Self Storage Auctions

A poll question was asked recently on Yahoo Answers. Click the link to see the original version of it. If the link is not available anymore, I took a screen capture of the question and you can see it by clicking on the thumbnail image.

The question asks, “Storage Wars Prank?”

After reading the accompanying text I was a little bit outraged to see what the general public thinks of what I do. It appears that the article author thinks it is okay to stuff a storage locker with baited content only to default on the payment. After defaulting on the locker payment, the author thinks it would be funny to attend the auction so him or her could sit back and enjoy the buyers’ reaction when they see what is in the locker.

[sc:adsense]
Gee, what a novel idea…

Then, there is somebody posting that thinks it would be a good idea. These are good examples of the pinheads one has to deal with when buying storage units.

I’ve seen this done a couple of times before. It is fairly easy to not get ripped off with one of these lockers. Here are a few tips:

Look for dust

Dust is one of the best tell-tales of the time the contents of a locker has been stored. If somebody were to do something like this there would only be a slight amount of dust on the contents if there were any at all.

Dust Disturbance

While you are looking for dust accumulation in the locker, look to see if the dust on the boxes and other locker contents is disturbed. Sometimes, this is a good indication of the contents being removed from totes and boxes in the recent past. If it looks like all the boxes have been moved it is a fairly sure bet that the goodies in the boxes have been removed as well.

Cobwebs

There isn’t a locker I bought at auction that didn’t have cobwebs at the entrance of the locker. If you don’t see cobwebs there is a good chance the locker has not been sitting long enough to accumulate them. More cobwebs mean the locker has been sitting longer. This is also dependant on where in this world the abandoned locker is located. Northern climates won’t gather Cobwebs in the wintertime as fast as southern climates.

The Contents

Some of the best lockers I have bought have had a mix of contents. By this, I mean, it is rare to have a locker that has just boxes or just furniture. The average person that stores their stuff will more than likely put everything in the locker. This includes furniture, clothes, kitchen items, and of coarse the boxes or totes that contain the big dollar stuff that we all hope to find.

If you don’t see a mix of items in a locker be weary when bidding. The lack of there being a mix of items usually says the locker was set up.

These are just a few thoughts to consider when buying storage lockers. The experienced locker buyer has the instinct to know what to look for. Hopefully, you don’t purchase one of these set-up lockers. And, if you ever do, I hope you don’t pay to much for it. Just be careful…