Storage Facilities Information

 

Thank you for visiting my website. Since you are here, I am assuming you are considering live auctions for your facility. My name is Sherrie Thomson, owner and auctioneer of Sherrie's Auctions. I hope I can give you some insight on choosing live auctions. 

Which auction process is better? For myself and the majority of serious bidders, live auctions are the best. What makes a live auction better? Pictures do not always speak a thousand words. Serious bidders who make a living at reselling storage items prefer in-person viewing. To achieve a positive experience, you want serious bidders that you can trust. What constitutes a serious bidder? A serious bidder is a business owner themselves, such as an auction house, resale shop, or even online sales. Bidders who will return over and over again to find the best items in your units. Just like your long term renters, who pay every month on time, live auction crowds offers that same reliability. You can confidently know your sale will be a success because it is being attended by like minded people conducting business. 

My company has been doing auctions since the mid 90's in the St. Louis area. I have worked for companies such as Storage Trust (5 years), Storage Banc (3 years), and Mehlville Storage (20 years). These companies have sold out to bigger names such as Life Storage. I worked with Life Storage since 2006 when they first come to St. Louis as Uncle Bob's until 2020, when corporate decided to go to online auctions. I have also worked with companies such as Second Attic Mini Storage, Spanish Lakes Self Storage, and A1 Dirt Cheap. I have met a lot of good people in my adventures of storage auctions, and look forward to many more.

I currently work with A Storage Inn, Ample Storage and Cedar Hill Self Storage. They are all companies who utilize the internet for their business needs, but still see the importance and benefits of live auctions. 

Trust is a huge factor with stories surfacing of internet bidders damaging or destroying properties. Ample Storage tried one online auction only to have a bidder hook a chain to a lock on the door and then pulled the lock off with his truck. Quite a bit of damage there. Ample Storage believes in live auctions over internet as there has never been any problems after using our company for almost a decade now.

Additionally, trust is something companies have always had with me as their auctioneer. Trust that I would show when promised, and trust that I would always have plenty of bidders. I have always been fair, honest, and hardworking for the companies I have worked with. Bidders and facilities alike know they can depend on me. Trust and kindness are things this country is really losing, in part due to the cold and faceless internet.  

My customers would also like for me to point out that trust is an issue for them as well. Many bidders have had bad experiences with online auctions. Items removed from units before they arrive to pay. Units paid for by tenants while bidder is en route. One particular man had driven almost 3 hours to get to a unit he had purchased online only to be told by the company they had changed their mind about selling it. Pictures are seldom clear enough for a someone to really see what items are in the unit. Descriptions are not always truthful. Many long distance bidders would like to buy several units, but hate to risk bidding on a small unit to chance not acquiring the larger unit. An online bidder also can't smell a unit, which sounds weird, but I'm sure as an operator you know what kind of unit I am referring to. As any good operator knows, networking is a large portion of any business. Live auctions give bidders that opportunity as well. Real people have created entire incomes that revolve around storage auctions. Online auctions create unwanted difficulties for serious bidders. There have been a few who have lost their incomes due to online auctions because of their lack of knowledge of how to use it. Buying storage to resale is a hard business. Looking into a storage unit and trying to decide how you are going to make a living from it, it is not for beginners. Buying from pictures makes it even harder, not impossible, but not much room for mistakes. Your real business bidders prefer live auctions.

Covid-19 and online auction companies have changed the way of storage auctions. So did Storage Wars, the popular TV show.  In our ever changing world there will always be a new adventure around the corner. Wouldn't you rather know a human being who has the experience, knowledge, and potential who is leading the way to keep your auctions focused on the right goals? The most money for lost rent and a cleaned out unit so you can get back to your business is what the auctions are all about. You are not in the auction business, so why not let a professional do the work for you?

I could make all kinds of bold statements, talk about projections, your bottom line, and many other ideas. It really comes down to choosing people over internet. My company has stood the test of time and is still going. A company doesn't stick around that long on empty promises. I will promise if you chose my company, you will get the old fashioned service that is disappearing in today's technology. If you're interested in working with my company, give me a call at 573-760-9901 (preferred contact method) or fill out the form on our Contact Us page. Thank you for your time.

I look forward to speaking with you about how live auctions can work for you: the right way, with real people.

-Sherrie Thomson

Owner and Auctioneer

Sherrie's Auctions