Now that expertise has given rise to a new company called AuctioniTNJ. It was formed to help others sell all sorts of items -- from brass candlesticks and silver plate to leather jackets and golf clubs -- on eBay.
For a fee, the company will list items, doing everything from taking digital photos and researching the item, to writing the listing and shipping the piece to the auction's winner.
"People don't know eBay and don't understand how it all works," said 38-year-old Richard Cherin. "A lot of people have valuable items that they want to sell, but they don't have the time to do it on their own"
Cherin operates both businesses with his brother, Steven, 34, and father, Bernard, 64, who is known as "Buzz."
The Cherins are hoping that sales from their new venture will make up for the loss of revenue caused by a slowdown in the computer business, according to the elder Cherin.
Up until about two years ago, The Micro Connection's annual revenue reached several million dollars, said Buzz Cherin. "It was a great ride," he said.
But the shaky economy after the Sept. 11 attacks "just clobbered it," he said. "Large corporations decided to not buy new hardware" rather than lay off more workers.
Corporations also have decided to buy directly from computer makers such as Hewlett-Packard Co. and Dell Computer Corp, said Steven Cherin. "It has been a very rough business to be in."
BOB BIELK/Staff Photographer
Brothers Steve (left) and Rich Cherin photograph brassware they will try to sell on eBay for a client.
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To list items on eBay, AuctioniTNJ charges a $10 fee, which is included in its commission if an item sells. Commissions can range from 20 to 35 percent of the value of the merchandise, depending on the selling price. The amount covers eBay's fees as well.
Richard Cherin said the company will set up a professional-looking listing, describing the item in detail. If the owner doesn't have information about the item or doesn't have a price in mind, the Cherins will try to do some research themselves, he said.
"We are offering a service for them to make money, so they don't have to waste time doing garage sales," Steven Cherin said. "It is easy for them to make money on things that they have sitting around."
People can deliver the items to the Cherins' offices on Bridge Plaza Drive in Manalapan. They will pick up large items as well.
Once items sell, Steven Cherin hopes customers will get addicted to eBay. "If we sell one thing or a couple of things . . . people will start looking around the house for more," he said.
David P. Willis: (732) 643-4039, or at dwillis@app.com
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