Many people, who are in the lien status with their units, have the mistaken misconception that their units go ultra cheap. I have been at several auctions, where the owner was there or had a “ringer” in place to bid on the unit.

Usually they are very conspicuous, never even look that the unit, just start bidding. I do have compassion for someone in dire straights, if it is not my type of unit I will not bid on it, if they are there. Most often it is not.

This was not the case on this lovely day in July; I was over in Brookhaven waiting for the auction to start. For years, there was hardly anyone that came to this auction. Now the world knows. So there was a generous crowd present, I knew everyone and most dabbled in things I did not.

The OG’s were there, this place was a real honey hole; I have gotten real Gucci, real Louis Vuitton, real Prada and some serious furniture out of this location. Those in the know rarely missed this auction. You develop an easy rapport even with the guys you can’t stand. (Better to dance with the devil you know, than an angel you never met)We were just goofing off and ribbing each other. There is a lot of trash talking on the auction trail. The levity helps with the boredom that develops while between auctions.

We all noticed at the same the time when the new hunter green Mercedes Benz pulls up, out hops this stunning red head. Adorned with an oversize straw hat, Gucci sunglasses and a pink sundress, she was a real looker. Chad nearly tripped over himself opening up the door for her. My spider sense lit up, something was amiss.

My lust quickly faded when I realized she was a bidder. It did not add up, until later, women who look like that never come to auctions. So it was her unit or she was plant, the gear she was rocking and her manner said money, so it did not make sense for her to even be here.

The district manager showed up and within in minutes we were off. Mary knew all us, so there was no need to give the speech. Chad quickly let the manager we had “lovely guest “present who needed to know the lay of the land. In my mind I was rolling Chad had as much as chance with her as Rush Limbaugh living through a Louis Farrakhan rally. But you never know, Becky as I christened her smiled and blushed, this was too funny, storage auction flirting.

We got the first unit and it was full of lighting fixtures, I quickly passed and Rod got it for $50.00, it was looking fairly lackluster for me. I just let the other guys have the units. It was either things I already had or just not my type of stuff. Then we came to my type of unit. It was odd and full.

Very artsy and there was a cheval mirror in there to die for! I knew just which one of my regulars would buy it. I saw the feet of an Asian wardrobe in the back, several high end designer store bags. Thirty to forty boxes (it was 38 to be exact) much of the unit you could see because of the boxes, it was jammed packed with good stuff. I was getting this puppy! Since I had not bid on anything, the OGs backed off; when you work with people most will work with you.

So as I drooled over my unit, I notice Becky opened the bid at $250.00, she was getting uglier by the minute. I countered with $275.00 and on and on we went until I said $725.00 which was way more than I wanted to pay for the unit (if she did not show up, I would have gotten it $50.00) She finally looks at the unit and walks away. I locked it down and headed to the office to settle up. When I get in the property manager tells me that woman looks just like the girl that rented the unit. So it went from strange to stranger.

I was really eager to see what was in the unit. After paying I drove thru the gate to start loading Melvin. I had picked up the last part of another unit early in the day so he was quarter full. But packed right I could get it all in, this was a 10 x 20 so it was going to be high and tight. I brought the boxes out and start looking for goodies and found two really quick. There were two gold pocket watches, in a vintage Hermes bag which in gold content would get me my original investment back. The bag brought $420.00 on eBay.

It just kept getting better and better. I was no longer upset I paid so much. I had about $2200.00 worth of stuff in a laundry basket and over 90% of the unit left to load. Being the dude that I am, I always thumb through photo albums and there was Becky with her sister at what appeared to the Hamptons. Apparently little sis, did not let Becky know what was in the unit, because I think she would have bid a lot more it she knew grandfather’s gold pocket watches were in there!

I do not get it, they had the money to pay the bill and why she stopped bidding I do not know. Later on I got a call from the storage property, that little sis and Becky came by as was little sis was losing it big time. Crying and damn near hysterical ( I heard her in the background) She wanted to buy the unit back, while on the phone I went through a garment bag and found three fur coats…..I was Simon on America Idol “sorry it was a no.”

The End