Advice from the Storage Auction Momma

I received a comment recently on a previous post about Product Sourcing with Self-Storage Unit Auctions. The person who commented wanted some examples from our own experience and wondered why people would buy old things and sell them again. My friend Karen Davis, author of Storage Auction Momma, was kind enough to leave a reply which I thought was worthy of its own post. Here's what Karen said:

Hey Susan, if you don't mind, I thought I would drop in and answer the question "Could you give some examples of your own experience?"

But first, let me respond as to the benefits of buying "old things" and selling them again. Benefit number one: To make some money!! One of the secrets to making money is to Buy Low and Sell High. It doesn't matter whether a product is old or new, used or not, As long as there is someone out there wanting to buy it and you can get it for less than they will pay and resell it, you can turn a profit. This goes not matter where or how you are sourcing (finding) your products.

Benefit number two: It is good for the environment!! If no one buys those storage units that must be auctioned off, all that stuff goes into the landfill. Some of it may end up there anyway, but I put most of it back into use. Someone gets a bargain on something they need and I make GREEN money while being GREEN at the same time.

Benefit number three is really more of a comment: The stuff in storage unit auctions isn't necessarily old. Some of it may be new or unused. At my first storage auction, what caught my eye was a whole box of special Barbies - and they were in mint condition still in the box. There were enough to set aside for birthday presents for my daughter's friends and still some left over to sell.

Another storage unit yielded a boatload of high end Christmas decorations including Christmas Village pieces still in the boxes and Radko Christmas ornaments. Check those on ebay and you will see why I was excited.

I have found a Craftman tool box complete with tools, new artwork that still had tags on each piece upwards of $200, complete beds, nice sofas, designer clothes, videos/dvds, china cabinets and an antique desk that was worth $700.

In another unit, I found a solid gold heavy link necklace in a box of junk that otherwise went to the dump. You just never know.

Hope that helps!!
~Karen Davis
Storage Auction Momma

Thanks, Karen, for that great response!