By posting an auction on StorageTreasures, you acknowledge that you have read, understand and are in compliance with these Private Seller Rules.
These Rules are in effect as of May 1, 2020. All Private Seller auctions posted on and after that date will be audited for compliance with these Rules.
AGE REQUIREMENT
A Private Seller must be at least 18 years old to post auctions on StorageTreasures.
PROHIBITED FACILITIES
Not all Storage Operators allow Private Seller auctions to be conducted at their facilities. This is due to the liability of having a non-tenant or ‘guest’ (Buyer) on their facility grounds to complete a business transaction with a tenant (Private Seller). If you rent a unit at one of the storage facilities listed on our Prohibited Facilities list, you are PROHIBITED from posting a private seller auction on StorageTreasures at that facility.
FACILITY APPROVAL
A Private Seller MUST have approval from the facility manager or staff in order to post a Private Seller auction on StorageTreasures. The facility MUST be an allowed facility, and not on the Prohibited Facilities list. The facility manager or staff should be informed that a non-tenant buyer will be allowed access onto the property to pick up the storage unit contents.
In addition, the Private Seller must confirm that the lease agreement does not contain a provision that prohibits business transactions from occurring at the storage unit.
StorageTreasures will contact the storage facility to confirm that they were informed by the Private Seller (their tenant) that an auction for the sale of their unit contents will be conducted on the property, and that they approve of any such sale.
FACILITY INVOLVEMENT
The storage facility is NOT to be involved in any aspect of a Private Seller auction held on their property. They should NOT communicate with the Buyer on behalf of the Private Seller, be involved in accepting sale proceeds or in any other capacity.
LOCATION OF UNIT
Private Seller auctions MUST be held in a rented unit located at an allowed storage facility. The unit must be locked at the time the auction is posted and MUST not be opened until the Buyer arrives to claim the unit.
You CANNOT post auctions on residential property, including in a garage, shed, POD/storage container, or inside a residence. Vehicles or watercraft MUST be located on storage facility grounds.
The address where the auction unit is located MUST be the address stated on the facility account. Private Sellers CANNOT contact the Buyer after the auction has ended and tell them to meet at a different address.
CREDIT CARD ON FILE
Required: Private Sellers are required to have a valid credit card on file with StorageTreasures.com BEFORE posting an auction. The card will be used for any cancellation fees that may be incurred.
Call Customer Support at 480-397-6503 to add a credit card to your account profile.
DO NOT email or chat Customer Support with your credit card information.
ITEMS TO SELL & NOT TO SELL
Before posting an auction, please review our article What Items to Sell (and Not to Sell).
FACILITY NAME
There are two types of Private Seller accounts. When creating a new account, the facility name MUST be in one of these two formats:
1. INDIVIDUAL
Facility Name must be:
- Private Seller - First Name, Last Name
- Private Seller - First Initial, Last Name
- Private Seller - First Name, Last Initial
Note: Valid ID in the Seller’s name must be made available to the Buyer, upon request.
2. RESALE BUSINESS
Facility Name must be:
- Private Seller - Business Name
The business name must be registered with the state. A business license (and/or a permit to collect and remit sales tax) MUST be emailed to support@storagetreasures.com for verification. If you fail to provide a business license, then your facility name will be changed to individual status.
Note: Your facility name cannot be changed without approval by ST Staff. Email name change request to support@storagetreasures.com.
SALES TAX
Individual Private Sellers CANNOT charge sales tax. Set Default Auction Settings to ‘0.0.’
Resale Business Private Sellers can charge sales tax ONLY if the following is provided:
A permit to collect and remit sales tax in the Private Seller’s business name MUST be emailed to support@storagetreasures.com PRIOR to posting an auction. If a valid permit is not provided before the auction is posted, sales tax will be removed from the auction. We will also change your Facility Name to individual status until verification is provided.
See How to Set up a Private Seller Account for instructions.
MULTIPLE FACILITIES
Private Sellers can post auctions from multiple storage facilities on StorageTreasures.com under one user account. Confirm each facility is allowed and not on the Prohibited Facilities list. To add additional facilities to a Private Seller user account, call or email Customer Support for assistance.
AUCTION FEES
SELLER'S PREMIUM
We charge a 10% seller's premium (of the sales price), which is referred to as 'Purchase Deposit' on the Invoice. This fee is collected from the winning buyer upfront by StorageTreasures.com, so there is no need to invoice you after the auction to collect this amount. In other words, the Buyer will pay you 90% of the sales price.
CANCELLATION FEE
We charge a $20 cancellation fee to the credit card on file for each cancelled auction.
AUCTION TYPE
Private Seller auctions MUST be posted as a Non-Lien Unit/Manager Special as the Auction Type.
Lien Auctions must be pre-approved by Customer Support staff.
ACCEPTED PAYMENT METHOD
Individual Private Seller auctions can be paid via Cash, credit/debit, or other electronic payment methods (Zelle, Cash App, Venmo, etc..). Cash is the recommended payment method by StorageTreasures.
Before payment is collected by the Buyer, the Private Seller must allow Buyer access to the unit to compare unit contents to the auction photos. Then, the Private Seller may collect the sale proceeds and cleaning deposit and then escort the Buyer to pick up the unit contents.
NON-TENANT ON PROPERTY
The Buyer is the Private Seller’s “guest” on the storage facility property and must be accompanied by the Private Seller at all times. We recommend permitting the Buyer and one adult helper to clean out the unit.
GATE CODE
A Private Seller CANNOT provide a gate code to the Buyer. If the Buyer has to leave and return in order to finish cleaning out a unit, then the Private Seller must provide Buyer re-access onto the property until the Buyer empties the unit.
FACILITY DUMPSTER
The storage facility dumpsters are NOT to be used by the Buyer.
SHILL BIDDING
Shill bidding is strictly PROHIBITED. This is the illegal practice of a Private Seller or a Private Seller's acquaintances placing bids on the auction in order to drive up the price.
If ST determines that shill bidding has occurred, the auction will be cancelled without notice, and the Private Seller, as well as the Bidder, could have their account privileges permanently revoked.
NO RESERVE AUCTIONS
StorageTreasures does not provide an option to set reserves or minimums so that bidding can start at a certain amount. Due to the large number of bidders that participate in ST auctions, the bidders set the market price.
If you need to sell an auction for a certain price and the bids are below the desired amount, you can cancel the auction before it ends. You will be charged a $20 cancellation fee. We do not allow cancelling auctions after they have sold.
Keep in mind that auctions that have been reposted that were previously cancelled often do not sell as well, since the bidders may question why it was cancelled in the first place. Refer to Private Seller Best Practices for recommendations to improve auction results.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTENT (RULES FOR BUYERS)
Additional Information is a section found on the Auction Details Page, that is used to provide instructions and rules for bidders, if needed. This content would appear below the auction photos and bidding area.
Private Sellers MUST include the following sentences in the Additional Information field. This can be set up in Default Auction Settings to be auto-populated to the posting form, so it does not have to be entered every time an auction is posted.
Required: The following sentences MUST be added to the Additional Information field:
This is a Private Sale. Please contact the Private Seller directly to schedule an appointment to pick up the unit. DO NOT contact the storage facility.
Optional: A list of approved sample Buyer Rules is available in How to Set Up a Private Seller Account/Optional Additional Information Content. Feel free to add any of these Rules to the Additional Information verbiage below the required verbiage shown above.
COMPLETE THE SALE
For details regarding how to complete a private seller auction sale, refer to our article How to Complete a Private Seller Auction.
24 HOUR CREDIT CARD DECLINE POLICY
If the Buyer fails to pay the StorageTreasures fees and 24 hours has expired since the auction ended, a Private Seller can request to sell the unit to the next highest bidder at that time without having to wait the full clean-out time. Private Seller should refresh the Invoices tab to confirm the Invoice is still Declined. If so, Private Seller can contact Customer Support to request a backup bidder (BUB) case be started.
If you do not want to sell to a backup bidder, you can repost the auction once the clean-out time has expired.
CANCELLATIONS
If you need to cancel your Active Auction, it must be cancelled before the auction ends. You will need to select a cancellation reason. See How to Cancel a Private Seller Auction.
Note: All bidders that placed bids on the auction will receive an email with the cancellation reason. Choose the reason carefully, especially if you will be reposting the unit at a later date.
Select one
- Auction Post Incorrect
- Other: Type a reason for the cancellation
- Examples: Missing or wrong photos, reposting at later date, etc.
Do NOT choose one of these reasons
- Account Settled with Tenant
- Error in Lien Process or Timeline
We do not recommend stating the reason was due to low bid amounts. When you repost the auction, the bidders may remember the auction and why it was previously cancelled. They may not want to bid again, for fear it may be cancelled again for the same reason.
CANCEL AFTER SOLD
Private Seller auctions MUST be cancelled BEFORE the auction ends, while it is Active. We do NOT allow auctions to be cancelled after sold. If we see that you are cancelling auctions after they have sold, your account will be automatically flagged for review.
ISSUES WITH THE SALE
If a Buyer has an issue with a sale, such as the photos do not match what is in the unit, items are missing or moved, or Buyer feels that the description or photos are misleading, you MUST attempt to resolve any issues with the Buyer. The sale is between you and the Buyer. In some situations, you may have to settle with the Buyer by refunding a portion or all of the sale proceeds in exchange for the refused or disputed items. If that occurs, please inform Customer Support so we can adjust ST fees for the Buyer, and more importantly, add notes to both user accounts.
If you and the Buyer have exhausted all efforts to come to a resolution of the issues, then both parties can contact Customer Support to mediate if needed. StorageTreasures is merely the auction platform and cannot guarantee a resolution. We will note the complaint in both the Private Seller’s and Buyer’s account.
NO SHOW BUYER
If the required clean-out period has expired and you are unsuccessful in contacting the winning Buyer, the Buyer is considered a ‘No Show.’ You will need to:
- Contact Customer Support and provide the Auction ID or Invoice Number.
- Explain your attempts to contact the Buyer, so the Buyer’s account can be noted.
- The Buyer’s bidding privileges will be revoked.
- Ask Customer Support to solicit backup bidders to attempt to sell the unit to a backup bidder at their highest bid amount.
- Advise Customer Support of the lowest amount you will accept for the unit.
- Once a backup bidder is secured, you will receive a new Paid Invoice.
- The original winning buyer will no longer be able to pick up the unit. The original invoice will be marked “Defaulted.”
MULTIPLE AUCTION WEBSITES
A Private Seller is prohibited from selling the same auction on a competitor’s website at the same time.
PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT
A Private Seller MUST conduct themselves in a professional and courteous manner when meeting with Buyers. Both the Private Seller and Buyer must attempt to work out any issues amicably. Yelling, cursing or physical altercations are NOT tolerated and could be grounds for account suspension.
AUCTION REVIEWS
We have a dedicated team that reviews all Private Seller accounts and auctions posted on StorageTreasures for compliance. If we suspect an issue, we will contact the Private Seller by email. A Private Seller has 24 hours to respond. If we do not receive a response, the auction may be cancelled and the Private Seller’s account could be suspended until the issue has been resolved.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
By posting an auction on StorageTreasures, you acknowledge that you have read, understand and are in compliance with these Private Seller Rules. Interactions with Buyers should be professional. Any attempt to defraud or deceive a Buyer or StorageTreasures, including shill bidding, will NOT be tolerated. We reserve the right to cancel auctions or suspend Private Seller accounts, for any reason, at our discretion.
Other Private Seller Resources
What is a Private Seller?
Private Seller Prohibited Facilities
Private Seller How-To Guides
Private Seller Best Practices
Private Seller FAQs
Private Seller Rules v1.2 – Effective May 2020