Private Seller Best Practices – StorageTreasures Help Center

StorageTreasures recommends the following Best Practices for Private Sellers:

Read the Private Seller Rules so you are fully aware of what is and is not allowed when conducting Private Seller auctions.
Make sure that you have obtained approval from the storage facility to conduct a private seller auction on their property.
Organize and stage the items on shelves or tables, group like-items together, clean or dust items, sweep floor, etc.
Include detailed Additional Information auction rules and instructions so there is no question what is expected of the bidders (See Private Seller Rules/Additional Information Content for required and sample content).

Take 10 to 25 clear, distinguishable photos from different angles inside the unit.
Include photos of the entire unit, quadrant photos, zoom in on special, marketable items.
Post the entire unit photo as the first image to draw attention to your auction. This image appears on the search page.
Use your camera’s ‘flash’ for darker photos in the back of unit.
Do not include an image of the storage unit number or tamper tag (doing this identifies the unit and increases risk of break-ins).

Post auctions for 7 to 10 days for best results.
Post auctions to end on a day so that you will be available for the complete clean-out period.
Post auctions to close in the first week of the month when there are less auctions posted.
Set clean-out time to 72 hours to entice bidders from a farther distance from the storage facility.

Provide a detailed list of items in the unit.
Include brands, model numbers and other details of high-ticket items.
Avoid broad descriptions such as ‘household goods.’ Instead, list all of the different items, styles, brands and features to entice bidding.
Make sure there are no Prohibited Items in the unit. See Private Seller Rules/Items to Sell/Prohibited Items and remove any such items before posting the auction.
Be transparent with what you are selling. This will help you to gain trust with the bidders.
If selling multiple boxes of the same item, photograph and describe one of the items outside of the box so the bidders see what you are selling.
Exclusions for shelving or tables should be stated under Unit Appears to Contain. See Private Seller Rules/Items to Sell/Exclusions for more details.

Categories selected should match the items described in Unit Appears to Contain.
Set reasonable expectations for the sale price. Private Seller auctions typically do not bring retail prices. If you cancel the auction due to higher expectations and repost the same auction at a later date, you may see diminished bid amounts due to bidders questioning your intentions. If you do repost, add a statement as to why the auction was reposted to regain their trust.
Advertise your Private Seller auctions on third-party sites such as Craigslist.org, Yardsales.com, Estatesales.net, GoToAuction.com, Facebook, etc.
NEVER shill bid on your own auctions to drive up the price. Shill bidding is illegal, and your selling and/or bidding privileges could be revoked.
Be professional and respectful when dealing with Buyers. If the Buyer raises questions or has issues with items in the unit, work it out with them. The sale is between you and the Buyer.
Remain with the Buyer at all times while they clean out the unit. You are responsible for their actions on the property and could be held liable if anything should happen.
Have fun!

For more information or assistance, contact Customer Support at support@storagetreasures.com or call 480-397-6503.

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