I paid £326 for a storage unit & bagged £55k of designer clothes & Gucci shoes – people think a shopping addict owned it
A MAN bought a £326 abandoned storage unit at auction – and found it contained £55K worth of designer clothes.
Wade Venture, 37, snapped up the storage unit at auction with little idea what it contained.
The treasure trove contained over 400 pairs of footwear – including brands such as Gucci and Coach.
Along with that, the content creator from Portland, Oregon, found £7000, worth of fur coats and other items still with the tags on.
Wade, who shares his finds online @wadesventures, estimated the haul was worth around £55K in total.
He has started re-selling items – with one coat which sold second-hand for £1200.
He said: “It’s rare to find a unit like that in particular, often you find household stuff or trash.
“It’s more than likely she had a shopping problem -people speculated maybe she was keeping it from her husband!”
Wade bought the unit on March 27 for £326, having only seen a few pictures taken of the entrance to the unit – so he didn’t know exactly what to expect.
Having bought 400-500 units in the past – much of the contents of which were donated to charity – he said little comes as a shock.
But he said even being as experienced as he is, this one took him by surprise.
He said: “People think I’ve been doing this so long I’ve seen everything, but I’ve never found a unit like this before.
“Normally I find things 30% new and 70% used but this was all brand new.
“It was such an awesome experience, I was so shocked.
“Units like this are really rare and special.
“She wasn’t just buying run-of-the-mill stuff, she was shopping at Macy’s and JCPenney.”
Because of the storage units being abandoned, it’s rare to know anything about its previous owner.
Wade added: “There were expensive Gucci shoes and purchases – it could be she didn’t have the money.
“Or she could have passed away.
“Another common one is they move to a different state.”
How it works buying storage units
If you're running out of space to store your belongings then a storage unit could be just what you need. Storage units are completely secure and you can buy or rent the storage space for as long, or short of a time, as you need.
Here’s a few things to consider when choosing a storage unit:
- Size: How many square units of space will you need to fit all your belongings in
- Location: Is it easy to get to and is the area safe and secure? The closer the proximity your unit is to your home means you will cut down on travel costs
- Surveillance: For extra safety and protection of your belongings, some units are located in a carpark that includes surveillance so you don’t have to purchase your own.
- Rent or buy: Be honest with yourself about the purpose of the unit and how long you will need it for. It could cost you more in the long run to rent
- Visit auctions: There are two types, in-person auctions and online auctions, the latter being more popular. Bidders get to see photos of the unit before placing a bid. Once the auction has ended, the winner will have a certain amount of time to pay and will have to go directly to the unit and clear the contents themselves. Pay attention to the contents and whether it will be worth the work to clear it
- Set yourself a price limit: It’s easy to get carried away at auctions so set yourself reasonable limits on what you’re willing to pay
- Check the rules: Make sure you check the rules before visiting the storage facility. This is particularly relevant to online auctions. While some will require all payments to be handled online, some private auctions may only accept cash
Most storage companies use platforms such as eBay and iBidOnStorage to sell units.