Sometimes it’s just not worth it, unless you’re buying a unit for particular items and you’re willing to deal with whatever comes along for the ride. White elephants to avoid at storage auctions include:
1. big, old office photocopiers,
2. huge TVs (digital or analog),
3. used mattresses and box springs,
5. funeral coffins and urns,
6. used tires,
7. partially-full paint cans,
8. medical supplies,
9. 55 gallon drums labeled (or should be labeled) HAZMAT, and
10. a whole lot of anything you are unfamiliar with, and have no idea where to re-sell.
This list is just a sample, of course. But it should serve to clear your head and jog your memory whenever you’re tempted to go ahead and take on one or more white elephants in order to get some good stuff, too. Hopefully, the thought of dragging a huge TV or a vintage photocopier around in your truck for several weeks will trigger a flashing red light, complete with alarm buzzer now.
My simple advice is – JUST DON’T DO IT. Don’t take on the problems in the first place.
It’s easy to lose track of your time spent trying to sell and then give away the white elephants of the storage auction world. Worse yet, your trips to the dump will cost you even more time and also some money in the form of solid waste disposal fees. Not only will you lose out on anticipated profit, but you go in the hole on the items just to get rid of them.
To avoid a lose/lose proposition, stop and ask yourself if a particular risk is worth a big investment of your time. If you can see cumbersome, old items that will be a royal bother to move, store and re-sell, resist the urge to acquire the rest of the unit. Take a pass and move on to the next unit up for bid. Let somebody else take on the white elephants, because they will.