Selling on eBay as easy as ABC

Office equipment business now offers eBay consignment as well

You never know what treasures may be tucked away in your attic or basement or closet.Or that your dog may drag in from the woods.For Mike and Linda Candelora, it was a pair of nearly matching deer antlers about five years ago.With encouragement from their oldest son, they posted the antlers for sale on eBay. The antlers sold for $120, which the Candeloras put toward an addition to their house for their large family.The addition is now completed, and much of it was paid for through items the Candeloras auctioned on eBay."We would sell whatever we could get reasonably at local auctions to help that building project along," Linda Candelora says.Along the way, the Candeloras not only learned their way around eBay but also became knowledgeable about antiques and collectibles. And they recently decided to make their eBay expertise available to others, adding eBay consignment as part of ABC Office Equipment, a business that Mike Candelora started 14 years ago.People who have items they want to try to sell on eBay can contact the Candeloras. They'll research the items, estimate how much the items might bring in on eBay, and then post the items for auction and monitor their progress. When an item sells, the Candeloras will complete the transaction and handle the shipping.Their commission is 25 percent of the selling price.While anyone can auction items on eBay, Linda Candelora says ABC Office Equipment offers the service for people who don't have the time or know-how."The benefit of bringing something to us is that we take all the photos and answer all the e-mails," Candelora says. "The other part most people don't want to deal with is the shipping."Candelora says she will also refer people to other selling "venues," such as local auction houses, "if eBay is not the best way to get the profit they want to get for their item."With the opening of the eBay consignment, ABC Office Equipment has moved out of the Candelora home and into a new location at the corner of routes 5 and 5A in Lovell. And all five of the Candelora children, ranging in age from 14 to 22, are now involved in the business. All can do eBay auctions, and they have their specialties. For Jason, 22, it's rare maps, catalogs and brochures. For Christopher, 19, it's baseball cards. With a quick eBay search, he can tell you, for instance, that a 1967 Topps Harmon Killebrew card sold for $62.Mike Candelora says you never know what may be of value to somebody else, or what others may be willing to pay. The old adage is true: One man's junk may indeed be another man's treasure."The thing you think isn't going to sell will bring in the most money, and the thing you think will pay for your next mortgage won't sell," he says.Linda Candelora says baby-boomer nostalgia items "anything that takes people back to their childhoods" are popular. And she says people interested trying to sell items on eBay should "think out of the box.""It's not just antiques and collectibles," she says. "It could be stereo equipment, musical instruments, even gift certificates. There's a tremendous array of items a person can bring in."Candelora believes customers who avail themselves of the eBay services will generally fall into one of three categories: eBay novices; local antique dealers; and people who are familiar with eBay but "just don't want to deal with it."Candelora says ABC Office Equipment is the first eBay consignment "store" in the Western Maine and Mount Washington Valley area."You're dealing with an established business," she says. "You're dealing with people who have been in business in the valley for 14 years. We're just expanding our services."The Candeloras also have a good eBay track record, not only in terms of the number of items they've sold personally but also in terms of customer feedback. Their user ID (abclovell) has received a positive feedback rating from at least 98 percent of their buyers over the years, making them an eBay "power seller.""You have to be able to be organized and efficient, or you're going to get negative feedback," Candelora says.Phone number for ABC Office Equipment is (207) 925-3242. Or e-mail lindasebay@yahoo.com.