Norwalk, Conn. - 30 January, 2005 -

Brent Haney has the perfect solution for getting rid of unwanted items that are cluttering up your house: Give them to him, he'll sell them on eBay and send you a check. Imagine clearing space in your attic, garage and basement and getting paid for it. Those skates that your children have long outgrown could be transformed into cash. That camera collecting dust in the closet could fatten your wallet. On Tuesday, Haney will officially open a Snappy Auctions franchise in the Sconset Commons building at 365 Westport Ave. The company's motto clearly summarizes its service: "Drop off your stuff and we'll sell it on eBay." Haney will accept just about anything, but stresses that items should be valued at least $ 50. He will photograph the item, write the description, plan a pricing strategy and list the item on eBay, the popular Internet auction site with 125 million customers worldwide. "I picked this business because I'm a user of eBay and I know what a great value it provides its customers. I wanted to be part of it," said Haney, a former advertising executive who lives in New Canaan. "The Internet is here to stay and eBay is here to stay. Starting a business that utilized both just made a ton of sense. "I also wanted something local in nature," he added. "I look at this as me being the eBay drop-off guy." Snappy Auctions was started by Debbie Gordon, who opened the first store in October 2003 in Nashville. The rapidly growing franchise now includes about 30 stores with many more to come in the future. Haney plans to open three more stores over the next two years. "I always just go by my vision," Gordon said of her franchise's expansion. "I 'm not surprised, but I am pleased. "Location is important," said Gordon, who visited 365 Westport Avenue before Haney signed the lease. "You want to be where people have valuable things. And his location has a lot of traffic and people will be able to see the concept." Haney couldn't agree more. "There is great growth going on in Norwalk," he said. "There are some true retail icons here, such as Stew Leonard's and Aitoro. You want to be in the center of where people are doing their errands." The building at 365 Westport Ave., which was completed two years ago, has eight store fronts and is nearly completely leased. The building also includes Fairfield County's first Quiznos Sub store. "I think it's nice to have a new concept business there," Sheldon Minkowicz of Fyber Properties, which owns Sconset Commons, said of Snappy Auctions. "It should be a growing type of business and, obviously, I hope he's very successful." Haney's store, which is the first Snappy Auctions franchise in Connecticut, reflects the spirit of the company with bright purple, gold and orange walls. Customers are greeted at the front of the store where Haney looks over the items and discusses pricing, which often includes managing the customer's expectations about how much the items are likely to sell for on eBay. "Things aren't always worth what people paid for them," Gordon said. "They are worth what people on eBay are willing to pay." The back of the 1,200 square foot store is where Haney photographs the items, enters the information into a computer and organizes the items on shelves. His shipping operations are also located at the back of the store. Snappy Auctions keeps 35 percent of the total sale price of items that sell for under $ 500, and a progressively less percentage for items that sell for more. Haney said the service is targeted toward those who have unwanted items around the house and do not want to have a garage sale, or do not have the time, knowledge or desire to list the item on eBay themselves. Items that do not sell when the auction ends may be picked up by the customer or Snappy Auction will donate it to a charity. Haney said his store is set apart from other eBay drop-off businesses in large part because of the proprietary software to which he has access through the franchise. Snappy Auctions is also officially recognized by eBay as a trading post. "They (eBay) loves it because we're bringing them business that they otherwise wouldn't get," Gordon said. Gordon got her start selling on eBay by buying discounted designer shoes at a retail store and putting them up for auction. The response was tremendous and Gordon got the idea for Snappy Auctions. Now she sells everything from jewelry to sports equipment and everything in between. "It gets to the point where nothing is odd anymore," Gordon said. "There's always something quirky happening on eBay," Haney added. To contact Haney at Snappy Auctions, call (203) 847-EBAY, or visit http://www.snappyauctions.com.

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