According to a recent PC World article on eBay selling, it takes eight hours to prepare two simple electronic items for auction. There are also 45,000 categories to sell in - which one is right? Not everyone has the time or the inclination to sell on eBay, but no one can ignore the power of the world's largest Internet market attracting buyers purchasing some $24 billion in electronics, appliances and other stuff last year.
 
Cash for Your Stuff, Fast and Easy
Snappy Auctions is a fast-growing Franchise chain of eBay consignment centers launched early last year by Debbie Gordon in Nashville, TN. Her concept is as simple as it is direct: all you do is bring in the item you want auctioned and Snappy Auctions' Franchising staff prepares it for auction, including expert valuation, writing the strategic keyword-based description, photographing it, and categorizing and posting the listing on eBay. Once the listing is active, Snappy Auctions franchisors answers all queries from prospective buyers, collects payment and ships the item once it's sold. For its part, Snappy Auctions receives a 15% to 35% commission for these services, depending on the value of the item. All you do is cash the check.
 
Snappy Auctions was among the first to launch the Business opportunities concept in the U.S. and take a lead role in tapping this emerging market. These ventures are supported wholeheartedly by eBay. Most of eBay's 114-million registered users are buyers, not sellers, offering a huge international market for all those unused items gathering dust in consumers' closets, jewelry boxes and attics. In fact, an eBay-commissioned consultant has estimated that drop-off stores have the potential to generate $10 billion in sales annually, not only providing a new outlet for consumers with items to sell, but generating a huge opportunity for net-savvy entrepreneurs attracted to the concept of mixing retailing with high-tech Internet selling.
 
Customer-Focused eBay Veteran
Gordon's knack for understanding the dynamics of selling on eBay is based on her experience in helping businesses of all kinds understand the key role technology can play in effective marketing. By the time she was in her mid 20s, Gordon had started an Internet media and production company and launched a highly successful career as a customer relationship management (CRM) software consultant.

Snappy Auctions: Ebay Made The Easy Way

With this kind of background, Gordon was quick to recognize eBay's potential and she soon found herself selling high-end designer shoes on the fast-growing Internet auction site. It wasn't long before she was generating real income and achieving eBay's highest seller ratings. But her drive to make a buck on eBay didn't stop there. It soon became apparent that her skills were not only extremely marketable, but transferable as well. According to Gordon, she got the Snappy Auctions idea after her friends kept bugging her to sell their things on eBay because they didn't have the time to do it themselves.
 
She opened her first store last October in an upscale area of Nashville, TN. Though she initially planned to expand with corporate owned stores, it quickly became clear that national expansion would be realized sooner if she were to attract other entrepreneurs looking to cash in on eBay's phenomenal success through a well-positioned franchise opportunity. Less than a year later, Snappy Auctions opened it's first franchise in Savannah, as well as stores in Atlanta, GA and Hendersonville, TN.  More stores are slated to open up in Greenville, SC,  Palm Beach, Alexandria, VA, Stafford, VA and Virginia Beach end of December/beginning of January.
"Currently were are in negotiations with dozens of potential business partners interested in the franchise," said Gordon, "and solidifying plans to open stores in, or near large metropolitan centers across the country." Gordon explained that by 2005, her stores will be positioned to be the dominant player in this emerging market.

Gordon and Her Team: Tech-Savvy Business Enablers

The power behind the operation and the key to what should prove to be Snappy Auctions' competitive success is the team Gordon has assembled to move her franchise business forward and the technology they have created to support the franchised network of Snappy Auctions drop-off centers.
 
According to Internet Retailer, eBay drop-off centers have the potential to generate $10 billion sales annually by tapping the potential of eBay's nearly 100 million registered users. But, according to Gordon, Snappy Auctions' franchise owners would have a tough time capturing their slice of that pie without the proprietary web-based business management and training system, SnappySales, she and her team of development experts have created.  SnappySales, which forms the enterprise IT backbone of each drop-off center, manages all merchandise pricing, photography and listings, as well as customer databases, fees, accounts payable, billing, facilities and training.
 
The software gives drop-off managers more time to focus their energy on serving customers and promoting their businesses, not on processing paperwork. "Without the right systems in place, our competitors will be hard-pressed to manage all aspects of their business as efficiently as we can," said Gordon. "With SnappySales, Snappy Auctions is realizing continual efficiencies in labor management, customer service, accounting, quality control, and ultimately, profitability. From the absolute beginning, our franchise partners are minimizing costs and maximizing profits."

Exponential Growth Fueled by Word of Mouth

After less than two months in business, Snappy Auctions' flagship store was profitable says Gordon. "We have hundreds of happy customers, and more than 65% are repeat customers." According to Gordon, the business has grown exponentially by word of mouth, which is the ultimate measure of success.
 
What sells? There are 45,000 categories of items that are sellable on eBay. Snappy Auctions will sell anything with an expected value of at least $50.00 that is sellable per eBay rules. Some categories include electronics, collectibles, antiques, sporting equipment, cameras, art, and designer goods. "Our drop-off center owners will determine the value and decide the best strategy to sell it. We are on the same team. The more we can sell it for, the better we all do."
 
Buyer response has been great and Gordon's enterprise continues to maintain eBay's highest feedback rating (100%), which means every person buying something from one of Gordon's stores has had a positive experience.
 
Consumers are benefiting, too. Recently, a woman brought several antique dolls she thought were worthless to one of the Snappy Auctions stores. One of the dolls was so unique and sought after by doll collectors that it fetched $1,700 on eBay. Ready to be the next big eBay winner? Gordon thinks there are plenty of people out there willing to use eBay the easy way.

Click Here To Request More Information On The Snappy Auctions Franchise