off site storage?

[keziak]

How many of you use storage units [I assume those with B&M stores or stalls store stuff there]? I've been in an undesirable situation for a long time, not enough shelving and no place to install more [I sell mostly books].  Many boxes of books and media, both listed and unlisted, in many rooms. My husband is patient but really doesn't like an ebay house.  I figure I am probably going to be doing this for another 8-10 years and I would also like a change. 

I stopped at a storage unit place and the units most useful are more expensive than I'd hoped.  But there would also be value in getting away from having such an ebay house.

[emerald40]

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@keziak wrote:

How many of you use storage units [I assume those with B&M stores or stalls store stuff there]? I've been in an undesirable situation for a long time, not enough shelving and no place to install more [I sell mostly books].  Many boxes of books and media, both listed and unlisted, in many rooms. My husband is patient but really doesn't like an ebay house.  I figure I am probably going to be doing this for another 8-10 years and I would also like a change. 

I stopped at a storage unit place and the units most useful are more expensive than I'd hoped.  But there would also be value in getting away from having such an ebay house.

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All I can add is make sure the storage unit is climate controlled if you are selling books.

[tunicaslot]

I can't talk about off site storage as I've never used it. I know my son has one to store his Monster Truck in until he can sell it and it's expensive.

Even tho - the cost for a unit I would probably need is lower - being in the north east and the snowstorms we get - I'd hate to have to go out and retrieve something that sold in the bad weather. I'm sure many other use them - as I've seen others make reference too it - but it seems that many store their items in it and they sit as they continue to buy other items to sell.

[ersatz_sobriquet]

Absolutely! 

The last thing you want is mildew/moldy books. Climate controlled storage is about twice the cost of regular old garage style storage. 

OP, you might not like the price, I bet. 

[notactive2021]

If you think a storage unit would be expensive. Try to sell what you have and don't add more until you are rid of what you have. It looks like you do move things based on your feedback, but you simply haven't got the room. Have you considered investing in something outdoors like maybe an outdoor shed. It would be better and probably save you more in the long run than a storage unit. You could add a dehumdifier or something to keep the air from being damp and ruining the books. Or you could select one room in your home to be for eBay stuff only and move everything else out of the room. 

[ersatz_sobriquet]

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@tunicaslot wrote:

I can't talk about off site storage as I've never used it. I know my son has one to store his Monster Truck in until he can sell it and it's expensive.

Even tho - the cost for a unit I would probably need is lower - being in the north east and the snowstorms we get - I'd hate to have to go out and retrieve something that sold in the bad weather. I'm sure many other use them - as I've seen others make reference too it - but it seems that many store their items in it and they sit as they continue to buy other items to sell.

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I have a room I haven't opened the door except to peek into in 9 years and I think bubbleman has  a storage unit he filled that long ago and out of sight out of mind.

When I've rented storage units there's a big pain getting into them in Jan/Feb. Owners don't plow right up to the garage doorway and they often freeze shut. I wanted to end my rental in the winter and couldn't for that reason. I suppose one could bring 10 gallons of hot water with them to melt the frozen door stuck to the pavement. 

[bigmotormania]

I know this might be a long shot, but, at a company I used to work for they had bought a cheap C-train (shipping container) for pretty cheap, I think they got it for like $400 from some auction, but we used it to keep all of the documents we were required by law to keep for like 7 or 8 years, it was about 16 feet long and about 8 feet wide, and we just put weather seal styrofoam things like you get with a window air conditioner on the doors and that worked really well in keeping the documents in a good condition.

Just an idea, if you can find a short one, it would be cheaper in the long run and if you had the space in the back yard then you would have access to it anytime you wanted, I know a lot of the good storage businesses have certain business hours.

Just thought I might toss that out there, like a said, might be a long shot, but just a suggestion based on personal experience.

[sockmonkeydave]

@keziak

I live in S. Illinois, and the humidity would trash the books in short order.

So climate controlled is a must, but they are not cheap.

[bigmotormania]

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@bigmotormania wrote:

I know this might be a long shot, but, at a company I used to work for they had bought a cheap C-train (shipping container) for pretty cheap, I think they got it for like $400 from some auction, but we used it to keep all of the documents we were required by law to keep for like 7 or 8 years, it was about 16 feet long and about 8 feet wide, and we just put weather seal styrofoam things like you get with a window air conditioner on the doors and that worked really well in keeping the documents in a good condition.

Just an idea, if you can find a short one, it would be cheaper in the long run and if you had the space in the back yard then you would have access to it anytime you wanted, I know a lot of the good storage businesses have certain business hours.

Just thought I might toss that out there, like a said, might be a long shot, but just a suggestion based on personal experience.

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Now that I think about it I should probably clarify that I live in an area of California that's very dry and even in winter the temperatures rarely get below 45f. So the climate here also might be a contributing factor to how well the documents did, that having been said, however, a good c-train is designed to transport things over the ocean through storms and waves and corrosive salt water, and they seem to do a pretty good job.

Just don't mistake a c-train for a wood floored over the highway box trailer that's had it's axels and landing legs cut off, cause those don't seal the same way.

[sockmonkeydave]

@bigmotormania

Good call on the shipping containers,

I know a guy who must have 6 of them.

If sealed, and a dehumidifier, sounds like a plan.

[goodluckselling]

Okay here was a solution I used for a number of years.  I had a local office building that I rented from.  They usually have small unuseable space for business offices.  I rented one of these very inexpensively,  but I also nogotiated to go in and clean the buildings public rest rooms and hallways. 

This worked for me as I was there daily anyways so cleaning was minimal each day.  I also became friends with almost everyone in the building so I would collect there incoming packages when they were not there and I was, and they would sometimes let me store products in extra space they had.

It was all just friendly cooperation between all the tenants.

Good Luck Selling!

[iart]

We sell books too and learned long ago that renting a storage unit is ridiculously and prohibitively expensive. We occassionaly buy old estates or out-of-business book stores and use the units only on a temporary basis to sort out the garbage.

It seems like you own a home. Do you have a back yard? So far, we've bought 3 storage sheds for our overflow. We pack the books in bags in boxes and then bag the boxes as well and tape them shut. We put the boxes on wood pallets and make sure the roof is sealed from rain. We've had zero problems with condition. It's expensive up front but even a $600 storage shed is cheaper than most storage units after a few months.

Or, if it's a source of conflict with your husband, another solution might be for him to move out for those 8 to 10 years. That should free up a little more space!  🙂

[bigmotormania]

@sockmonkeydave

With good sealing a dehumidifier would only need to be ran maybe 2 or 3 times a week for a couple hours at most, and I've seen sealed shipping containers with plugs and outlets so one could even just setup an extension cord and just plug it in whenever they feel the need to run the dehumidifer.

Of course I think those might be a little more expensive than your standard pure seal container.

[ersatz_sobriquet]

For backyard storage perhaps invest in a few rubbermaid closet style containers and a gazillion ziplock gallon bags and put each and every book in one. No climate control necessary. 

[keziak]

thanks for all the replies. I only visited the place near my house. It's affiliated with the Uhaul company.  All of the units are climate-controlled.  I was hoping to find something a little less expensive but there was a big jump between too-small and the next size up. But I could see it filling up. 

As for my situation here I am presently having to double-shelve in most of my shelving and books often fall down. I have many boxes of book lots in my store in an area of the basement. If I move them out I can move boxes of book lots at auction to the basement and out of the dining room.  If I had a place I could move boxes out of the family room, upstairs office,  carport, screened porch and even the hall way, waiting to be listed. [note: bad climate control for some of that]. 

Basically I have long since outgrown the house and it is not getting any better and the ebay house is tiresome.  But the big question mark is, if I stash stuff in a unit how quickly would I bring it home to list? I would need a system in which every time I go there to fetch something that sold or store listed stuff , bring home something else and get it listed.