Reuse, recycle or throw it out? The age-old quandary of what to do with your old stuff get talked about a lot at home and at work – and the principle of finding a way to reuse and recycle as much as humanly possible while diverting waste from the landfill is what we live by at Green Coast Rubbish every single day. When we heard about Storage Warrior, an award-winning local business that buys and sells peoples old junque and collectibles before it gets thrown away, we were 100% all in to learn more. In this month’s blog, Storage Warrior is One to Watch.
Who they are
Jessica Oman and her partner Johann got into the “storage wars” business in 2012 as a side hustle by buying and selling the contents of storage units. They opened a successful eBay store to sell old junque and collectibles and haven’t looked back as they created a unique and successful full-time career! In 2019, Storage Warrior was awarded the eBay Micro Multinational Entrepreneur of the Year award.
Jessica explains her success and passion for growing Storage Warrior saying “one of the reasons I got so obsessed with this business was because I enjoyed applying what I learned in my MBA to the business problems of scaling a reselling business. It was something different and there aren’t many scaled up examples to model from. So it all feels like trail blazing.”
What they do
Storage Warrior is always buying if you are looking to sell your old stuff. But what are they looking for? Cool stuff – unique, vintage and collectible items – that could come from a collection you no longer want; a garage that needs to be decluttered; an estate cleanout; or a business that has closed.
They are in the market to buy a wide variety of items such as comic books; signs, posters & advertisements; diecast, cast iron, pressed steel and tin toys; toys and action figures; vintage car and truck ephemera; older sports cards; slot cars; musical instruments; vintage cameras; Dungeons and Dragons; vintage computers and stereo electronics; old car parts, tools, and garage stuff – to name a few.
Storage Warrior’s business model is to resell the items on their eBay store for a profit while striving to make residential waste management into a better system, thereby protecting the environment. This focus on pushing the industry forward on environmental stewardship is one way that Storage Warrior has differentiated itself from its competitors and from smaller resellers.
Here are a few examples of collectible items that Storage Warrior obtained and are reselling online:
Comic books are a popular item for resellers. These Marvel comics look like a lot of fun!
This old Coleman lantern and carry case circa 1980 is an example of something collectible that might be found in a garage or estate cleanout. Camping anyone?
We wanna know who held onto this vintage 7up cardboard carrier case and bottle set! “You like it … it likes you. Take some home.” One person’s junque is truly someone else’s treasure!
Green Coast & Storage Warrior Collab
Green Coast Rubbish and Storage Warrior transforming old stuff into new dreams.
Recently the Green Coast team collaborated with Storage Warrior on an estate cleanout in West Vancouver for a client from Toronto who had to clean out his mother’s place after she sadly passed away.
“The client contacted Green Coast because of our mandate to maximize the reuse potential of the various things we haul through reuse, donation and recycling. This resonated with him as he was driven to have his mom’s belongings and furniture be given an extension of life. The stuff was in great shape so it worked perfectly.”
– Eamonn Duignan, President of Green Coast Rubbish.
The client sent some images from the estate including collectibles such as antique furniture and paintings and we decided to partner with Storage Warrior and delivered a truckload of unique items to Jessica and Johann for resale on their eBay store.
Picture gallery from the collab:
Arriving in style.
What looks like a pile of old junque has been successfully diverted from the landfill by Green Coast Rubbish and will find a new home via Storage Warrior.
Jessica shared that this stunning sideboard has already been sold and delivered to a delighted local buyer who said her grandma had almost the exact same one.
This vintage pottery vase by celebrated Vancouver potter Rodney Maxwell Muir (1934-2023) was in lovely condition and has now been sold on eBay!
A picture-perfect project.
Storage Warrior loves rescuing awesome stuff and putting it into the hands of people who will love it.
The Business of Reselling Podcast
Jessica took to the air in 2022 with a new podcast called The Business of Reselling where she shares her experiences, stories and the good, bad and ugly of reselling with her audience. This is a business-focussed podcast directed at resellers and Jessica shares all kinds of tips, from negotiating deals to marketing strategies to scaling your business. Find it on your favourite podcast platform or on the Storage Warrior website.
Discover More
For more information on Storage Warrior, be sure to check out their website and Youtube channel. To stay connected with Green Coast Rubbish’s projects and activities, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
