Back in September, we asked readers to weigh in on whether Storage Wars: Texas was disrupting the regular storage auctions in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Readers weighed in with their comments and insight, and here are the results:
- Auctions take longer. Whenever the film crew is present, a 30 minute auction can take several hours to complete. The crew will film lots of extra footage of bidding, and they may request that some people stay behind to reenact bids for the show as well. Being present at a filmed auction nearly always seems to result in long, hot hours in the sun.
- Auctions are much more crowded. People are eager to be involved in a television production, even if it just means watching one get filled. Normally quiet auctions can easily be swarmed with 100 or more people, and people bring their whole families to the auctions, so children are often present and may not be watched very closely by their parents.
- Bids are higher. Whether this is due to the number of novices who don't know better or the amount of people trying to get some air time for the show, it's not clear. Many people have reported that bids are nearly double what they'd normally be during filmed auctions, though, so professionals often try to steer clear.
- The cast and crew are generally quite easy-going and easy to get along with, but some people definitely sense a “scripted” vibe from them and that can be a bit awkward for bidders. The people you hang out with on the set may not act exactly like you'd expect them to from watching the show.
The good news is that these changes seem to primarily affect the auctions that are being filmed, and local businesspeople are able to make a decent profit on the regular auctions. By avoiding the overcrowded taped auctions and sticking to the quieter, less-public affairs, auction-hunters are able to make a decent profit on the items they find without getting swept up into the hype. Some novices are still paying way more for units than they're worth, but good deals are still available to those who know where to look – and are patient enough to wait for them.
Does this match with your experience? Leave a comment to let us know whether you've noticed any differences in the way auctions are being handled in your area now that Storage Wars: Texas is filming there.
My past expereince with texas storage wars are as follows. Cast members,my expereince with them has been okay, vic is good to talk to loves to interact with people,mary on the other hand dont care for, she has nothing to say or doesnt like to talk,same goes for jenny and moe (boring), ricky and bubba are same as vic. Taping does take a long time and brings in alot of people now, I started going before they started announcing the tapings and things were ok didnt have too many compaints but now there are so many people there always over 100 at least mostly kids which take alot of time because they want to see the unit aswell ,dont know why because they dont have money…Now when i see that there is a taping i tend to go the other way, I mean yea okay so i did appear in 2 episodes but that was early in the year when no one was around just us regulars and the cast. Do i think its staged yes ive been on this about a year and no treasures but not compaing i still get stuff for my store shelves. Are they going for more than what they should ..yes . The only big compaine for me is that now that the show has started again we now have alot of people coming out and bidding so crazy that i sit there and wonder what the hell are you doing ! Having to pay more means less profit for my store .
JUAN
I was at a taping yesterday. It was a little inconvenient because of the time… 2.5 hrs that normally would take 30 minutes. There was no “staging” that I saw, just some re-takes after the bidding was over. This is just for more dramatic TV I’m sure, but the bids ended up the same. Prices were actually lower but there were only 6 of us regulars there. Vic is very out-spoken (for the show i guess) but actually seemed to know what he was doing which was a surprise. I could have taken any unit I wanted but they were not my cup a tea so I let them all go. All-in-all, It wasn’t a big deal that they were there and if it just took a little more time out of my day, ehhh no biggie, It was something to do besides look at junk all day.
I was at one taping but missed the one on the 27th. I also agree with both comments from Juan and John. Vic is the nicest of all of them. They have non-disclosure agreements and are tight lipped about the show.
A 10 unit auction took 3 hours due to the taping and they had all of us do some “library footage” of bidding and rejecting so this could be edited in as they see fit (artistic license – lol). The units are not staged until AFTER their people win one and go into the “clean out” process, but they are “salted” for better TV. Sadly, this makes new people join the auctions and bid high because they are treasure hunting. If I am really wanting to buy that day, I will avoid another taping.
I am so glad that Walt announces where they are going to be so I can avoid that circus. I watched them deny an 80 year old man water at one of there tapings and it really struck a nerve. This is before they announced where they would be. It was 107 degrees and had the man known it was going to be a 3 hour ordeal instead of a 20 minute auction I’m sure he would have had his own water. Tv shows are filmed in tv sets in California and that is where they should be. If you are going to take over an auction at least bring water for the patrons its hot in Texas.
I went to an auction at Security Self Storage in Irving off of N. Beltline. It just so happened that I was taking a good friend and it was his first time. We were both put off… the auction didn’t start until 45 minutes after it was suppose to and took so long that we eventually left. I believe this was back last August or September. Everything went for at least double the price. A real circus.
Of course it’s staged. Look closely at any of the units they bid on, at least one will have strategically placed items or boxes and if you were to witness the taping of the “finds” you would know those items were not there originally. It’s all about the ratings and if they would follow real people in the real business the show would flop. It has affected financially those who have been in the business for many years, so much harder to make a good living with so many hopefuls out there wasting their money and driving the prices up. The most annoying is the personalities but I guess that’s what contributes to the show’s ratings. I avoid these tapings at all costs because time is money in this business and these taped auctions are a big waste of time in my opinion.
I have insider information that the show is staged, a friend of mine who works on the show, was in my warehouse a couple of months back and he was looking around and asking us prices for stuff to “SALT” the units with. He said the auction part of the show is real, however when they purchase select units to use on the show they put items in there after it is sold, after everyone else has left. This is how they get around legal issues arising from the auction portion. Once they buy a locker they can do whatever they want. Sure its bringing more competition out, sure it might drive prices up, but be smart. Don’t overpay, let them spend their money thinking they are going to get rich with one unit. The problem is that the show has given people a false sense of hope in this business, noobs, my advice is this: this business is HARD,SWEATY WORK! You aren’t going to get rich overnight, this is a real business (resale investments). Try it if you want but for god sakes don’t use your rent money on the hopes of finding treasure.