Storage Auction FurnitureThanks to Storage Wars and all of its spin-offs, people are looking toward self storage auctions as a money-making opportunity.

Everyone wants the chance to find hidden treasures and resell them for hefty profits.

There’s another side to the storage auction business, though, and it’s one that can save you money and be a lot of fun all on its own: Using storage auctions to buy things you really want for yourself.

Consider this: Most of the time, people use storage units as a way to store items during transitional periods in their lives.

Many units are filled with things left over from moving from one home to another. It makes sense, then, that a buyer could easily fill up a new home with items bought at a storage auction.

Here are some of the common household items that can frequently be found in storage units:

  • Small appliances like coffee makers, bread machines and stand mixers

  • Electronic devices like televisions and gaming systems

  • Large appliances like stoves, refrigerators and washing machines

  • Exercise equipment like treadmills or stationary bikes

  • Clothes, jewelry, handbags and other accessories

  • Children’s toys and playground equipment

  • Office supplies and furniture

  • Home furnishings like couches and beds

Many of these items can be difficult to resell for a quick profit, so auction bidders might not be interested in them. Dedicated resellers will be on the look-out for antiques and collectibles, and they’ll have little interest in couches and dishes.

If you’re looking for a way to furnish a new home, though, these cheap units might have exactly what you need. Additionally, they’ll often be cheaper than they would be anywhere else.

After all, the reseller on Craigslist or the local thrift store has to mark up his or her items in order to make a profit; at a storage auction, you can get those same items without the markup.

Try to target your storage facilities by neighborhood to find the best items for your home. For example, find a storage facility near a college campus to find furnishings for your child’s dorm room, or pick a neighborhood with a lot of families to find toys and playground equipment.

Since you’ll be shopping for yourself, you don’t have to worry about guessing what something might be worth. You only have to ask yourself two questions: Do you like it, and are you happy with the price?

As long as the answer to both is “yes,” you can fill up your house or apartment with second-hand goods for an even lower price than if you were shopping at a thrift store or picking items up off Craigslist.

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