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Auction It employee Shana Florence takes information about items for sale by James McDonald. The owners want to open more stores.Auction It gives eBay sellers a helping hand
W. Bloomfield site handles all the details of sale for its customers for 28% commission
The site has sold 300 items, including collectible train cars and has shipped them to customers all over the world.
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WEST BLOOMFIELD -- Adam Henderson dabbled in eBay for five years, selling collectible dolls, cameras and stereo equipment for friends and family. The success of the Internet auction site convinced him he could turn his hobby into a much larger, profitable venture.
Three weeks ago, Henderson and a group of investors opened an Auction It Today franchise on Haggerty Road in West Bloomfield to help consumers sell items on eBay when they can't or don't want to manage the process themselves.
Auction It Today handles all the sales details, from posting pictures of the items, to writing product descriptions, to answering sellers' questions, to collecting money.
The site, which charges a 28 percent commission, has sold 300 items, including collectible train cars and a 1991 Mercury Capri, and has shipped them to customers as far away as Germany, Korea and Australia.
"We do all the work," said Henderson, 23, who had owned a Web design business "The customer doesn't have to do anything, and their product is exposed to millions of people who normally wouldn't see it."
Auction It Today joins a growing list of local businesses, including Baylisters and iSOLD It, that have capitalized on the growing success of eBay with drop-off locations that coordinate sales.
Online auction houses are a growing market for those who don't have the time or the patience to sell products online.
"It's a perfect virtual garage sale," said Ed Nakfoor, a retail consultant in Birmingham. "There are people who don't have the time or the technical prowess, and if these places make it easy enough, there's a market for it. Besides from hosting a garage sale yourself, it's a great way to have somebody do the work for you."
Kim Oderkirk, 43, of West Bloomfield used Auction It Today to sell snow car tires she couldn't sell during a garage sale.
"It was convenient: I called them up, they picked up it and I got a check," she said. "It was much easier than doing it myself."
Most items Auction It Today sells cost more than $20 and are listed on eBay for a week. If the products don't sell in that time, they are relisted for free, minus eBay listing fees of $2 to $5.
Auction It Today will pick items up for free and commission is taken out of the sale proceeds. Items that don't sell can be donated to charities.
"It's easy to buy on eBay, but it's a lot harder to sell," said Henderson, who has a staff of seven employees. "We do this for a living, so we know how to sell products."
At the Auction It Today store in West Bloomfield, there are sequin jackets, furs, vintage sewing machines, photography equipment and Atari video machines from the 1980s waiting to be sold on eBay.
Items are shipped to customers within 24 hours after payment, Henderson said. Henderson hopes to earn revenue of $150,000 to $200,000 a month, and open three more stores over the next five to 10 years.
You can reach Tenisha Mercer at (313) 222-2401 or tmercer@detnews.com.
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