Storage Locker, Goodwill Here We Come!

When Daryl, Dave, Barry, Jarrod and Brandon purchase storage lockers all you really ever hear about are the great things that they find. Inevitably there's a scene of Barry throwing things all over the place or Dave with his crew of thousands going through each and every pocket finding nothing but treasures. They never show the massive volume of totally useless garbage that most of these units really hold. Being adapt at getting rid of "everything else" is one of the key issues with buying storage lockers. I use a variety of avenues; auctions, flea markets, Craigslist and Goodwill are just a few that I utilize.

The first order of business, extending the time limits on getting everything out. In many cases this can be one of your best defenses against making a major mistake. In other cases (like this one) it is the only prayer you have of cleaning it out. I do not have a cast of thousands, I have me (and sometimes Stephanie), myself and I. This complimented with a 5' x 8' open trailer is how I remove everything. Rainy days are potential nightmares, the open trailer limits me to sunny days only. So time is always an issue. I solved it this time by taking advantage of the first 30 days rent free policy of this particular storage company. Its real simple, sign the contract, pay $22 and give notice prior to the first 30 days expiration, and its free!


So, now I have additional time. So here is what I saw both when I purchased the locker and today.

The first clue that maybe I was in over my head...LOCKER 13

The second clue that maybe I was in over my head...IT WAS FULL OF DIRTY *%IT!

Actually, this is pretty typical. You don't buy storage lockers because they are pretty. You buy them because you are trying to make money. Every locker is different. Some are neat and clean, some are a mess. This one looked like someone was pissed off. Everything was just thrown in. How it gets there always makes you wonder about what the history is. Did someone die? A messy divorce? Or where they just pigs?

I have a routine that I try to follow on every locker that I purchase, first I get all of the clothing out that I can, next household and general merchandise and finally I remove antiques / anything of value. This plan is often interrupted by finding something cool as your going through everything else. The first day this time, was spent emptying out clothing, shoes and books. Some of the more interesting things that have happened so far; unwashed underwear, dog feces in the clothing and lots of broken stuff. Aside from the dirty underwear it was pretty typical. Most people will leave underwear but it is normally clean underwear, today that was not the case. Bag after bag of clothing came out of the unit. Three trailers full so far

As you can plainly see its not as great as the shows make it seem. It is hard work, followed hopefully by profit. The unfortunate thing is it doesn't always end in profit. Today, three trips to Goodwill, tomorrow...