Not much of what you buy at storage auctions is going to sell overnight. It can sometimes take days, weeks or even months to sell certain items. This being said, you will need to consider where you are going to store your inventory. For those of you who aren't planning on buying more than one unit per week, you may be able to operate from your home efficiently. Some of you, however, may not have the space required to run a resale business from your home.
Although you may have a large garage, if you are buying storage units regularly, it can only take a month or so to outgrow this area. You may need to consider the benefits of renting your own storage space to accommodate the massive amount merchandise you will accumulate in a very short amount of time.
When I was at my buying peak, I was buying five to nine units per week. On average, my workers and I filled two twenty six foot moving trucks, full of merchandise, every week. Every Saturday, we had a massive garage sale. I would rent a auto consignment lot and spread the contents of the moving truck out over a third of an acre. Although we sold a lot of merchandise at the garage sales, we usually refilled one of the moving trucks, at least half way, at the end of the day. We had to store this leftover merchandise for future sales. At one point we actually had five storage units rented for the leftovers alone.
Here is some advice to help you decide what type of storage you need. First and foremost, you will need to consider location. If you plan to sell some of your merchandise online, you will be meeting your customers daily and it is a good idea to rent from a storage facility that is close to your home. Even if the closest storage facility charges a little more in rent, it may be worth it because of the convenience and the money you will save on gasoline.
My favorite unit to rent was a 10' x 30' with doors that opened at both ends; commonly referred to as a drive-thru unit. Not only was there plenty of space, but since the doors at both ends opened, it made it easier to get to the items that I needed. One piece of advice; make sure you organize your units to the best of your ability. Stack boxes of small merchandise, that you aren't likely to sell online, against the wall; and stack them high. Since this storage unit may double as your showroom, make sure that you and your potential customers can easily access your big ticket items. This being said, it is wise to leave a path through the center of the unit.
As I said earlier, location should be the number one factor in determining which storage facility you should rent from. However, if there are multiple facilities close to your home, here are some other things to consider. Some storage facilities offer specials. The location I was renting from offered half off rent for the first 6 months, which was great considering that I needed long term storage. If you only need storage for a month or two, facilities that offer the first month free can be a money saver. If you are in it for the long haul, renting from a private facility can be beneficial as well, considering that they typically offer larger storage units for a lower cost.