Storage Facility FAQFAQ
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What does it cost?
Nothing. Bid13 is a free service for storage facilities. No listing fees. No Cancellation fees. No Contracts. We won't ever ask you for any payment information.
If it's free, how do you make money?
Bid13 charges a 15% buyer's premium on all units sold. For example: an auction that ends at $500, the winning bidder will pay you the full $500. Additionally, Bid13 will charge the buyer's credit card $75.
How can I get help?

We have support available via telephone, email and live chat from: 9AM to 5PM EST, 7 days a week.

Phone: 1 (888) 992-4313
Email:   support@bid13.com
Chat:    Live Chat

Do you integrate with any third party property management systems?
Yes! Right now we have integrations with Sitelink and StorEdge and we will be launching more soon. To find out how you can take advantage of these integrations to streamline your auction process, please contact our support team.
How can I display my auctions on my own storage facility website?
Bid13 offers a number of solutions for this problem, we refer to this as the Host Feed. We offer a variety of different solutions, the best solution for you would depend on the technology your website was built with. We have prebuilt plugins for CMS platforms like Wordpress, Drupal, Joomla, etc. Additionally, we have libraries for frameworks like Code Igniter, Symphony, etc. Or you can use our API, either from your backend, or with CORS from your frontend. If you are not sure what solution is best for you, simply put us in contact with your developers and we will coordinate.
Do you have an API?
Yes! If you have a need to any programmatic interfacing with Bid13 to streamline your management processes, please contact us and we would be happy to help. There are no costs for custom API integrations, just tell us what you need and we will build it for you.
I run a storage facility, how do I list my auctions on your site?

One of our reps would be happy to give you a screenshare walkthrough of how our site works and help you get setup. Please give us a call at 1 888 992 4313 to setup a meeting.

If you prefer to do it all yourself, you can simply sign up here. Once you have created an account, you will need to follow the steps to add your facility and after that you can post a unit for auction.

Can I auction the contents of my own private storage unit?
No. Bid13 does not allow private sales. We only allow auctions posted by storage facility owners or operators.
How do I post an auction?

First you will need a short video of the unit contents, approximately one to two minutes in length. Please do not touch, move, open or otherwise modify any of the unit contents prior to, or during filming. It is best to simply stand at the door and film the unit from there. Avoid entering the unit. If possible film the cutting of the lock as well.

Once you are done filming the unit contents, continue to film while you close the door and attach a tamper proof seal. Make sure that the seal number is visible during filming. If you do not have any tamper proof seals, please ask our support team to mail some to you for free.

You may accompany the video with still photos. This is helpful if you want to take a clear photo of a specific item in the unit, but it is not required. We will pull still photos from the video you provide, so you can save time by skipping this step. However, keep in mind that the more effort you put into your auctions, the better results you will get.

Now that you have the photos and video ready, log in to your account and click on 'Create Auction'. First add the video you filmed, then fill in the rest of the form. You will be required to enter in some details about the unit, e.g. unit number, unit size, start and end dates, etc. and then click save.

Once you have clicked save, your auction will not yet be live! Our website backend is now processing your video and will send you an email in approximately 10 minutes letting you know the auction is ready. When you receive this email, please review the video to make sure everything is ok. Once you are ready, click the publish button. Now your auction will be live!

I created an auction but I don't see it in my current auctions?
After you upload an auction our system will process the video and convert it into a web friendly format. During this time your auction will appear in the Pending Auctions section. You will be required to review the video and click publish before your auction will be live.
I don't have a video camera, how should I film the unit?
Most modern phones and tablets have excellent video cameras built in. For your convenience, you can upload the video directly from your mobile device using Bid13's mobile website. When filming with a mobile device please make sure to hold the phone horizontally. If you have rotation lock enabled please first disable it. Also, please hold the phone horizontally while you film the video. Make sure to rotate the phone before you tap the record button.
Can I set a starting bid?
Yes. When you are creating the auction you can set the starting price. We recommend not setting a starting price too high as it may discourage bidding.
Is there a cleaning deposit?
Yes, the default cleaning deposit is $200. You can override this setting on a per facility basis by editing your facility and changing the deposit amount. You can also further override this setting on a per auction basis, by setting a specific deposit when creating an auction.
Does the buyer pay sales tax?
This depends on the state or province in which your facility is located. You can set the specific sales tax rate that applies to your location in your facility settings.
How long should I run the auction for?
The default when you create a new auction is 1 week. You can set the duration of the auction to any length you prefer. We do however caution that auction durations shorter than 1 week will leave our staff with less time to promote your auction, and auctions much longer than 2 weeks risk losing bidder interest.
My auction ended, now what?

Once the timer reaches zero, the auction has ended. You will receive an email that specifies who won the auction, their contact information, a confirmation code, and the complete bidding history of the unit. The winning bidder will contact you to arrange a time for pickup.

Note: do not release the unit contents to the winning bidder unless they provide you with a matching confirmation number to the number you received in the email.

Note: if you did not receive a confirmation code in the email, the winning bidder is likely having some trouble with their credit card. Our support team will have already been notified and will be working on rectifying this situation. Please, do not release the unit contents to the winning bidder until you receive an email containing a confirmation code.

What do I do when a buyer arrives?
When the buyer arrives please be sure to do all of the following.
  • Verify that their photo identification matches the winner's name specified in the auction complete email.
  • Compare the verification code they provide to the code from the auction complete email.
  • Collect a cleaning deposit to be returned only after the unit has been completely emptied out.
  • Collect the final auction price (plus applicable sales tax)

After all the above are complete, you should grant the buyer access to the unit. Please clearly specify the times of day they are allowed to access the unit, as well as a unit clean-out deadline.

How do I cancel an auction? What does it cost to cancel an auction?
Cancelling auctions is completely free. To cancel a sale, go to your current auctions section and click cancel on the auction you wish to end.
The auction ended but the tenant just showed up to pay, can I still cancel?
The sale is not complete until the winning buyer has paid in full for the unit. At any time prior to that, an auction may be cancelled due to the tenant paying their outstanding balance.
What happens when the winning bidder does not collect?
While rare, on occasion we do get a buyer who does not collect the unit. Please contact us and we will help you find a solution. In some cases we will offer the unit to the next highest bidder, while in other cases we could relist the unit for auction again. The defaulting buyer will be banned from participating in future Bid13 auctions.
Who collects the buyer's fee?
Bid13 collects the fee automatically at the end of the auction from the buyer's card on file. Please do not accept the buyer's fee on our behalf from the buyer even if they insist on doing so.
Does Bid13 advertise my auctions?

Bid13 has a large following of users who are subscribed to our auction newsletter. They receive notices when new auctions are posted in their area. Additionally, we advertise auctions on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, etc. We also advertise auctions in Google search and on local online classifieds such as Craigslist, Kijiji, KSL, Ebay Classifieds, etc.

We also encourage you to play a role in marketing your auctions. We offer free lawn signs to advertise your auctions locally. We can provide you with flyers to hand out at the front desk. You may take advantage of our host feed feature to display your auctions on your own website. For more ideas, please contact our support team and they will walk you through some promotional steps that will make your auctions a guaranteed success.

My question isn't listed, how can I get help?

Please call us at 1-888-992-4313 or email us at support@bid13.com.