We’ve tried to approach the storage business in a different way. We have an efficient centralized warehouse, allow customers to add and remove packages via the mail, offer online tracking & inventory management, and have no minimums or fixed contracts. This attracts a different and smarter consumer of storage. Most of our customers use our service for specific needs, such as relocation or eBay inventory management. More recently we’ve noticed customers adopting a strategy of downsizing into smaller and more sustainable homes. We have customers in Manhattan and San Francisco for example who have saved a lot of money by living in smaller apartments than they otherwise would and using StorageByMail.com for storing things like seasonal clothing and files. And in the process they’re reducing their impact on the environment (too many of us live in homes that are far larger than we really need).

We think compulsive hoarding is a problem and appreciate when individuals such as you take the time to make the case for decluttering. We also think that our industry has contributed to the problem through the construction of ubiquitous self storage warehouses in cities around the country and through marketing tactics that encourage the lazy practice of hiding clutter rather than addressing it. Our goal at StorageByMail.com is be different by offering a better set of tools for managing one’s storage needs more responsibly.

Regards,

Mitch Griffin
StorageByMail.com

From 1996 until 2000, we paid a total of $365/month for storage; we went on the road in our motor-home, and had way too many beautiful pieces of art and nice furniture (selling them would have really caused us to lose about $50,000 given the market at the time).

We spent $17,520 during those 4 years; however, since we paid no rent (and in our area monthly rental was about $1300/month), we’d have paid $62,400 for space large enough to hold our items.

We also keep our gold, silver, and stamp collection in the storage unit; as well as the fine art, so with that value, it was a safe and economical option.

In 2000 we bought a condo; no garage, and down-sized our storage to one unit that costs $64/month. The cost to buy a condo’ with a garage (at that time) would have cost us $120,000 more for the unit because the one we bought, we bought at auction for $41,000. Since we still wanted to keep our gold and silver safe (and believe it or not, most people would not expect to have someone keep $120,000 worth of gold and silver in a storage locker), we’ve kept the few items of great value, safe and sound at a current cost these past 9 years of $6,912. If we keep the unit for the life of our mortgage, it will have cost us for this ‘remote garage’ which is a 12×15, $23,040. We’ve added $23,040 to the cost of our condo of $41,000, and at the end of the mortgage period, we’ll have paid $64,040 (not including interest of course). So, we still paid HALF of what we’d have had to pay for a condo with garage in the market-place where we wanted to live (and the prices are even higher now).

So, we’ve will have saved not only HALF OF THE PRINCIPAL ON THE CONDO, but also on the INTEREST on a $161,000 condo with garage; the value of what is stored far exceeds the life-time of when we’ll sell the gold, silver, and then close the unit.

Also, because the unit is a 12×15, the gold and silver don’t use all of this space of course (we’d be millionaires if it did), so we keep a full ‘fitness center’ inside the unit; the cost to join a fitness club for 2 people would certainly be all of $64/month, and probably more.

The units are surrounded with a high fence; gated, and 24/hour monitored. We also live in a gated community; a high fence – 24/hour monitored and 24/hour guard-service.

We figure if anyone decides to break into our condo, and succeeds, they won’t make off with the most valuable items (or some of the most valuable items), so it’s like not having all your ‘expensive eggs’ in one basket.

We’ve also put our kids’ names on the storage unit as having rights to all the contents and access, in the event of our death. This was simple paper-work we filled out, notarized, with the unit’s owners and copied to all the kids. This means there’s nothing to probate; nothing that requires a lot of paperwork since they simply can bring in the key; open up the unit, and carry everything out and away.

For us, this is a wonderful choice; thought I’d share this because it might cause some of your readers to review not only what’s in the lockers, but how to utilize a locker (particularly if you want to retire as we did, and go for a 4-year tour in your motor-home or r.v.).