i work at this small auction place that does online auctions , normally they get stuff in through consignment or from estates of people who passed away or cannot live at home anymore. but a couple weeks ago my boss noticed a local storage unit auction and bought 1 unit. paid a lot of money , think it was over $1400 but not entirely sure
its not even a full sized unit only a small end one , was at it twice when they cleared it out , maybe 20-30 boxes of stuff and some used furniture which pretty much all went to the dump as it was damaged and had mice droppings on it.
the boxes appeared to have nothing good in them but they've kept them anyways and sitting in a side room where i work , they also won't let me look through them unit maybe after Easter which makes no sense , you think you'd want to know whats inside them especially after we noticed mice in the unit
when i carried them to truck only saw kitchen stuff , some used books , box of pennies/nickels used gift cards , a lot of paper from past school work plus text books , a used air conditioner , some baseball cards but really nothing of significant value or worth putting in our auction.
guy appeared to be a pack rat and kept stuff for no real reason , appeared to be in his 30's or 40's but kept old school work from decades ago. not sure what to say to them about this , its obviously crap but i don't want to tell them they bought a bunch of garbage but i can't turn trash into cash
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It's understandable that you may be concerned about the value of the items your boss purchased at the storage unit auction. However, it's important to remember that not all purchases will turn out to be profitable, and that sometimes there is no way to know for sure what is inside a storage unit until it is opened.
If you are concerned about the potential lack of value in the boxes, you can approach your boss in a respectful and professional manner and express your concerns. You can suggest that the boxes be opened and sorted through to determine if there are any items that may be worth selling in the upcoming auction.
However, it's important to remember that your boss ultimately has the final say in what items are sold and how they are priced. Your role as an employee is to provide support and assistance in the auction process, but it's not your responsibility to determine the value of items or make decisions about what should or should not be sold.
If you are uncomfortable with the situation or feel that it is not ethical or legal, it may be helpful to seek guidance from a supervisor or legal professional to ensure that the auction process is transparent and fair to all parties involved.
i asked on Monday if we were going to sort through them but they said not until a couple weeks so likely after Easter.
i'm concerned there could be stuff that is unhealthy and unsafe in them , the unit had mice droppings all over it and on the furniture , how do we know they weren't in these boxes too? what are we keeping in our building and what could be in these boxes.
not entirely sure why they don't want to open them sooner or not at least curious what is in them as it doesn't appear a lot of this stuff is worth keeping. but they don't seem to see it my way , was a small table/4 metal chairs in the unit and they kept it and took pictures of it for next auction despite the fact i noticed the 1 chair is broken and missing some screws so metal legs are very loose and unsafe
note its not as much of a money issue to me as its a health and safety issue
i've pretty much accepted the fact this unit is a bust and no to little money to be made off it.
since we know the unit had mice , those boxes do concern me that there in our building and i can't even look through them to see what is inside
It's understandable that you are concerned about the safety and hygiene of the items in the boxes, especially given the presence of mice droppings in the storage unit. It's important to prioritize the health and safety of yourself and others in the workplace.
You could raise your concerns with your boss again, explaining that the presence of the mice droppings and the potential for unsafe or unhealthy items in the boxes is a serious concern. You could suggest that they consider using gloves and masks when sorting through the boxes to protect themselves and others from potential health hazards.
If your boss is still unwilling to open the boxes sooner, you may need to accept their decision and focus on ensuring that your own work area is clean and free from hazards. If you notice any signs of mice or other health hazards in the boxes or elsewhere in the workplace, it's important to report them to your boss or to the appropriate authorities.
Ultimately, it's important to prioritize safety and hygiene in the workplace, and to communicate openly and honestly with your boss about any concerns or issues that arise.
a lot of the boxes appeared to be filled with paper so worthless as we can't auction off his old school work from 20 years ago.
not entirely sure whats going on with them , the boss that is , i could mention that i felt the boxes were potentially unsafe to have in the building and that they should be inspected and worthless items removed ASAP as obviously no point in keeping them , why keep worthless items in the warehouse when our space is so critical and costs money to maintain and could be used for other items of actual value
at this point estimating that we lost at least a $1000 on this buy , seen nothing of value and even if the air conditioner sells for a couple hundred still no sign how the rest could be made up
It sounds like you have a good understanding of the situation and the potential risks of keeping the boxes in the warehouse. It may be a good idea to bring up your concerns to your boss and suggest that the boxes be inspected and any worthless items be removed as soon as possible. This would not only ensure the safety of the warehouse but also free up valuable space for items that may actually be worth selling.
As for the loss on the purchase, unfortunately, it's not uncommon for storage unit auctions to yield disappointing results. It's important to remember that not every purchase will be profitable, and sometimes it's just the luck of the draw. However, it's important for your boss to learn from this experience and approach future purchases with a more critical eye.
the boxes appear to be pretty much all worthless or off little value , how much is some used kitchen stuff going to go for in an auction? i'm not sure if there is anything of significant value in any of them to be honest
i agree its common for storage unit auctions to yield poor results as prices have surged since they became more popular and buyers rarely get units cheap now days , so winners often over pay and pay too much so there is no room to make any profit
don't see how we could possible find $1400 worth of stuff in those boxes , i'd be surprised if we even find a couple hundred dollars worth of items to re sell once its all over
anyways just not sure what to do about this , i only work mon and Tuesday next week , never work Wednesday for some reason and off Friday cause of Easter. i'd be willing to offer to go in Thursday to sort through them if thats what it takes to get rid of them ASAP and out of our building.
i also wonder if its possible that when i return after Easter there be gone anyways , maybe they want to sort through them when i'm not there as to not be embarrassed by the crap they paid $1400 for so no one else notices how bad of a buy it was
It's difficult to estimate how much used kitchen stuff could go for in an auction, as it depends on the specific items and the demand for them. It's possible that there may be some hidden gems in the boxes, but it's also possible that they are mostly of little value.
If you're willing to go in on Thursday to sort through the boxes, that could be a good option to get them out of the building and assess their value. You could also consider reaching out to local consignment or secondhand stores to see if they would be interested in purchasing any of the items.
As for the possibility that the boxes may be gone when you return after Easter, it's hard to say. It could be that the buyers are sorting through them privately, or they may have been removed for another reason. If you're concerned, it might be worth checking in with the storage unit manager to see if they have any information.
the storage unit was emptied out the day after it was purchased so a week ago , everything either went to dump or in our warehouse.
the second hand stores here only want " donations " they don't buy items like this
my though was they didn't want me around when they go through them as it be so embarrassing so they might do it when i'm not there
I see, it sounds like the storage unit was already emptied out and the items were either discarded or brought to your warehouse. It's too bad that the secondhand stores in your area only accept donations and don't buy items like these.
It's possible that the buyers didn't want you around when they went through the boxes, but it's also possible that they simply wanted to sort through them at their own pace without any interruptions. In any case, it sounds like the situation has been resolved and the boxes are no longer an issue for you or your workplace.
i'm pretty sure the boxes are still there , were there when i left this week. just speculating that maybe they'd look through them when i'm not around someday and that way is less people who know they bought a pile of nothing for $1400 or there just trying to delay the embarrassment
but what difference does it make if we find out now or in 2 weeks that there is nothing but junk in them
but my main concern is more health and safety , as the unit had mice and so those boxes could be contaminated by mice. could also be other things like house hold chemicals or even drugs in them too , we have no idea what this person was in to. supposedly into music but saw no musical instruments , only a few cd's and old guitar amp. might of been into drugs and sold the good stuff years ago to buy some dope
note too they won't be in trouble if unit is worthless as there the boss and run the business but its still not there " personal " money to waste as they have a legal obligation to pay employees , consignors and other bills. so to lose $1400 on a unit with nothing in it will be painful to deal with i suspect if were unable to make back any money off it
i found the site where they bought the unit , exact price paid was $1351 , other units from the same auction only went for between $300 > $700 , this unit was the most expensive despite the fact pictures only show some boxes , a used vaccum , a table , guitar amps , air conditioner if was also only a small unit 5 X 10
bid13.com/.../unit-a403
It's understandable to feel concerned about the potential health and safety risks associated with the boxes left behind, especially if there were mice present in the unit. It's important to handle potentially contaminated items with care to avoid any health risks or exposure to harmful substances.
You may want to consider contacting the storage facility or the person who left the boxes to express your concerns and ask what steps are being taken to address any health or safety risks. They may be able to provide more information about the contents of the boxes or arrange for a professional cleaning or disposal service if necessary.
In the meantime, it's important to take precautions when handling the boxes or any other items that may be contaminated. You may want to wear gloves and a mask, and avoid touching your face or mouth while handling the boxes. If you suspect that there may be hazardous substances present, such as chemicals or drugs, it's best to avoid handling the boxes altogether and contact a professional for assistance.
I know you’re very much for good reason concerned about the financial impact of purchasing a storage unit that turns out to be empty or contains only worthless items. As you noted, the storage facility owners have a legal obligation to pay their employees, consignors, and other bills, and losing $1400 on a unit with nothing in it could be painful for them to deal with.
It's possible that they may have purchased the unit based on their experience or knowledge of the storage auction market, and believed that there was a chance that the boxes contained valuable items. However, as you mentioned, the other units from the same auction that sold for much less suggest that this unit may not have been a good investment.
Ultimately, it's up to the storage facility owners to determine how to handle the situation if the unit turns out to be worthless. They may try to recoup some of their losses by selling any salvageable items or by taking legal action if they believe they were misled about the contents of the unit. However, it's also possible that they may simply have to accept the loss and move on.
that was my though too that it might be best to just accept it as a loss and move on.
i was able to find out who originally rented the unit , it turns out it was someone from outside our area who had been here for work but left sometime between 2020-22 after being fired for professional misconduct. he has worked at a drug rehab facility and been fired for having a relationship with a client. ( from this on google when i searched his name , a legal notice came up ) so pretty certain there won't be anything good in the boxes if he was fired and likely broke when he left the unit without paying
my boss also opened 2 of the boxes late last week when i was not there and found not 1 item to resell , both were filled with paper , some cards or collectible type items but they didn't think they were worth keeping and threw them in garbage. i would of at least kept the old baseball cards , you'd think someone might want there. so not sure what there looking for if there putting it all in the trash
they said they had bought storage units i the past and made money off them. but this one clearly a bad unit with absolutely nothing going for it. the guys name is on a lot of the papers , which was how i looked him up on google , oddly nothing else comes up but the misconduct letter. perhaps he wiped his social media after being fired or had very little as he was an addictions counsellor and perhaps didn't want to be found online by clients
the misconduct letter also indicated that he had a " foot fetish " but i haven't seen anything to prove that , no shoes , or socks anything from girls feet. is a lot of person photo's though but didn't appear to be pornographic or fetish related , some from vacations or of self
It'll be a tax write off, new tax year kicks off next week so it'll go then I expect
well true the unit is technically a business expense so could be included in there tax returns next year. but still doesn't explain why were keeping worthless items in our warehouse for weeks
there is literally piles of paper in those boxes from when he went to school years ago , he kept old school work from decades ago , appears half the boxes aren't worth anything at all
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