The last time I went to an auction was over 20 years ago in New York and that was a Postal Auction. I heard that there was going to be an Auction at Chipman Relocations/United Van Lines so hubby and I hopped in the Suburban and headed out. I actually arrived after the auction started, so the good news was that I had a chance to talk to the Auctioneers about how the process worked before I jumped in. I filled out my "paddle" which was a slip of paper the size of a "door hanger." My number was written at the top and they took the bottom for their records. Normally they require a $100 cash deposit, which you get back, less your purchases. The auction starts at one end of the row and works it's way down to the other end. By the time I arrived they were about 1/2 way through, which was a shame because I saw a beautiful marble table base which had two elephants sculpted on it and it had a glass top and 8 matching parson chairs in perfect condition. Where I would put this, I don't know, but it was gorgeous! The first item I bought was a little kidney shaped coffee/occasional table, vintage 60's. It was in a group of items that were "passed." That means that nobody wanted them. He asked for one last offer, so I offered $1. SCORE! The next item I bought was again from a vault that was being passed. I offered $5 for a chest of drawers, a dresser and headboard. All solid wood, similar to Thomasville. SCORE! Then I actually bid on a 1998 Frigidaire side-by-side refrigerator. The bidding started at $15 and I won with a final bid of $30. SCORE! And my final purchase was a sold Cherry Credenza in good condition for $1. SCORE! Now a couple of things you need to know...... 1/ You need your own vehicle to remove your purchase immediately after the sale. 2/ Cash is King, but they did take my personal check. 3/ Bring some strong arms to help you, otherwise...... I used a small rental truck for the furniture and hauled the refrigerator in my suburban. After tax and service fee, I SCORED all of the above for less than $41.00 And, it was just as fun as it could be! I really enjoyed the experience and the people from American Auctioneers are so very nice and helpful. So now my nephew has a bedroom set and a cool table for his living room, my son has a spot for his 50' flat screen, play station and DVD's and I can start storing cold drinks in my garage and get rid of my energy guzzling freezer. PS - Although the address shows Yucaipa, that is just the office. The auctions are held all over the state. Just go to their website. You can even watch videos of previous auctions. read more

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Im not buyer, I just went with friend to watch one of their events since I love the tv show Storage wars. It was held in Riverside and it was so fun. I did not see all of the Storage War stars there except for Barry. I was to shy to talk to him but he was very funny. Dan the auction man was very professional read more