Inside The World Of ‘Storage Wars’ In Halifax
HALIFAX – Anyone who has seen the hit show, Storage Wars, knows that there are treasures to be found inside abandoned storage units. But you don’t need to go to Hollywood to bid on a storage unit auction. Across Atlantic Canada, there are auctions taking place in nearly every city on a regular basis.
These days, however, most auctions take place online, rather than in-person. It gives more people a chance to bid on a unit over a longer period. For some storage unit companies, the auctions can garner some hefty prices.
Ryan Beattie has been a sales associate at Premier Self Storage in Halifax for the past few years. Premier rents out 700 interior units and, sometimes, a customer falls behind in payments and their belongings inside the unit must be auctioned off.
Beattie explains an auction is the last resort for the company, as they always try and make payment arrangements with the customer. By law, the company can not start an auction until the customer is 90 days past due on rent.
“We do really try to work with people…we don’t automatically go and start kicking people out,” says Beattie. “Especially this year, we understand that life happens, and things come up that you don’t always expect.”
Like many other companies in Atlantic Canada, Premier Self Storage uses a website called bid13.com to conduct its online auctions. The website will display videos and pictures of what can be seen inside the unit while standing on the outside. Just like in the tv shows, no boxes or coverings are removed; that part will remain a mystery until the winning bidder can dig through their new belongings.
Premier Self Storage had two auctions back in August. One unit went for a decent price of $501, but the other got a whopping $3,200 on the nose; a high bid compared to most unit auctions in the area. Beattie assumes that the bids got so high because a good looking Norco mountain bike could be seen clearly inside the unit. There were also some guitar cases, and perhaps some people gambled that those cases weren’t empty.
Over the past years, Beattie has seen his fair share of dud lockers as well. There was one auction where the only contents up for grabs was a single suitcase.
“I can’t remember the numbers, but it didn’t go for much,” recalls Beattie. “But he was curious; he didn’t know what he might find…and all it had was clothing. And it wasn’t even high brand clothing.”
After his experience with storage auctions, Beattie has never seen an amazing, rare find coming out of any of the units; such as a Rolex watch or an extremely rare collectible. It makes him wonder if the tv shows are staged.
“It’s televised, so some of it has to be staged,” laughs Beattie. “I think there was one episode I watched where they found a convertible Mustang and it was buried underneath black garbage bags.”
But who are the people who are willing to bid hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on a storage auction? Collectors? Businesspeople looking to turn on profit? Modern-day treasure hunters? Gamblers in it for the thrill?
“Honestly, every single thing you just said there is exactly who we see,” says Beattie.
Belinda Drysdale has owned Buyers and Sellers Depot in Dartmouth for the past 11 years. As the business name suggests, Drysdale buys items off people and resells them for a profit. She describes her store as a place that sells “a little bit of everything.”
Over the years, Drysdale has gotten many items for her store by bidding on storage unit auctions. Even though she is in it to make a profit, she admits that the auctions are also a bit of a thrill.
“It’s the same as my store; I don’t know what’s coming in through the door every day,” said Drysdale. “It’s kind of like that, except I have to go looking for it.”
Drysdale believes she has won 10 different auctions over the years. She usually spends roughly $200 on a winning bid. But now that auctions have switched to online, those winning bids are going up. The most she ever spent on one unit was $4,000. In that unit, she could clearly see there was high-quality furniture on the inside.
Most of the biggest treasures she found in auctions were jewelry, like rings and pendants.
“Jewelry is always a good thing. But you can always find other treasures,” says Drysdale.
“It’s pretty exciting at first until you open a box of books or clothes.”
As a businesswoman, Drysdale always sets out to at least double her money from an auction. But she cautions others that money made from storage auctions isn’t easy money.
The winner of an auction is responsible for cleaning out the entire unit. So, if you win a unit that has an old dirty mattress that’s fit for the dump, you are responsible for getting rid of it, which costs money. It also costs money to store any large items you have just won. Also, if you don’t own a pickup truck or van, you will have a hard time hauling your winnings away.
“It’s a lot of work,” says Drysdale. “I have the people and the means. It’s not like you can just pull your sedan up there and pick out what you want. You have to clean out the entire locker. And keep in mind; you’re paying to throw stuff away.”