Customer Left You High And Dry? How To Make Money From Their Storage Unit
Posted on: 29 January 2015
Share
When a customer rents a storage unit, they have to sign a lease. If he/she becomes late on the payment, which is typically 50 to 30 days, you have the right to sell the items, and deny your customer access to them. There are ways you can recoup the money your customer owes you, such as auctioning them off.
Auction
Before you get started, remove everything from the storage unit, and determine what it is worth. How you do this depends on what the items are. For example, if there is jewelry, take the pieces to a reputable jeweler. If there are musical instruments, take them to a local music shop.
Once you determine what everything is worth, you need to find an auction. You can do this by looking in your local newspaper, as well as through many websites.
Once you find the auction, call the auctioneer, and let them know what you have. They will tell you if they can auction off the items for you. They may come to your place of business to look them over, or you may need to take the items to him/her.
If they agree to sell your items, they may take them right then, or you will have to bring them to the auction a few hours before it starts.
Before choosing an auctioneer, make sure you:
- Find out if they are licensed for your state
- Check their references
- How many auctions have they done
- Attend an auction to see how it is run
- Speak with people there to get their opinion on the auctioneer
Your Own Auction
If you do not want to take your things to an auction, you can have an auction yourself to get the money back. Advertise that you are having an auction in your area by sending out flyers, putting an ad in the newspaper, etc. List the types of items you have.
Before the auction starts, set everything out on a table, or in a way where it is easily seen. If you do not want to be the auctioneer, you should hire a reputable one.
You need to give each person something they can hold up if they want to bid, such as a wooden paddle. Keep a list of what each item sells for, to ensure you get the amount of money that is due to you.
There are also many auction websites you can sell the items through. Make sure they are reputable before you start listing your items by doing your research. For more help, contact a company like I-70 Self Storage with any questions you have.