The old expression ‘one man's junk is another man's treasure' can be used to describe the services provided by eWired Auctions, LLC — but with a philanthropic twist. This young online auction consultancy, which who advises non-profit organizations and charities on fundraising efforts, has positive revenue and is ready to expand its workforce as its next task toward economic growth.
The entrepreneurs who founded the company, Robert Kristel and Brian Selchick, met through a mutual friend three years ago. They joined forces and became a united front when the dot com companies www.I-soldit.com and www.snappyauction.com sprung up out of the steel trap doors of the world wide web in direct competition with eBay.
Selchick occupied his time while attending Union College as an undergraduate enrolled in the MBA program by selling products on eBay. When he began selling products for other people, Selchick realized that what he was providing could become a franchising service.
“We're a total auction management company for charities on and off eBay. There are 170 million users, over 8,000 charities registered with eBay,” Selchick said, with prior experience fundraising for charities. “We provide unique fundraising and marketing for our clients but also for their sponsors.”
Kristel studied video production at New York University. Before venturing into the online auction management service, he worked in the film industry for 10 years.
They completed an auction campaign for the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation. The initiative raised money and helped students displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
“We enable our clients to get creative sponsorship not brick and mortar,” Kristel said. “We help charities that might not have the money to donate, but instead might have time shares, or an old TV, or a car to sell.”
eWired Auctions does not earn profits based from a commission like many major auction homes are historically known to do. Instead, they have seamless zero commission, as Selchick is proud to catch phrase it. They charge a flat management fee to all clients. They also develop customized proprietary online auction systems for companies. The clients can track and build on their own fundraising initiatives, raising money for a known socially, ethically, and hopefully politically correct cause.
Writing press releases, searching engine submissions, marketing direct mail campaigns, hosting live events such as bidding parties are services eWire Auctions also offer.
“I feel good about coming to work every day,” Kristel said, wearing a white Oxford shirt. “It's kind of like Robin Hood without stealing.”
With warehousing space located in Albany, Scotia, and East Greenbush, they are expanding at an impressive rate. “Globalization is destroying borders,” Selchick said. “There is great marketing potential. In New York alone there are over 100,000 charities.”
eWired Auctions offer tangible and intangible items for bid such as life size Star Wars Yoda Master Jedi Knight, lunch with Warren Buffet for $250,000, an electric wheelchair, and a weightless flight with a NASA astronaut.
“This is a better way for people to give,” Kristel said. “It's not as constrictive.”
They are the only company on the east coast to provide an auction management service at the community level where a percentage of the proceeds goes to charity, according to both principals. They adopted the concept from community selling, a marketing tool found on eBay.
eWired Auctions' competitive edge is that they explain how the donors will interact with auctions. They consult with the types of items to auction and they can fulfill those items. Partnered with Auction Anything, they are certified to consult on multiple platforms. “We want to build our own online auction systems because we know what we like and don't like,” Kristel said.
The next steps needed for eWired Auctions to raise itself to a competitive industry position: launch a team of account executives, convene a board of advisors and to execute a focused business plan.