Auction Ops, Cleanouts, and the Truth About ROI

This one turned into a straight-up master class on auctions, cleanouts, and why most people lie to themselves about ROI.

We brought in Max Lopez from Auctions By BAM (Las Vegas), and I’m telling you right now—this dude has seen it, touched it, moved it, shipped it, trashed it, profited off it… and he’s not romantic about any of it.

Housekeeping (Quick, Then We Get to the Money)

Before we got rolling, we hit the usual:

ASD signup link (so ASD knows you’re part of the Liquidation Motivation crew)

Meetup list signup (so we can notify you of meetups—ASD, local, wherever)

And yes… we still offer FREE websites to people in the liquidation industry (especially liquidators). If you need one, reach out through www.LiquidationMotivation.com.

Now let’s get into it.

Florida Is Freezing… Vegas Is in Spring Mode

First off, Florida is doing some weird stuff.

I’ve been here 10 years—never had frozen pipes.

This week? Frozen.

Max is in Vegas talking about 70-degree weather like it’s normal… and I’m over here wearing two sweatshirts like I’m in Buffalo.

Who Is Max Lopez (And Why You Should Listen)

Max didn’t wake up one day and go:

“Hey guys, I’m gonna be an auction mastermind.”

His story is the real story.

It started with his dad

His dad was an immigrant and lived the “stretch the dollar” lifestyle—buy at auction, use what you need, sell the rest, keep the margin.

That’s the whole game.

Then Max did it for real

He moved to the U.S., started refurbishing his home by buying liquidation (toilets, fixtures, etc.), using a few, selling the rest.

Then he fell into junk removal → evictions → cleanouts.

And here’s the turning point:

He had containers full of personal property from evictions… and he hired a big auction company to sell it.

They took a massive cut, stacked fees, and handed him back a check.

Max looked at it and said the most important sentence of the whole live:

“I’m in the wrong business. Why am I not doing this myself?”

The Auction License Isn’t Magic… But It Opens Doors

Max broke this down in a way that matters:

Auction world can be protected (old-school, generational)

But in his case, he got licensed without a circus

Having “licensed auctioneer” on your card changes everything

His analogy was perfect:

It’s like an ID to get into a nightclub.

Getting in is half the problem. What you do inside is on you.

Cleanouts: The Part Nobody Talks About

Max and I got into the cleanout reality.

Cleanouts are not glamorous. They can get messy fast.

But if you’re smart, cleanouts are a money printer because:

• Landlords don’t care about the “stuff”

• They care about space + time + rent

Sometimes the real deal is:

• “Pay me to remove it”

• or “I pay you, but I keep everything inside”

And here’s the truth:

It’s not always worth donating.

Donations are a headache. Pickups don’t happen. Rules change. Condition standards are strict. You waste time and still end up dumping it.

Max’s model was simple:

• list it cheap

• drop the price fast

• give it away if needed

Because even “free pickup” still saves him dumpster space, labor, and time.

That’s ROI.

The Truth About ROI: Handling Will Kill You If You Don’t Count It

This was one of the best parts of the conversation.

Max said it straight:

You can buy a pallet cheap… but your ROI gets murdered by:

• breakdown time

• sorting time

• listing time

• storage time

• shipping time

• customer nonsense time

If you don’t calculate those hours, you’re lying to yourself.

Sometimes people brag about “profit” and don’t realize they made less than a fast-food job because they never counted their time.

That’s the truth.

Multi-Channel Distribution: The Only Way to Stay Alive

This is where Max and I were 100% aligned.

If you only sell in one place, you’re fragile.

Max talked about the “price ladder” of resale:

• premium retail (people paying for the experience)

• normal retail

• off-price (TJ Maxx / Ross)

• marketplace (FB / OfferUp)

• auctions (10–30% of retail)

• bin store / liquidation volume

And the lesson was:

Buying is easy. Moving is hard.

That’s why I keep preaching:

Everything needs a destination.

Nothing should be “just sitting in the warehouse.”

For us, that means:

• bin stores

• live auctions

• online auctions

• Whatnot

• HiBid

• pallets/truckloads

• mystery boxes (when we have to)

Nellis, Mac.bid, ProxyBid, HiBid: Study the Monsters

Max uses ProxyBid and explained why it matters:

• better reach

• better enforcement

• stronger buyer consequences

And he said something important:

Most of his buyers weren’t local.

They were in the middle of the country paying insane shipping—because the deal was still worth it to them.

He also talked about the monsters:

• Nellis: insane volume, insane processing

• Mac.bid: strong system, strong workflow

• and the big takeaway:

Buy from your competitors.

Not to help them—to learn them.

You learn more by spending $10 and walking their warehouse than you will reading 200 Facebook comments.

The Smartest “Extra Income” Trick Mentioned: Affiliate Links

This was a wild nugget.

Max pointed out how some auction platforms include an Amazon affiliate link next to an item.

So the buyer either:

• buys from you

• or clicks Amazon and you still get paid

That’s sneaky-smart ops thinking.

And it’s exactly what good operators do:

stack small revenue streams until they become big.

Reviews: Don’t Chase Stars—Build a Fix-First System

The live got into review strategy.

Here’s the clean version that actually works long-term:

• ask customers for feedback

• if there’s an issue, route it to management fast

• fix the problem

• then invite them to leave a review

Because the truth is:

10% of customers cause 90% of problems.

You don’t build a business around the loudest complainers.

You build a business around the people who actually buy—and come back.

“Liquidation Places Are Closing Everywhere… How Do We Stay in This 10 Years?”

This question came up and it matters.

Here’s the answer we basically all landed on:

1) Buy correctly or die fast

If you can’t buy right, you’re done. Period.

2) Stop relying on one channel

If you only sell one way, you’re one algorithm change away from pain.

3) Build your supply on autopilot

If every week is “scramble week,” you’re going to burn out.

4) Brokers aren’t the problem—greedy brokers are

A fair broker who’s transparent and consistent? Worth it.

A broker trying to clip $5,000 per load? Boot them.

5) Content + relationships = deals come to you

I’ll say it again:

If I didn’t start making dumb YouTube videos years ago, I’d be nobody in this industry.

Content is the chicken coop.

The foxes come to you.

Max’s 2026+ Direction: Bigger Deals, Bigger Margins, Same Work

Max said something smart:

He’s not leaving auctions/liquidation.

He’s just upgrading to bigger plays:

• commercial cleanouts

• warehouse liquidations

• deals where the landlord values space more than product

• faster turnaround, larger margin, same effort

That’s how you level up.

Guys, the “gold hunt” is cute…

…but the winners aren’t the people “finding gold.”

The winners are the people who:

• buy right

• move fast

• run multiple channels

• don’t fall in love with inventory

• and build systems that keep the product flowing

That’s it.

Now go out there and make some money.

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