Auction Hunters

[CGC Miner]

I caught an episode of Auction Hunters on TV last night. These guys travel around California and bid/buy abandoned and delinquent storage units. You get to look at the contents of the unit from the door and then it is sold to the highest bidder.
I had forgotten about this neat opportunity until I saw this show. Years back I attended afew of these auctions in Chicago they are quite interesting and you never know what you will find. I never bought a unit, but at my first auction there were 7 units to look at. Most of the units were full of moving junk and sold for around $200. One unit had nice leather furniture and a stainless steel fridge, that one went for closer to $1000. There was one room that had a crappy couch, tv and it was apparent that someone had been squatting in the little storage room, it was pretty gross and had some drug paraphernalia in it...didn't sell.
There was one unit however that was probably a treasure trove. This was the last one. The room was neatly organized, things were wrapped in sheets and brown paper. The contents looked like they hadn't moved in 30+ years. You could see 3-4 4ft sized paintings neatly wrapped, an old dining room dinnerware hutch, old crate of booze that had some cognacs and a bottle of Jhonnie Walker Blue label in it...thats all I remember. I had $400 with me and decided to bid on this one, though I had no means to get the stuff out of there..........if you win you have to pay cash and remove the entire contents of the room by the end of the work day. No luck, the room sold for around $2000.

Anyway, if you get a chance it is interesting to check out one of these auctions.
CGC

 

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[SEANO]

Thanks for the story!

Love the show so far..

 

[deepskyal]

I've watched several episodes, pretty interesting. I do wonder tho if they are salting their finds. Just awful coincidental that some of the stuff they get it so valuable.

I did get a chuckle from one where there were silver dollars, or halves, don't quite remember, in a suitcase or shoe...(again, limited attention span) and the guy was shuffeling them around in his hand saying they could grade out nice....as they scratched them playing with them.

Al

 

[SEANO]

I've watched several episodes, pretty interesting. I do wonder tho if they are salting their finds. Just awful coincidental that some of the stuff they get it so valuable.

I did get a chuckle from one where there were silver dollars, or halves, don't quite remember, in a suitcase or shoe...(again, limited attention span) and the guy was shuffeling them around in his hand saying they could grade out nice....as they scratched them playing with them.

Al

Ya saw that one. I was wondering dates of the coins, next thing I know they are "Scratching" them as best they could. Obviously not coin guys at all.

Could be salted, but I think they did say they they get many losers. Guess they just show the better ones so we watch it.

 

[greg755]

I go to storage auctions pretty often.... Most of the time you are paying to haul away other peoples junk... Sometime you do get some nice finds but I have never made a ton of money doing it. Its just fun to go through the stuff and see what you will come up with. Most of the time the owners of the storage facility or the auctioneer have gone through the stuff, but sometimes they do miss things.
I have never made more than about $500 on a unit, but usually I will be lucky if I make $100, some people have done rather well. For the most part it is like finding a key date coin or a 1 karat diamond ring with your detector... Dosent happen ofeten but there is always that chance.....

 

[007]

ahhh auction hunters seems okay , Im Sorry Im very sad at the momment That I will have to wait after tonight, a Whole season for New Boarldwalk empire episodes Please let compose myself ..... BUT I cannot wait untill the new season of American Pickers which starts Monday Its about time Danielle goes on a pick , it should be a Riot

 

[scrounger d detector collector]

the thing on these was mentioned. u bet the storage company goes thru the stuff first.

blind bidding bound to get burned.

makes an interesting show tho.

sad part is many will try this and get stung

 

[Woodland Detectors]

I like the show too, but that gal working in the shop is a little rough around the edges eh?

 

[blai745]

I like the show too, but that gal working in the shop is a little rough around the edges eh?

shes actually a bourlisque dancer.. sry if I misspelled i.

 

[007]

She is one cute Meaty Chick , That U would Not want to get angry ... I think the new Show Gold Rush seems cool , it definitely has potential many individuals can relate in these uncertain times , Lose of a job , potentially losing ones home , and risking it all for the Quest for riches

 

[CGC Miner]

With the gold rush show, atleast they will be getting tv royalties if the streak doesn't really pan out.

I don' think the storage facility is allowed to highgrade the contents of the unit....not saying they don't, I sure would if I were them and could. The ones I went to, the auctioneer said that the units hadn't been looked in and they cut the lock off right in front of you.
CGC

 

[Woodland Detectors]

She is one cute Meaty Chick , That U would Not want to get angry ... I think the new Show Gold Rush seems cool , it definitely has potential many individuals can relate in these uncertain times , Lose of a job , potentially losing ones home , and risking it all for the Quest for riches

So far, I'm really liking the Gold show.

 

[scrounger d detector collector]

With the gold rush show, atleast they will be getting tv royalties if the streak doesn't really pan out.

I don' think the storage facility is allowed to highgrade the contents of the unit....not saying they don't, I sure would if I were them and could. The ones I went to, the auctioneer said that the units hadn't been looked in and they cut the lock off right in front of you.
CGC

any lock can be cut. they cut the previoes

customer lock . look,take what they want,

then the contents are re arranged to show most of

quality items . and hide defects .

lastly another lock is replaced to cut off later.

 

[Seamuss]

Went to a local auction today and the show trippled the amout of people showing up. The new people thaught that the show was real and bid real high on junk lockers thinking everyone of them is a GOLD MINE with diamonds to boot.
The show should air a couple of the junk lockers also for real reality that a lot of piles of junk are just that. The show is so Hollywood and not tipical of the average neighborhood

 

[ivan salis]

AS ALWAYS LET THE BUYER BEWARE ( by law -- here in florida *---storage owners are not allowed to cut a lock off and go thru and chery pick storage units that are behind debt wize. ) -- no opening up the storage units until the time of auction here in florida ( however if the company owner decides upon opening it-- that its contents are very valuible , they can just keep the entire unit they do not have to sell it--but normally that of course is not the case , they want cash now) however the renter by law until the minute it goes up for sale , can show up and pay off the back debt and buddy the renters lock better be there and intact if he does and nothing better be "removed" from the storage locker or the cops will get called --often there is 2 locks on the units -- one is the renters lock * but to prevent past due renters from just showing up in the dead of night and hauling off the stuff inside the locker or just the good stuff -- once a unit gets behind often theres a second lock applied by the owners of the company -- at sale time --the company owners lock is unlocked / removed and renters lock cut off in front of the bidders-- you can look and peer inside but not enter the locker until you "buy it" --once bought its yours--lock ,stock and barrel for better or worse and you generally got 24 hours to remove it or you gotta or pay rent on it .

common sense tells you to look at storage unit places closer to rich folks areas -- storage units close to poor folks housing units and trailer parks tend to be full of junk

 

[007]

Auction Hunters or storage wars my opinion . Auction hunters the guys bam bam bigelow and his side kick ,always get the big scores come on seems every unit they win they score big , what is this fantasy island . Unlike Storage wars some make a buck , but others strike out and lose money .
But a really fun fake reality show is southern fried stings on true tv , the show is a riot , They say in the beginning of the show that the show is a renactment but still is funny.

 

[jeff of pa]

its all PHONY where are all the bad units full of demo debris paintcans shingles how come everthing is allways moneymaking come on iam in the salvage field gimme a break BS BS BS RATINGS

On one of the shows they said Outright
they go through Alot of bins to find anything good.

& The shows are about the Above average days.

They also have something to this Effect
in the credits.
"these are stories of their most rare finds"

Not B.S. just law of Averages.
Same as detecting. Dig enough holes,
You'll eventually dig the right one.

 

[blai745]

i prefer to play the lotto better odds less drama

LOL not really but less drama....

 

[handy]

I like this and the gold show but they only show the good stuff on here never all the trash or worthless stuff they need to show that too or everyone would be doing this

 

[diggummup]

I like the show too, but that gal working in the shop is a little rough around the edges eh?

shes actually a bourlisque dancer.. sry if I misspelled i.

Are you all thinking about "American Pickers"? The girl with the tats?



I watch both auction Hunters and Storage Wars and of course they only show the best finds on Auction Hunters, it wouldn't make for good TV if not. The reason they can get away with showing some not so good storage units on Storage Wars is because of the 4 groups of buyers that they portray on the show against one another. It's kind of a one upmanship to see who does the best. I can't stand that little Drew Carey looking punk thats always bidding up for no reason just because "he can".