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Scottish Sun
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
I spent £1.4K on a mystery shipping container & had no clue what was inside – I became £58K richer when I opened it
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A MAN took a £1.4K gamble buying a storage container with no idea what was inside - only to find it full of rare Pokémon merch worth up to £58K. Wade Venture, 39, snapped up the 10ft by 20ft storage unit in an online auction - with little idea of what was inside. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Wade Venture, 39, snapped up the 10ft by 20ft storage unit in an online auction - with little idea of what was inside Credit: SWNS 4 Wade has sent some of the cards off to a grading company but estimates in total he will earn £58K from the unit Credit: SWNS 4 Wade has been bidding on containers for the last nine years - and reckons he has flipped 2000 - earning millions of dollars Credit: SWNS To his surprise, it contained 1,000 rare Pokémon cards, old PlayStations, Xboxes, and Nintendo 64s as well as retro console games. Wade has started selling the items and has already flogged five percent of the Pokémon cards for £4.3k - putting him £2.9k in profit so far. Wade - who shares his finds online under @wadesventures - has sent some of the cards off to a grading company but estimates in total he will earn £58K from the unit. He has flipped around 2000 units since he went full-time, including one filled with £58K worth of Nike clothes and one with designer clothes worth £51k. Wade, a content creator, from Portland, Oregon, said: "The Pokémon find was such a good unit, it was just five minutes away from my house. "That was such an incredibly lucky find - I had no idea what was inside. "The [Pokémon] cards are in fantastic shape. I have around 600 of these cards. "I sold five percent of the unit yesterday on an auction platform called WhatNots - we made little over £4.3k. "I think we are going to make around £58k on this container when it is all sold. "Off a £1.4k investment, that is incredible." I spent £136 to see if the lost luggage trend was worth it - I thought I'd nab designer goodies but it was a total flop Wade has been bidding on containers for the last nine years - and reckons he has flipped 2000 - earning millions of dollars. He became inspired by the popular show Storage Wars - a show where buyers bid on storage units - and quit his corporate job as a WHAT after 11 years to go full-time flipping storage containers. Wade said: "I was obsessed with the show Storage Wars and thought it looked like fun. "I was working a corporate job at the time on a £146k a year salary. "Nine years ago, I quit my job to go full-time." Wade said he hasn't had constant success, and the first container he bought was the worst one he ever purchased. Where to find mystery boxes MYSTERY boxes are becoming more and more popular, with people keen to take a gamble in buying one. But where can you get one from? Charity shops Lots of charity shops have started putting together mystery boxes as a way to get rid of stock that they've been otherwise unable to sell. While you can never guarantee what you're going to get, these boxes are usually cheaper than ones bought elsewhere. eBay Many retailers use eBay to sell their stock, with options on the auction site including unclaimed luggage or parcel returns, all put together in a mystery box. It's not like a normal 'auction' though - there will usually be a buy it now price so it's just like any other internet transaction. Online retailers As the popularity of mystery boxes increases, other retailers have started selling them in the hope that they will be a hit among customers. Have a look on sites such as Amazon, Etsy and Wowcher, and you'll often find the mystery boxes are listed by genre too. Google If there's a particular niche mystery box you're looking for, it's always worth searching for it. There are so many websites out there selling mystery boxes, you'll undoubtedly find what you're after. As with buying anything online, make sure you are purchasing from a trusted retailer and a secure website. But he persisted and his third container, was filled with £58k of Nike merch. He said: "After being inspired by Storage Wars, I was intrigued and really wanted to give it a go. "You see them getting all sorts of treasure, but the first one I bought was a really bad unit. "It was just full of metal, which you couldn't get any money for - it was the worst unit I have ever bought. "I persisted, and my third unit was in Oregon; it was filled with vintage Nike, and I made £58k off it." In total, Wade estimates he has bought 2,000 units, earning him millions of dollars. 4 Wade said he hasn't had constant success, and the first container he bought was the worst one he ever purchased Credit: SWNS So far this year, he and his wife, Ashley, 38, who flips storage units with him, are on track to surpass a million dollars. Wade said: "Last year we earned half a million — I have earned millions of dollars since I started. "This year, we are on pace to do a million this year. "You don't get home runs all the time, but containers like the Pokémon one are where we earn the most money." The Pokémon unit contained around 1,000 vintage cards, over 60 game consoles and retro video games. He said: "I'm not a complete Pokémon guy, but this unit was incredible. "They had the first edition Pokémon cards - there were probably over 1,000 of them. "We found boxes filled with game consoles - I reckon there were 60 of them in total."
The Irish Sun
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
I spent £1.4K on a mystery shipping container & had no clue what was inside – I became £58K richer when I opened it
A MAN took a £1.4K gamble buying a storage container with no idea what was inside - only to find it full of rare Pokémon merch worth up to £58K. Wade Venture, 39, snapped up the 10ft by 20ft storage unit in an online auction - with little idea of what was inside. Advertisement 4 Wade Venture, 39, snapped up the 10ft by 20ft storage unit in an online auction - with little idea of what was inside Credit: SWNS 4 Wade has sent some of the cards off to a grading company but estimates in total he will earn £58K from the unit Credit: SWNS 4 Wade has been bidding on containers for the last nine years - and reckons he has flipped 2000 - earning millions of dollars Credit: SWNS To his surprise, it contained 1,000 rare Pokémon cards, old Wade has started selling the items and has already flogged five percent of the Pokémon cards for £4.3k - putting him £2.9k in profit so far. Wade - who shares his finds online under @ He has flipped around 2000 units since he went full-time, including one filled with £58K worth of Nike clothes and one with Advertisement read more on money Wade, a content creator, from Portland, "That was such an incredibly lucky find - I had no idea what was inside. "The [Pokémon] cards are in fantastic shape. I have around 600 of these cards. "I sold five percent of the unit yesterday on an auction platform called Advertisement Most read in Fabulous "I think we are going to make around £58k on this "Off a £1.4k investment, that is incredible." I spent £136 to see if the lost luggage trend was worth it - I thought I'd nab designer goodies but it was a total flop Wade has been bidding on containers for the last nine years - and reckons he has flipped 2000 - earning millions of dollars. He became inspired by the popular show Storage Wars - a show where buyers bid on storage units - and quit his Advertisement Wade said: "I was obsessed with the show Storage Wars and thought it looked like fun. "I was working a corporate job at the time on a £146k a year salary. "Nine years ago, I quit my job to go full-time." Wade said he hasn't had constant success, and the first container he bought was the worst one he ever purchased. Advertisement Where to find mystery boxes MYSTERY boxes are becoming more and more popular, with people keen to take a gamble in buying one. But where can you get one from? Charity shops Lots of charity shops have started putting together mystery boxes as a way to get rid of stock that they've been otherwise unable to sell. While you can never guarantee what you're going to get, these boxes are usually cheaper than ones bought elsewhere. eBay Many retailers use eBay to sell their stock, with options on the auction site including unclaimed luggage or parcel returns, all put together in a mystery box. It's not like a normal 'auction' though - there will usually be a buy it now price so it's just like any other internet transaction. Online retailers As the popularity of mystery boxes increases, other retailers have started selling them in the hope that they will be a hit among customers. Have a look on sites such as Amazon, Etsy and Wowcher, and you'll often find the mystery boxes are listed by genre too. Google If there's a particular niche mystery box you're looking for, it's always worth searching for it. There are so many websites out there selling mystery boxes, you'll undoubtedly find what you're after. As with buying anything online, make sure you are purchasing from a trusted retailer and a secure website. But he persisted and his third container, was filled with £58k of Nike merch. He said: "After being inspired by Storage Wars, I was intrigued and really wanted to give it a go. "You see them getting all sorts of treasure, but the first one I bought was a really bad unit. "It was just full of Advertisement "I persisted, and my third unit was in Oregon; it was filled with vintage Nike, and I made £58k off it." In total, Wade estimates he has bought 2,000 units, earning him millions of dollars. 4 Wade said he hasn't had constant success, and the first container he bought was the worst one he ever purchased Credit: SWNS So far this year, he and his wife, Ashley, 38, who flips storage units with him, are on track to surpass a million dollars. Advertisement Wade said: "Last year we earned half a million — I have earned millions of dollars since I started. "This year, we are on pace to do a million this year. "You don't get home runs all the time, but containers like the Pokémon one are where we earn the most money." The Pokémon unit contained around 1,000 vintage cards, over 60 Advertisement He said: "I'm not a complete Pokémon guy, but this unit was incredible. "They had the first edition Pokémon cards - there were probably over 1,000 of them. "We found boxes filled with game consoles - I reckon there were 60 of them in total."
The Courier
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Courier
Inside Dundee's Wellgate with the shoe doctor selling vintage trainers for £900
'When I was younger, what you saw on the streets was cool,' says Kris Boyle. 'In the '90s and early noughties, if it was accepted on the streets, everybody wanted to wear it. 'Now I don't think it's the same, kids go by what they see on YouTube, or want high fashion clothes instead of streetwear.' Kris, 37, is speaking from behind the shoebox-themed counter of his shop Dundee Sole, located in the city's Wellgate shopping centre after moving from the Hilltown in 2023. Behind him, precarious stacks of trainer boxes jostle with custom football T-shirts, news cuttings and 90s music merch for attention. A design by Dundee graffiti artist Syke explodes across the wall, and a wee white dog with a missing eye pootles about under the counter. (His name is Alfie, I learn later.) The shop feels like a time capsule, spinning back through the decades to encompass casual culture and loud '80s athleisure. There are rare trainer styles in locked glass cases, such as a pair of Adidas Liverpool Originals. To me, trainers have always just been running shoes, but here I'm discovering that they are a much more serious business. Looking around, I see no price tags, but when a customer asks how much they are during our visit, the figure Kris gives is just shy of £400. I ask how what his most expensive sale has been over the years. 'A single pair of vintage Adidas ZX 600s sold for about £900 a few years ago,' he says breezily. I'm naively stunned. I want to know more about this rubber-soled subculture. An avid buyer of rare and vintage trainers – he had 3000+ pairs at one point – Kris started his business by teaching himself how to repair and restore trainers while working in a barber's shop in 2018. 'You get a buzz when you find something from a time gone by that's rare to get now,' he explains. 'It's like Storage Wars – you know when you've got a good bundle.' He was inspired by Argentine Adidas connoisseur Carols Ruiz, who was featured in 2014 documentary series Sole Searching in South America. The sight of Ruiz's shop stacked high with vintage trainer boxes became Kris' vision board. Now he has his own loyal collectors across Tayside. 'Collectors are funny people,' Kris says fondly. 'I don't actually class myself as a collector, I'm just somebody who's got loads of stuff. Collectors are mad. 'A lot of the stuff you see in here, from 2010, 2011, 2017 – you won't see that on the street. People will buy those to add to their collections.' I'm bemused – why buy trainers if you're not going to wear them? – but I roll with it. After all, people with shelves full of pet rocks shouldn't throw their (precious) stones. Kris' first shop, in a unit on the Hilltown, combined his trainer cleaning and restoration services with selling rare shoes. But since moving into his bigger Wellgate premises in 2023, he's branched out into vintage apparel too. While the stock in Dundee Sole is not what you see on high street racks in 2025, Kris' motto is: 'Fashion is temporary, style is permanent'. 'I'd say 80% of the stuff in here is just stuff I like,' smiles Kris. 'The other 20% is stuff I know people will buy.' Coming of age in Dundee in the early noughties, Kris was inspired by football casual style and films like Football Factory (2004). 'That era gave a huge revamp to lads wearing these sorts of clothes. Adidas was making a comeback, there was just a huge culture of it at the time.' What was Kris himself wearing back then? 'Anything I could afford!' As with any high street business, the cost of living crisis has put the squeeze on Dundee Sole. But the nature of the shop – quality items for second-hand prices – means Kris and has staff managed to make at least one sale a day every day over February and March 2025. 'It's good, considering the winter months are the hardest,' says Kris. At the heart of it, behind the flashy racks of clothing and shelves of shoes, is Kris' restoration workshop. It's here he spends most of his time, bringing stained or damaged shoes or handbags (Ugg boots are a popular patient) back to life with tiny hard-bristle brushes, chemical concoctions and a lot of care. 'That's my bread and butter,' he shrugs. 'That's what I started with, and it's a big part of things. It means folk can avoid buying a new pair of shoes, when sorting their own out is a fraction of the cost.'
Daily Mirror
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
John Parrott urged snooker fans not to listen to Ronnie O'Sullivan after accusing him of lying
Ronnie O'Sullivan has always been a bit of a maverick, but even he surprised a lot of people with his pre-World Snooker Championship routine back in 2020 Snooker icon Ronnie O'Sullivan raised many eyebrows when he said he'd rather kick back with episodes of 'Only Fools and Horses' than practice for the World Snooker Championship. The World No.5 is known for being a bit of a maverick, but even those comments managed to shock the snooker world. He made the comments in 2020, before winning his sixth world title. O'Sullivan would go on to win a seventh championship at the Crucible and draw level with snooker great Stephen Hendry. Considering his quality and brilliance on the table, BBC pundit John Parrott couldn't believe Ronnie's laid-back approach. Before clinching another victory at the table by beating Judd Trump 18-13, O'Sullivan had spoken about his casual preparation. He said: "I've watched a bit of Del Boy and Rodney before my games rather than practising." His then-fiancee Laila even teased him, comparing O'Sullivan and his father Ronnie Sr to the comedy's characters. He added: "[She] says I'm like Rodney and my dad is like Del Boy. "I kind of relate to that show a lot - Ronnie the plonker, rather than Rodney the plonker. I watch a lot of good stuff - I watched Storage Wars - then I get a knock on the door and I go, 'Sweet, I can go and hit a few balls now." But after matching Hendry's record tally of world titles, scepticism from former world champion and television commentator John Parrot ensued. He was sure Ronnie hadn't been slacking off. Parrot said: "Don't listen to him saying he doesn't practice. He is in the club grafting like a Trojan, he puts the hours in and he wants to win. "You will never see anyone like him again. He's the best player I've ever seen. His cue ball control is at another level. He's on another level to anyone who has played this game." After taking a break from the professional scene for three months, O'Sullivan made a surprising return to enter the 2025 tournament. His appearance was shrouded in mystery until he showed up to face and ultimately triumph over Ali Carter with a convincing 10-4 scoreline. The snooker maestro credited his refreshed attitude to the work done with renowned psychiatrist Steve Peters. In Sheffield, he said: "I'm surprised I'm here but I'm here. "I don't have any expectations. I'd just like to not feel all at sea out there. If I can just play and at least feel semi-competitive, I'd be happy with that. "Could I win the whole thing? I doubt it. I'm nearly 50 now and there's a lot of young guys who are hungry and competing all the time. It's a bit different to say 2012, 2013."
Wales Online
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Ronnie O'Sullivan accused of lying as John Parrott told snooker fans not to listen to him
Ronnie O'Sullivan accused of lying as John Parrott told snooker fans not to listen to him Ronnie O'Sullivan has won the World Snooker Championship seven times, but his preparation ahead of the 2020 tournament was questioned by a BBC commentator Ronnie O'Sullivan has enjoyed an impressive start to the 2025 World Snooker Championship (Image: Getty Images ) Ronnie O'Sullivan has always been box-office viewing in an interview - but one thing the snooker legend said mildly irked former world champion John Parrott. In 2020, O'Sullivan made headlines when he suggested that he barely practiced before his World Snooker Championship triumph It was a particularly curious statement, as he was unstoppable, winning his sixth World Championship. Two years later, he would go on to increase his tally to seven world titles won at the Crucible, meaning he is now only one more triumph away from overtaking Stephen Hendry. However, one BBC commentator did not believe him when he said he rarely practiced. O'Sullivan raised eyebrows by saying he preferred watching 'Only Fools and Horses' to preparing for pivotal matches in his career. After his 2020 victory, O'Sullivan revealed he had significantly reduced his practice hours, even receiving playful criticism from his then-fiancee for his penchant for TV marathons. Parrott was not convinced by his revelation, telling fans not to believe a word he says. O'Sullivan said at the time: "I've watched a bit of Del Boy and Rodney before my games rather than practising. [My fiancee] Laila says I'm like Rodney and my dad is like Del Boy. "I kind of relate to that show a lot - Ronnie the plonker, rather than Rodney the plonker. I watch a lot of good stuff. Article continues below "I watched Storage Wars - then I get a knock on the door and I go, 'Sweet, I can go and hit a few balls now." Parrott was not convinced by O'Sullivan's laid back demeanour (Image: Justin Setterfield, Getty Images ) Despite his laid-back approach, the Rocket won his seventh title two years later with an 18-13 victory over Judd Trump. After his triumph, the skeptical Parrott said: "Don't listen to him saying he doesn't practice. "He is in the club grafting like a Trojan, he puts the hours in and he wants to win. You will never see anyone like him again. "He's the best player I've ever seen. His cue ball control is at another level. He's on another level to anyone who has played this game." Ronnie O'Sullivan won his seventh world title in 2022 (Image: Getty Images ) Article continues below Despite not playing professionally for three months, O'Sullivan still entered the 2025 tournament, where his appearance in Sheffield wasn't confirmed until he walked out to face Ali Carter, whom he overcame in the first round with a 10-4 victory. O'Sullivan credited his improved mindset to working with psychiatrist Steve Peters. O'Sullivan said: "I'm surprised I'm here but I'm here. I don't have any expectations. I'd just like to not feel all at sea out there. If I can just play and at least feel semi-competitive, I'd be happy with that. "Could I win the whole thing? I doubt it. I'm nearly 50 now and there's a lot of young guys who are hungry and competing all the time. It's a bit different to say 2012, 2013."
