Couple gets $16,101 'auction assist'

Business First of Buffalo - January 26, 2007

by Tracey Drury

Business First

An East Aurora business is helping owners discover the true value of their possessions - and helping them expose those goods to a worldwide audience.

That's exactly what happened last weekend when an old piece of Native American pottery owned by an Orchard Park couple earned the distinction of becoming the "most watched antique" auction item on eBay. It ultimately sold for $16,101 by the auction's close on Jan. 21.

Credit goes to iAuctionAssist LLC of East Aurora for identifying the value of the piece and writing a description that attracted bidders from around the world.

"It really was watched around the world, which is something we never thought we would have," said Susan Tapani, majority owner of the Main Street eBay auction business, who uses her MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern to help market items online.

"They had no idea what it was," she said, adding that the pottery was kept on the living room floor where the grandchildren often played. The piece, which had been in the family since 1943, was actually a circa 1920 Acoma Pueblo Native American water jar.

Tapani began dabbling on eBay six years ago, before beginning to sell for other people three years ago. That's when she moved to a storefront in the Village of East Aurora. Today, the business operates with a staff of five, offering customers free market appraisals of their items. An item is only accepted for eBay auction if it will sell for at least $50 to $75.

Clients get appraisals based on three months of eBay data, with detailed research for their item and a professional listing and photos. The company also handles payments and shipping of items, keeping a percentage of the sale price as payment. iAuctionAssist is an eBay PowerSeller with the highest possible member feedback rating, which Tapani says helps attract the best bidders.

One customer brought in a vase he had literally pulled out of the garbage that fetched more than $1,000. Someone else brought in a train set ought at an estate sale for $25 that sold for more than $3,000. Other items the company has sold are gold coins, car parts, military items, old and new toys, Roycroft items, cameras and even a prosthetic arm.

Tapani also works with companies to help them sell overstock items or obsolete equipment, as well as donations to charities. One recent sale included selling auditorium seats for a local school that was renovating. Instead of having to pay someone to take them away, the seats were sold to a private school in Quebec.

Among the most memorable was a restaurant menu that sold for $923. It was signed by five members of the 1951 New York Yankees, including three Hall of Famers.