Quick Facts:

1. You must be 18 years of age or older to bid.
2. You are bidding on the ENTIRE contents of each unit.
3. Everything is sold “AS IS, WHERE IS, with NO GUARANTEES or WARRANTIES.”
4. You will bid from the threshold of the door. You cannot go inside the unit or touch anything inside the unit.
5. You will have 24 hours to clean the unit to a swept condition. In some cases the facility manager may offer an extension.
6. You will pay in CASH or CREDIT immediately following the sale.
7. When paying in cash there is a reduced Buyer’s Premium of 10% in effect at every sale. If paying by credit there is a 12% Buyer's Premium in effect.
8. Unless you have a Sales Tax Resale Certificate, you will be charged sales tax on your entire purchase. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I bring to the auction?

• You should bring a flashlight, locks, cash/credit card, and a vehicle to haul away your purchases. Some facilities have trucks and trailers available for rent. Please call the facility in advance to make arrangements.

 What sizes are the storage units?

• Storage units come in a variety of sizes depending on the facility's location.They can be as small as 3' x 3', found at 12th & Madison and Downtown Seattle, or as large as 10' x 30.'

What kinds of things are found in storage units?

• There is a wide range of items found in units. A sampling of items found in units: furniture, contractor equipment,  jewelery, household goods,  cash, vehicles*, computers, TV's, hunting and sporting goods, apparel (aka laundry), shoes, bags, appliances, and if you're lucky a mattress. 

What is the range of cost of these units?

• The price of storage units varies considerably. It depends on the supply and demand, the contents, and the size of the unit. The average price, however, is roughly about $150.00-200.00.

 How are the units shown?

• Each unit is sold individually with the door open. Nothing is taken out of the unit.
• You are NOT allowed to go inside of the unit or touch anything within reach inside the unit. A visual inspection is made from outside of the door and a starting bid is made at the distrection of the Auctioneer based on visual contents only. Then the race is on!

 What happens if I am the winning bidder of a unit?

• When you have the winning bid on a unit, the Auctioneer records your name, the amount that the unit sold for and the unit number. Payment is due when the auction is over after ALL the units up for auction at that facility have been sold.

Is a winning bid considered a legal sale? 

• Yes.

At what point does the bid become a legal sale? 

• When the Auctioneer says: "Sold!"

Can I purchase more than one unit? 

• Yes, you may purchase as many units as your wallet, spouse, and back allow.

Is everything in the unit considered mine after I pay for the unit?

• Everything except for personal property in the unit becomes the property of the winning bidder once the payment has been made.

What is considered as personal property?

• Personal property includes photos, legal papers (marriage, divorce, birth certificates, social security numbers, banking information, tax papers, etc.), ashes, (yes, ashes), medication,  and the like. Basically, anything that is private information/property that you would want back if it was your unit that was sold.

Does jewelery count as personal property?

• No. Even if it is stamped with a wedding date or name it is still considered the property of the person that won the unit at auction.

What should be done with personal property?

• ALL personal property items must be put in a box, labeled with the unit number that it came from and brought to the office of the storage facility. THESE ITEMS MUST NOT BE TAKEN FROM THE STORAGE PROPERTY!  Again, please label the box with the unit number that it came out of.

What if I do not turn in the personal property?

• If you should fail to do so, then you are subject to Legal Actions taken by the original owner of the unit. Washington State law REQUIRES the storage facility or the purchaser of the unit to retain the personal items for a minimum period of 6 months. Again, If you dispose of the personal items the original owner of the unit can hold you liable.  

What if the owner wants his property back?

• The storage facility owner/manager will contact the auctioneer, who will then contact you (the buyer). It is up to the you to decide if you will sell any of the items back to the original unit owner. The auctioneer can facilitate the initial negotiations. In most cases, units are sold and the original owner is never heard from.

 Must I sell the unit back to the owner at the price that I bought the unit for? 

• No. You may choose to sell all or just one item back to the owner at whatever price you determine. Or you may choose not to sell any items back to the original owner.

 Will the owner know that I bought their unit? 

• No information is ever exchanged unless you agree to negotiate selling items back to the original owner. In such a case, the contact information is only passed one way. The original unit owner is not given the purchasers information.  It is then up to you, the buyer, to make contact with the previous owner. 

Are there any circumstances where I might have to return a unit that I purchased? 

• Only if it shouldn't have been sold because of mixup on paperwork by the storage facility or a payment was made prior to the auciton without the knowledge of the Manager.