storage wars

juanbenae · juanbenae's Garage

anyone watched this show? pretty interesting. the dudes are tools to be sure, but thats what makes it a show. that and the one dudes jennifer anston looking wife that never shuts the fuch up.... could you not see tabs doing this? in fact he crossed my mind like 5 minutes into the show...

i see tiring of the show quick, but got interested in the whole concept. have any of you guys done or considered this? i imagine it's a cluster F after the show has come out now at these things. imagine all the cowboys that were not wise to it before piling on? the dog track is going to empty on tuesday afternoons.... how do you know the storage employees have not pillaged the thing before you even get there?

im riveted

KNS · 12-05-2010, 03:39 AM

What channel, time...?

Doug E · 12-05-2010, 04:08 AM

A&E at 10 EST pm on Wed ... started last week.

Have to agree it will probably get old quick but I did enjoy the first 2 episodes.

That one guy who used the "short person" on stilts with night vision googles to try and get a better view into the locker is a trip. Who would have thought he'd find a BMW Isetta in that one locker ???

Paul K · Paul K's Garage

Enjoyed the show, but I bet there are lots of units that are full of crap or empty. The guy who bought the locker full of Porno scored, but why ask a museum curator for a value on the Isetta?

Storage Wars - A&E TV

KevinP73 · 12-05-2010, 10:00 AM

I've been buying lockers for several years when time and budget permit. It can be a lot of fun if you're doing it for the right reason. If you're stocking a thrift shop or using a yard sale as an outlet then your good. If you're looking for a footlocker of cash or gold you're going to waste a lot of time and money. These shows hitting the airways is only going to muck things up for a while. It'll bring a bunch of newbee's to the circus but they'll loose interest as soon as thier cash is gone.
Buying a locker is NOT where one makes the money though. It's knowing the difference between trash and treasure. I'd say about 80% of what comes from the average locker is pure junk.

Racerbvd · Racerbvd's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevinP73

I've been buying lockers for several years when time and budget permit. It can be a lot of fun if you're doing it for the right reason. If you're stocking a thrift shop or using a yard sale as an outlet then your good. If you're looking for a footlocker of cash or gold you're going to waste a lot of time and money. These shows hitting the airways is only going to muck things up for a while. It'll bring a bunch of newbee's to the circus but they'll loose interest as soon as thier cash is gone.
Buying a locker is NOT where one makes the money though. It's knowing the difference between trash and treasure. I'd say about 80% of what comes from the average locker is pure junk.

If anything happens to me, someone may be in for some fun

KevinP73 · 12-05-2010, 10:30 AM

That kinda illustrates my point. Knowing those are Porsche part I'd run the bid up real high and real fast. I'd know exactly where to unload that stuff and roughly how much it's worth. The next guy may not even know those are auto parts. Some people may not even be interested in auto parts even if they what they're looking at.

Gogar · 12-05-2010, 11:49 AM

Sweet! It's like Pawn Stars with a box truck, and no cool stuff to look at.

Fritter · 12-05-2010, 02:52 PM

I want to watch just to see that guys cute *****y wife break his balls.

kaisen · 12-05-2010, 03:04 PM

My parents own a ton of storage units and occasionally have to auction the contents for unpaid rent. They hire an auctioneer and do it item by item, rather than as a lot.

Zeke · 12-05-2010, 03:56 PM

BTDT. It's definitely for bottom feeders. But, if you know how to divide and conquer the junk, you can do OK with a lot of time and effort. Sell off metal for scrap, clothes for whatever then to the textile recycler.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaisen

My parents own a ton of storage units and occasionally have to auction the contents for unpaid rent. They hire an auctioneer and do it item by item, rather than as a lot.

Haven't seen that. The junk must not get many bids. That's the charm of the deal; what you don't/can't see.

Eric 951 · 12-06-2010, 05:24 AM

I think I saw this show--or it may have been the copy-cat program on another channel. The one I saw had a regular looking guy and a guy with tats that did the same thing. They won a locker that had industrial sewing machines in it and found a safe. The tat guy took the safe to a shop and used a plasma cutter to open it--he burned whatever paperwork was inside the safe and also singed a pistol that was in the safe. Ended up selling the pistol--but I kept thinking "what an idiot". If there was cash in the safe, it would have been burned up--or what if the pistol was loaded? or there was ammo in the safe?

Just struck me as an idiot move.

KevinP73 · 12-06-2010, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric 951

I think I saw this show--or it may have been the copy-cat program on another channel. The one I saw had a regular looking guy and a guy with tats that did the same thing. They won a locker that had industrial sewing machines in it and found a safe. The tat guy took the safe to a shop and used a plasma cutter to open it--he burned whatever paperwork was inside the safe and also singed a pistol that was in the safe. Ended up selling the pistol--but I kept thinking "what an idiot". If there was cash in the safe, it would have been burned up--or what if the pistol was loaded? or there was ammo in the safe?

Just struck me as an idiot move.

It was an idiot move considering a good lock shop will come to you and open almost any safe for under a hundred dollars(ask me how I know

).

Joeaksa · 12-06-2010, 07:40 AM

Byron,

Mine looks about the same! Need to get there and get a RS rear bumper out and take come pictures of it. Been dreading it as its going to be fun...

VaSteve · 12-31-2010, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevinP73

I've been buying lockers for several years when time and budget permit. It can be a lot of fun if you're doing it for the right reason. If you're stocking a thrift shop or using a yard sale as an outlet then your good. If you're looking for a footlocker of cash or gold you're going to waste a lot of time and money. These shows hitting the airways is only going to muck things up for a while. It'll bring a bunch of newbee's to the circus but they'll loose interest as soon as thier cash is gone.
Buying a locker is NOT where one makes the money though. It's knowing the difference between trash and treasure. I'd say about 80% of what comes from the average locker is pure junk.

Went to one of these today in Suburban Virginia. There was about 100 people that showed up. All sorts of guys in Carhartt workclothes, retiree types, and a few yuppies. It was so jammed it was hard to get near the lockers to even look. Some of the yuppie types (I kind of fit this category, kind of) would photograph or videotape on their phone the junk inside and figure out from that if they wanted it.

I took my 5 year old son who referred to it as "auction hunters". He said that most of the stuff was junk. We were part of the lookey loos and there were more of us than actual bidders. We'd guess at what they'd sell for.

The first locker looked like it was someone's worhshop away from home. Organized, had some small hand tools (circ saws and such) and a lot of drawered cabinets and things full of nuts and bolts. Went for only $200 and that was IMHO the best unit.

The one with the fridge with the door off went for $40. The only one we guessed correct!

There was one that looked like they fixed race car engines. The only thing of value was an off brand tool box (likely empty), a filthy Corbeau seat and some random engine parts. Went for $210. I was shocked.

IMHO people overbid for a lot of crap and backbreaking work. It was fun watching, would have been a lot more fun if I brought money and there was less people.

Brillo · Brillo's Garage

I tried not to watch it, but I couldn't help myself. As I feared, I'm now hooked.

Kevin, are there a lot of a**h*les like that guy Dave?

techweenie · techweenie's Garage

Storage Wars is a hoot. Nicely edited to focus on 4 guys + 1 spouse +1 son.

Had a guy referred to me about 4 years ago who bought a storage locker for a couple hundred that turned out to have Steven Spielberg's first movie in it -- I think it was made when he was 13 and had just gotten a camera. The guy was hoping for a quarter million bucks. I told him I couldn't help him out. Never heard if he was able to find a buyer.

Back to Storage Wars: they count up the results of the day, which never include opportunity cost (what that person could have been making elsewhere instead of driving to and standing around, then dealing with 90% junk) and transport -- several of these people end up needing to rent trucks to move the stuff. The "mogul" guy has a big store and big payroll and never makes what the show summary indicates. Biggest flaw is that all "finds" are calculated at retail value, but that doesn't mean the things will sell for that price.

KevinP73 · 01-01-2011, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brillo

I tried not to watch it, but I couldn't help myself. As I feared, I'm now hooked.

Kevin, are there a lot of a**h*les like that guy Dave?

All the time I've been buying I've only met one guy who I see regularly. He drives a well sorted Bentley with a big block Chevy in it. His family has a chain of thrift stores from here to Chicago. He's a really good guy. Very down to earth and friendly, not at all like any of the characters on tv.