Just try and tell me these places don't snoop first

[log2lumber]

Some units are manager's units. This means that the facility has auctioned the locker previously and it did not sell or whoever bought the locker left stuff behind after taking what they wanted. The facility will generally combine lockers that do not sell so some get picked that way.

 

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[N/A]

If a facility owner or employee goes into a legal “sale” locker and illegally removes items before the legal sale...then it’s nothing short of thievery. If you condone that behavior then don’t complain if one day your a victim. I hate liars and thieves.

Every state has different laws and regulations, and they may also change from city to city.

In some states the owner of the property can take possession as soon as the tenant fails to pay simply because they are in default and abandoned the unit. BUT that rarely, if ever, happens because its a pain to move the crap out when it can be auctioned. And the owner NEVER gets his/her lost revenue back at the auctions. I've watched the owners go through units and cherry pick stuff from abandoned units (months after no payments) all summer and then have a big garage sale at the end of the year, its legal to do that here.

And if you're complaining about being a victim maybe you should have paid your bills on-time and you wouldn't have lost your stuff. Storage facilities are businesses, NOT charities, you have to pay to stay

 

[releventchair]

Couple that ran the secondhand store near me (and had some family help) retired.
I'd seen them at storage auction sales , and knew a little of thier business.

They needed storage. And had it on thier property.
They priced things reasonable and had a good turn over. Unlike other places that had /have stale inventory.
A dumpster was a top priority. No surprise there.
What you could see was what you bid on.
Yes we all would like a windfall. But gamble too much on luck or unreasonable returns and you're going to get burned . Despite an occasional surprise if you buy enough.
Where then is any successful business model? Gambling? Or buying what you see at a price you can discard the trash and your time and labor and still make a reasonable profit?

The T.V. shows....I wouldn't base my hopes on.
Nothing wrong with bidding on storage units. Real value can only be based on what is in them though. And I'm not bidding on what I don't see!

Disclaimer . I've not "bought' a storage units contents when attending auction. i have been to some auctions though. Storage and beyond. And one auction site knows me well enough from my funding them over the years. Other bidders. Whew! Some stuff gets sold for more than it's worth when they get enthused.

Maybe being the party recieving a cut from the auction is where it's at...

 

[Blackfoot58]

Couple that ran the secondhand store near me (and had some family help) retired.
I'd seen them at storage auction sales , and knew a little of thier business.

They needed storage. And had it on thier property.
They priced things reasonable and had a good turn over. Unlike other places that had /have stale inventory.
A dumpster was a top priority. No surprise there.
What you could see was what you bid on.
Yes we all would like a windfall. But gamble too much on luck or unreasonable returns and you're going to get burned . Despite an occasional surprise if you buy enough.
Where then is any successful business model? Gambling? Or buying what you see at a price you can discard the trash and your time and labor and still make a reasonable profit?

The T.V. shows....I wouldn't base my hopes on.
Nothing wrong with bidding on storage units. Real value can only be based on what is in them though. And I'm not bidding on what I don't see!

Disclaimer . I've not "bought' a storage units contents when attending auction. i have been to some auctions though. Storage and beyond. And one auction site knows me well enough from my funding them over the years. Other bidders. Whew! Some stuff gets sold for more than it's worth when they get enthused.

Maybe being the party recieving a cut from the auction is where it's at...

Laws vary state to state. A friend has storage business. He told me there is NO WAY he’s selling a unit sight unseen. He said if there’s valuables in it, he has first shot, since he was stiffed for rent. “Why would I let you buy it at auction for $400, and find it has a 58 corvette in it with a few antique guns.”. He does sheriff auctions, AFTER he has cut the lock, looked through the unit and replace the lock with his own.

 

[SnakemanBill]

So I went to a online site that lists storage unit auctions near me.

Some of the auctions have 8 photos. Most are from the same storage unit place. Just try and tell me the people who own this place isn't going though everything first to find valuables.

It's hilarious how storage wars act like they are popping the lock for the first time

I’m sure some do but not all.
The locker I won this week had a crapload of power tools, hand tools, a liquor decanter full of change, a computer, and a Ruger 9mm (which unfortunately had to be turned in🤬).

 

[TORRERO]

I used to buy a lot of storage units, and I can tell you that although there is a concept that this happens, the reality is that its probably Extremely RARE, for several reasons. 1. Liability, A customer has the right to pay their bill up until the last second of the auction, and reclaim their property... If management goes through their stuff and steals something they can be liable for anything that's missing from the unit, 2. The law requires them to OVERLOCK a unit when its locked for non payment, and they can't take the original lock off until auction time to inventory / photograph the unit for sale.
3. What your referring to is basically a crime of opportunity, but there are so many units, not just the ones for auction but ones that have been locked for non payment, it would be a huge time consuming process to go through all of them and try to pick good shit out of the tons of stuff in multiple units.. No, I really doubt it's happening...
I can only see this as a possibility if the owners KNOW the unit has been abandoned and the owners are dead or for sure not coming back. Take a look at the picture of any random unit and imagine there is a gold chain or diamond ring inside... Sounds good right ? how long do you think it would take to go through a unit to find that one good thing before selling it ? And as a buyer, do you think I can tell if a unit looks like its been gone through ? '
I would lay odds any day that they have not done that.. so buy with confidence !!

 

[Gare]

So I went to a online site that lists storage unit auctions near me.

Some of the auctions have 8 photos. Most are from the same storage unit place. Just try and tell me the people who own this place isn't going though everything first to find valuables.

It's hilarious how storage wars act like they are popping the lock for the first time

I wentto some storage auctions . They would take a key and open one lock. I was going to buy a lot that was being sold . It had 3 or 4 gun cases in it.A guy next to me told me there was NO GUNS in them !! Hummm must have been gone through first. I feel now that if they auction auction off a storage locker they need to remove 2 LOCKS !!!! might give the bidders a fairer shake

 

[ConceptualizedNetherlandr]

It would be easy to set up and burn a cheat. Owners and professional managers wouldn't do it. Hired help? But the owners and mangers would be on the look out for them.

 

[TORRERO]

From a long experienced Storage unit buyer, this is what I can tell you..
1. Before a unit can be sold (here in NC) it MUST be listed in a LEGAL paper so interested parties know it's being sold, if its not then it might be a "setup" unit.
2. A customer has until the auction to pay their bill and make the debt cleared so their stuff is not sold, IF SOMEONE goes threw a unit and its returned to the owner THEY CAN SUE THE SHIT OUT OF THE COMPANY for loss and breach of contract.
3. What CAN happen is someone like me... talks to the storage facility and I say.... Hey... do you want to make some money ?
I will load a unit up with a bunch of shit (maybe even empty boxes) and when you have the auction you sell my unit too, and we will split the money.
Years ago an auctioneer got sued for selling a unit (before internet auctions) for about $800 and the buyer went into the unit only to find all the "TV" boxes were empty and all the good "merchandise boxes" were empty... and they determined that the auctioneer set that unit up to make money... I don't know what happened to that litigation but I guise that most Storage Places don't want the hassle of maybe getting sued for going through a unit that might get repossessed by the original owner..

A unit like this would CLEARLY not be listed in a legal paper... that's why you can ask where they are listed and get a copy of the paper before a sale to know which units are being sold.

Other things to keep in mind, these places sell 10-15 units a month and do they really have the time and energy to go through all those units before the sale to"see" if they can find something, remember they are looking for small gold or things easily sold.. If you don't know what's in those units, how much effort are you going to make to go through each one ?

I'm Not saying it NEVER happens, BUT I'm saying it probably doesn't happen very often...

 

[dieselfool]

What liability does the owner of the unit have? ZERO. My cousin had a storage unit filled with nice furniture, TVs, chain saws, expensive tools, etc. When he went there one day, the lock was cut off. Yes, the unit was empty. He tried to recover the value of the goods but the owner just laughed at him. Even though he had pictures the owner claimed my cousin emptied out the unit after taking the pictures.
Also, many crooks rent units to store stolen merchandise.

 

[TORRERO]

What liability does the owner of the unit have? ZERO. My cousin had a storage unit filled with nice furniture, TVs, chain saws, expensive tools, etc. When he went there one day, the lock was cut off. Yes, the unit was empty. He tried to recover the value of the goods but the owner just laughed at him. Even though he had pictures the owner claimed my cousin emptied out the unit after taking the pictures.
Also, many crooks rent units to store stolen merchandise.

I was referring to units being Auctioned off, not units that were broken into, every facility I have ever gone to has 24/7 video camera surveillance, So your Cousin just got hosed.
A lot of them also offer insurance for loss of theft or damage... so there's that ...

 

[Paul in WA]

So I went to a online site that lists storage unit auctions near me.

Some of the auctions have 8 photos. Most are from the same storage unit place. Just try and tell me the people who own this place isn't going though everything first to find valuables.

It's hilarious how storage wars act like they are popping the lock for the first time

Up until 6 weeks ago I worked in property management and one of the properties was a large mini storage facility. Here in Washington state we were required by law to go thru units going to auction and remove any personal items (photos, legal or financial documents) any vehicles (sent to nearest towing company for vehicle auction) and any firearms (went to police auction) and then the unit could be auctioned. After the auction we were only allowed to deduct past due rent from the auction proceeds. Any remaining funds went to the state, any money from vehicle or firearm sales went to the state. We hated doing storage auctions, hated having to go thru units……just hated everything to do with it. Storage auctions were just a loose/loose situation for all of us.

 

[jeff of pa]

I would Think it's More Likely the Storage Unit would have a friend Bid on units that are profitable.

I don't want to name names, but there are 2 youtubers
I would Not trust to bid against . they seem to know too much

 

[TORRERO]

I would Think it's More Likely the Storage Unit would have a friend Bid on units that are profitable.

I don't want to name names, but there are 2 youtubers
I would Not trust to bid against . they seem to know too much

I've always thought it could be a business idea, Someone purchase the unit for the owner and they pay you to return the property to them.
But .. well if they can't pay the storage facility rent, how would they pay you to buy it for them..

I've done storage auctions for many years and it's sad really because someone is losing everything they worked hard to earn, all for past due rent...

 

[camichael]

Storage Wars is pure fiction. It is fully scripted. My family owns a Moving Company and they used their facility to tape a show. Units are salted.

 

[Gare]

A honest STORAGE LOCKER SALE would have TWO locks on them not just one !!! and they WOULD HAVE TO CUT ONE LOCK OFF !!

 

[TORRERO]

A honest STORAGE LOCKER SALE would have TWO locks on them not just one !!! and they WOULD HAVE TO CUT ONE LOCK OFF !!

Actually some places do this, they just overlock the unit with their own lock so that the owners can't sneak in and clean it out.
Then when they go to sell it, they cut both locks...
Those storage doors are designed to hold two locks..