Selling Storage Auction Items

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Here's how to begin selling storage auction items that you won from an abandoned storage unit. We will soon see how much money you can get out of the good stuff.

Note: Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means I receive a commission if you make a purchase. Affiliate relationships include, but are not limited to Amazon Associates, Walmart.com, and Etsy.

1. Sell From The Unit

If you were able to ask the manager for some extra time, hopefully, people have already been coming to buy your large items and maybe you have already made your money back on the unit just from selling the large items.

2. Sort The Items Into Totes For Each Location

All the items that can be resold need to be put in an 18 gallon plastic storage tote for each location and labeled where it will go. You can learn how to do that from reading Sorting Your Storage Auction Items. I have written a book that tells where to sell almost 200 types of items to get the best money for them, plus the whole process of the abandoned storage unit business from start to finish. Watch these posts on my blog (or subscribe so they come to your email) as I will mention where to resell some items.

3. Make A List And Plan Out Your Week

Now sit down and think. Write down the business names of places you need to take totes to and how many totes for each business. We recommend only bringing two boxes a day to pawn, resale or consignment stores so as to not overwhelm them. Also, they seem to take more items that way than when you bring in more boxes. Please keep in mind that it sometimes depends on the worker looking at the items. With bringing less boxes on different days, you will get a variety of workers. One worker may only buy one item from you out of two boxes. You bring the same two boxes another day and you will only have a half box left to take home.

This business can still work out even if you have a day job. Plan out your week. Maybe you can drop some off each day on a lunch hour or after work. Or, if you have a few days open and a large vehicle, you can drop off several in one day. Sometimes, the store employees will go through it while you are there. Other times, you may have to come back in a few hours or at the end of the day depending on the business.

At some consignment places or online auction businesses, you will drop it off and leave it for days or months until sold or returned. A gold/silver buyer may need you to make an appointment so you will have to plan when you can do that as well. As you take items to pawn and consignment stores more often, you will come to understand what they will or won't buy from you or sell for you.

4. Deal With The “No Thank You” Items

When items come back, price them for either a large group consignment sale according to that company's rules, for a rummage sale, or donate or trash them. You could group them together in a “lot” and sell them at a local online auction site that will sell them for you for a small fee. In the evenings and weekends, you can meet people to sell large items or items you have on a local Facebook sale page or Craigslist. You can also list items on sites like eBay or Amazon.

You will need to research these sites on your own to see their current listing and selling fees and how to do them. If the items are older than 20 years of age or if they are crafting supplies, you can sell them on Etsy.