Self Storage Unit Auctions

As seen on A&E channel “Storage Wars” episodes when the renter of a self-storage unit can’t make the payments, the stuff inside goes up for grabs. What treasures might one find at a storage auction? The short answer is, anything and everything! Antiques, collectibles, appliances, kitchenware, linens, baby furniture, sofas, chairs, dressers, dining room sets, home decor, clothing, toys, games, bicycles, motorcycles, power tools, lawn mowers, barbecue grills, hobby supplies, hunting supplies, camping gear, sports equipment, seasonal decorations, books, DVD’s and CD’s, jewelry, electronics, business inventories, patio furniture, cameras, musical instruments….There are no limits. Check it out here: www.aetv.com/storage-wars. You can watch full episodes, meet the players and get bonus footage online.

About Self Storage Auction

In the United States, most self storage facility auctions are held to vacate non-paying tenants. There are an average of 800 California storage unit auctions on any given month. Each storage units auction site will have a different amount of units or lots to offer for auction. These storage auctions are opened to the general public with most bidders buying for the purpose of reselling for profit. Storage auction is a great way to buy secondhand merchandise for pennies. If you are someone who sells at flea markets, garage sales or on e-Bay, you will probably find self storage online auctions to be one of your best sources for merchandise.

How Does The Public Storage Auction Work?

Be sure to arrive 10-15 minutes prior to a scheduled storage unit auction. Before the auction storage starts, the mini storage auctions auctioneer will have a sign in sheet and a set of their company’s rules going over the terms and conditions of the storage units auctions. Most auctions are “live” or “verbal”. The sale will allow the storage facility to recoup some of their losses. Any profit over the actual amount owed on the unit is paid to the renter, but the winning bid seldom covers the past due rent. Cash is the acceptable form of payment and sales tax will be charged if the buyer cannot show a valid resale license and proper identification.  Storage locker auctions are very different then most types of auctions.  Usually you are bidding on the entire contents of a unit. Units or lots are usually viewed 1 by 1 with the viewing limited to the doorway entrance of the storage unit or container. The bidding starts after all bidders have had a viewing of the property. Bids sometimes start out as low as $1.00 and can proceed upwards with the property being sold to the highest bidder. Based on our experience average lots or units seem to sell for around $300.00. Don’t forget, the high bidder must remove all contents of the unit purchased within the time specified by the self storage facility. Facilities do not allow the use of their garbage cans or dumpsters and units are expected to be broom swept clean.

What Can I Expect To Find if I Buy Storage Units at an Auction?

You really never know what you will find. Most storage shed auctions yield general household goods, furniture, electronics, clothing and personal records. Bidders do find money, jewelry, antiques and collectibles at these auctions. It is not uncommon to find someone’s whole household or business in a unit, with that in mind, you never know when you might stumble on someone’s life collection of who knows what!  Remember you are usually viewing the property from an open entrance into a storage unit or container; this means that boxes and plastics storage containers can yield anything. Some units are packed so tight that you won’t have the luxury of getting a view of the items that are behind what is blocking the entrance area.

How Can I Find Out Where The Storage Unit Auctions Are Taking Place?

You can find out through various sources where storage building auctions take place. Public storage unit auction in ca are required to post legal notices in newspapers. There are also web sites and auctioneers who all provide very limited schedules of self storage auctions. By using all these action storage sources it is possible to find out when and where all these auctions will be conducted. Contacting the different self storage companies will yield you the highest results.

Box-n-Go Storage Auction Terms

• • HIGHLIGHTS
    • A Security deposit will be collected for every container purchased.
    • Payment in CASH for the full amount due will be collected immediately following the bid winner announcement. If the amount due is not paid in full, the bid will be considered forfeited.
    • No unloading allowed until all units have been sold and the auction completed.
    • Personal documents and Box-n-Go equipment found among the goods purchased must be returned.
    • No trash dumping on premises is allowed.
    • Free storage is provided for the winning bidders till the end of business on the day following the auction. A daily charge would be applied for each day thereafter.

The items being sold through this public auction were foreclosed upon by Box-n-Go in accordance with the Terms and Conditions of the Box-n-Go Non-Negotiable Storage and Moving Services Agreement. To the best of our knowledge the above goods are not subject to any liens other than those already imposed by Box-n-Go. The goods being sold are stored inside large wooden crates or containers. Each container measures 5’ wide x 8’ long x 7’ tall. The contents of the containers have been packed and loaded by tenants and are unknown to Box-n-Go. The condition of each unit is the same as the one left by the tenant. Each tenant may have a single or multiple units that may be offered for sale by the box, lot, account or individually. The padlocks on the unit(s) subject to auction sale will be removed by Box-n-Go immediately before the items viewing during the auction sale. The entire process may be videotaped by Box-n-Go authorized personnel. Firearms, vehicles (including motorcycles, dirt bikes or any other DMV registered vehicles) are specifically excluded from this sale. The auction is a live public auction with verbal bidding subject to the below Terms and Conditions. The auction attendees expressly agree to these and any additional terms as may be attached hereto and announced prior to the auction. Box-n-Go management, owners, employees and representatives reserve the right to participate in the auction. Box-n-Go reserves the right to refuse the auction sale participation privileges to anyone who fails to follow these terms. Box-n-Go is the sole arbiter of any dispute arising as a result of the auction or the Terms of this auction.

1. All Auction attendees are required to provide ID and register prior to being allowed to participate in the auction. Past and current Box-n-Go customers whose accounts are delinquent are not allowed to register. No children under the age of 15, pets, smoking or alcohol consumption are allowed on Box-n-Go premises at any time. Auction attendees having a valid resale certificate must file it with Box-n-Go representative at the time of registration in order to avoid being charged otherwise applicable sales taxes.
2. Auction attendees entering the Box-n-Go premises assume all the risk of both personal injury and liability for any defects in or a condition of the premises on which the auction is held. Auction attendees agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless Box-n-G, its’ owners, managers, employees, agents, landlords and other parties affiliated with Box-n-Go from and against all claims, damages, losses and liabilities, cost and expense (including attorney’s fees and costs whether or not arising out of third party claims, including, without limitation, claims brought by any other auction attendee or Customer of Box-n-Go) as a result of or arising out of:

(a)  purchase, use and/or disposal of the goods subject to this auction, including any defects in such goods.

(b)  any personal injury, accident, damage, loss or disturbance or any other form of injury or damage (tort or otherwise) incurred or sustained by any person or entity, whether disclosed or not, that may occur on or near Box-n-Go premises during the or following the auction.

(c)  Box-n-Go having to incur any attorney’s fees and expenses, including collection agencies, as a result of enforcement of any terms of this agreement.

3. All goods subject to sale are sold “as is”,” where is”. No warranties expressed or implied Auction attendees are not allowed into the storage containers or to touch any of the property.
4. Box-n-Go reserves the right to reject any and all bids, at its sole discretion for any reason. Further, Box-n-Go reserves the right to cancel the auction or any portion thereof with or without notice. All bidders agree that the goods owner (the tenant) has the right pay off his debt and to redeem their property and stop the sale until the time it is finalized. For the purpose of this auction, the sale is considered finalized when

(a)  Box-n-Go been paid by the winning bidder (hereinafter “Purchaser”) the full amount due in CASH only. The full amount due will include:

• • • the winning bid amount;
    • Security deposit that will be held by Box-n-Go until the container(s) purchased by the purchaser during the auction are emptied, swept clean, and inspected by Box-n-Go representative;
    • a buyer premium if any (usually 10% of the winning bid amount);
    • sales tax, as applicable on the winning bid amount. Purchaser agrees that all the bid amounts do not include the sales tax. Purchaser is solely responsible for any and all such tax amounts unless a re-seller’s permit is provided to Box-n-Go personnel prior to the start of the auction.

Any amount owed, but not paid, including any penalties assessed as a result of the purchaser not following the rules of the auction as stated herein, will result in revocation of the purchaser’s right to take possession of the goods won at the auction. Further purchaser agrees to pay all reasonable attorney’s fees and expenses incurred by Box-n-Go or its agents should services of attorney or collection agencies be required in the enforcement of the Terms of this auction.

(b)  Purchaser starts removing the goods from the container(s) won during the action. For the purpose of this action, purchasers are not allowed to start removing the contents until the end of the entire auction, as determined by the auctioneer.

5. Purchaser agrees to place their own padlock on each container won during action immediately following the award. Such lock shall remain on the units until the time when the goods are allowed to be removed from the containers as per above. Box-n-Go, LLC is not responsible for the contents of any containers once the sale been finalized and will not be securing any containers with Box-n-go seals or padlocks. If purchaser does not have a padlock, one can be purchased from the Box-n-Go representative.
6. Purchaser agrees to carefully inspect the goods purchased for illegal items, such as drugs, guns, etc., before leaving the facility. Purchaser agrees that once all the goods are in the purchaser’s possession, they assume full liability for possession of any illegal items.
7. Purchaser agrees to return to Box-n-Go, LLC:

(a)  in an adequate box, any personal papers, pictures, birth certificates, tax documents, etc., found among the goods purchased. These personal items will be held at the facility for the customer for whom the storage lien was enforced. If personal effects are not delivered to Box-n-Go, as requested above, purchaser therefore acknowledges that there were no personal and thereby assumes full liability and agrees to defend, indemnify and hold harmless Box-n-Go, LLC, its’ owners, officers, managers, employees and auctioneers (as listed below) against any claims made regarding the personal effects.

(b)  any Box-n-go equipment that may be found among the goods, such as dollies, moving blankets, furniture pads, etc.

(c)  any firearms and vehicles

8. Purchaser agrees to remove ALL the items from each of the container(s) won during the auction by 4:00 pm on the day following the day of the auction. Any purchaser having containers at Box-n-Go past that deadline will be charged a daily storage fee. Removal of goods is permitted only during normal warehouse access hours. Purchaser wishing to pick up the items won during the auction on the day other than the day of the auction must schedule the date and time when they are planning to do so. Box-n-Go requires a minimum of 24-hours notice to prepare the containers. Purchaser can notify Box-n-Go of their plans by calling 877-269-6461. For a fee, purchasers wishing to have their units delivered to them can schedule such a delivery with Box-n-Go representative.
9. In the event that the goods have not been fully removed from the containers and/or the containers were not broom swept, purchaser agrees that Box-n-Go may, in its sole discretion and without notice to purchaser, dispose of any remaining contents left in or around the container(s) and purchaser may be charged the disposal fee. All applicable charges will be deducted from the security deposit held by Box-n-Go. Purchasers are not allowed to use the Box-n-Go waste receptacles.
10. Purchasers may not resell the goods purchased on Box-n-Go premises.

Box-n-go Storage Auctions Schedule

Welcome to Box-n-Go storage auctions scheduling page. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in public storage auction of foreclosed storage goods. All of our auctions are conducted at our Commerce, CA facility at 5934 E. Slauson Ave, Commerce, CA 90040. We recommend checking in about 30 minutes to start of the storage auction. this way you will have a sufficient time to register, read and sign the storage auction Terms and Conditions and present your Resale Certificate if you wish to use one. The goods being sold are stored inside large wooden crates or containers. Each container measures 5’ wide x 8’ long x 7’ tall. The contents of the containers have been packed and loaded by tenants and are unknown to Box-n-Go, however, the goods sold during previous actions included furniture, beds, clothing, appliances, books, tools, etc.The condition of each unit is the same as the one left by the tenant. Each tenant may have a single or multiple units that may be offered for sale as a lot or individually. Usually we have anywhere from 10 to 30 units being sold at each storage auction. The auction is a live public auction with verbal bidding. Payments are accepted in cash only. Box-n-Go reserves the right to reject any and all bids, at it’s sole discretion for any reason. Further, Box-n-Go reserves the right to cancel the auction or any portion thereof with or without notice. Thank you for your interest in Box-n-Go storage auctions. We look forward to seeing you at the next self storage units auction. To learn of the next scheduled auction date and time, please sign up for our storage auction alert.