On a recent staycation, I inexplicably started watching Storage Wars on my classy hotel TV. The auctioning off of storage lockers appeals to me for some reason – maybe there’s a get rich quick nodule wired permanently into my brain that tells me I should be able to find a treasure and cash it in. The idea of bidding on a bunch of junk for pennies on the dollar has rattled around in my brain ever since.
Lo and behold, I received another postcard last week from Bill Hall Auctioneers – quite possibly because the last time I won at an auction, it was one of theirs. I bought a Subaru Brat for peanuts, and within a few weeks sold it for hazelnuts – a fun little exercise to be sure.
Ever since, Bill Hall have been sending me notifications of their other auctions, trying to lure me to “invest” some more funds into their wares. The actual auction itself is quite exciting – on the one hand you have the anticipation – the promise of a deal. On the other you have the frenzy and tension of bidding – a thrill and a rush in itself.
So when I wrote my thoughts about how to win at auction, I said that being the seller is a sure fire way to win. Bidders and buyers think they are winning, but typically not so. I forgot that the other way to win is to be the auctioneer – you get a percentage of everything that you can find a home for.
I doubt I’ll ever become an auctioneer, though apparently it is in my family – my godfather Chris Boden used to be in the trade. But I may find myself going to a few of the storage sales. Telling myself I won’t buy anything. Not unless it’s a bargain of course