Some people will bid on these abandoned storage containers and end up with what’s inside if they pay the highest dollar amount. Though fun and exciting, it can also go awry. Sometimes, the storage unit hides worthless trash. Yet, other times, it’s possible to hit the jackpot, which is what one man hoped to do. Here’s what he ended up finding.
Dream Come True
One man won a storage container’s contents with his final bid. However, he didn’t know if the items were trash or worthy of his time. When he noticed a locked safe tucked away inside, he was ecstatic until he realized something about it…
Dream Come True
Thrilling Bids
The man was finally comfortable enough to bid on the storage units up for auction. It was a gamble to spend his money like this because he never knew what was inside. However, he heard others tell stories of finding riches and cars, so he wanted to test the waters.
Thrilling Bids
Good So Far
He’d been lucky up until now, generally selling the unit’s contents for more than he’d paid initially. However, it was hard work sifting through other people’s things. Plus, he had to clean everything, sort it, and find the buyers.
Good So Far
Might Be Finished
The thrill of it all kept him going, but he was tired. He decided that he’d finish for the day if nothing big or exciting were in the next auctioned unit. Would it all work out for the man?
Might Be Finished
Taking a Peek
Joe stood outside the container, and 15 to 20 others were there. They all craned their necks to peek inside the 5×15-foot unit. Though no one could see every little thing because it was so big, they still tried to get an idea of what was in there.
Taking a Peek
Bid or Lose
You’ve probably seen television shows of bidding wars with drama, screaming, and shouting. However, it didn’t go like that here. It was still fun for Joe when he met another interested buyer, but he knew he had to stick to his budget.
Bid or Lose
Wrapped Up Now
Joe saw that the container held furniture, which was usually a good sign. Often, he could bump up the price if it was something old. Plus, he wanted to check out a few of the other items, but a woman kept adding to the bids.
Wrapped Up Now
Hefty Bidding
It started at $100, which was steep for Joe. However, the container was almost full. He matched the woman’s bet, but she raised it more. Things continued in that way, and now he had to think about how much to spend.
Hefty Bidding
Reality Hit
Joe was up to $350 in bids and couldn’t give up this container. However, the price went even higher, and the winning bid ended up at $500. He won and accomplished his goal, but did he spend too much money on it?
Reality Hit
Hidden By Stuff
The onlookers started moving away from the unit because they hadn’t won. However, some stayed behind to watch Joe enter and see what he’d gotten. He stepped in and wished he hadn’t won the container after he saw one thing.
Hidden By Stuff
Going Through Things
Joe slowly walked in, afraid and excited about what he may find. There were tons of old furniture pieces, which made him feel good. Plus, there were small gaps between the items, so he could look at everything if he moved around a little.
Going Through Things
Breaking Even
Joe felt that trickle of sweat on his neck and knew that the furniture inside wouldn’t cover the high price he’d paid for the unit. They were nice pieces, of course, but he couldn’t break even with them. Now, he was desperately searching.
Breaking Even
The Chance Find
As Joe’s eyes scanned the room, he noticed a dull gray container on the floor and beside a chest of drawers. He rushed to open it, but he found it locked. He then called a friend to ask for a drill in order to break it open.
The Chance Find
Breaking the Lock
Joe used the drill to force open the lock, and he was careful to remove the lid. Inside, there were plenty of VHS tapes, and he took them out to look what may be underneath them. Then, he saw a note that sent chills through his body.
Breaking the Lock
Mysterious
There was one word written on the paper: “Don’t.” The rough handwriting gave Joe a chill. He went through each of the videotapes separately to see that a few had dates and labels. However, no other information was there.
Mysterious
Feeling Watched
You’ve probably felt like someone was watching you, even when you couldn’t see them. It’s a slow creep, and that’s what Joe experienced. He felt eyes looking at him, but he turned around to check it out. Nothing was there; he was alone.
Feeling Watched
Investigation
Joe felt that things would be difficult for him, even with the amazing find. There was a knock on his door about two hours after opening the safe. The police were now swarming the storage unit. What did he get himself involved in?
Investigation
A Windfall
Within the safe, he found yellowed and waxy paper. He unwrapped it to find multiple $50 bills. Joe kept going and revealed even more money. Now, he wondered how it arrived here and who the rightful owner was. Plus, the authorities were involved!
A Windfall
Evidence
Joe finally realized his mistake. He’d been excited to find the safe and sent photos of it to his girlfriend. Likewise, he’d uploaded the pictures of the safe’s contents to his social media account, which brought on the police.
Evidence
Other Interested Parties
He hadn’t taken the time to count all that money, but it was enough to roll around in! Joe stopped counting at $1 million. Now, it was time to talk to the police, but he learned that they weren’t the only ones who cared about the contents.
Other Interested Parties
Dirty Money
When everything was counted, he noted roughly $7.5 million in various safes in the storage container. However, the owner had heard about this find and wanted to get back his fortune. He’d hired lawyers, and Joe realized that the former owner was not about to back down.
Dirty Money
Questions
After Joe checked the safes and found the cash, he received threats. These frightened him badly, and he was now living a nightmare. However, he had questions. Why had they never collected this money, and who hid it here? What was on the VHS tapes?
Questions
Finder’s Fee
Things moved quickly when the police arrived on the scene. When that settled down, Joe got a call from a lawyer representing the original owners. They’d said he must return the money, but they’d give him $600,000 as a finder’s fee.
Finder’s Fee
Threats
Joe knew that these lawyers were threatening him, but he did like the idea of getting cash for his troubles. What should he do? He worried about the who original owners might be and didn’t want anything to do with them.
Threats
The Tapes
The police told Joe not to touch the contents of the container until they’d finished the case. However, he had to know what those VHS tapes contained. He opened a plastic bag, grabbed the tape, and inserted it into the VCR.
The Tapes
Horrible Scenes
He claimed to have witnessed something terrible. Since he’d watched the tapes, he couldn’t unsee those things and had nightmares because of them. Joe desperately tried to convince himself that it was fake, but he couldn’t be sure.
Horrible Scenes
The Dilemma
Joe was part of a dilemma now. The safe’s owner might learn that he’d watched the tapes and try to harm him. It might not happen that way, but it was possible. He decided to keep quiet about it.
The Dilemma
Concerns
He thought back to the times when he felt watched and worried that the safe owner might know he’d viewed the VHS tapes. Plus, he replayed the images in his mind because he couldn’t sleep. What did they show?
Concerns
The Discovery
Joe couldn’t contain his curiosity and watched the tapes. However, he wouldn’t say what they had shown. All he would claim is that he was scared for his life. In fact, the money wasn’t worth dealing with these people, but did they even know about the tapes?
The Discovery
The Law Is on His Side
After speaking to friends, Joe learned that the unit’s contents were no longer owned by the original tenant because it had been sold. Therefore, he could keep what was inside. However, the lawyers still wouldn’t back down.
The Law Is on His Side
Bigger Finder’s Fee
These lawyers believed they were helping Joe and boosted the finder’s fee to $1 million. They played hardball the whole time and were capable of almost anything. What could he do?
Bigger Finder’s Fee
Considerations
Joe began to wonder how someone forgot about $7.5 million in a storage unit. You just don’t do that! Clearly, this owner was not a decent person, but would things be worse for him if he didn’t give it all back?
Considerations
Returning the Money
Those lawyers offered $1.2 million, but would he get it? That’s a large sum of cash, but it’s not the figure he currently had in his hands. He knew they were strong-arming him, and he wasn’t happy. However, he couldn’t think straight.
Returning the Money
A Fair Deal
After thinking about it for a while and enduring more death threats, Joe chose to evenly split the safe’s money. The previous owners had left it abandoned for more than a year, which is why he had attended the auction in the first place!
A Fair Deal
Self-Storage
Self-storage is where you pay a person or company to store the items you own until you need them. You can visit whenever you like, but you have to pay the fees. Most facilities do monthly payments, but they could be weekly, daily, or yearly.
Self-Storage
How It Works
You’re responsible for making payments on the unit, and you have to be on time. If you’re not, the facility has rights. Many times, they’ll sell the unit’s contents at an auction to recoup their money and make others clean up the space.
How It Works
Options
When the tenant of a storage facility doesn’t pay, the owner must evict them or auction the items off to recover their losses. Some people think it’s unfair, but the company has a limited margin.
Options
Cover the Loss
When interviewed, a storage facility owner claimed that he didn’t make money from the auctions and used that to cover his expenses. Generally, he sells at a loss. Unpaid units never make money, but they have to get out the old things for a new tenant.
Cover the Loss
Lucky Finds
It’s risky to purchase a storage unit if you don’t know what’s inside. You hope to get lucky, finding cash tucked in clothes or rare furniture that will sell for thousands of dollars, but that rarely happens.
Lucky Finds
Joe’s Situation
Joe landed a storage unit with tons of safes holding cash. However, it was a harrowing experience for him. He’ll likely be wary in the future, though he will still probably attend auctions for the thrill.
Joe’s Situation