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UBUYWERUSH

From an ad in the Daily Commerce, he learned about an upcoming auction at a public storage facility in Long Beach, where the owners were selling off the contents of abandoned lockers. When he showed up he found the auction observed a very specific ritual. The manager, wielding an imposing bolt cutter, would snip off the defaulting renter’s lock while the bidders watched, and then open the door. The bidders, about twenty of them, were expected to evaluate the contents from where they stood several feet away. The winner would then secure the unit with his own padlock and clear out the contents within twenty-four hours.

The experienced bidders were easy to spot: Padlocks hung from their belts, and they held flashlights to peer into the dark lockers. Cesar was less prepared but no less eager. He was the only bidder on the first lot, claiming a locker full of old clothes for $1.

He sold the clothes at a yard sale and on eBay for about $60. Figuring he’d found a nice little niche, Cesar started going to more auctions at storage facilities and business liquidations, breaking down large lots and moving them on eBay for a tidy profit. He put the money back into the business and opened his storefront in the Long Beach strip mall to accept consignments from neighbors with office furniture, lawn chairs, and unbranded jeans to sell online.

It was good, honest work—not like his last independent business. For most of the 1990s Cesar had been into credit card fraud. He was happier selling on eBay, but thinking about the past made him wonder if there was a market for the kind of gear he’d used as a crook. He ordered some MSR206s from the manufacturer and offered them for sale through the UBuyWeRush eBay store. He was impressed by how fast they were snapped up.

Then one of his new customers told him about a website where he could really sell. He introduced Cesar to Script, who approved UBuyWeRush as a CarderPlanet vendor. Cesar posted his introduction on August 8, 2003. “I decided to supply all you guys making the real big bucks,” he wrote.