On the morning of February 1st, the weather was gloomy.
Early in the morning, Li Du and Hans took the bus to Smith Storage Company.
The auction was to be held at nine o 'clock. It was Hans' idea to come early to observe the competitors.
He knew that it was Li Du's first time attending an auction, so he kept giving him some general knowledge. "Arriving early is to know yourself and your enemy. You have to know who your opponents are, so you can adjust your bidding strategy accordingly."
At half past eight, there was only half an hour left before the auction started. Everyone who was interested in the storage unit had arrived. Li Du estimated that there were more than fifty people.
This made him feel pressured. "There are so many people bidding for eight storage units?"
Hans said, "They're all aiming for the massage chair. Don't worry, half of these people won't bid unless they are confident. The other half just want to get a low price. In any case, we'll get a storage unit. I've prepared enough money."
"You can still get money?" Li Du was curious. "How did you get it?"
Hans did not answer. Instead, he asked, "How did we get here today?"
"We took the bus. Sh * t, you're saying you sold your car?" Li Du was shocked.
"No, temporarily mortgaged it. But if I don't buy it back within three days, it won't belong to me anymore. So, are you reliable or not? Can you really find the storage unit where the massage chair is?! "
Li Du said, "I didn't do my homework for nothing. I have a rough idea now. I'll be able to find the storage unit you're looking for."
At ten o 'clock, an old man wearing a cowboy hat walked out and shouted very quickly, "Line up! The auction is about to start! I won't say much about the rules. Those who don't understand don't need to participate in this auction *% ¥# …"
Li Du had always thought that his English was good, but now he realized that he had been overconfident!
The storage door opened, and a group of people passed by in a queue. Most of them had flashlights in their hands. Everyone had one minute to stand at the door and watch. The old man in the cowboy hat looked at his watch to see if anyone crossed the line.
Everyone had one minute, and with more than fifty people, it would be close to an hour.
Unit 202 didn't look like there was anything valuable in there. Most of it was some household tools and discarded electrical appliances. These things were considered trash.
Treasure hunters were not trash collectors. They would only buy storage units that they thought were valuable. If they were not sure that they could make a profit, they would not buy them.
This was because Americans believed that time and labor were money. Spending time and energy to help a storage company clean up was a loss.
When it was Hans and Li Du's turn, the two of them walked to the door. Hans shone the wolf's eye flashlight into the warehouse and explained to Li Du:
"First, look around and look for things that might be valuable. This depends on your vision and experience. Look here, there's a box inside that says' Handle with care '. I'm guessing that there are glass items inside, most likely bowls and plates. There's also a handle over there. I think it's a vacuum cleaner … "
Li Du nodded. He realized that he could not underestimate these professional treasure hunters.
Hans's judgment was correct. Previously, he had used the little bug to take a look. There were some beautiful porcelain plates and bowls in the box, and the handle was also a vacuum cleaner.
One minute passed quickly. After the two of them left, Hans whispered, "The value of the item inside is currently estimated to be around 500 dollars. I guess someone will be willing to buy it for around 300 dollars."
After the viewing, the auction began.
The old man in the cowboy hat raised his hand. "One hundred dollars, one hundred dollars, one hundred dollars. Is there anyone willing to bid one hundred and fifty dollars, one hundred and fifty dollars …"
He spoke so fast that Li Du found it difficult to keep up.
Immediately, someone nodded. The old man pointed at the person who nodded and continued, "Now it's one hundred and fifty dollars, one hundred and fifty dollars, two hundred dollars. Is there anyone willing to bid two hundred dollars …"
"Yes!" someone else shouted.
The old man pointed at the latest bidder. "Very good. It's already two hundred dollars, two hundred dollars. How about three hundred dollars, three hundred dollars?"
Just like that, the auctioneer made a bid and the bidders followed. If they could accept the price, they would give him a hint and he would immediately make another bid.
However, when the old man raised the price by one hundred dollars, no one followed. Obviously, everyone thought that the items in the warehouse were not worth that much money.
Hans raised his hand. "Two hundred and twenty dollars!"
Li Du was surprised. "You want to buy this? There's no massage chair in here. "
Hans snorted. "Don't worry, this warehouse is worth more than two hundred and twenty dollars. There will be people bidding for it. I'm just showing you some bidding rules.
"When the auctioneer gives a price that no one can accept, you can bid whatever you want, as long as it's higher than the previous price."
Indeed, as soon as he finished speaking, the auctioneer said, "Two hundred and twenty dollars, two hundred and fifty dollars, how about two hundred and fifty dollars, two hundred and fifty dollars. Is there anyone willing to bid now …"
“YEP！”
"Two hundred and fifty dollars, two hundred and fifty dollars, two hundred and seventy-five dollars, two hundred and seventy-five dollars, anyone willing?"
No one else raised the price. The auctioneer raised his right index finger. "Two hundred and fifty dollars going once, two hundred and fifty dollars going twice. I'm about to call the end. Is there anyone willing? Okay, two hundred and fifty dollars, this gentleman wins! "
A Mexican man nodded and went to the auctioneer to get a list. He closed the shutter door and locked it with his own lock, gaining ownership of the warehouse for the next 24 hours.
Warehouse 203 and 204 were auctioned off just like that. The former was sold for three hundred dollars, while the latter was sold for only one hundred and twenty-five dollars. From the outside, there was nothing valuable in either warehouse.
When they reached warehouse 205, Li Du saw a large box with a massage chair in it through a gap in one of the shelves.
He pretended to look at it for a while, then turned around and gave Hans a look. "Big Fox, get this!"
Hans still looked sloppy, but when no one was looking, he asked in a serious tone, "Are you sure?"
Li Du nodded. "Fifty percent sure!"
"So sure? Very good, watch me. "Hans was suddenly excited.
It was already one o 'clock in the afternoon. The two of them had not eaten anything and only drank some water. Of course, the other treasure hunters were the same. Everyone was tired, and the competition was not as intense.
The auctioneer took a break in the middle of the auction. He could even sleep for half an hour, so the old man was still full of energy.
"The starting price is still one hundred dollars, one hundred dollars, one hundred dollars. Is there anyone willing to bid one hundred and fifty dollars, one hundred and fifty dollars …"
Hans raised his hand, and the auctioneer pointed at him. "One hundred and fifty dollars, one hundred and fifty dollars, how about two hundred dollars?"
The other treasure hunters were either frowning, expressionless, or whispering among themselves. No one was bidding.
Li Du tried his best to keep his expression calm, but his heart was in turmoil. He kept praying to God that there would be no more competitors.
But obviously, someone had noticed the big box and made a bid. "Me!"
"Very good, then two hundred dollars, two hundred dollars, now it's two hundred dollars. Now I say two hundred and fifty dollars, how about two hundred and fifty dollars, how about two hundred and fifty dollars?"
"Go ahead!" Hans said, shaking his head. Then he shrugged and muttered, "There has to be something. Let's bet on this warehouse."
"Then two hundred and fifty dollars, now it's two hundred and fifty dollars. Soon it'll become three hundred dollars. Who wants three hundred dollars?" the auctioneer asked.
No one else was bidding. They were only looking at what they could see. Warehouse 205 was less valuable than the previous three. Just as Hans said, buying this warehouse was a gamble.
After a few quick calls, no one was bidding. The auctioneer repeated twice, then pointed at Hans. "Very good, warehouse 205 is yours!"
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