Five Auction Tips for Your Facility

Storage auctions aren’t the most pleasant part of the business, but they are still part of it.  We have developed a list of five things that can help your storage facility have a successful auction. Before any auction can be held, be sure to check and fulfill the State lien law procedures for your facility.  After that, follow these tips to have a great auction day at your facility!

1. Consider building a relationship with an auctioneer with a good following of people. They will bring many more bidders and you will get more money for the units. Look for an auctioneer who posts the auction information on their website.
2. The day of the auction get to know some of the bidders by name. Find out what the bidders are looking for. If things slow in the bidding call out the items that have value inside the locker to make sure everyone has seen the value.
3. Point out the care taken in packaging up the items in the lockers. If items are wrapped in blankets, paper, and or plastic mention that someone took the time to protect their possessions.
4. Build up a contact list of bidders who attend. Remember to get their email address or phone number so you may inform them of future auctions. Know what their interests are so you can tell them it’s worth their while to attend the next auction.
5. Try to schedule the auction with an auctioneer that has an auction the same day. Many times the bidders can travel straight from one auction to the next.