Hello,
For those of you that have bought lockers for $2,000, was it worth it? Was it packed? what did you see that made you bid so high?
The highest I’ve ever paid was about $1500 on a 20’x20’ locker. Full of very promising looking items, which turned into a total bust. The gaming machine was water damaged and broken, the Coke fridge had a huge dent in the side we couldn’t see, what looked like a cutting torch hose turned out to be a heavy duty electrical wire painted red, what looked like a portable dishwasher turned out to be an old white metal cabinet with a wooden top, the expensive looking gumball machines turned out to be cheap plastic ones, the vending machine was rusted shut, etc. Usually this type of unit would have been great, but evidently it was someone who liked to grab interesting stuff from the dump.
It was worth the gamble because of the size of the unit and all the items that we could see, but it just one of those units that trick you when you bid online from just looking at photos. It’s going to happen from time to time…
I keep track of users and how much they pay for units, and I have seen a lot of people pay over $1000 for box units just because the boxes say something interesting on them. I can tell you this -the people that do that, usually never bid again.
I saw a user bid $1500 on a 5x5 unit that had a gun cabinet and a safe in it… Poof! never saw their name again. It happens all the time.
Unfortunately, there is always a new user that takes their place. My advice: Bid only on what you can see, and know how much you can actually sell stuff for in your area. Also, learn how to read a unit. What you see up front, is usually what is buried in the back. If they stored it like garbage, it usually is garbage. Safes, gun cabinets, and Tv boxes are always empty. Flat screen Tv’s are always broken -that’s why they are in there. Appliances like refrigerators and washer/dryers are usually on their last leg. Boxes are usually full of office supplies, knick knacks, or kitchenware.
The best units are full of seasonal items like lawn mowers or hunting/fishing gear. Also, guy units are good. The ones with tools, generators, and gas cans. Business units are good. Collector units are good. Nice looking furniture units can be good sometimes.
Stay away from young mom units full of baby stuff and toys. Nobody wants to put their newborn in something that mice have been crawling all over. Grandma units are also bad, everything is outdated and cheap. I run away from units with crutches and walkers.
I have a partner that I work with, and when we buy units we figure out our high bid, bid once near the end of an auction and leave it at that. People that bid to win, or bid on stuff they can’t see, don’t last long in this business. We just had our first yardsale of the year and raked in over $7000 profit from our winter units. We made about $18,000 last year with our 3 yardsales. Thanks Bid-13!
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Thank you that was really informative!
I always wondered. Makes sense that those who spend $1000 get burned.
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Good Advice. Its easy to get burned on a unit. I myself never bid on what I think is there, only on what I can see. A unit full of boxes is a unit full of the unknown. Unless your getting it for $20.00 or less, stay away. I normally end up paying $200 - $300 for a unit and have gotten my money back with a profit.
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Bought a locker for $4000, it had hockey card boxes in it. After all said and done its valued at $15,000. Honestly though never go past $2000 its very dangerous after that.
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Congratulations nico69. That was a good score.
I would say never go past what you can afford to lose. When you get up into thousands of dollars you are taking a great risk for sure.
Got to be careful. Sometimes people view renting a storage locker is cheaper than a dumpster.
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I’ve bought three lockers over $2,000 and enjoyed them all.
First unit cost $4,200. It was a 10x20 that used to be a powder-coat company that worked on Harleys. Unit had a fairly large 6’x6’x7’ powder-coat oven that sold for $3,000 within a month. Unit had multiple Harley parts and work equipment. Made approx $1,500 profit on the unit.
Second unit cost $2,300. 10x20 unit. All time favorite unit. I only bid because of toolboxes scattered throughout the unit. Everything in the unit was worth something. Nikon equipment, Ammo, Scuba Equipment, etc. Made out around $7,000 profit on that unit.
Final unit cost $2,240. 10x25 unit. Full of arcade redemption machines. Currently have made around $6,000 and still selling the machines.
Units don’t have to be expensive to be good though.
My first and only purchase on Bid13 turned out to be an awesome unit. I paid around $150-$200 for the unit. That unit is all sold and gone and brought in approx $15,000.
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Excellent answer. I am a manager of a facility in WA and this reply was as accurate as I have seen. Experience obviously has provided you with knowledge.
I go by how neat everything is.
I bought a unit for 550.00 and all that was it in was a bunch of boxes that were neatly stacked and taped closed.
There was one dress military uniform hanging on the wall so i thought man there could be guns and who knows what else.
There were no guns but there were swords and so much sellable stuff i made over 4,000 profit.
Im not into the funiture units.