Storage Wars' Brandi Passante Says Potential Locker Buyers Should Always Ask These Questions

In 2010, Brandi Passante and her fellow treasure hunters became household names thanks to A&E's hit series "Storage Wars." Viewers continue to be fascinated by the entire process, from the heated bidding battles to discovering unlikely –- and extremely valuable –- gems.

Passante's rise to storage stardom hasn't been exactly easy, especially given her public divorce from fellow A&E star Jarrod Schulz. However, Passante's passion for her craft is undeniable. It's what brought her back for Season 13 following a multi-year hiatus, which saw the former couple's unsuccessful spinoff "Brandi & Jarrod: Married to the Job."

Throughout her tenure on "Storage Wars," Passante has had some misses, but quite a number of hits. In Season 13, Episode 23, "The Devil Buys Used Prada," Passante takes a risk by purchasing unit No. 666, referred to as the "devil's locker," for $500. Inside, she finds an antique tea set, among other items, which have a total value of over $600. Then, in Season 13, Episode 25, "Spidey Cents," Passante pays a mere $35 for a unit that contains a Victorian sewing kit. The grand total value for this purchase is over $2,000. Other Passante highlights include discovering jewelry worth over $2,000 in a $700 unit, plus "Star Trek" memorabilia signed by William Shatner, also worth over $2,000.

One might think securing a good haul on "Storage Wars" is pure luck. However, for anyone looking to get into the business, Passante revealed some ways to determine if a unit contains trash or treasure before placing a bid.

In an interview with Distractify, Brandi Passante provided some insider expertise on the bidding process for storage units. Some fans may not realize that, oftentimes, bidders aren't blindly throwing their money around. Though they're not permitted to enter a unit prior to purchasing, they are able to peek inside before placing a bid. Passante strongly encourages this and outlined what to look for in that initial glimpse.

"Is it a clean unit? Are there boxes that are purchased or boxes that are taken from the back of the grocery store, or are they packed in trash bags? Is it thrown in there, or is it clean? And you can see a few items outwardly that look decent?" she asked. "If it's messy, if it's just tossed in there, you can tell they obviously didn't care about their things anyway, so why would there be something of value?"

Additionally, Passante shared with "Happening Now With Hammer- Newport Beach Podcast" a few items that bidders shouldn't get too excited over if they spot them in a unit –- cars and guns, to be specific. Because of titles and ownership details, it can be tricky for these items to change hands. 

She also shared some tips on what to do with items that can't be sold or repurposed. "You always have the option of renting the unit until you can kind of figure out what you're gonna do with all of that stuff," Passante said, stressing that her house isn't overrun with random storage unit objects.