About this site
StorageBidAU is an online marketplace for storage unit auctions. Operators list expired or defaulted units, and buyers bid on them. We don't process payment for the units themselves, hold funds in trust, or act as a party to the sale — those are arranged directly between the buyer and the operator.
Acceptance of these terms
By using this website, you agree to these Terms of Service. If you don't agree, please don't use the site.
Eligibility
You need to be at least 18 years old and legally able to enter into a binding contract to use StorageBidAU, whether you're bidding or listing. By using the site, you confirm that's true of you.
Storage unit auctions
StorageBidAU lets operators list expired or defaulted units for auction, and lets buyers bid on them. The following applies to every auction on the site:
- Operators warrant they have the legal right to sell. Selling a defaulted unit's contents in Australia requires complying with your state or territory's storage lien legislation (for example the Storage Liens Act 1935 (NSW), Storage Liens Act 1973 (QLD), Warehouseman's Liens Act 1958 (VIC), Warehouse Liens and Storage Act 1990 (SA), or the equivalent in your state or territory), including required notice to the goods' owner and any advertising period. By listing a unit, you confirm you've met these requirements. StorageBidAU does not verify this and takes no responsibility for listings that haven't complied with applicable law.
- Units are sold as-is. StorageBidAU doesn't inspect contents, verify condition, or guarantee what's described in a listing is accurate or complete. Buyers bid at their own risk and should satisfy themselves before bidding.
- Payment for the unit happens directly between the winning bidder and the operator. StorageBidAU doesn't collect the sale payment, hold funds in trust, or guarantee that a sale completes. Any dispute about payment, pickup, or the goods themselves is between the buyer and the operator.
- There's no fee to list. StorageBidAU charges the winning bidder a 16.5% commission on top of their winning bid — the operator is never charged anything. When you place your first bid, we save a payment method on file via Stripe — nothing is charged at that point. If you win, that commission is charged automatically 24 hours after the auction closes, based on your winning bid amount. An operator can confirm the sale early to skip the wait, or cancel the listing within that 24-hour window if the sale isn't actually going ahead (see below) — in either case, you'll never be charged more than once.
- If your saved card can't be charged (expired, insufficient funds, or similar), we'll email you and give you 48 hours to update your payment method and settle the commission owed. Accounts with an unpaid commission after that window may be suspended from bidding until it's resolved.
- StorageBidAU is a marketplace, not an auctioneer. Operators set their own starting price, reserve, and auction terms, and are the seller of record for their listing. StorageBidAU provides the listing and bidding software only — it does not conduct, call, or act as agent for either party's sale, take title to any goods, or handle sale proceeds.
- Operators are responsible for any licensing that applies to them. Requirements for conducting an auction — including whether an auctioneer's licence is needed — vary by state and by how the sale is run. It's the operator's responsibility to confirm what applies to them.
- Soft close. A bid placed in the final minute of an auction automatically extends that auction's close time by two minutes. This repeats for as long as late bids keep coming in, so a listing only truly ends once a couple of minutes pass without a new bid.
- The original storer can redeem the goods before the sale is final. If the person who defaulted pays what they owe before the auction closes — or is discovered to have done so within the 24-hour window after it closes, before the commission is charged — the operator can withdraw the listing and the auction won't proceed, even if bidding is underway or has just ended. If this happens, the highest bidder isn't entitled to the goods or to compensation from StorageBidAU.
- If something goes wrong with a sale after the commission has already been charged — for example the operator genuinely can't deliver the goods after all — either party should let us know at hello@storagebidau.com.au. If we're satisfied the sale genuinely didn't go ahead, we'll refund the commission. This doesn't affect any arrangement between the buyer and operator regarding the goods or payment for them, which remains between the two of them.
- Pickup. Unless the listing states otherwise, buyers should arrange pickup with the operator within 72 hours of winning. Storage and access arrangements after that window are between the buyer and the operator.
- Unit numbers may be withheld. Operators can choose not to display a unit's internal reference number publicly, to protect the original tenant's privacy. This doesn't affect your rights as a bidder.
- Reserve price. An operator may set a reserve on a listing — the minimum they're willing to accept. If the reserve isn't met, the operator isn't obligated to sell, even to the highest bidder, though they may still choose to. Where a reserve applies, the listing shows whether it's currently been met.
- A bid is a binding commitment to buy at that price if you win, and can't be withdrawn or retracted once placed. Don't bid on an auction unless you're prepared to follow through.
- Once you start removing goods from the unit, you've accepted them as they are. Inspect what you're taking as you go, and raise any issue with the operator immediately, before you finish collection — not afterwards.
- Personal documents and keepsakes found in a unit — things like identity documents, photographs, or certificates — aren't part of the sale. If you find any, please pass them back to the operator so they can be returned to the person they belong to.
Content you upload
If you upload photos, a company logo, or other content when listing a unit, you confirm you own it or have the right to use it, and you grant StorageBidAU a licence to display it on the site in connection with your listing. You can ask us to remove it at any time by contacting hello@storagebidau.com.au. We don't claim ownership of anything you upload.
Prohibited conduct
You agree not to: place a bid you don't intend to honour; bid on your own listing or use another account to artificially drive up bidding on it; create multiple accounts to get around a suspension or bidding limit; or otherwise misuse the site in a way that undermines a fair auction. We can suspend or close an account that breaches this, including one with an unresolved unpaid commission.
If you dispute a commission charge with your bank (a chargeback) instead of contacting us first, or a serious dispute arises over a transaction, we may temporarily suspend the account involved while it's investigated. This isn't a punishment — it's to keep things fair while we sort out what happened.
Indemnity
You agree to cover StorageBidAU for any loss, claim, or cost it reasonably incurs because of your breach of these terms, your misuse of the site, or a listing you've posted that didn't comply with applicable law — except to the extent that loss was caused by StorageBidAU itself.
No warranty
This site and its content are provided "as is", without warranties of any kind, to the fullest extent permitted by law. Nothing in these terms excludes, restricts, or modifies any consumer guarantee, right, or remedy you have under the Australian Consumer Law that cannot lawfully be excluded.
Intellectual property
The text, design, and branding on this site belong to StorageBidAU unless otherwise stated. You're welcome to link to this site, but please don't reproduce or republish its content without asking us first.
Limitation of liability
To the extent permitted by law, StorageBidAU is not liable for any loss or damage arising from your use of this website, or from any agreement you enter into with a storage operator or another buyer. This doesn't limit any liability that can't lawfully be excluded, including under the Australian Consumer Law.
Changes to these terms
We may update these terms as StorageBidAU develops from early access into a full marketplace. Continued use of the site after a change means you accept the updated terms. We'll update the "last updated" date above whenever that happens.
Service availability
We aim to keep StorageBidAU running smoothly, but we don't guarantee the site will always be available, uninterrupted, or error-free. Some things — like emailing you when an auction ends, or confirming a card has been saved — happen on a short delay rather than instantly (typically within about 15 minutes), since they're checked periodically rather than in real time. Don't rely on split-second timing for anything auction-critical.
Force majeure
We're not liable for any delay or failure to provide the service caused by something reasonably outside our control — including an outage or failure of a third-party service we rely on, like our payment processor, database host, or email provider.
Severability and entire agreement
If any part of these terms turns out to be unenforceable, the rest still stands. These terms, together with our Privacy Policy, are the whole agreement between you and StorageBidAU about using the site — they replace any earlier understanding about the same thing.
Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of Australia.