Worthless haul or treasure trove? That’s the question in Rene and Casey Nezhoda’s minds every time they bid on the mysterious contents of a storage unit as part of the hit reality show “Storage Wars.” Now in its 15th season on A&E, the series follows veteran buyers as they bid against each other in exhilarating, high-stakes storage auctions, many hoping to flip their greatest finds on eBay.
Sellers since the early days of eBay in the ‘90s, Rene and Casey’s hard work, determination, and love of the hunt has led them from selling casino chips to bidding on warehouses full of “Star Wars” memorabilia. We sat down with Rene to learn how they went from hobbyists to reselling reality stars, turning passion into profit through their eBay shop.
How did you become a full time reseller?
Before becoming a reseller, I had a media business. It paid well but it wasn’t very fun. On the side, I was collecting and selling casino chips. I would list them through news groups because there were no other options at the time.
Then in ‘95, eBay popped up. It was this online e-commerce marketplace that I didn’t understand, but I listed my casino chips anyway and eBay started sending me checks. I remember taking stacks of checks to my bank, and the teller was just looking at me, amazed.
When I’d go to the swap meets looking for casino chips, I started finding things like Beanie Babies and Pez dispensers to list on eBay. And each time eBay would launch a new category like “vintage glass,” I started selling into it. I’d buy a glass for $1, and sell it for $17. Then the next week I’d buy 50 more glasses. My business expanded and treasure hunting became really, really fun.
Then at age 19, I had a decision to make. I could stay at my media company and deal with upset employees and advertisers, or I could go to swap meets, yard sales, and thrift stores and have fun scoring. There was no better feeling in the world than being on the hunt, so I decided to become a full-time reseller, and I’ve never looked back.
Rene and Casey uncover an Alpha Romeo in a storage unit they bid on.
What do you sell on eBay? What have your most unique sales been?
My wife, Casey and I have sold everything from earth testing equipment at $500 a tube to medical stuff, toys, comic books, coins, and porcelain. We bought an SS United States storage unit, which was full of goods from a historical ship. We’ve sold Kobe Bryant storage units, which made news headlines all over the world. Lamar Odom and Farrah Fawcett units too. Almost anything that you can imagine, we've sold on eBay.
After my wife and I had just had a daughter, I was working really hard, struggling, and feeling the pressure of fatherhood. I went to an auction and bought a Gran Torino fastback for a hundred bucks. I put it up for auction on eBay for $1,500. Suddenly I received hundreds of messages saying, “I’ll ‘Buy It Now.’” We ended up selling it for $12,000. This is why the eBay community is so great, they let me know it was a rare version of the car and I profited.
How did you end up on “Storage Wars”?
The “Storage Wars” producers tried to recruit Casey and me for season one. At the time I was one of the top three bidders at storage auctions in Southern California. We had just opened up a 7,000-square-foot brick-and-mortar store and hired a bunch of employees to list our stuff on eBay. It was a scary time. I was working 23 hours a day. Plus, we thought no one would watch the show.
Obviously we were wrong. “Storage Wars” became a huge hit. The first season it aired they were averaging six million viewers a show, which was high for a cable TV reality show. We joined the show in season four, and now we're about to air season 15.
Have you bought any interesting storage units lately?
Recently, we bought a whole warehouse of bike helmets for $60,000. I bought the whole auction. People were a little bit upset, but it made for a great video on our YouTube channel Bargainhuntersthrift and it all sold, which was great.
What are you most excited to list on eBay right now?
We bought a hoarder house for $20,000 and we probably have a half million dollars worth of stuff from it that we need to list on eBay. I have around 10,000 Golden Age and Silver Age comic books, from the ’30s to the ‘70s. I have three warehouses that are 10’ by 20’, with at least 2,000 boxes of toys from the ‘20s to the ‘90s that I need to go through and sell.
Unfortunately my life is so intense right now that I just don't have time to go through it, and it's killing me. All of my friends make fun of me for it.
What’s your advice for sellers who want to make it big on eBay?
Listing a ton of stuff is key. During the pandemic, I ran an experiment on my YouTube channel, Bargainhuntersthrift, to show what happens when you list every day. We listed average stuff on eBay for 60 days, and we made $95,000. And not because I’m famous. Sellers are all equal on eBay, and I still have to compete on price. I worked at it 16-17 hours a day to prove that if you work hard, you can succeed on eBay. If you want to change your life, it’s up to you.
Another thing I tell people is to never take a gamble with your entire bankroll, it could be devastating. Don't be a newlywed and have $21,000 in a bank and spend $20,000 for a wedding. I still make mistakes sometimes. Recently I spent $4,200 on a unit and only pulled a hundred dollars worth of merchandise out of it. It was so bad. All I wanted to do afterward is throw everything in the trash, take a shower, and forget it ever happened.
Lastly, if you’re a reseller, you gotta have that can-do attitude. I tell my wife Casey all of the time that failure's not an option. If you go by the rules, you're honest, you respect people, and you work your butt off, you’re gonna succeed. Every time I fail, I try to learn a lesson. I cry for a minute, but then I pick myself back up. I say, okay boss, put me back in. Let's battle.
What drives you to keep selling on eBay?
I'm a true born treasure hunter. If you tell me, “Hey, Rene, you can take a vacation in Hawaii or go pick through a 10,000-square-foot storage unit in Oklahoma,” I’d probably choose the storage unit.
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