Bidder Rules
1 - How Do I Register To Bid?
First, you will need to create a new account. Click the ‘Sign Up’ button on the top right corner of the StorageTreasures website. Select ‘Sign Up as a Buyer’ then enter your contact information, email address and choose a password. You will receive a verification email to the email address you provided. Access the link provided to activate your account.
In order to bid, you will need to add a credit card on file. See How to Add or Update a Credit Card.
2 - How Do I Search For Auctions In My Area?
You can filter your search by ZIP Code, state, city, facility name, keywords, Top Auctions, Auctions Ending Soon, auction type and categories. See How to Search for Auctions.
To obtain search results in your time zone, we recommend that you log in to your account before starting your search. If you are not logged in to your account, auctions will be shown in Arizona time.
3 - I Tried To Login, But It Says My Login Info Is Incorrect.
If you forgot your password, click on the “Forgot Your Password?” link from the Log In page. A temporary password will be emailed to you. Enter the temporary password in the password box on the website and log in to your account. You can then reset your password under Settings.
If you are still having difficulty logging in, there may be an issue with your account. Please contact Customer Support.
4 - Which Browser Works Best For StorageTreasures?
Google Chrome and Mozilla FireFox browsers are recommended. Internet Explorer is not fully compatible with our website.
If you experience issues when using our website, we recommend clearing the web browser’s cache and cookies, for best results.
5 - Why Do I Need A Credit Card On File?
You need to have a valid credit card on file before you can bid on StorageTreasures.com. The credit card is for payment of our auction fees, once you win an auction. If you do not have a credit card on file, you will not be able to bid.
6 - How Do I Update My Payment Method?
Log into your StorageTreasures account, click My Account at the top of the page, and then select the Settings tab. You can update your credit card on file under the Account Settings tab. See How to Add or Update a Credit Card.
7 - How Do I Add An Authorized Person To My Account?
Log in to your StorageTreasures account, click “My Account” at the top of the page, and then select the Settings tab. You can add an Authorized for Pickup person under the Account Settings tab.
8 - What Fees Will Be Charged To My Credit Card When I Win An Auction?
When you win an auction, your credit card will automatically be charged
15% Buyer Premium (or 10% if you are a Pro Member) and
10% Purchase Deposit (or less, depending upon the storage facility). However, the purchase deposit amount will be deducted from the sale price. See How Much Are My Fees if I Win an Auction.
9 - What Is The Purchase Deposit?
The purchase deposit is a prepayment and is deducted from the sale price. The amount you pay at the facility is calculated as: sales price less purchase deposit, plus sales tax (if applicable).
10 - What All Is Included With A Pro Membership?
Pro Membership benefits include:
• Lower your Buyer Premium to 10% (from 15%) - a 5% savings!
• Pro Member VIP Hotline
• Become Eligible to Join our Auction Buyers Council
• Help Lead Discussions on our Auction Buyers’ Blog
11 - How Do I Upgrade My Account To A Pro Membership?
Log into your account, click the ‘Settings’ tab, and select ‘Account Settings’ in the pull-down. Click on the ‘Upgrade to Pro’ button.
12 - How Do I Cancel My Pro Membership?
Log into your account, click the ‘Settings’ tab, and select ‘Account Settings’ in the pull-down. Click on the ‘Manage Membership’ button. A window will pop up that states ‘you may downgrade your membership below. Click the ‘Downgrade Membership’ button to cancel.
13 - What Is The Difference Between A Lien, Non-Lien/Manager Special And Charity Unit?
Lien Unit
A Lien Unit auction is posted by storage operators after a tenant has failed to pay rent, in order to recoup their losses. The storage operators must follow their State Lien laws in order to auction the storage units of delinquent tenants. All auctions on StorageTreasures.com are Lien Units unless otherwise marked at the top center of the auction page.
Non-Lien/Manager's Special
Non-Lien Unit/Manager Special auctions are posted by Storage Operators and Private Sellers.
A Storage Facility could post a Non-Lien/Manager Special when a tenant agrees to abandon and sign over their rights to the unit contents to the facility. The storage facility can also post this type of auction when items are left behind by tenants vacating their units or the facility wishes to sell items they no longer need or want. There is no lien on the unit contents.
A Private Seller is an individual or business entity with no affiliation to a storage facility. Private Sellers post ONLY Non-Lien Unit/Manager Special auctions. We have seen a lot of great resellable and collectible merchandise in Private Seller auctions.
Charity Storage
*A NON-LIEN UNIT/MANAGER SPECIAL is clearly marked top center of the auction page.
A Charity Unit is an auction conducted in participation with Charity Storage. StorageTreasures is a Preferred Partner of Charity Storage. Charity auctions are composed of donated treasures from bidders, auction winners, tenants and community members. If you win a Charity Storage auction on StorageTreasures.com, the proceeds of the sale benefit the following:
- 60% of the funds go the storage facilities charity of choice
- 20% goes to Kure It Cancer Research
- 10% to the Self Storage Association Scholarship Foundation
- 10% to administration fees
*Tip: A StorageTreasures’ invoice is your charitable contribution receipt.
This is the only auction that StorageTreasures collects 100% of the funds, excluding sales tax and the cleaning deposit.
A CHARITY UNIT is clearly marked top center of the auction page.
*All auctions are provided on a “AS IS” basis. No guarantees or warranties of any type or kind are expressed or implied.
14 - What Is A Max Bid (Or Proxy Bid)?
The Max Bid (or proxy bid) feature allows you to place your highest bid and let the computer do the bidding for you! This way you don’t have to watch the auction so closely. The system will automatically increase your bid by $10 increments until it reaches your proxy bid amount. See
How to Bid, Place a Max Bid and Use Bid Manager.
15 - How Can I Retract A Bid?
You cannot remove your bid. You can, however, reduce your Max Bid to match the current high bid amount.
Be very cautious when placing bids on the website. Two buttons need to be clicked before the bid is placed. Please make sure you confirm the correct bid amount and the auction you wish to bid on.
16 - I Entered The Current High Bid But The Website Shows That I Am Not The Highest Bidder. Why?
Another bidder may have entered a max bid of the same or higher amount before you entered your bid.
17 - Why Can't I See Who I Am Bidding Against?
We do not provide the identity of the bidders to allow fair and equal bidding practices. This is to prevent collusion between bidders that know each other. Your privacy is our number one concern.
18 - I Have A Resale Certificate. How Do I Enter That Into Your Site?
There is no place on our website to collect resale certificate information. Please take your resale certificate to the storage facility. They will have a process in place to verify the paperwork. The sales tax will be subtracted from the 'Total Due at Facility’. Keep in mind, not all facilities will waive the sales tax. Before bidding, review the Additional Information Rules found on the Storage Auction Details page for sales tax provisions, if applicable.
19 - I Won An Auction, Now What Do I Do?
Print the invoice found in your email or from the 'Invoices’ tab in your account. Please contact the facility to make an appointment. You will need to bring the exact amount in the accepted payment method shown on the Invoice, together with the cleaning deposit in cash (unless otherwise stated under Additional Information on the Storage Auction Details page). If you have a resale certificate, present it to the Storage Facility Manager at time of payment. Your cleaning deposit will be refunded once the unit has been entirely emptied and ‘broom swept’.
20 - How To Pay For A Declined Invoice?
You will need make sure you have sufficient funds on your credit card to pay the “Balance Due to StorageTreasures’ shown on the Declined (NOT READY FOR PICKUP) Invoice. See How to Pay a Declined Invoice section in the How to Add and Update a Credit Card article.
21 - What Is A Second Chance Offer?
When a winning bidder defaults and fails to pick up an auction, the seller has the option to sell the unit to a backup bidder. The backup bidder will be sent a ‘Second Chance Offer’ email from Customer Support, offering you the opportunity to win the auction at your highest bid amount. It is imperative that you respond as soon as possible, as there is a limited time the unit may be available. See How to Win A Second Chance Offer for tips and additional information.
22 - Why Did The Facility Cancel The Auction?
There are many reasons why an auction may be canceled. The most common reasons are:
- Tenant pays their past due balance
- There is a discrepancy with the auction date
- Non-compliance of Lien law requirements
- Photos or descriptions are incorrect
23 - Why Are Items Excluded From Auctions?
That is a great question! For lien auctions, certain items may be excluded because the facility is not legally allowed to sell the item(s). This could include firearms, vehicles, boats, hazardous materials, expired perishable/food items, etc. The remaining items in the unit MUST be sold.
24 - Why Are Vehicles Excluded When That Is The Only Thing In The Auction?
Some States require online publications or advertisement of vehicles. They post a notice on StorageTreasures but exclude the vehicle from the sale. This is merely to meet their legal requirements for advertising. Unfortunately, the auction will be cancelled once it has met the required timeline.
25 - How Do I Get My Money Back After The Facility Said The Tenant Paid?
If an auction was cancelled, we will issue a refund within 24 to 48 to hours from time of cancellation.
26 - I Need All My Invoices For Tax Purposes. Where Can I Find Them?
Log into your StorageTreasures account, click “My Account” at the top of the webpage, and then select the “Invoices” tab.
27 - How Do I Print My Invoices?
Log into your StorageTreasures account, click “My Account” at the top of the webpage, and then select the “Invoices” tab. To the right of the Invoice, select the ‘Action’ pull-down, and “Download PDF”. You will then be able to print the invoice from the PDF window.
28 - Why Can't I Bid? When I Login, It Says: "Your Account Has Been Suspended. Your Ability To Submit Bids Has Been Disabled"?
When a buyer does not follow our Terms of Use, we place a suspension on their bidding privileges. If a Buyer continues to break our rules or has multiple issues, then we revoke their bidding and account privileges permanently. Reasons for suspension include:
- Credit Card Decline (CCD). A Buyer has 24 hours to pay ST fees for an auction.
- Clean-out issues (Cherry Picker). This is when a Buyer removes items that they want and leave unwanted items in the unit.
- Fails to clean out unit (No Show). This is when a Buyer fails to clean out a unit in the clean-out time required.
- Inappropriate Behavior. It is unacceptable for a Buyer to be aggressive, disruptive or unprofessional towards facility staff or ST Customer Support. This also includes creating multiple accounts, shill bidding or attempts to defraud StorageTreasures or Storage Facilities/Sellers.
See How to Know Why My Account is Suspended for more information.
29 - The Facility Has My Cleaning Deposit. Why Is My Account Suspended?
The cleaning deposit is to ensure the unit is emptied entirely and 'broom swept'. The cleaning deposit will be refunded to you once the facility has confirmed that you emptied the unit entirely. If you fail to empty the unit entirely, per our Terms of Use, your account will be suspended indefinitely. You cannot forfeit the deposit in lieu of leaving unwanted items in the unit. No Exceptions!
30 - The Unit Does Not Look Like The Photos. What Do I Do?
We recommend that you have the auction photos available on your phone when the unit is opened. If the photos do not match, immediately inform the storage facility staff/seller the issues, have them confirm and cancel the auction. Remember, do not cross the threshold, touch or remove anything in the unit in this situation. Once you touch or remove an item from the unit, you will be responsible for cleaning the unit out entirely.
31 - What Do I Do With Personal Items I Find In An Auction Unit?
Any personal items such as family photographs, birth or marriage certificates, tax returns, medical or bank records, cremation ashes, etc. should be left at the storage facility. The facility staff may recommend where they would like the items left either in the unit or by bringing them to the facility office, for return to the tenant.
32 - Can I Use The Facility's Dumpsters?
Typically, no. The dumpsters are available for paying tenants. You can always ask if they will allow you to put trash in their dumpster. DO NOT leave trash or items on the property grounds.
33 - I Am A Tenant. Can I Bid On My Own Unit?
The auction is considered a Public Sale. Depending upon the storage facility, they may sell the unit to you. However, if they choose not to proceed with the sale, they would have to cancel the auction. In the event that you do not show up to pay and clean out the unit in the required clean-out time, you would be considered a ‘No Show’ and the unit can be sold to a backup bidder.
Regardless, you would still be obligated for any unpaid balance owed to the storage facility.
34 - How Do I Cancel My Account With StorageTreasures?
To cancel your account, you will need to send a request to Customer Support by email or by Live Chat (during office hours).
We would appreciate your feedback to understand why you would like your account cancelled. If there is anything we can do to persuade you to change your mind, we appreciate the opportunity.