Consignment auctions

[largom]

I go to a local consignment auction every weekend. Items are mostly "box lots" of household items. A lot of the items also come from those "Self Storage" places. If the rent is not paid the contents are then sold [forfeited] for the rent.
You would not expect to find many shooting/reloading items there BUT when it does show up there are not many bidders for it.
In the past year I have bought:
RCBS Rocker press for $12.00
Lyman case thumbler [new in box] $10.00
Redding Mod. #2 scale [new in box] $3.00
RCBS powder trickler [new in box] $3.00
And last week end I bought 1 lb. of Cerro Bend alloy [for making chamber casts] for $1.00 with a 3 step alum. ladder and a working microwave throwed in to boot.
Most of the time you get 2 or 3 boxes of other junk plus what you really want.
Most of the bidders are antique, flea market, and yard sale buyers.
These auctions can be just as good or better than yard sales.
Larry

[WickedGoodOutdoors]

How do these work?

I haear that the storage places put the entire unit up as a blind bid and you have to take everything. Sound like its possible to end up with a lot of trash to take to the dump, maybe some treasures and maybe even a big box with Jimmy Hoffa in it????

Your post sounds as if your bidding on individule items?

[MT Gianni]

Around here the storage places have a yard sale day for their unpaid storage items. Very difficult to buy something unseen or not picked over.

[largom]

Yes, I am bidding on individual box lots and or items. I don't know if the auction Co. purchased the entire storage room or if they have an agreement with the storage Co. They also take consignments from anyone and from estates. You usually get 1,2, or 3 boxes for one bid and anything you don't want you can leave. I usually take everything home and go through the boxes. Have found several old coins. Any clothes or shoes my wife takes to church for the needy.
Larry

[mold maker]

In the next town to the East, a storage sale included a fellows lower leg and foot. The original owner went through court to get his amputated leg back.
Here it an unseen purchase of everything in a unit. Most often there is well used furniture and cloths. Every once in a while there are some real prizes. There is a dumpster on site for unwanted stuff.

[SciFiJim]

At storage unit auctions here, they open the door and you can look in but can not go in or look in boxes. You bid on then entire contents. Mostly junk and furniture, but sometimes treasures are found. Someone found a 5 gallon water bottle full of change after paying $20 for the contents of the unit. The unit has to be cleaned out that day or rented for the next month.

[rhead]

Here they box it up and separate it into lots. You bid a per box choice. It depends on who is conducting the auction I guess. Go to a local one it is at worst cheap entertainment.