West Edmonton has its own storage wars
By Anna-Grae York
EDMONTON — Auctions of abandoned self-storage units have become increasingly popular since the television series Storage Wars made its debut.
Self-storage companies open up storage units that renters have neglected to pay for and make the contents available for the public to purchase through auctions. The entire unit is sold as one, rather than just the individual items.
Sentinel Storage, located at 21010 100 Ave., hosted one of these auctions on Wednesday, Sept. 28 and had an attendance of about 70 people. Ron Knutson, an auctioneer with Yellowhead Auctions, which works with Sentinel, says he has certainly seen an increase in attendance since the debut of the television series Storage Wars on A&E in December 2010.
The catch to the auctions is that you cannot go inside and look at what is in the locker—bidders must stay outside the unit and can only look at the contents from there.
“We open the door, they all go by with their flashlights, nobody can go in. Can’t open stuff up, can’t touch nothing,” said auctioneer Ray Hoetmer who is also with Yellowhead Auctions. “There’s so much that you can’t see.”
This is what makes it such a risky yet thrilling game. Experienced bidders bring flashlights with them to get a better look at the contents, as well as cameras so they can continue to assess the value of the locker once their turn viewing is up.
Although some are unfortunate with their winnings, others can be quite lucky. Knutson says that a man who attended a recent auction in Fort McMurray discovered a roll of cash in the locker he won.
“There are lots of regulars, but we get more and more new, lots more new and younger,” said Knutson, who also said that attendance can even hit the 170 mark on a good day.
While many go to the auctions just for kicks or as a hobby on the side, some take them quite seriously.
“There are some people here that have stores. There’s a lady here from Winnipeg today,” said Knutson. “There are regular guys here who have pawn shops, stores, some just sell to whoever.”
The lowest amount of money that Knutson has ever had a person win a storage unit at was $5—which he said, obviously, did not have much in it. The highest amount? $2,850. The particular locker contained tools, a television, and other various junk.
The next auction to be held at Sentinel Storage is on Nov. 8. Auctions are open to the public.
I love Storage Wars! Always wondered if they held these in Edmonton. Now I know!
It is amazing how shows like Storage Wars have sparked this sudden craze that everyone wants to be a part of, and I am no different. Love it!
Edmonton storage auctions Are too small and has little to any good items in the lockers..
cant make money in edmonton.. This sucks.
@danny No one has any idea what is in those units. It’s a game of chance. So I am going to have to disagree with you. Although I am not a storage hunter myself, I believe that anything can turn up in those storage units regardless of the units location.
Thanks so much for the feedback danny!
@danny And like I said, it’s not about making money, it’s about the entertainment value in it :)
Storage auctions have certainly grown in popularity since all those shows started airing.