What I witnessed didn’t resemble what’s portrayed on the popular reality show. There were no actors or producers. Just regular people trying to make a buck.
There were 28 bidders, mostly middle-aged men wearing hoodies and winter coats to protect themselves from the bitterly-cold temperatures.
The bidders seemed to know each other, and there were times when they yelled at those who took too long to look inside the units.
They bid on 19 storage units whose owners were months past-due on rent, said Amy Minor, manager of Rock Castle Storage, 2901 S. Breiel Blvd., Middletown.
She said the business sends out certified letters to the last known addresses and calls the renters of the storage units, giving them every opportunity to pay their bills.
The state law says renters can fall behind 60 days before the contents of their units are sold, but Minor said she gives them up to six months to pay back rent.
“We don’t want to sell their stuff,” she said.
Some of the bidders at this auction also didn’t want to buy the stuff.
Three of the units didn’t receive a bid, even when auctioneer Jason Steel joked that he would waive the 10% buyer’s premium if someone would bid at least $1.
Those who bought the units had to put down a $100 deposit that would be refunded if the unit was completely cleaned out within 48 hours.
Steel reminded the bidders that the storage units would be sold as a single lot of items in the form of a cash-only auction.
After the units were unlocked, the door was opened and bidders were given about two minutes to look at the contents, though they were not allowed to step inside the units or touch any items.
Most of them had flashlights. Some had cell phones to take pictures, then zoom to get a closer look at the contents.
When a door opened, and the unit was filled with used furniture, most of the bidders quickly walked to the next unit on the list.
“Furniture is dead,” one bidder said.
“Back breakers,” another bidder said. “That ain’t for me.”
But when the unit was filled with what appeared to be antiques or storage tubs, the bidders’ interests were piqued.
One unit that Steel said belonged to a 104-year-old Middletown woman sold for $425, the highest of the day.
When it was time to open the door of the last unit to be sold, it was stuck, probably by items that had fallen. Several bidders tried to open the door, but with no luck.
So the unit was sold for $20 sight unseen.
“The thrill of the hunt,” Steel explained after the auction while standing in the Springboro Coin & Jewelry business he owns. “Scratching the lottery ticket. Pushing the button on the slot machine. It’s the gamble.”
Steel said one of the bidders purchased three of the units to supply the 60 spaces he has at Traders World, a flea market in Monroe.
He said some of the units can be “very lucrative.”
He remembered one unit that sold at an auction about 10 years ago that belonged to a woman who was in charge of the service pins at Armco.
The unit contained about $50,000 to $60,000 worth of gold.
“You never know what’s going to be in those boxes,” Steel said. “Some units could look junky and have a fortune. Some look great and be worth almost nothing.”
Columnist Rick McCrabb writes about local people and events every Sunday. If you have an idea for a story, contact him at rmccrabb1@gmail.com.
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