CA$HING IN ON AUCTIONPAL

Selling your shit online just got a little easier

By CHRISTINE LIU

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"I had a knack for trading, growing up," says Drew West, co-founder and chief operating officer of auctionPAL, referring to his history of buying and reselling ski and sports equipment throughout school. "He negotiates everything," CEO and President Maureen Ellenberger teasingly clarifies. The company celebrated the September 10th Boston launch of their baby, a website that simplifies the process of auctioning your stuff on eBay, featuring a breezy, personable interface that any schlub can navigate. Headed also by Julian Ray and West's brother, T.D. (aka "Colby"), auctionPAL's 18 Waltham-based employees-plus a cadre of fearless developers in St. Petersburg, Russia-keep the wheels turning with plenty of patent-busting and goals for national expansion.

If you've ever sold stuff online, you know how much of a pain in the arse the process can sometimes be. However, auctionPAL's user-friendly procedure-they deal with the pricing and shipping, and send you a check at the conclusion of the sale-makes it almost too easy to pawn off crap taking up space in your apartment. There's a vaguely Antique Roadshow-ness about it when auctionPAL consults a network of "auction experts" to appraise the value of your stuff. "You start wanting to hunt for things in your house to sell," Ellenberger confesses. "My husband wants to glue things down." Although the site is perfect for sellers willing to turn a tidy profit off their possessions, it also soon will manage collective auction earnings for pledge drives and for charities. I'd rather donate a pair of ill-fitting shoes than cut a check for my alma mater, wouldn't you? Savin' money and feet in one virtual blow.

"It's interesting to see what comes in the queue," says Ellenberger, referring to the trash (OK, or treasure) that's put up for auction. In only the last week, three engagement rings were independently posted by women in severed relationships-a lesson as good as any that love may not last forever, but cash can certainly stick around for a good while. While you may think the shady, off-the-cuff world of bartering has fled, a lawyer who was given a 1952 Willie Mays second year baseball card in lieu of payment ages ago finally emptied his drawers to get a return on his investment. And the Waltham Museum recently relieved itself of a vintage circus dog cart, a 1940s red-wheeled number, with a posting describing it as "Perfect for a small dog or a chicken."

It better be.

[auctionpal.com]