The first time I happened upon this somewhat unknown way of getting some really nice stuff, and sometimes real 'treasures' was when I stopped in at my local self storage unit to pay my bill, and happened to see an auction sign posted. I asked the lady what that was about and she told me that after a period of time they auction off the unit's contents for non payment of rent. So after finding out the particulars, I decided to check out the next auction that Thursday.
The day of the auction I got there just about the time the auction started. They had about 8 units to auction off that day, and although I had been to auctions before, the way they did these was a bit unique. What they would do is to go to the unit to be auctioned, unlock the unit, and literally give you about 5 seconds to poke your head in along with everybody else, look around, and then the bidding began. Usually the units would be auctioned off in about a minute or two at most.
Shelf Unit Storage
I didn't buy anything that day, but later went to another the next month, and bought the contents of a small unit. Although there was a lot of junk in the unit, after going threw the lot, I found almost 300 fairly old comic books, mostly covered, and some jewerly, well worth the 5 I paid for it. I've since bought some other units, and have found some really nice stuff including some antique glassware, lots of nice furniture, and other treasures.
A couple of tips; as with any auction, until the auctioneer gets to know you and your way of bidding, make sure he knows that you've bid, and know what you're willing to pay before they start the auction. Don't get caught up in the moment, and wind up paying more than you wanted to.
Another thing to be aware of is that oftentimes you're bidding against people who are 'regulars' looking to buy for their auction house, or store, so don't be put off by the fact that one or two people seem to be outbidding everyone else. Take your time, start off with a smaller unit and you'll eventually get one. You may wind up with a lot of junk that you have to get rid of, or you could wind up with some real treasure.
I've heard many stories, but the one I like best was told to me by another bidder. He said that he was at an auction, and there was a medium sized unit that really looked like it had a bunch of garbage and wasn't going to bid. At the last moment he threw his hand up and bought the unit for 5. Later that evening, he got in there and started looking around and found some crates. When he opened the crates up, what he found was pieces of a motorcycle. After opening all the crates, he realized that he had a disassembled Harley Davidson Motorcycle!
You really never know what you're going to find. Happy treasure hunting!