It looks so glamorous on TV… a group of people staring into a mysterious box full of possible treasure. Once the bidding frenzy begins, only the bravest will walk away with it all.

So I figured—why not me?

I’m always on the hunt for vinyl collections. Estate sales, flea markets, yard sales… I’ve done them all. But buying a storage unit felt like the next level of the hustle. It was part curiosity, part inventory desperation, and part “why the hell not?”

The Online Auction

No fast-talking auctioneer. No crowd. Just me, alone with my coffee, clicking through grainy photos of half-lit storage units on my laptop. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was addictive. You start imagining what might be tucked behind that blanket or under that crate. You zoom in, you squint, you guess.

One unit stood out—some record crates just barely visible in the back, along with a pile of boxes and some random electronics. I threw in a bid and figured I’d be outbid by morning. But when the auction closed, I had won. Just like that, I was the proud new owner of someone else’s forgotten stuff.

The Dig

Pulling open the unit door for the first time was a strange thrill. There’s something surreal about stepping into a space you’ve only seen in pixelated photos. It smelled like dust and time, but I could see the record crates right away.

I got to work going through them and quickly realized there were way more records than I expected—about 400 in total, spanning a range of conditions. About two crate fulls were solid finds bound for the Vagabond bins, including gems from Black Sabbath, The Grateful Dead, and Led Zeppelin. Some were in rough shape, and plenty were common titles headed straight for the budget bins—but that’s part of the game. Every crate’s a mix of gold, grit, and everything in between.

The Aftermath

Once the initial rush of flipping through the records wore off, I started to take in everything else that came with the unit. This wasn’t just a stash of vinyl—it was basically the contents of an entire apartment. Furniture, clothes, VHS tapes, household odds and ends—you name it, it was in there.

That’s when reality hit: I had 48 hours to clear it all out, or I’d lose my $100 cleaning deposit and get banned from the auction site I used.

So Kristina and I got to work. The unit was in Arundel, about an hour from home, and we had to make four separate trips hauling everything back and forth. By the end of the day, most of it was dumped—quite literally—into our yard while we figured out what to do with it all.

I quickly realized I was in over my head. I needed more time… and a bigger truck. I ended up taking another day off and renting a U-Haul. Thankfully, the storage unit manager was cool enough to give me a one-day extension. I hustled back with the truck, loaded up the rest, and got it all home.

But then came the next stage: the sorting. I spent hours going through it all—deciding what was trash, what could be donated, and what might be resellable at a yard sale. There was so much junk that I ended up having to buy a dumpster bag and schedule a pickup—another unexpected cost added to the adventure.

The records were the prize, but they came with a heavy dose of real-life logistics, hauling, sorting, and cleanup. It wasn’t glamorous—but it was definitely unforgettable.

Final Thoughts

In the end, I definitely spent more money than I expected. Between the U-Haul rental, the dumpster bag and pickup, and the extra fees from the storage company, the costs added up quickly. But honestly? It was one hell of an experience — and I’d totally do it again.

Now that I understand the logistics, the physical grind, and the not-so-glamorous side you never see on TV, I feel way more prepared for the next one. I’m already eyeing future auctions.

Because at the end of the day, I’ll do anything to bring amazing new inventory to the bins. The hunt is half the fun — and I’m all in.