Storefronts put eBay on the streets:
" Last month, Kevin and Erin McGinnis opened Picture It Sold, a Berkeley storefront at the corner of College and Ashby avenues at which customers can drop off items for auction on the popular eBay Web site. The store photographs the item, lists it for sale on the site and ships it when a sale is made, all in exchange for a cut of the final purchase price.
The idea is not exactly new; as much as one-fifth of the billions of dollars exchanged through the eBay site each year are estimated to come from so-called trading assistants - folks who sell goods belonging to others, who share the profits with their helpers.
But the McGinnises are part of a small but growing crowd to bring this idea into a retail storefront setting. And they are the first to bring the concept to the tech-savvy East Bay.
'It's definitely the next thing. It hits everybody that eBay is missing now - people who don't know how to use a computer or don't own a digital camera,' said Erin McGinnis, who worked as a reporter for KTVU-2 until last year. 'Plus, a lot of folks are just plain busy now and don't have the time to follow auctions for stuff they might put up.'"
Even Ebay are not too sure....
"Historically, we've recognized that our primary strength is running online marketplaces," Pursglove said, in reference to some past acquisitions that have not panned out for the company. "With that said, I think we'll keep our eyes open. The bottom line is, does an offline venture have the potential to expand the eBay marketplace. It's slightly premature to guess on that at this phase."
posted by Jen @ 5:34 AM
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