I’m in the market for a small fireproof safe or fireproof locakable filing cabinet, cheap.
A closing business seems a possibility, say, a lawyer, or something.
How do I hear about these closings?
In the past I’ve purchased file cabinets from closing businesses on Craigslist.
Do you have a Toys “R” Us in your area? I just got great deals buying fixtures there, 40 feet of heavy duty steel shelving for under $300, including extra wire racks and heavy swing hooks, basically everything attached to it. Before I could get this stuff loaded up I bought a heavy duty flat bed cart and a Toys “R” Us handtruck with the giraffe log on it. And then the find of my lifetime, this afternoon picking up the last piece, I bought a 24"x32’ expanding roller conveyor for $280, in great condition, and they sell for over $2000 new.
So I was going to end up non-stealth bragging about this in some thread, so might as well tell you that every last thing in that store has to go by the end of the month, including all fixtures, cabinets, cash registers, desks, chairs, and I’m sure filing cabinets and probably a lockbox for cash.
Would an estate sale have something like that?
When business locations go out of business, typically the physical infrastructure (shelves, desks, cooking equipment, safes etc.) is sold at auction.
Check your local newspaper for auction listings. Or use Google.
Note: If you Google: Auction (Your city) you will likely get houses specializing in estates and fine art and that sort of stuff.
Google: Auction Business Equipment (Your City). That will get you better results for what you want.
Auctions can be a pain in the butt. You have to put money down just to bid. You’ll get it back if you don’t buy anything, eventually, maybe. You can’t negotiate with auction houses. What the OP is looking for is available at any business closing down. What he’s looking for used to be readily available at any used office furniture store but those things have gone out of business themselves.
Bosda, how much do you want to spend? Here’s the eBay page on locking file cabinets, and those aren’t the best prices you’ll find.
See if your city has stores that sell used office equipment. They may have stuff like desks, bookcases, chairs, filing cabinets, etc. If there’s one nearby, I’m pretty sure they’d have what you need.
As for finding closing businesses, in the past businesses would put ads in the classifieds if they were going to auction or bankruptcy. I thought that was a legal requirement. Your local weekly free paper may have those kinds of ads in their classifieds.
Most listings for fireproof, locking cabinets are local pickup. They just too expensive to ship.
Watch your local paper’s classifieds and Craigs List.
One EXCELLENT source of used file cabinets is the State Reclamation facility. All unneeded state property goes there. Other state agencies get a chance to get it first. The public can buy the property after 30 days.
I bought a steel desk, steel work table and a 3 drawer fireproof file safe with GSA rating. All used state property in good condition.
Be prepared to manhandle a 400 lb. (or more) Monster. I snapped off the threshold to my front. Had the safe on a dolly. Three of us pulled the dollys wheels onto the threshold. Snap!! A complicated repair.
It will never be moved. I’ll leave it in the house after I sell.
This is similar to mine. I have a 3 drawer Mosler fire safe. Probably made in the early 1960’s.
This would be a great deal if you live within a 6 hour driving distance. Leave at 5AM and be home by 6 pm. It’ll take an hour to load.