Welcome to the message board. Feel free to talk about anything you like here.
Laura
Hi Everyone,
I finally won my first unit. My kids will hate me for a while, lol.
It cost me a bit too much to hire someone to help me unload it and 80% of what was in there was trash, but I had a hell of a good time looking through it. I had a yard sale the next day and sold what junk I did not toss out. I broke even with nothing to show for it, but had a blast. I would LOVE to see what other people found and if they made money. Please post ya’ll!
Fellow buyers, this site will put you on the goods, follow the advise and do your home work. This site is well worth the money. Keep up the good work Travis!
Thanks, I really appreciate the compliment!
Billy sent us an email earlier that said ” Travis, Cedar Bayou Storage was a honey hole. I bought three lockers for 50 bucks.”
Although this is extremely uncommon, it goes to show you that if you get off the beaten path, the deals are still out there.
I have to give it to ya, I used your list and found a good auction in my neighborhood. Long story short, this auction was not listed on the free Auctionzip site. It was on a Saturday though. I thought it would be packed.. not so much.. ended up with some great units. Your list paid for itself in one morning….went back and got the list for the whole year.
Well, we appreciate the compliment. We do our best to go above and beyond for our members. We were storage auction buyers too and we know what you guys are going through out there. Nothing makes us happier than knowing that you’re pleased.
I had been interested in these auctions BEFORE the TV show, and now it’s probably too late, but yeah, I am still going to get into this, especially now that I have financial backing. So, yes, add me to your list.
James,
That’s great that you finally decided to get into the storage auction business. The storage auction reality shows did a number on the storage auction business when they first premiered. Record number of new buyers were attending auctions and units were selling for 2-3 times what they used to. It has slowed down a bit and it is just a matter of time before things get somewhat back to normal. AuctionsTX.com is a subscription service. Once you subscribe to our service, you will have instant access to the auction list as well as the free e-book that we have written for people who are new in the business.
We would like to become a member of AuctionsTX.com. Please give us some more info on how these auctions work. Are these auctions on weekends as well?
Mr. Hameed,
I will provide a brief answer to your questions here; However, once you become a member of our service, you will receive a free copy of our e-book “A Beginner’s Guide To Storage Unit Auctions”. This e-book will teach you everything you need to know to get off to a great start in the storage auction business. Here are the basics on how storage auctions work:
First and foremost, you need to be able to find the storage unit auctions, that is where AuctionsTX.com comes in. We provide the complete storage auction schedule for Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio and Austin, Texas. There are usually multiple storage auctions occurring every day of the week with the exception of Sunday. Once you decide on an auction to attend, you want to make sure that you arrive 10-20 early in order to have a chance to register with the auctioneer or storage facility manager. Before the auction begins, you will receive instructions from the auctioneer or storage facility manager about the terms and conditions of the sale. After that, they will remove the lock from the storage unit door and give everyone a chance to view the contents. You cannot step inside the unit or touch any merchandise. After everyone has had a chance to look, the auctioneer or storage facility manager will accept bids. The unit will sell to the highest bidder, usually for cash, although some storage facilities do accept credit or debit cards. If you are the highest bidder you will need to place your own lock on the unit. As soon as the auction has ended, you will need to go to the storage facility manager’s office to make payment. Once you have made payment and you have a receipt, the contents of the storage unit are legally yours. Typically, you will have 24-48 hours to remove the contents and sweep the unit clean. If you need a little more time to remove the contents, most storage facility managers will give you an extension as long as you ask nicely. Last but not least, you will need to sell the items that you purchased. Most storage auction buyers choose to sell their merchandise through Craigslist, Ebay, garage sales or at flea markets.
Once again, we offer a free e-book to our members which will teach you everything you need to know to get off to a great start in the storage auction business. I hope this has answered you question. If you have any additional questions, feel free to post them on our blog or email me directly.
On the auction list, why does it say that there may be less people attending auctions that are
listed in bold print?
Kelly,
On our auction list, the auctions listed in bold print were advertised in smaller community newspapers. The reason we say that there may be fewer people in attendance is because fewer people are aware of them. Unless a person subscribes to that smaller community newspaper, they would have no way of knowing the auction was taking place. Of course, there is no guarantee how many people will be at a particular auction. Other factors like how many other auctions are occurring the same day, where the auction is located, etc. all influence attendance. I hope this answered your question. Here is link to another article about this subject: https://auctionstx.com/how-do-i-know-which-auctions-were-advertised-in-smaller-local-newspapers/
In the show storage wars they cut the locks off each unit being auctioned,in the auctions I have attended in the Houston area the locks are already cut off and some items are listed as being auctioned on your site. Is this common everywhere and are any items from the storage units taken before the actual auction. Just curious
Dennis,
Some storage facilities do cut the locks off in advance and others choose to cut them off in front of the buyers. Technically, Chapter 59 of the Texas Property Code requires the facility to provide a brief description of the contents in the legal notice. Some facilities get around this by publishing a general statement like “all units contain common household items, furniture, appliances & electronics unless otherwise noted,” However, they are supposed to cut the lock and briefly inventory the contents from outside of the unit. Some people think that if the lock is cut in front of them, it means the unit the unit has not been gone through. If a dishonest storage facility employee wanted to steal something from a storage unit, they could easily put another lock on the unit and no one would know the difference. For more information about this subject, I suggest you read the following article. https://auctionstx.com/do-the-storage-facility-employees-go-through-the-units/
What does “following” mean on the auction times?
Chris,
Some storage facilities only list the time for the first auction of the day. Whenever you see the word “following” on the auction list, it means that the auction will begin directly after the auction listed in front of it. Allow me to give you an example why some storage facilities do this. Lets say the first auction of the day was scheduled to begin at 9:00 AM and the second auction of the day was scheduled to begin at 10:00 AM. If the first auction of the day was cancelled, then the auctioneer & the buyers would have to wait another hour for the next auction to begin since they cannot start an auction before the official time listed in the legal notice. Listing auctions times as “following” is a more efficient process because it means that the auction will begin when the auctioneer or facility manager arrives at that location.
Not only that, auctions with specific times listed can cause confusion. The first auction of the day usually starts on time; However, most subsequent auctions actually begin later than the time listed, especially if the auction times are listed close together. A lot of newcomers assume that the times listed are approximate. They could end up waiting over an hour for the next auction to begin, depending on how how far the auctioneer is behind schedule.
It isn’t uncommon to see the auction times listed 15 minutes apart like in the following example:
04/24/12 09:45 AM Public Storage 7234 Blanco Rd San Antonio 78216 7 Units (210) 349-7955
04/24/12 10:00 AM Public Storage 600 W Sunset Rd San Antonio 78216 1 Unit (210) 822-3113
04/24/12 10:15 AM Public Storage 555 W Sunset Rd San Antonio 78216 1 Unit (210) 824-2307
It can sometimes take 15 minutes or longer just to get to the next location, so you know these times are unrealistic. Obviously, the auction with seven units is going to take longer than an auction with only one unit. Even after the auction is over with, the auctioneer or storage facility manager still has to fill out paperwork and collect money from the buyers. In this example, the second auction of the day might not even begin until 10:30 – 10:45 AM. If someone didn’t attend the first auction and went directly to the second auction thinking it would begin at 10:00 AM, they could be in for a long wait. If you want to attend an auction that is already in progress, it is a good idea to call the storage facilities to find out exactly where the caravan is.
Have heard that if you find guns in a locker you have purchased, you must turn them in. Is this true? and if so, do you get them back at some point if they are legal?
Yes & Yes. See the following article for further details.
https://auctionstx.com/what-should-you-do-if-you-find-a-gun-in-a-storage-unit/
I recently purchased several storage units and I found some Medical equipment. Does anyone know if I could resell these or know of someone that buys medical equipment?
HI Sandy, what did you find? I know a priest who takes old medical equipment and donates it to birthing centers in Africa. You can email me at: lauras1world@aol.com
You might also want to list them on craigslist.org. I don’t know if anyone buys medical equipment there or not.
I have an Oxygen Concentrator and a few full oxygen bottles. I did see a few listings for the machine so I may just try and sell them there. I really hate CL due to all the scams.
I use Craigslist all the time and love it. I have met nice people and made money, and spent some too for sure. It is so much fun. When I sell something, I always put a message at the end for people NOT to send me generic emails because I won’t answer them. If they answer back something like: “is it still available?” I don’t answer them. The email has to be legitimate before I reply. I have never been disappointed.
I go to auctions and love it. Normally I have a super good time with everyone even if I don’t win. It is the most fun thing I have ever done. I don’t know why I like it so much, I guess the surprise factor.
Anyway, I just attended some auctions from “Public Storage”. They were the absolute worst I have ever been to. I got the auction very early, but did not mind. However the auctioneer was over one hour late. He saw that I was on crutches, which has never been a problem yet, but he smirked at me and walked as fast as he could to the back of the storage area. The man working there saw how rude he was and offered to drive me over there in his golf cart. Still, the auction was over before I got there meaning he spent less than 30 seconds allowing bidders to look, and took the offers knowing everyone was still trying to get there.
Once I saw how stupid this guy was, I rushed to the next auction and stayed in my car so I could bid. He spent less than 30 seconds letting us try to get a glimpse of the room and let go so cheap, he pretended not to hear me and the girl I was with when we asked what the bid was. He just wanted to be done and did not care.
Then the next unit, I drove to again but before I even got out of the car, he already accepted a one dollar bid and walked away. When I asked him why he did that when he clearly saw me trying to come, he told me next time I should just walk faster and flipped me off.
He told a handicapped person to walk faster next time. Have you ever heard of such an (censored)??? His name is Brian, and he works for Public Storage.
I will never use Public Storage for anything! I had moved my extra storage out of their units because of water leaking and the climate control not working. Now I am glad I did it. They are really really rude!! I hope I will never be so stupid as to tell a handicapped old woman to walk faster. I hope Karma bites him in the (censored) quickly!!!
Wow, that is unbelievable behavior, especially since Public Storage uses their district managers as auctioneers. You should definitely file a complaint with the Public Storage regional manager, what this guy did is completely unprofessional and insensitive. Perhaps he will miss his effortless six figure position when he is standing in the unemployment line getting talked down to by a government worker.
I sent in a written complaint and never heard back.
It pays to be patient. I have been watching the lockers for about 4 months now and last week my wife and I finally found a great 10×30 loaded and because it was a BOLD print auiction there were only about 15 people there. We nailed it cheap! When all is sold we are looking at probably 4 or 5 times what we paid. Love it!
Best inforamtion we can get is this website. Thanks Travis!
HI Ya’ll.
I have been buying and want to rent a storage unit that I could use as a weekend store for people to buy from me with parking in front, not fenced in. I am in Sugar Land, anyone have a good suggestion for spaces like that?
Just joined and it looks like your document is comprised of a PDF format. I’m an engineer full time and love Excel! Any chance of getting your weekly listings in an Excel format so we can sort the data we get from our membership. I know it would also help me in maintaining a database of facilities where I have success, and well, yes, those where I don’t. 🙂
Thanks,
Dave
Dave,
We used to publish the auction lists in a spreadsheet format, but chose not to continue for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, we have had some problems with some unscrupulous individuals who have copied, altered and resold our auction lists on other websites. I know that using a PDF format doesn’t guarantee that the content won’t be altered and redistributed, but it makes it more difficult. The other reason is that all of our databases, auction lists, call lists and templates are set up in Open Office. We used to get a lot of complaints that the open office spreadsheet wouldn’t convert properly in Excel, so we started using the PDF format. Not only that, you would be surprised how many people don’t have any office software installed on their computer at all.
I know that there are some free PDF to Excel converters out there that you might try. Anyway, welcome aboard and if there is ever anything I can ever do for you, just let me know.
Respectfully,
Travis Lane
Hello,
I wanted to see if you knew the process to become tax exempt from the purchase of storage units. I have found a few forms online however I am unclear if I need to send a form in to the comptroller or just take a completed form to each auction. Thank you in advance for your help!!
Jason,
Yes, you need to send in the application to the Comptrollers office. If approved, they will mail the sales and use tax permit to you. You can fill out the form and submit it online at: http://www.window.state.tx.us/taxpermit/
Respectfully,
Travis Lane
I was just curious if you were going to add West Texas to the list of Auctions? I live in San Angelo and I know there are no big cities near us, but you should think about including West Texas Storage Auctions to the website!
Thank you for your time,
Great Website!
Veronica
Veronica,
Eventually, we plan to cover the entire state. Our business is only a few years old but we have come a long way since we began. Anytime we consider an expansion, we want to make sure we can continue delivering a quality product, and quality takes time. But I will definitely keep west Texas in mind when considering our next phase of expansion.
Respectfully,
Travis Lane
Travis,
Does your site include coverage for auctions in the Hill Country northwest of San Antonio; such towns as Fredericksburg, Kerrville, and Comfort, etc? Thanks
Allison,
No, we don’t currently cover these areas. Our coverage area expands as far as Boerne to the North of San Antonio. Eventually, we plan to expand our coverage areas statewide and these cities will be included.
Try and have a app made for your site cause the new tablets don’t work with Adobe reader. I just got a Galaxy Note and the new Android systems wont let me download the auctions list. Thanks
Roy,
It’s actually not a problem with the site; its a glitch in the standard android browsers. The only solution is to download another browser like Firefox, Dolphin, Opera, etc. Other members have had success with this.
Hello Everyone,
On one of my first auctions, I came across 13 boxes of MINT Playboy magazines from 1983 to 2009. These magazines look as if they were never opened and fresh off the press. I was wondering if anyone could provide me with some suggestions as to where I might be able to market these? I have checked online at the various sites and the total amount of what these magazines are worth is over $4,000.00. I would appreciate any help you could offer me regarding where I could go to sell these magazines. Thanks…I really enjoy your site and am hoping to learn how to download your listings to make use of them!
Does anyone have any suggestions for me? I’m still trying to find information on where I could possibly sell these mint condition magazines. I guess worse case scenario I will sell them individually, though I would hate to break up a collection from an entire year.
I think your best bet for selling the entire collection would be ebay.
Thanks Travis,
I’m hoping to find an Auctioneer that will take the collection for me and sell it, but if that doesn’t work out then I am going to pursue Ebay…thanks.
Do you bid on the entire storage unit or by individual boxes/merchandise? I enjoyed the auctions while in El Paso. Actually opened a resale shop stocked with my finds.
Sharon,
Most of the storage units you will come across will be sold in their entirety. Every now and then, you will come across a unit that is being sold in lots; however, this approach is usually reserved for units containing merchandise that the auctioneer believes will bring a higher premium if sold separately. A good example of this would be the episode of Storage Wars where they sold boxes of merchandise owned by record label owner Suge Knight.
Some storage auction buyers do choose to open resale shops or thrift stores. It is a great way to maximize your profits; however, the overhead, record keeping and additional work involved can sometimes outweigh the benefits.
I would like to attend one of the auctions today, but won’t make the first one. How do I follow you on Twitter? And is that the same as following the auctioneer? If not, how do I follow them on Twitter?
Thank you.
Jason
Jason,
I’m only aware of one auction company that updates their location on Twitter and they conduct storage auctions in the San Antonio and Austin areas. Our updates on Twitter are only for additions and cancellations that weren’t listed on the weekly storage auction schedule; however, if you would like to subscribe to us, you can click on the Twitter logo located at the top of this page. The best thing to do is call the storage facilities to find out where the auctioneer is and then proceed to the next location. I hope this helps.
What is a “resale certificate”? Is it state issued? How do I get one?
Charles,
It’s the same thing as a sales & use tax permit, which is state issued by the state. Here is a link with some information on how to get yours. Sales and Use Tax Permit
Charles,
If you do get a resale permit, keep in mind that you are now going to have to file a quarterly with the state. If you don’t, they will assume a sales number based on use and you will have to pay the state. You will need to weigh out the savings vs use on having one. If your a serious seller, then it’s a great idea, if your not buying often and just looking for no tax at the sales, it’s a bad idea.
Just my .02 🙂
i wanted to ask about Moe’s ’48 chevy? is it a hot rod or more a classic/original. my wife and I have a ’46 fleetline , we saw Moe’s car we think in one of the episodes where the weather turned to a storm.
I hear they go through them first and pick the good stuff out in Austin storages?
Scott,
Technically, the storage facility employees aren’t supposed to take things out of the unit. Do they? I’m sure some do but it doesn’t happen near as often as one might think. Some people get discouraged by this, but I always tell people that if you’re only bidding on what you can see, then what has or hasn’t been taken out of the unit doesn’t really effect you. I hope this helps.
This is the first time I ever left a comment but I went to a auction at the Public Storage facility yesterday on the Katy run and there auctioneer which is really a district manager ( Janna Orbeck with Public Storage ) was touching and moving items in the unit after she opened the door and she seemed to have a bond with one of the bidders there which started a argument with another bidder at the beginning of the day, He should have been asked to leave but he was not ask to do so, Talk amongst the other bidders was that the auctioneer and the bidder most have something going on. I seen her slow down the auction when he was on the phone to give him time to bid.
I have been doing auctions for years and this is why I like going to auctions with auctioneers that have no idea of what is in the unit and is registered with the state . When you have a bidder that gives a 5 dollar bid just to help them clean out the unit and then was asked to stay behind and help them move stuff, Something most be going on. I hope some one that is affiliated with Public Storage facility will investigate this matter I my self will never going to this auction again and I am going to spread the word about this auctioneer so other bidders do not get taken advantage of. It’s a shame that things like this is happening, Just giving out a warning to all the bidders out there.
Hi Travis,
I won an auction yesterday that a contractor worked out of. Well, he had built an office in one of the back corners while renting. I asked the owner if I could take all the material, since it belonged to the tenant and his other units obviously didn’t have offices in them. He said no, because his next tenant in line wants the office space.
Here’s the question: Do I have a legal right to that, or does it belong to the facility now because it is built in and attached? Hopefully I will receive a reply from you before I finish cleaning it out tomorrow morning. Your help would be much appreciated!
By the way, I’m sure enjoying the website! Take care…
Bennie
Bennie,
I have a background in real estate law and the method of attachment in situations like this is very important. If it looks like it was built to be permanent, it’s part of the improvement and it’s legally his. If it’s portable or not permanently affixed, it could be considered personal property. He probably should have mentioned that it wasn’t included before the sale but if you took him to court it would be an uphill battle.
Hope this helps.
Travis
I need your expertise, I bought two jet skis that were indicated in your bold notifications from a storage company – Watson & Taylor. I bought the unit but was only given a bill of sale that indicated two jet skis I took this to the dept parks and wildlife and they informed me that the storage facility was required to complete several documents and do a newspaper notification along with other. My question is how should I deal with storage facility on this? I intend on suing them if they do not resolve as I feel they knew what the requirements were. Can you give me any advice?
Thank you
Charles
Charles,
From my understanding, the storage facility must research the VIN and check to see if there is a lienholder. Then they must list the VIN, the owner and the lienholder (if there is one) in the notice of public sale. I’m not exactly sure what forms the storage facility is required to provide you but if you find out, I would be interested in knowing as well.
I would just find out specifically what forms are needed and take them directly to the storage facility. If that doesn’t work, I would try to get in touch with upper management at Parks & Wildlife. Perhaps they’ll make an exception for you under the circumstances.
Hope this helps.
Respectfully,
Travis Lane
I’ve been a member for two years. Is there a way to look at a list of items being sold and the names of the owners of the delinquent units on the web site?
John,
We’re glad to have you as a member, you’ve been with us for a really long time.
We don’t publish the names or content description on our site because the only way to get that would be to copy and paste them from the legal notices. We couldn’t do this because it would infringe on the newspaper’s copyright.
Plus, numerous auctions that we list are published in newspapers which don’t publish their legal notices online, so the names and content descriptions wouldn’t be available.
Are you wanting to do research on the tenants? If so, allow me to point you to this article. https://auctionstx.com/should-you-do-you-own-research-before-an-auction/