Seeing as We also do storage auctions , no way can I condone that kind of behavior .
But it Has Happened Before .
Taken from another forum I belong too .
This was told to me back in 1989-90ish by an OLD timer
" This guy was an 'events stager'. He'd set up for conventions.
Primarily for Sears (I think it was) so he would store displays till next use.
99% of the stuff (lawn mowers, air compressors ...) were either extremely good plastic replicas or the real thing with no guts. And of course a ton of boxes for the back drop.
He lost the account and everything was in a storage unit. He didn't want to have to empty and dispose of it so he defaulted on purpose.
So here comes the auction, doors open and looky here!!!! LOOKS like a 20x30 filled with brand new lawn mowers, compressors, tools, tires.....and unopened box's stacked floor to ceiling, wall to wall!!!
Bidding went thru the roof! He didn't know this but what ever is bid pays the storage bill....anything over the bill and legal fee's? Yep...he got sent a check for several thousand dollars and the bidder got stuck with empty boxes and plastic replicas.
By how he talked I'd say this was in the late 70's so several grand was a lot.
He said he did it a few more times and made a killing.
Another Good Example of what the first poster is talking about
The auctioneer said something similiar happened to him about 10 years ago when he was a buyer. Unit opened up and looked amazing. Big gun safe, gun cases slightly opened with gun stock visable...I don't remember exactly what else he described but anyway, bidding was huge and he bought the unit for $1900.00 (10 years ago so that's pretty huge). Anyway gets back to the unit later or the next day, not sure when and it's completely staged. The safe looked great up front but back was completely blown out. Gun case with stock showing turned out to be just a part of the gun stock duct taped to the back of the case so it looked like a gun. Everything had been arranged so it looked promising but was all broken or empty boxes. He talked to the storage facility and apparently the guy who owned the unit rented it, immediately let it go delinquent, never answered their calls and the day of the auction he called immediately after the auction ended to ask how much his unit went for and when could he pick up a check. What a nightmare. Gives me the creeps just thinking about it. You see people bidding up units just because they see lots of boxes and think there might be something good and that's their fault if they get screwed.
We have personally Not seen any staged units , but at one auction I stopped into the mens room and came out behind the manager and two bidders just in time to hear the mgr. tell them what # not to bid on as there was just junk in them .
We Left and have Never gone back to any of there auctions .
Bandit
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Originally Posted by Oldbarnz
....... and we wounder why the country is going to crap. in my book thats theft by deception. and I would be looking for your address.
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