Lien auctions
OnlineStorageAuctions.com
OnlineStorageAuctions.com is an online marketplace for storage unit sales, open to storage facilities, tenants, auctioneers and private sellers on one side and buyers on the other. The site only facilitates the sale: once a unit sells, the winning bidder pays the seller directly and then clears the unit out.
Listing is free. The company states it charges no seller or cancellation fees and takes no cut of the sale, which sets it apart from sites that take a percentage. Sellers can set a reserve bid, add a buy-it-now price or take offers, upload high-resolution photos with a zoom feature so buyers can inspect contents before bidding, and cross-post a listing to their own website with a copy-and-paste widget. Every transaction can be rated by both sides, and an anonymous internal messaging system handles questions between members.
The marketplace is open to buyers and sellers anywhere in the United States and Canada, and the site is built to work on a phone as well as a desktop. Around the auctions it runs a blog, storage auction reality show recaps and celebrity interviews, and a discussion forum with more than 4,000 topics and 30,000 posts.
Contact details are an address at 3131 McKinney Ave., Ste. 600, Dallas, Texas 75204 and a phone number of (254) 300-1243. Lien sale procedure is set by state statute, so confirm that the notice, advertising and sale steps the platform supports satisfy the rules in the state where the unit sits.
Best for
Self-storage operators who want to run lien sales online without paying a commission on the proceeds, and buyers looking for units across the US and Canada. Not a full auctioneer service; the legal process stays with the operator.
What they do
- Online storage unit auctions
- Free listings for storage facilities and private sellers
- Reserve bid, buy-it-now and make-an-offer listing options
- Buyer and seller feedback ratings
- Auction cross-posting widget for a facility's own website
- Storage auction discussion forum
Details
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| How they charge | Free for storage facilities and private sellers: the site states it charges no seller or cancellation fees and takes no cut of the sale proceeds. |
What stands out
- Charges no seller or cancellation fees and takes no percentage of the sale price.
- Open to buyers and sellers throughout the United States and Canada.
- Its discussion forum carries more than 4,000 topics and 30,000 posts.
- Winning bidders pay the seller directly and clear the unit themselves.