Featured Image Credit: Wadesventures/TikTok
Topics: Gaming, Money, Social Media, TikTok, Pokemon
Ellie Kemp
Topics: Gaming, Money, Social Media, TikTok, Pokemon
A man who paid $2,000 for an abandoned storage unit was left slack-jawed at what was inside.
And if you're a fan of the long-running reality show Storage Wars, you're bound to be fascinated by this, too.
A regular auction buyer, who goes by Wades Ventures, shares his discoveries online. But a recent purchase left him in shock, and went viral, amassing a huge 11.3 million views on TikTok.
When opening the red door of the unit, stacked high with boxes, Wade uncovered a vintage gaming goldmine. He opened only a small number of boxes - what he estimated as '5 percent' of the times in the room - and could potentially be in for a big pay day.
Advert
Spanning several decades of gaming and collectible history, the discovery could carry a solid market value, even more so if Wade finds any high-end rarities in the stockpile.
He first opened a box housing a big collection of Pokemon cards, from the years 1999 to 2000, while another box produced even more - as well as Magic: The Gathering cards from the same time.
Common Pokemon cards from the Base Set typically trade in the $1 to $20 range, so a modest lot of commons might total around $10 , while mid-tier Magic rares from older Unlimited or early expansions average $100 or less, putting an ungraded bulk at roughly $50.
However, any graded Pokemon rares could bring in anywhere between $1,000 to $20,000.
Wade also found a lots of home-consoles, including a Wii U console (which typically fetches around $100 on resale) as well as a standard Wii (re-selling at $20 to 35).
He also found a Dreamcast - which, in working order, will add another $60 or so to his total. A first-generation Nintendo DS was also found, which brings in about $30 per unit.
The hoard also included more modern pieces like a boxed Xbox One Jedi Edition command a premium which could rake in around $250 due to their limited run.
Some standalone peripherals and memorabilia round out the mix, including an arcade-style TV joystick for retro setups, which trade between $40 and $100. \
A replica Pip-Boy prop, popular with Fallout fans, was also discovered - although Wade didn't know what it was, which upset some viewers.
The prop sits at around $150 re-sale value.
PS3 and GameCube games were also in the mix, as well as LEGO sets and a box of old Sonic and miscellaneous PC games.
So, giving a rough estimate, what Wade has found so far could bring him in anywhere between $850 to $1,000 or higher.
But any any graded Pokémon rares can individually go for anywhere between $1,000 and $20,000, meaning a single strong pull could boost that $890 haul into the low-to-mid five-figures.
And this is just based on what he's discovered already - not the unopened boxes.
"What you showed is at least 20k," one social media user reckoned. "Investment 2000$. Investment return 60000$," a second weighed in.
A third said: "Made their money back just on the Pokemon cards."
"It's a millennial's dream..." a fourth wrote, as somebody else said: "I’d watch a two hour YouTube video of you just unpacking every box."
The treasure trove of items made some people uneasy, though.
One person wrote: "Sad to see someone's entire life collections just sold to someone for pennies."
"That's a whole 30-year collection and it's gone, so it's sad," a second agreed, as a third wrote: "Used to enjoy watching this kind of content until it sank in there’s probably a really sad story behind why these are being sold off, no issue with the buyers but I can’t watch them any more."
Ready Steady Store explained that when a renter falls behind on payments and all attempts to negotiate a resolution have failed, the contents of their storage unit are put up for auction. This allows the storage the facility to recover at least a portion of the outstanding debt.