Thread: Went to an auction Saturday.

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The coocoo clock is now Steves, now that darned chiming bird can drive him nuts instead of me!

Yeah Paul, the human side of you has to feel bad digging through other people's stuff, but someone is going to get it anyway, so it might as well be me. I did leave a big bag of their personal stuff with the storage people, and they will try to get it back to them. The storage guys at this particular place are very good about trying to not have a unit come up for auction, they will work out any payment plan a person can make, but sometimes they have to just make the hard business decision to cut their losses.

BTW, if anyone is thinking about doing this themselves, I can offer some tips:

1) Have a firm price limit in mind before the bidding starts and don't go over that figure, unless you really want that unit.

2) If you win one, have your own padlock(s) so you can secure the unit when the bidding ends.

3) Take a flashlight with you so you can peer into the unit prior to bidding.

4) Say things like "Boy, there sure is a lot of junk in that one that I wouldn't want to haul to the dump" loud enough so the other bidders can hear.

5) Don't say things like "WOW, look at all the good stuff in this one."

6) Take garbage bags, some hand tools (screwdrivers, cresent wrenches, pliers, tape, a knife, etc) with you so you can cut open boxes and take apart any big stuff or shelves. It is best to sort through the stuff right there and put the trash in garbage bags right away. You can do the fine tuning when you get home, but at least the biggest part of the trash will be dealt with. Take gloves too, and a hand truck and small step ladder to reach the tall stuff. (The unit I just bought had a ladder and hand truck inside, and they came in handy.)

7) Take cash. Some places will take credit cards or checks, but most will not.

Oh, and take a broom and dust pan to sweep out the unit when done so you get your deposit back.

Don

What is the rule if there is hazardous materials inside? You could get stuck with something you can't get rid off or may be expensive.

Good point. I don't know. I guess since you bought it, you own it. Or maybe since you didn't know it was in there you can't be held liable. I'm sure the law has some firm ruling on that one, I just don't know what it is.

Best bet is to just flush it down the toilet, I guess. (Eh, just kidding )

They did say on the one Storage Wars show that one guy found a body in a unit he bid on one time! That would make me rethink if I ever wanted to bid on another one.

Don