Buying Storage Units

     Because of the popularity of the A&E hit show Storage Wars, it has made it almost impossible to buy a storage unit at a auction at a afforadable price.  People pay so much more than they use to for these units.   While buying the units are fun and the treasure hunting aspect is exciting, there is so much work involved after the sale is over!   The show eludes to the fact that buying and selling storage units at a auction is a lot of work but they don't show just how much. 
     Most of us do not have a team of people unloading these storage units. If you buy a storage unit at a auction the rule of thumb is you have to empty the whole unit, you can't just take what you want and leave the rest, or at least that has been my experience.  With that in mind you have to have some place to go with everything in that storage unit. 
     Setting up a sorting area is the best thing you can do.  Line up tubs or boxes so you can unload specific items into them.  For the clothing I like to have several boxes.  I sort men, women, boy's, girl and accessories into seperate boxes.  From there I can sort into sizes.  Clothes are the worst thing to sort so if there are tons of them most of the time I just bag them up and take them to the nearest thrift store.  Don't get me wrong, there is alot of money in used clothing if you have the time and patience to sort them, wash them, mend them, and iron them when necessary.
      Glassware, knick knacks, tools, electronics, pictures, small appliances, games, toys, lamps, kitchenware the list just goes on and on and on of what you can typically pull out of a storage unit.  That means these items need to be taken to a business or a storage area if necessary for the swap meet.  Donations to a local thrift store or a consignment auction are other ways to get rid of unwanted items.  You might even have to make arrangement for a dumpster or trash service as there is always plenty of garbage in these storage units.
     I am very particular about cleaning the everyday items (knock the dust off but never scrub or polish vintage items or antiques).  I won't display a dirty item nor will I have a cluttered booth so that takes a lot of time and work.  I truely believe from experience that presentation sells an item.
     I load up a trailer, or make several trips in a van after the auction is over.  Working alone it might take me a couple of weeks to totally empty that trailer.
     Storage units, more often than not are filled with junk.  I have on occassion found a few treasures that bring quite a bit of money but that dosen't happen very often.   I, like the Storage Wars Cast do this for the WOW factor but in the past 15 years I've only had a couple of those WOW factors from storage units.  I do so much better at auctions, yard and garage sales and thrift stores. 
     I like most junkers would love to get ahold of some of the units that the Storage Wars cast buys!