgу nоw саn gіvе уоu а bооst оvеr thе соmреtіtіоn аnd рut уоu іn а соmреtіtіvе рlасе fоr thе futurе.

Неrе аrе а fеw оf thе rеаsоns оnlіnе аuсtіоns аrе bеttеr thаn trаdіtіоnаl sаlеs:

-- Yоu саn bіd frоm hоmе оr whіlе wоrkіng оn оthеr рrојесts. Ву vіsіtіng thе sіtе оn а mоbіlе dеvісе, уоu саn bіd frоm аnуwhеrе аnd dоn't hаvе tо іntеrruрt уоur dау tо аttеnd а lіvе аuсtіоn. Тhіs sаvеs уоu а lоt оf tіmе аnd gаs..

-- Yоu саn tаkе уоur tіmе lооkіng аt thе рhоtоgrарhs аnd dесіdіng whеthеr tо bіd rаthеr thаn mаkіng а snар јudgmеnt bаsеd оn а fеw mіnutеs оutsіdе а unіt. Тhіs gіvеs уоu tіmе tо rеsеаrсh thе іtеms fоr sаlе аnd dеtеrmіnе whеthеr thе unіt wіll bе рrоfіtаblе.

-- Віddіng іs usuаllу mоrе slоw-расеd thаn аt а lіvе аuсtіоn аnd wіll аllоw уоu tіmе tо hаng bасk untіl thе еnd, whісh hеlрs уоu gеt thе bеst рrісе fоr а unіt. Јust lіkе оthеr оnlіnе аuсtіоns, уоu саn wаіt tіl thе lаst mіnutе bеfоrе sсооріng uр а gооd dеаl rаthеr thаn еngаgіng іn а lоng bіddіng wаr.

-- Yоu hаvе thе flехіbіlіtу tо рау mоrе fоr а rеаllу gооd unіt іf іt соmеs аlоng. Аt а lіvе sаlе, уоu аrе lіmіtеd bу thе саsh іn уоur росkеt. Whеn уоu'rе bіddіng оnlіnе, уоu hаvе thе аbіlіtу tо bіd hіghеr аnd рull thе mоnеу frоm уоur bаnk whеn іt's tіmе tо рау. Тhіs еnsurеs thаt уоu nеvеr wаlk аwау frоm а vаluаblе unіt аgаіn.

Аsіdе frоm thе numеrоus bеnеfіts оf buуіng іtеms thіs wау, уоu саn аlsо usе vіrtuаl аuсtіоns аs а wау tо sеll unwаntеd іtеms. Vіrtuаl lіstіngs саn bе сrеаtеd bу stоrаgе fасіlіtіеs аnd рrіvаtе sеllеrs аlіkе.

.

Online Storage Auctions - The New Wave Of Storage Auctions No Longer In Person

Online Storage Auctions have become increasingly popular in the self-storage industry, and for good reason. They not only meet the ever-growing public interest in lien sales, they provide many benefits for facility operators. Online platforms have evolved over the past few years and now drive thousands of buyers to auctions without the drawbacks of onsite events.

Personally I'm not a huge fan of the online variety of auctions. I find some facilities use poor pictures, sometimes pictures are mis-leading and make a unit seem smaller or larger than it is. Also, you can't get quite as good a picture what is in the unit as being up close and personal in person and not online. Despite my lackluster attidue towards online auctions however many people love them and they are as popular as ever. 

The increase in industry awareness driven by TV shows like “Storage Wars” is generating a wave of online-auction platforms that offer different benefits, price points and opportunities. Sellers and buyers can now choose a provider based on their own priorities. Here’s a look at how online auctions work, the benefits to storage operators, and tips for choosing a platform that’s right for your business.

How They Work

Most auction websites explain in detail, through text and video, how simple it is for sellers and bidders to open their account. Essentially, these online platforms use an eBay-style format in which storage operators can post pictures and videos of units available for auction. Each auction listing must contain the unit number and size, a description of the contents, start and end dates/times for the sale, the starting bid, and the facility’s contact information.
Potential buyers can bid on these units via their computer, tablet or smartphone. The system allows them to participate in auctions outside their immediate area and pick up the items in the days following the sale. When an auction closes, the seller and winning bidder receive a written confirmation.
Dependent on state legislation, the auctions only take place after all legal notifications to delinquent tenants have been completed via newspaper, e-mail and registered letters. Many state lien laws specify that a public sale must take place at the storage facility. The online auction satisfies this requirement, as the physical transaction takes place at your site. It’s still highly recommended that you review the online-auction process with your legal counsel and state self-storage association before proceeding.

Benefits

Online auctions offer many benefits to storage operators. First, they come with none of the headaches that often accompany onsite auctions. For example, you might get a crowd of people at an onsite sale when, realistically, only a few regulars will bid on units. Some tenants complain about the crowds or not being able to find parking. In addition, there’s an increase in noise and garbage, and operators often find themselves in need of extra staff or security. An online auction makes all of these problems disappear.
Storage operators who sell online benefit from decreased costs compared to using auctioneers, who typically charge 15 percent to 25 percent. The process is also much faster. With onsite auctions, operators sometimes have to wait months before they have enough units to justify an event. The cost to hold those delinquent units adds bad debt directly to the bottom line. The bad debts continue to grow, eroding the profitability of the storage business. With an online platform, operators can list a single unit at any time. For example, you could list a unit today, empty it by next weekend and rent it to a new customer by the following week.
Storage operators also benefit from having their logo visible on an online-auction site 24 hours a day for several days to a week, which promotes the facility, draws traffic and is less expensive than newspaper advertisements. Partnering with an online-auction company actually complements a facility’s marketing efforts in a high-visibility, strong impact manner. Many bidders rent from facilities they discover through online listings.

Storage Auctions Popularity Is Way Down... The Fad Is Over

The popularity of storage auctions and everything surrounding them is down. Whether you're talking about auction attendance numbers, number of people visiting storage auctions websites or talk about or even people watching the reality shows like storage wars and auction hunters, interest in auctions is WAY down from where it was just a few years ago.

So is this a good thing or a bad thing? Well, if you're in the business of running a website or blog focused on the storage auction industry then it's a bad thing for you. As anyone knows, website traffic equals money, and if traffic is down so is money.

The Crowds Are Gone

That said myself and I think most people who got into blogging, writing e-books, operating storage auction informational websites and products; I think most of us got into it to supplement our income during a bad time of auctions when attendance is down.

This is what so many of us have been complaining about and hoping for for years, that interest would die down and auctions would no longer be a 100 person affair but a handful of guys showing up taking turns bidding on good units and not driving prices up on one another.

That time is back. Though auctions will probably never be what they were 5 years ago, the market has returned to normal, crowds at auctions are down, prices of lockers is down. This is what we have all been waiting for. It's now time to get out there and start getting some units and start making some money flipping those units.

Curious to hear what others think. Do you think auction crowds and prices have returned to normal? Do you like that interest in our market is gone or did you like it when it was popular? Curious to hear your guys thoughts. Leave a comment below.

How To Make Money With Storage Unit Auctions

In this e-book we will tell you how to make money buying storage units at auction and re-selling the merchandise just like you see on the hit television series Storage Wars and Auction Hunters.

If you're an established re-seller or eBay seller or looking to break into the business this is a great cost effective way to get merchandise.

In this book we will cover these topics and answer these questions for you...

What Is A Storage Auction?
What It Takes To Get Into This Business?
How Do I Find Out About Upcomming Storage Auctions Near Me?
What Items Do I Bring To Bring To A Storage Auction?
How Does The Process Work? / What Is An Auction Is Like?
What Do I Look For / How Do I Select A Good Unit?
How Do I Know How Much To Bid?
What Do I Do After Winning A Locker?
How Do I Sell My Merchandise?
Can I Expand Or Grow This Business Model?
A Review Of My Experience At A Recent Auction
Conclusion / Wrapping Up
Some Pictures Of Items I won At Auction

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Book! November 7, 2012

By Jillian

How To Make Money Buying Storage Unit Auctions was an awesome book. I've purchased a few books and money making programs on the subject of storage auctions and this is by far my favorite. The book explains what a storage auction is and how they typically work and are run. This was great as I would have been feeling lost attending my first auction without reading this book and having first known what to expect, when to show up, what I need to bring, etc. A lot of other people at the auction showed up without locks and flashlights because they didn't know any better, however since I had read the book I had cash since many auctions don't accept plastic, I had a lock, gloves, and a flashlight, wound up getting a great unit too!!! The book also talks auction strategy, how to pick good units, how to sell the merchandise and even how to expand this business in to a resale shop or other brick and mortar store. Glad I bought the book would recommend it to anyone looking to attend a storage unit auction.

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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars FINALLY!!!! A Book That Isn't A Vague Upsell To Other Books & PRoducts!!!! May 26, 2013

By GMArie

There's a ton of books on Amazon about how to make money buying storage units and I've bought and read a number of them. This is by far the best of the bunch.

Most of the books on this subject are vague and generic and filled with common sense info you don't need to read about. Others are teasers filled with nothing but advertisements on how you need to buy their other books or their "program" which sells for $129.

This book is well written, well organized and has all the basics you need to know before attending your first storage auction. If your a newbie and unsure how the process works the author runs you through what an auction is like so you don't feel dumb. The author also addresses topics such as how to pick good units, how to sell your merchandise and other questions helpful for someone breaking into the industry.

If your thinking about attending your first storage auction I'd highly recommend you pick up this book first!!!

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5.0 out of 5 stars A good read December 13, 2014

By Kindle Customer

Verified Purchase

This book answered a lot of questions that were not covered on Storage Wars. Now I know a lot more about storage auctions.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Good September 14, 2014

By ironfox

Verified Purchase

Good book but a little too much on the lien side. Pictures at the end made up fir that though. 4 stars

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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great basics! November 13, 2012

By Kwyatt

Verified Purchase

I got this book out of curiosity to see if there was any new info... I read through and this is a great book for the beginner, laid out and easy to understand. Myself I have been around the block a time or two so I didn't learn anything new but I would suggest this book for someone that was thinking about trying storage auctions out.

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› See all 5 customer reviews (newest first)

How To Make Money With Storage Unit Auctions - Book/Program Review

For those of you who havn't yet had a chance to check it out, "How To Make Money With Storage Unit Auctions" is a great book for newbies to storage auctions as well as a refresher and contains some information and helpful tips for industry veterans as well.

Below is a synopsis of the book as well as an outline of the chapters this book contains...

In this e-book we will tell you how to make money buying storage units at auction and re-selling the merchandise just like you see on the hit television series Storage Wars and Auction Hunters.

If you're an established re-seller or eBay seller or looking to break into the business this is a great cost effective way to get merchandise.
 
In this book we will cover these topics and answer these questions for you...

What Is A Storage Auction?
What It Takes To Get Into This Business?
How Do I Find Out About Upcomming Storage Auctions Near Me?
What Items Do I Bring To Bring To A Storage Auction?
How Does The Process Work? / What Is An Auction Is Like?
What Do I Look For / How Do I Select A Good Unit?
How Do I Know How Much To Bid?
What Do I Do After Winning A Locker?
How Do I Sell My Merchandise?
Can I Expand Or Grow This Business Model?
A Review Of My Experience At A Recent Auction
Conclusion / Wrapping Up
Some Pictures Of Items I won At Auction


Wondering what other auction hunters thought about this book? Below are some reviews...

Review 1: How To Make Money Buying Storage Unit Auctions was an awesome book. I've purchased a few books and money making programs on the subject of storage auctions and this is by far my favorite. The book explains what a storage auction is and how they typically work and are run. This was great as I would have been feeling lost attending my first auction without reading this book and having first known what to expect, when to show up, what I need to bring, etc. A lot of other people at the auction showed up without locks and flashlights because they didn't know any better, however since I had read the book I had cash since many auctions don't accept plastic, I had a lock, gloves, and a flashlight, wound up getting a great unit too!!! The book also talks auction strategy, how to pick good units, how to sell the merchandise and even how to expand this business in to a resale shop or other brick and mortar store. Glad I bought the book would recommend it to anyone looking to attend a storage unit auction.

Review 2: There's a ton of books on Amazon about how to make money buying storage units and I've bought and read a number of them. This is by far the best of the bunch.

Most of the books on this subject are vague and generic and filled with common sense info you don't need to read about. Others are teasers filled with nothing but advertisements on how you need to buy their other books or their "program" which sells for $129.

This book is well written, well organized and has all the basics you need to know before attending your first storage auction. If your a newbie and unsure how the process works the author runs you through what an auction is like so you don't feel dumb. The author also addresses topics such as how to pick good units, how to sell your merchandise and other questions helpful for someone breaking into the industry.

If your thinking about attending your first storage auction I'd highly recommend you pick up this book first!!!

Review 3:

This book answered a lot of questions that were not covered on Storage Wars. Now I know a lot more about storage auctions.

Review 4:

Good book but a little too much on the lien side. Pictures at the end made up fir that though. 4 stars

Review 5:  got this book out of curiosity to see if there was any new info... I read through and this is a great book for the beginner, laid out and easy to understand. Myself I have been around the block a time or two so I didn't learn anything new but I would suggest this book for someone that was thinking about trying storage auctions out.

Discount Stores A Good Option For Storage Auction Re-Sellers To Supplement Items

One of the great things about storage auctions is that a good auction buyer can get a ton of merchandise for a rock bottom price. My auction strategy is to basically only bid up to what I know I can sell visible items in a unit for. By employing this strategy I'm pretty much guranteed to make back my principal, and anything else on top of that is money in the bank. Because of this I'm often hesitant of buying items at a store because there's a much smaller margin. If this is something I'm going to do ideally I'd like to buy an item which I know is popular and will sell.

This isn't something I make a habit of but occasionally I'll come across an item I can buy up at a discount store and flip easily on eBay. I don't think it's a national store but recently stumbled upon a store called Bargains in a Box where they get a lot of quality items from stores like Costco that couldn't sell them so we are actually talking about quality goods, not dollar store items.

I was recently at this store and saw a few items that I thought were good deals, looked up online and confirmed there was a demand and decent margins on it. One particular item was a French Press Coffee Press. It was $5 at this discount store and was selling on ebay and Amazon for $20 to $30. Assuming I would probably get $20, I could cover shipping and eBay fees for probably $5. At this point I purchased the item for $5, spend another $5 on eBay listing and final value fees as well as shipping. At this point I'm into the item for $10 and sell for $20 so that's a $10 profit. I more than doubled my money.

This isn't a strategy I use a lot, however when I see items I know will sell easily and I know I will make good margins on it's something I like to do from time to time.

Did You Know Ebay Allows Return / Restocking Fees? Take Advantage To Deter Refunds

On storage auction message boards I often hear storage auction buyers complaining about how they often get refunds which winds up being a hassle and costing them money in shipping fees as well as eBay fees.

One eBay feature not many people seem to know about is that you can offer a return fee or re-stocking fee as high as 20%. Same way some stores charge you 20% re-stocking fee for returning an item eBay allows you to do this as a seller as well.

Now I have two eBay accounts, one more established than the other. Both are linked up to eBay stores. I'm not sure exactly what's required to use the restocking fee feature, but one of my accounts has it while the other doesn't. It may be required you be either a Top Rated Seller or Power Seller. I've yet to figure out exactly what qualifications are required to offer this but next time you are listing check to see if you have the option to offer a restocking fee.

One common complaint of eBay sellers is they oftentimes when selling tools or other things people need for one time use is that people will buy it and return it after using it. This is often the case with tools, Halloween costumes, think about anything that someone typically gets one use out of and then doesn't need. SOme unethical eBay buyers will buy something and return it essentially using the eBay seller as a free rental of that item. It winds up costing the seller both eBay fees as well as shipping fees since the item in the end isn't sold and typically shipping is refunded along with product price.

By using the re-stocking fee you are both deterring people from refunding because they know it will cost them 20% so unless there's a big problem they may as well keep the item. In addition to detering returns even if someone does return an item, as long as it's not an extremely heavy item to ship it actually sometimes works out to be profitable for the seller taking a return. Seller sells the item, it gets returned, they keep 20% which often outweighs eBay fees and shipping fees so maybe they wind up making 7%-10% of the item cost plus you get the item back to sell to the next eBayer.

If you find yourself taking back an excessive amount of returns and would like to deter returns as well as protect yourself against losses look into eBays restocking or return fees.

Do You Bring Your Significant Other To Auctions With You?

This is more a poll than anything else so please leave a comment in the comments section below with your answer but I also figured I'd share my experience with auctions as well.

When Storage Wars and other television shows came out as most of you know we saw a flood of people comming to the auctions where as in the past it was a handful of guys maybe 4-8 guys per auction. After the shows the crowds grew to hundreds.

It wasn't uncommon to see entire families comming to auctions, people bringing their kids and significant others to auctions. Most had to intention of buying anything, mostly just gawking or seeing what auctions were all about.

Part of me says this is a bad idea unless you and your significant other are business partners and involved in this venture together, if you're just bringing your SO to have a day out in the sun it's probably not the best idea.

To some people storage auctions are a novelty thing or a cool way to spend an afternoon but to many people storage aucitons are their job, how they make money, their livelihood. It's frustrating when you can't see units because people who have no intention of buying a unit are standing in front of it. Bringing guests to auctions who aren't going to be buying creates extra crowds which means its that much tougher to look at units, each facility takes that much more time because all these extra people have to view units.

I can understand people wanting to bring someone to the auction. Auction days are a lot of driving and can get lonely and boring so I can see the temptation to bring along a guest to spend the day with but it's not really the best things for making auctions easy, less crowded and quick. I often see people bring kids to auctions. Again, I can understand that you want to teach your kid business, money management and spend time with them and in many ways applaud that however if you are going to bring a guest to an auction make sure they are out of the way of real buyers.

Are Storage Auctions A Good Way To Make A Side Income?

I've seen a number of people lately asking if storage auctions are a good way to make a side income in addition to your regular 9-5 gig. The answer to that is yes and no, it depends on a number of factores.

First off most storage auctions are daytime during the week so if you work a typical 9-5 job your going to have a tough time making it to auctions unless you have a large number of Saturday auctions in your area or unless you're willing to take days off work to attend auctions. That is a frustrating thing to do as well as you're not always going to walk away with a unit and to take a day off work and spend a day running around to auctions to come home empty handed can be frustrating.

When I was doing auctions and working a 9-5 I typically at my day job had one weekday off per week and often worked Saturdays so I would use a normal day off during the week to attend auctions. Granted I didn't bring a unit home everyday but at least I wasn't taking a day off work on top of it.

I think many people have a wrong impression about storage auctions from the television shows. So I go buy a unit, take a few high dollar items to an expert, sell it to him and walk away with a few thousand dollars. We and other sites and blogs and forums have gone over this time and time again so it goes without saying but most of what your going to be getting in units is average household items you're not going to be able to sell easily or for big dollars. Most of the stuff is stuff which will need to be sold at garage sales or flea markets. I don't think most people are planning on waking up early on the weekends and spending their weekends sitting outside which is what you really have to do if you're trying to really give it a go at this business or make any money. The items which are high dollar and sell easily on ebay or Craigslist are few and far between.

I don't mean to discourage anyone from getting into storage auctions. It's actually a great business you can give a try without much startup money or commitment. Spend a couple hundred dollars on a unit, maybe even less, try to sell the stuff, if you have sucess try it again, if not maybe this game isn't for you. Storage Auctions can be a great way to make a side income however it does require a lot of time, effort and work, its not easy.

Should You Reupholster Furniture To Try To Sell It For More?

A commonly asked question among storage auction locker buyers is whether it's worth putting the time, money and effort into reupholstering an item hoping for a higher resale value.

My philosophy and strategy when it come to furniture or anything else is that rarely if ever am I willing to put additional money into an item. Stuff is hard enough to sell as is, let alone trying to squeeze out money on the item plus whatever you put into it. Also, when reupholstering something who's to even say the potential new owner will even like the fabric or pattern you pick out.

I personally as a buyer would much prefer getting a deal on an item and being able to fix or reupholster it to my taste or to fit my homes design vs what someone else chose. Also, furniture is a tough item to sell to begin with. Oftentimes I wind up having to basically give it away. For that reason I wouldn't invest any further into furniture than the cost of the unit unless it was something really unique or valuable like a Victorian piece of furniture or something along those lines and even then I'd be hesitant.

This is generally my attitude towards everything whether it's electronics, furniture, household good or anything else for that matter. Anything more than cleaning or replacing a missing screw and I find it's not worth the time or investment. Most people on Craigslist and other place want a steal and it's hard enough to make a buck just on top of whatever you paid for a unit let alone after putting additional money into a piece of furniture someone may or may not want. Unless it's a very valuable unique piece or antique I would be very hesitant to invest any money.

Guard Your ebay Account Closely, Once Selling Privileges Are Gone They are Gone...

A friend recently contacted me asking me some advice on an eBay situation he's run into. He knows I do a lot of selling on eBay and thought I might be able to help or offer some advice. So this friend of mine just recently got into storage auctions, hence his need for eBay to move some merchandise.

He's been on eBay for a few years, however wasn't the most professional eBay seller a few years back. He had a few 30 days listings up and went on vacation not thinking about them. He was late shipping out a number of items which got him a few negative feedback's and some low DSR scores. It wasn't until just recently he realized this when he wasn't able to list items on eBay. Apparently he called eBay and was told his account is permanently banned from selling yet he could still buy. He asked them to closeout the account to which they refused saying they could not otherwise he could potentially open future accounts without the negative stigma of his previous account so forced him to keep his account open.

He was asking me if there was any way to get eBay to reconsider. I have heard of instances like this in the past and pretty much knew it was impossible to come back from. Some people write articles online about how to get your selling privileges back but basically all acknowledge it's all but impossible but say why not give it a try. If you call up you'll probably be read scripted responses out of a binder and not really get any review or your account or suspension. You can ask that your suspension be reviewed but this normally has to go through a supervisor and it's nearly impossible to get one on the phone.

My friend is still trying to get his selling privileges back but hasn't had much luck to date. Some say to try to write past wrongs, issue refunds or send products although I don't see how this helps as with the eBay buyers and seller protection refunds have probably already been issued. Some say ask those who left low DSR scores to write eBay on your behalf but good luck with that, like someone is going to take time out of their schedule to write on the behalf of someone who they weren't satisfied with their service on eBay. I have a feeling this friend is just out his eBay account.

The moral to the story however is ship quickly, communicate with your buyers because once your eBay account is gone it's gone. Even if you think today, ah I don't really need eBay, if you change your mind and want to use it down the road you probably won't be able to.

How To Make Money Buying Storage Unit Auctions ON SALE On Amazon 2 Day Sale 0.99 Cents

How To Make Money With Storage Unit Auctions by Sammy Davis is ON SALE for the next 2 days. Normally sells for $2.99, buy today for only 99 cents. Whether your a newbie looking to attend your first storage auction or someone who's been to a few thing book offers helpful tips on everything from how to find auctions to what you should bring to your first auction. It gives you a quick run through of what the auction process is like so you don't wind up doing something embaressing and so you know the protocol and know what to expect.
How To Make Money With Storage Unit Auctions by Sammy Davis is ON SALE for the next 2 days. Normally sells for $2.99, buy today for only 99 cents. Whether your a newbie looking to attend your first storage auction or someone who's been to a few thing book offers helpful tips on everything from how to find auctions to what you should bring to your first auction. It gives you a quick run through of what the auction process is like so you don't wind up doing something embaressing and so you know the protocol and know what to expect.


In this e-book we will tell you how to make money buying storage units at auction and re-selling the merchandise just like you see on the hit television series Storage Wars and Auction Hunters. 

If you're an established re-seller or eBay seller or looking to break into the business this is a great cost effective way to get merchandise.

In this book we will cover these topics and answer these questions for you...

What Is A Storage Auction?
What It Takes To Get Into This Business?
How Do I Find Out About Upcomming Storage Auctions Near Me?
What Items Do I Bring To Bring To A Storage Auction?
How Does The Process Work? / What Is An Auction Is Like?
What Do I Look For / How Do I Select A Good Unit?
How Do I Know How Much To Bid?
What Do I Do After Winning A Locker?
How Do I Sell My Merchandise?
Can I Expand Or Grow This Business Model?
A Review Of My Experience At A Recent Auction
Conclusion / Wrapping Up
Some Pictures Of Items I won At Auction

7 Quick Tips For Newbies To Follow At Their First Storage Auction

7 Tips For Storage Auctions

1. If you're new to storage auctions observe what others do. How to bid, how to look at units, etc. Also, watch where others shine their flashlights. As a newbie you often don't know what to even be looking for or where to look.

2. Set a limit on what you are willing to spend. It's easy to get caught up in the competitive element of auctions and get carried away. Set a limit for what your willing to spend on a unit. Try to take a quick inventory of what you see and what you can sell it for and only bid that much. That way anything else is an added bonus but at least you can make your money back on a unit.

3. Take a flashlight and gloves. A flashlight being the most important thing so you can see into a unit prior to bidding. Gloves come in when you have to start moving things out of the unit. Things can be dusty and dirty.

4. Dress according to the weather and don't wear anything too nice. There's often a lot of time standing around waiting and it's cold just standing. Dress appropriately for the weather and on the off chance you buy something your going to get dirty cleaning out a unit so don't wear anything you woudln't want getting ruined.

5. Research items before you sell. Know what you have and what you're selling. A newbie could easily sell a set of silverware for a cheap price thinking hey it's just silverware how many people want or need that. If it's sterling silver it's worth big bucks in silver weight don't let it go. Also with guitars or collectibles of all sorts just a difference in a model number could be the difference of an item worth a few hundred bucks vs a few thousand or even tens of thousands. Know what you have and research before you sell.

6. Be respectful of other attendees. Not really anything unique to auctions, you should do this in everyday life but be respectful of the facility, facility managers and auctioneers as well as other attendees.

7. If you have questions don't be afraid to ask. Sometimes other attendees may be harsh with you as you are their competition. Also, with the tv shows an influx of newbies came which took away us veterans revenue and also is a hassle in terms of idiots buying units and not having money and things like that. Veterans arent' crazy about newbies. I always try to be friendly to all but not everyone will. An auctioneer however is there to answer your questions so don't be afraid to ask whether it's how the process works or how they take payment.

d more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/09/06/3166380/how-to-score-big-at-storage-unit.html#storylink=cpy

Christmas Presents From Storage Unit Auctions

This topic recently came up on a forum about storage auctions and wanted to address this topic as well as suggest storage unit gifts as potential gift ideas.

If you buy storage units or if you have bought storage unit auctions in the past have you ever given Christmas gifts or other gifts to people from things you've gotten in storage auctions?

I think it's an excellent idea IF the gift your giving is something which will be enjoyed by the person your giving it to. Don't just decide hey I don't want to spend any money so I'll give my 5 year old nephew this car jack I found and I have some old tupperware I'll give my mother. No that's cheap and it's not a good idea.

That said if you find something in a storage unit that you find a friend or familyl member would actually enjoy or has use for I don't see anything wrong with it. Oftentimes I'll try to include a paid gift as well even if it's something small like a $5 or $10 Starbucks gift card. I especially like to do this if it's an item I probably couldn't sell or couldn't sell for much money anyways.

On the otherhand if it's an item I could easily flip for $50 or $100 then I have to consider whatever I could potentially get for it, even though it's essentially free to me or at hte very least rolled up into the cost of the unit if I'm taking money out of my pocket I could have potentially sold it for then it's an especially nice gift.

My main point being give a gift people enjoy not just try to dump your junk on family and friends over the holiday season.