The lock comes off, the storage door slides open, and Allen Haff and Ton Jones take a quick peek inside before deciding if they want to bid. That’s just the beginning of a storage unit prospecter's day, as documented by Spike TV’s highly popular Auction Hunters.
“We were born to buy and sell,” Ton said on Thursday, February 17, 2011, as the duo wrapped up filming at Chicago’s Life Storage Roger Park facilities. Auction hunting is the team’s passion and livelihood--as it is for many other Chicagoans, from owners of resale shops to sellers on Craigslist.
Yet, auction hunting has never been as popular as it is now, in no small part due to Auction Hunters. Season two of the Spike TV series starts airing later this Spring.
“There’s definitely been an increase in bidders since their TV show,” Matt Clark, VP of Operations at Life Storage said. Auctions used to take place with as few as three bidders, but now that’s extremely unlikely. On the afternoon of February 20th, around 40 people showed up to place their bids on 12 storage units. All hoped to find some treasure.
What is a storage auction?
Once everyone has gotten a look inside a unit, the bidding begins. At Life Storage, Matt takes verbal offers. Going once, going twice, and then the winner has 48 hours to clean all that trash and, hopefully, treasure out of the unit.
What’s inside that storage unit?
Ton likes to stand in the center of the crowd, watching who spends the most time at the unit’s door and to see where they’re looking. On the other hand, Allen likes to be up front, and he’s all about getting away from the unit--and fast--if he sees something he wants. Overall, the Auction Hunters team always look for things they recognize, so they know what something is worth inside the unit.
Allen is all about antiques, while Ton’s expertise is with weapons, guns, and coins. Between the two of them, they know what’s treasure, and what’s not. Most importantly, they know how to make snap judgements about a unit, partially due to what the items are packaged in.
“What’s in garbage bags?” Allen asks. “That’s right. Garbage.” Shrink-wrapped items, on the other hand, usually mean the owner valued those items highly. Home Shopping Network boxes are also a good indicator as well as Rubbermaid boxes.
Yet, never rely on the packaging alone, Allen and Ton stress. Whether the owner labelled the box, or it looks like original packaging for a Super Nintendo, it can be misleading. After all, packaging doesn’t always signify there’s treasure inside. That’s where the gamble comes in.
All of this advice is just the tip of the iceberg. For more info--including what Allen and Ton found in the Windy City, other than a hot dog--viewers and fans will have to tune in this spring for the second season of Auction Hunters.
Comments