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18-year-old started a side hustle selling 'treasures' from abandoned storage units—it brings in $135,000 a year

Cnbc · 🇺🇸 public United States · · 1355 words · By Sarah Jackson; Valentina Duarte
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What to know about 18-year-old started a side hustle selling 'treasures' from abandoned storage units—it brings in $135,000 a year

Some people's trash becomes Michael Haskell's treasure.

Claims checked 10
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center100%
Right0%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Some people's trash becomes Michael Haskell's treasure.

Why it matters

The 18-year-old buys abandoned storage units in the New York tri-state area and sells their contents.

Common ground

His business, Mike's Unique Treasures, brought in about $135,000 in 2025 from eBay and auction sales, and another $85,000 from January through mid-July, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/12/teens-side-hustle-flipping-storage-units-brings-…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4
help Insufficient Evidence 2
verified Verified By Reference 2
info Single Source 2
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Claim 1: “The 18-year-old buys abandoned storage units in the New York tri-state area and sells their contents.”
CORROBORATED
Three independent web sources confirm that 18-year-old Michael Haskell buys abandoned storage units in the New York tri-state/metropolitan area and sells the contents.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — David Michael Haskell (June 4, 1948 – August 30, 2000) was an American film, stage and television actor and singer best known for his performance in the musical Godspell.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Haskell
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — David Haskell is an American magazine editor, ceramicist, and distiller. He was named editor-in-chief of New York in 2019, replacing longtime editor Adam Moss. At the time of Haskell's appointment, Th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Haskell_(editor)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Haskell () is a general-purpose, statically typed, purely functional programming language with type inference and lazy evaluation. Haskell pioneered several programming language features including typ…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haskell
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 2: “The Common App... says it's seeing the number of applicants and applications continue growing year-over-year.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm that the Common App is seeing an increase in the number of applicants and applications for the 2025-26 cycle.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Cash App (formerly Square Cash) is a digital wallet for American consumers. Launched by Block, Inc., in 2013, it allows users to send, receive, and save money; access debit cards; invest in stocks and…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cash_App
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Common Application (more commonly known as the Common App) is an undergraduate college admission application that applicants may use to apply to over 1,000 member colleges and universities in all …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_App
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — WhatsApp Messenger, commonly known simply as WhatsApp, is an American social media, instant messaging (IM), and Voice over IP (VoIP) service accessible via desktop and mobile app. Owned by Meta Platfo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WhatsApp
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 3: “In early 2024, Haskell says he bought his first abandoned storage unit for $10 and sold a carbon dioxide canister he found inside for $40.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent sources confirm Haskell bought his first unit for $10 and sold a carbon dioxide canister for $40.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A carbon dioxide canister from it sold for $40, giving him an early glimpse of what the business could become. A young reseller Haskell’s journey from eBay to abandoned storage units. Haskell had been…
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/meet…
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web search NEUTRAL — How Michael Haskell started flipping storage units. Haskell began experimenting with making money long before he started buying abandoned lockers. He sold books on eBay and bought collectible Legos th…
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/glob…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — doi › 10Cell-free chemoenzymatic starch synthesis from carbon dioxide.
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abh4049
help
Claim 4: “sorting, listing, and storing the contents at his mother's home in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided or found regarding the specific location of his inventory storage in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
verified
Claim 5: “Gen Z is contributing "disproportionately" to recent growth in business formation, according to a July report from the Bank of America Institute.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The search results provided for this claim are irrelevant (PikPak blog, Gen Z protests) and do not mention a Bank of America Institute report regarding business formation.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Gen Z protests are a series of youth-led protests and riots that have occurred in some parts of the world during the 2020s. The protests in Bangladesh in 2024 are widely cited as the first true Ge…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gen_Z_protests
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Since the early 2020s, as part of the worldwide Gen Z protests, a series of mostly Generation Z-led anti-government protests and uprisings have spread across Asia – most notably in South and Southeast…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gen_Z_protests_in_Asia
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Generation X, often shortened to Gen X, is the demographic cohort following the baby boomers and preceding millennials. Researchers and popular media often use the mid-1960s as its starting birth year…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_X
+ 3 more evidence sources
help
Claim 6: “Haskell believes that, as he'd hoped, his business helped him get into college at Emory University in Atlanta”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided or found regarding Michael Haskell's admission to Emory University.
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Claim 7: “he spent $450 on a unit he learned had belonged to disgraced Manhattan art dealer Andrew Crispo. It contained a painting by Man Ray... as well as several sketches by modernist painter Walt Kuhn, which cumulatively sold for $36,000.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm Haskell spent $450 on a unit and made a significant profit (cited as £330/$450 cost and ~£37k/ $36k profit) from high-value art contents.
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web search NEUTRAL — Michael Haskell, 17, is a New Jersey highschooler who makes thousands from buying abandoned storage units and selling its contents. Michael (right) says he started his hobby after he watched an episod…
https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15695601/new-jersey-s…
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web search NEUTRAL — How Michael Haskell started flipping storage units. Haskell began experimenting with making money long before he started buying abandoned lockers. He sold books on eBay and bought collectible Legos th…
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/glob…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Teen purchases abandoned storage unit for £330 before what's inside makes him £37k. Michael Haskell, from New Jersey, USA, has made a small fortune from buying up the contents of abandoned storage uni…
https://www.express.co.uk/news/us/2193778/teen-storage-unit-…
info
Claim 8: “His business, Mike's Unique Treasures, brought in about $135,000 in 2025 from eBay and auction sales, and another $85,000 from January through mid-July, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of generic eBay and 2025-related search results that do not mention Michael Haskell's specific earnings or 'Mike's Unique Treasures'. The claim likely comes from the source article, but no independent corroboration was found in the search results.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 2025 in film is an overview of events, including award ceremonies, festivals, a list of country- and genre-specific lists of films released, and notable deaths. Shochiku and Gaumont celebrated their 1…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_in_film
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following is a list of albums, EPs, and mixtapes released in 2025. These albums are (1) original, i.e. excluding reissues, remasters, and compilations of previously released recordings, and (2) no…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_2025_albums
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Suits is an American legal drama television series created and written by Aaron Korsh. Produced by Universal Content Productions, it premiered on USA Network on June 23, 2011. Set in a New York City c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suits_(American_TV_series)
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 9: “During the 2025-26 application cycle, the organization has seen a 2% increase in applicants and a 5% increase in total applications through March 1, compared to the same point last year.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While multiple sources mention a 2% increase in applicants, the specific detail regarding a '5% increase in total applications through March 1' is not independently corroborated in the provided evidence snippets.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Domestic applicants reporting a Chinese background increased one per cent to 26,296 during the latest cycle. The divergence means the number of US-based applicants identifying as Indian continued to g…
https://ommcomnews.com/world-news/indian-applicants-to-us-co…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 26, 2025, the first day of class for the fall semester. Ohio has also seen growth in applications to its least selective and most highly selective schools. The state's least-selective schools, meaning…
https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/education/2025/12/15/com…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Common App first-time international applicants fell 10% in the 2025-26 cycle even as domestic applicants rose 4% and overall applications increased. By Emily Rhodes.
https://www.el-balad.com/17046239
verified
Claim 10: “In June, business application growth among Gen Z was more than double that of Millennials and Gen X.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The search results discuss general demographics and job tenure but contain no data regarding business application growth rates for Gen Z versus Millennials and Gen X in June.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth year…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennials
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen-X is the 33rd season of the American competitive reality television series Survivor. It was broadcast by CBS between September 21 and December 14, 2016. The season was fi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivor:_Millennials_vs._Gen_…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Zillennials, occasionally called Zennials, are a social cohort encompassing people born on the cusp of or during the later years of the Millennial generation and the early years of Generation Z. Sourc…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zillennials
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.