EBay middlemen

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The stereo collecting dust in the attic or those designer handbags pushed to the back of the closet can fetch hundreds of dollars on EBay without their owners touching a computer.

Drop-off stores, the newest EBay middlemen, are opening their doors to sell other people's items on the popular auction site. An onslaught of West Coast companies like ISold It, AuctionDrop and QuikDrop are setting their sights on locations across the country, including the Washington area.

"It's easy to buy on EBay, but it's a lot more complicated to sell," said Elise Wetzel, ISold It founder and chief executive. "The process can be time-consuming and intimidating for people who are not familiar with the mechanics of posting items for sale online."

Although business models vary, the drop-off store concept is simple.

Customers drop off their goods, and, for a fee, the store takes care of the rest from taking photos and posting a description of the merchandise to tracking the bids, answering e-mails from potential buyers and packing and shipping the item to the winning bidder. Some stores won't take items valued at less than $50.

The stores make their money from commission. The fee structure varies from company to company based on the selling price.

For instance, QuikDrop's fees are 38 percent of the first $200 of a sale, 30 percent of the next $300 and 20 percent of the remaining sale price of items more than $500.

Items that aren't sold can be picked up by the seller or donated to charity.

"[Drop-off stores] fill such a need in the market," Ms. Wetzel said. "We're the bridge between selling at a yard sale and a traditional consignment store."