As you open the rolling iron door, the smell of old dust wafts into the air. There may be mountains of garbage in front of you, or there may be a priceless treasure hidden in front of you. To many people, bidding on abandoned warehouses seems like a game of pure luck, but for 18-year-old Haskell, it’s a treasure hunt business that can be calculated with precision. Speaking about this trip, Haskell mentioned that the most exciting time for discovering warehouse treasures is not actually standing in the warehouse carrying heavy items, but driving on the way there. The scene outside the car window flew by and various kinds of imaginations began to emerge in my mind. I guessed that the owner of the warehouse might be a low-key invisible rich man. This process full of unknowns and expectations is the most fascinating magic of this business.
The starting point of this treasure hunting adventure comes from a reality show on TV. Inspired, Haskell decided to run a warehouse treasure hunt as a side business. Looking back at the beginning of 2024, I only spent 10 US dollars to bid on my first abandoned warehouse. The most valuable item inside was a carbon dioxide cylinder. Later I sold it through a second-hand platform for US$40, and successfully made my first profit. In just over a year, the scale of this side business has grown exponentially, and items sorted from the warehouse have even filled the home’s garage and basement.
Running this business requires a lot of time, energy and keen observation. Haskell said it currently takes about 20 to 25 hours per week to operate, and the annual turnover will reach about $135,000 in 2025. After deducting the largest expense items, namely transaction fees of online shopping platforms and postage and freight charges for sending packages, the pre-tax surplus in 2025 will still be as high as approximately US$82,000, which shows quite astonishing profitability.
Being able to obtain this excellent transcript is not just luck, but also extremely rigorous preliminary research. Haskell handled the case like a detective before bidding, carefully examining the value of the items through photographs of the scene, observing the location of the warehouse and even piecing together the identity and background of the original owner. In order to further improve the win rate, AI technology was introduced into the treasure hunting process, and a special program was developed with friends of the school to comprehensively scan warehouse auction information and names of lien holders in New York City, New Jersey, Connecticut and other areas. Each yellow dot marked on the system screen means that the program has identified targets that may be owned by celebrities and are worthy of further exploration, thereby identifying high-value warehouses that were easily overlooked in the past.
This technology analysis strategy quickly brought amazing returns. After a famous New York art dealer passed away in 2024, the warehouse bearing his name for some reason entered the auction market, becoming an important opportunity for business development. Haskell said that at that time, a painting by the famous American abstract painter Man Ray and six precious sketches by Walt Kuhn were eventually recovered from the art dealer’s warehouse. The results of this victory not only proved the power of technology combined with experience, but also made this treasure hunt a legendary chapter.
The discovery of this treasure not only brought Haskell commercial success, but also deeply changed the concepts of daily life and consumption. In the era of excessive consumption and easy discarding of excess material, by sorting and restoring the value of old items with your own hands, you can significantly reduce the need to purchase new products. After wandering through abandoned warehouses, I learned to cherish precious items that can stand the test of time and are worthy of long-term preservation and use.
Start at $10! An 18-year-old American warehouse treasure hunter relies on AI to screen and unbox authentic works of celebrity masters
TVBS News Network
