I went to an Auction this weekend. It was very crowded at 11 a.m. and it was hard to see what item was on the block. I kept wiggling my way to the front of the crowd and with my number in hand, tried to get the attention of the auctioneer. But, to no avail. I finally gave up and hung at the back of the chaos and looked at all the items coming up for bidding. As the hours moved on and all of the big stuff was sold and the people departed because they were no longer interested in the small stuff. That is when I started to put my number card into action. There were some small tabletop ornaments that I liked and some glassware that had caught my eye. As the crowd had dwindled down to just a group, I felt I had a better chance of winning the items I wanted. As the bidding began on the items I wanted, I was ready and poised. The auctioneer began at $10 then to $5 next to $3 and...really? No one wanted these really cool table toppers? When the auctioneer slid his voice to $1, I popped my arm up so fast with my number in my hand, you would have thought I was in second grade and knew the answer! Exhilaration was upon me and I Won! Oh Glory Days!!! The auctioneer moved quickly to the next item and then the next and again he started the bidding on the glassware at $10, then $5 and $3 and...could this be happening again? No one wanted the beautiful glassware? At the $1 mark, my arm flew up and I heard “Sold for “$1!” What a rush! At the end of the day when there were only five of us bidders left, I had spent my entire $20 on $1 bids and I happily went home with a car full of cool treasures.
A regular auction like I attended is so very fun and exciting as you watch each item come up and you witness a bidding war and people believe they have found the key to riches! Storage Unit Auctions can be the same way. But, instead of a few pieces of glassware or some cool table toppers, you win an entire storage unit FULL of cool stuff! Yes, some of it will be garbage and some will not be worth your time of day. But, there will almost always be a few things in there that you can sell! Just like the regular auction I attended which was full of antique dealers and vintage store owners, you can create a business doing nothing but selling the stuff you won at auctions both regular ones and storage unit ones. Many people have made this into their full time employment. With storage unit auctions, you may win a unit with items that are quite valuable such as guitars, antiques, jewelry, furniture, electronics, or other items that can be sold for a profit. The gamble is that you never know what exactly will be contained in the unit or if you are paying too much for it.
A storage unit auction works the same way as a regular auction. You have to register your information and verify who you are and sometimes you get a number card, too. But, a storage unit auction, doesn’t let you look at items individually. As a matter of fact, you get a ten second peek inside the unit before they slam down the door and start the bidding. In that ten seconds, you have to discern if there is anything inside that looks like it might have value. More times than not, you are literally bidding on boxes! But, what condition are those boxes in? Are they plastic? Are they large? Is the unit neat and well kept? Is there plastic on any furniture? Can you see electronics like TVs? There is a science to “checking out” a storage unit before bidding and there are many who know the tricks of the trade. Previous blog posts discuss this topic.
The big question is how do you make money? After a while, your winnings at auctions whether storage unit or regular, adds up to your whole Garage is full! So, now you have to figure out how to get rid of it all (and buy new!). Most of the stuff you find in storage units is the kind of stuff that would be categorized as household items, clothes, books, furniture, TVs, computers, appliances, and other odds and ends. So, to turn this into a business, you have to be able to sell these items quickly. And the best places to sell fast are sites like eBay, Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. Or, you can sell at garage sales and flea markets. If you get really serious about this, you would might even consider opening up some kind of retail location. The most important decision at this point is to sell where you can make the most money. Clothes, books, and regular household items can be sold easily at a garage sale or flea market. Other items like furniture and electronics can be gotten rid of quickly on Craigslist and you don’t have to ship anything. Or, you can sell on eBay and include shipping charges. Collectibles and other valuable items can do well on eBay.When dealing with antiques or other valuable items, you will do better if you can get it appraised, or at least looked at by an expert in your local area.
The table toppers and the cool glassware I bought at the auction this weekend will go up for sale on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist first. I can easily take pictures from my phone and list there also. If they don’t sell within a week, I will try to sell them on Ebay. If they don’t sell there, I will put them into a box in my garage labeled Garage Sale.When I have enough boxes labeled Garage Sale, I will hold one! If those items don’t sell at a garage sale, they will go into a box labeled Flea Market. And if they don’t sell there, I will start my own little thrift shop! There are so many opportunities to sell and make money off auction finds and it is all very exciting! I have a selling agenda set and a plan of action in place!
Are you a small business owner trying to increase your inventory supply or merchandise selection on a budget? Maybe you are looking to make some extra cash on the side, reselling items online or offline? Regardless of where you sell your items, auctions are one way to get the inventory you require at a fraction of the cost. Most people are familiar with storage auction programming on television; but, the potential is not limited to that niche alone! From estate & government auctions to fundraiser auctions and much more, we at Storage Unit Auction List do all the work to make your venture as simple as possible. StorageUnitAuctionList.com helps you find a complete listing of auctions state by state with only a few clicks! We list storage auctions, auto auctions, estate sales, police auctions, foreclosure auctions, real estate auctions, government auctions, online auctions, and more. Never again will you worry about finding auctions in your desired area. You will have the time to run your resale business more efficiently and effectively!
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