Storage hunter who uses ChatGPT to identify 'profitable' containers makes £37k from £330 unit
New Jersey antique dealer Michael Haskell has been striking gold thanks to ChatGPT.
At just 17 years old, the young entrepreneur runs a store on eBay known as Mike's Unique Treasures, which at the time of writing has sold more than 3,000 items.
Right now, he has a limited edition Visionaire magazine from 1995 on sale for $150 (£110.48) and a German cast iron tobacco shredder going for the same price.
In an interview with The New York Times, Michael revealed that only after he'd got his hands on an Andrew Crispo-owned storage unit did his family finally begin to appreciate his business interests in earnest.
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Andrew, who passed away aged 78 in 2024, was a renowned art dealer and gallerist who got jailed for tax evasion and threatening to kidnap a four-year-old.
"He had a horrible ending. I'm not sure what the lesson is. His life seems like a lesson in how not to live your life," commented the lucky lad who eventually got his hands on Andrew's valuable possessions.
Like many of us in modern society, Michael swears by ChatGPT.
With the AI's help, he developed a computer program that helps him identify forgotten containers that could've once been owned by powerful figures.
Following disgraced dealer Andrew's death, the youngster was able to get his hands on one of his lockers.
He spent just $450 (around £330) on the contents it harboured, selling the artwork inside - including a painting by surrealist Man Ray - for a tidy sum of $50k (£37k).
"My family took my hobby seriously after that," claimed Michael, who apparently brings in $7k (£5k) per month from this venture.
Michael's mother told the same publication that her son had always displayed a business-like approach to life.
"Michael would go to book fairs, where he discovered he could buy books by the bag and resell them," Anna Haskell shared. "Then he started researching LEGOs that were going out of production, and he started buying those up, reselling them as they got more valuable. Then he saw Storage Wars."
He often encounters tragic tales behind the abandoned units he purchases. One such locker reportedly belonged to a New York socialite, brimming with designer dresses alongside empty booze bottles and divorce documentation.
"I'm always trying to figure out the lives behind the units. If you lose a locker, usually you're not financially stable, and your life isn't in a great place. Sometimes it can be a sad story."
Dan Seddon