Sell online with auctionPAL

Kucinich Christmas: Hanging chads for all

December 14, 2007

Dennis Kucinich has an answer for your holiday gift-giving: a Palm Beach County voting machine from the 2000 election "containing actual chads," with a "replica butterfly ballot" and a letter signed by Kucinich proclaiming "the stolen presidential election of 2000."

Kucinich, a Democratic presidential candidate, is trying to sell 1,200 of the machines through a Florida supporter and collector Jim Dobyns. Kucinich just started offering the machines on his campaign website at $219.95, plus shipping - with all the features described above. As of Wednesday, he'd sold three.

"It's a great Christmas present - the ultimate," said Sharon Manitta, Kucinich's communications director.

The voting machine is one of the more vivid examples of the merger of Internet commerce and political action in virtually every presidential campaign this year. Every major candidate sells campaign brochures, T-shirts and other political paraphernalia on campaign websites. But some, like Kucinich, are adding much more.

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, whose campaign has been among the most aggressive online, has established "MittMarket" - a kind of political e-Bay - in which supporters can sell unwanted items from their garages and donate the proceeds to Romney's campaign. So far, donors have sold everything from pots and pans to iPods and donated the proceeds to Romney, according to Massachusetts-based auctionPAL.com, which runs "MittMarket."

AuctionPal specializes in soliciting and helping sellers in a rapidly growing online auction universe.

Neither Romney's campaign spokesmen nor auctionPal.com executives would disclose how much Romney has raised from the sales so far. Maureen Ellenberger, CEO of auctionPal.com, said the Romney site had generated "a nice healthy interest."

Ellenberger, citing a study that said the average family has $2,200 of unused or unwanted items in closets or garages, said one value of the service is to allow people with limited means to donate to political campaigns by getting rid of items they no longer use. AuctionPal takes commissions beginning at 20%, and sellers can designate any part of the remaining proceeds to Romney.

"I do see a lot of potential for the model for politicians," said company founder Drew West, whose company also is working with a National Public Radio station in Boston on a similar fundraising effort.

There are limits on the political commerce, however. Donors cannot give more than the $2,300 individual limit under federal law, nor can they purchase an item worth more than that.

But campaign paraphernalia is becoming big business, and the campaigns themselves are getting more and more involved. Some view it as an extension of social networking efforts on Facebook, MySpace and other Internet sites. Others view it as a way for campaigns to build both their coffers and e-mail lists.

"Before, it was always mom and pop vendors outside the campaigns that were trying to make money," said Kent Cooper, a campaign finance expert and former Federal Election Commission official. "It's only been in the last five years that we have seen campaigns start to merchandise."

Most campaigns are reluctant to talk about how much they get from sales, and proceeds are handled differently from one candidate to the next. Most stress that their gear is made in the U.S.

While he is raising money through "MittMarket," Romney takes nothing from sales of campaign T-shirts, bumper stickers and other campaign paraphernalia offered on his website. Stephen Smith, Romney's director of online communications, said the campaign's site hosts the sales for a company called GOP Shoppe, which makes Republican-related items.

Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, has netted about $500,000 from online sales, spokesman Jesse Benton estimated. Paul has a large Internet following, and Benton said advisers to Paul, a doctor, noticed the large volume of Paul-related items were being sold on other websites. "We decided to see if we could put some of that in Dr. Paul's campaign pocket," Benton said.

Among the items offered on Paul's site: "Slim Jims," laminated campaign brochures of Paul's positions and biography that go for $5 per 100.

The commercial choices are as broad as the ideological ones. Republican Rudy Giuliani offers a "Rudy signature pen" for $50. If you hurry, the campaign will throw in a lapel pin. Democrat Barack Obama's website offers a campaign button called "America's First Family" showing Obama, his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters. It goes for $3 or two for $5.

Some are capitalizing on the holidays to solicit "gifts" for the candidates.

Republican Fred Thompson wants contributors to "Fred's 12 Days of Christmas." For $500, you can buy four TV ads in Iowa. For $1,000, you can underwrite Thompson's campaign bus for one day.

"Add Fred to your list and make sure that he has a Merry Christmas and a happy primary season," Thompson's website says.

auctionPAL: Your Virtual Vendor

December 5, 2007

For those who are interested in selling some personal items online, but don't have the time or desire to learn the ins and outs of selling on eBay, auctionPAL is a virtual drop shop that will list and sell the items for you.

To get started, you simply go to the Web site, register and then type in a description of the item you'd like to sell. After submitting the description you are then shown a table that highlights the current average selling price of the item and what your expected earnings should be. If you choose to sell, the next screen prompts you for an item description, a place to specify the condition and other item-specific details, such as warranty information and model numbers, and your contact information. After this, you can upload up to five images of the item you would like to sell through auctionPAL.

Auctions Made Easy

From there, your item is routed to an auction expert at auctionPAL, who generates the online auction. AuctionPAL does everything from listing and monitoring the item, handling auction questions and more. When your item sells successfully online, you simply wait for your shipping kit from auctionPAL. The shipping kit contains everything you need to get the item out, including detailed instructions, the mailing label, the box or ship kit, packaging - even the tape to seal the box. Once you have the item packaged and ready to go, you can call DHL to schedule a pick-up.

Once the auction has been completed and the buyer receives the item successfully, auctionPAL will take its cut, the fees from the sale, and send you the remainder of the money earned from selling the item.

'Tis Better to Give than to Receive

Since auctionPAL is so easy to use, it makes an excellent platform for online fundraising efforts, an area the company recently entered into with the release of its Web-based fundraising tool. Through the service, auctionPAL gives groups and associations the opportunity to offer supporters an additional way to contribute by making it possible for them to turn their unwanted items into charitable tax-deductible donations using its simple online application.

To do this, auctionPAL manages the entire process as it would for an individual auction, and then sends the proceeds directly to the organization on behalf of the donor as a fundraising contribution. For fundraising efforts auctionPAL deducts all marketplace fees and expenses from the final auction value and neither the donor nor recipient will have to pay any upfront costs or fees associated with the transaction.

The fundraising application can be customized and displayed on your own Web site and with a single click will take donors to auctionPAL for an item contribution. Even Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has a "Mitt Market" section on the Mitt Romney Web site that provides details on how you can use auctionPAL's fundraising platform to contribute to the campaign. Through auctionPal you can also contribute items for sale to organizations such as WBUR, Associated Early Care and Education and World Camp. AuctionPAL's fundraising platform gives organizations an easy-to-implement way to encourage donations through means other than a check or credit card.

auctionPAL Turns Unwanted Items into Cash

October 29, 2007

Makes Selling Online a Snap for Everyone

WALTHAM, Massachusetts - Oct. 29, 2007 - auctionPAL today announced nationwide availability of a unique technology-enabled service that allows users, regardless of their level of technical sophistication, to sell their unwanted items online for maximum value without ever leaving their home or office. Consumers, businesses and non-profit organizations can all benefit from the service - consumers can sell personal items they no longer use, businesses can sell overstocks or outdated equipment and non-profits can raise funds through the sale of donated items.

Forrester Research projects online consumer auction sales are expected to reach $65 billion by 2010, accounting for nearly one-fifth of all online retail sales. However, user numbers reveal a dramatic discrepancy between the numbers of buyers versus sellers. Transaction data gleaned from auction sites such as eBay show that out of 100 million active online auction site users, more than 90 percent are buyers and there are currently no proven methods for recruiting online sellers.

According to research by AC Nielsen, the average household contains more than $2,200 worth of unused items. Previously, consumers would rely on garage sales, classified advertisements and consignment shops to try and de-clutter their homes. The advent of online auctions and services like Craigslist helped expand their reach, but the services were time consuming to use and manage, and fraud and personal safety were always of concern.

"Our goal is to make it really simple for users to sell online," said auctionPAL CEO Maureen Ellenberger. "Our service eliminates the complexity of listing and selling items on the traditional online auction sites such as eBay. With auctionPAL, users can become proficient online sellers by taking advantage of our system which can be customized to provide the level of assistance that the individual user requires. In short, auctionPAL makes online selling easy, safe and hassle free."

How It Works

auctionPAL has leveraged technology to bring consumers full service help at a price that is half of what other consignment models charge.

1. First, via a self-service online application, the seller uses auctionPAL's calculator to determine the estimated value of the unwanted item.
2. Next, the seller uploads a photo of the item to auctionPAL, and an auction expert with domain knowledge identifies the best combination of online venue, pricing and timing for obtaining the most value for the item.
3. Then using the apExpert application, auctionPAL lists the item, monitors the auction and sends shipping materials to the seller when the item has sold. auctionPAL arranges shipping and the seller receives a check from the company.

Users who want or needmore assistance through the process can also speak to a live auctionPAL agent via phone or live chat.

The company's commission rates vary and are very competitive in comparison to other consignment models. Moreover, auctionPAL users can get their items up for sale faster because there is no complex posting process and they don't have to worry about fraudulent bids, monitoring auctions or cumbersome shipping issues. Sellers also benefit from the Platinum Seller status auctionPAL has earned on eBay.

auctionPAL's service is driven by sophisticated patent-pending technology that uses a proprietary adaptive logic process to optimize online selling strategies over time. Further, the aggregation of online marketplace data, the use of selling strategy tools and unique auctionPAL templates all combine to ensure maximum value for each item listed.

The company was founded by Drew West who began his online selling career as a student at Middlebury College where he created an online auction site for ski and sports equipment. His success convinced him of a significant market opportunity in helping people identify the value in their unwanted items and then helping them sell those items online. West joined forces with his brother, T.D. "Colby" West to create a technology service platform that would provide users with a high level of supportfor online selling, including shipping and fraud protection. The early kiosk prototype evolved into the patent-pending technology services platform that is the foundation for auctionPAL.

About auctionPAL

auctionPAL is the premiere service for helping users sell items online. The company's patent-pending technology platform eliminates the barriers to online selling and will introduce a new group of sellers to the online marketplace. The company combines Web-enabled technology with expert knowledge, professional shipping, fraud protection and their easy best practice process to transform users into proficient online sellers, helping then turn unwanted items into cash.

Cashing in on auctionPAL

October 17, 2007

Selling your stuff online just got a little easier

"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.

Action for Auctions

October 15, 2007

Tapping into the need for assistance by sellers on sites such as eBay, a Waltham firm offers help in formulating pricing and marketing

AuctionPal, of Waltham, is trying to take the hassle out of selling items on eBay and other auction websites.

Hundreds of companies and entrepreneurs already help consumers sell stuff online, but nearly all of them ask customers to bring their items into a store or to a drop-off site. But auctionPAL is attempting to leverage the Internet to help customers sell items right out of their own homes at lower cost.

"I thought the concept of using bricks-and-mortar stores in a virtual world was a backward way to go about it," said 25-year-old Andrew West, who founded auctionPAL with his 28-year-old brother, Colby West.

The company has brought aboard a veteran software entrepreneur, Maureen Ellenberger, as chief executive and convinced Dace Ventures Group, of Boston, and another party to invest a total of $3 million in the business.

The Wests say buyers far outnumber sellers on most auction websites because it takes too much time for casual sellers to set up accounts and get started. Between taking photos of sale items, writing descriptions, and setting up eBay and PayPal accounts, Ellenberger said, it often takes six hours for novices to place an item for sale on eBay.

"There's a lot of hassle," she said. "The best customers for us are those who have tried."

The hassle factor, auctionPAL says, is the reason more than 92 percent of the users of auction websites are buyers and that repeat sellers account for most of the items put up for sale.

eBay won't confirm those numbers, refusing to categorize its 83 million active users as either buyers or sellers. But in its second-quarter report, eBay said its customers posted 559 million listings, down 6 percent from the year-earlier quarter.

A whole industry has sprung up to serve those who want to sell items on eBay; eBay has eBay University to help its customers learn the ropes, and there are independent trading assistants who run selling operations out of their homes. Companies like i-Soldit.com and Quikdrop.com operate retail stores or drop-off locations where consumers can leave items to be sold.

The fees for eBay sales assistance can be high. Fees charged by eBay trading assistants vary, depending on the level of service and the item, but typically are 25 to 50 percent of the sale price. The websites of i-Soldit and Quickdrop indicate they charge 35 to 38 percent of the sale price, but those prices don't include eBay and PayPal charges, which bring the total fee to $43 for an item selling for $100.

AuctionPal makes it easier for sellers by doing most of the work for them - online. For each item, the company develops a sales strategy, lists the item on an auction site, manages the auction, sends a shipping kit to the seller, and processes the payment once both parties are satisfied.

The company's fees vary depending on the level of service. Customers who supply pictures and descriptions are charged 20 percent of the sale price. Those who need more assistance, primarily by phone, are charged 30 percent. Those who want an auctionPAL employee to come to their home and handle everything are charged 35 percent. All of the fees include shipping and any charges assessed by eBay and PayPal.

AuctionPal launched its home service in the Boston area in May and is now developing a national network of agents to handle home visits. It launched its self-service option in July and began advertising its services last month. By the end of September, auctionPAL had handled 2,000 auctions and become a platinum power seller on eBay, a recognition of both high sales volume and customer satisfaction.

Sarah Green, who graduated from Brandeis University in May, is the so-called fashionista at auctionPAL. She handles auctions for items like designer handbags, shoes, and clothing. She occasionally has to tell customers that the item they want to sell is a fake.

Sitting in her cubicle recently, Green assembled an eBay listing for a Burberry coat. There is a detailed description of the coat and four photos. One of the pictures shows the coat's sales receipt, which Green had asked the customer to submit because "eBay bidders need proof that it's real."

AuctionPal's software tells her the average selling price of this type of Burberry coat on eBay is $124 and suggests a starting price of $75. Green, who says a high starting price often deters bidders, decides to start the bidding at $9.99. The coat eventually sells for $129.50

Michael Sperlinga of Boston had an Apple iPod, an IBM Thinkpad, a Sony Walkman, two Sharp Aquos LCD TVs, and a Harman Kardon entertainment system that he wanted to sell. The Merrill Lynch executive didn't want to bother with photographing the items himself, so he had auctionPAL's Tom Egan come to his apartment and catalog everything.

"The whole convenience factor was the key reason for me," Sperlinga said.

Egan took about 45 minutes to photograph the items, type up descriptions, and ask Sperlinga whether the TV screens come with power cords, the entertainment system has a remote, and the iPod has music on it.

"The more information you can put in these the better," Egan said as he typed away on his laptop. "It just makes the buyer feel more comfortable."

Sperlinga's items sold for a total of $434, of which Sperlinga kept $282 and auctionPAL received $152. The only thing Sperlinga had to do was pack and ship the items using the kit mailed to him by auctionPAL.

Sperlinga was so pleased with how it went that he is arranging for auctionPAL to come to his storage unit to arrange for the sale of a number of items there.

"I didn't know it was this easy," he said.

Museum Sells History to Top Online Bidder

September 30, 2007

Vintage postcards, an antique car and a collection of books are on sale now and will go to the highest online bidder.

The Waltham Museum has enlisted the help of auctionPAL, a locally based company that auctions off items. The museum is cleaning house, to make room for items that are historically significant to the city.

"We are self supporting. Someone gave us a French painting of a Dutch woman. We have no use for them," said museum Director Albert Arena. "We sell them off to buy Waltham stuff and maintain the museum and pay electrical bills."

The Waltham-based site offers support in pricing, packaging and then selling the unwanted items through an eBay auction.

According to Arena, the museum staff wants to expand the displays within it's location at 25 Lexington St.

"We haven't used the second floor yet. We are just locked in on the first floor and we have so much more to show," Arena said. "We have uniforms from men wounded during World War II that we would like to put up. We don't have the room. ... We haven't even started on the school system exhibits. We are a museum on the history of Waltham and we have to show it."

A museum employee recently came across an article about auctionPAL and the idea to start an online auction blossomed.

"We got a car. A 1950 Ford that has nothing to do with Waltham. They will be auctioning that of for us," Arena said. "Last week we auctioned some 1948 Buicks. We didn't do a very good job. That's why we are leaning toward the professionals."

The site works by providing sellers different levels of service to auction off items. Users can photograph their items for sale, list and price them themselves or they can speak to an auctionPAL agent over the phone for support. Another method of selling items involves an auctionPAL agent visiting the seller and personally helping to price, photograph, list and sell items.

The Web site takes a percentage of the sale after the items are sold.

"Today we work mostly with eBay. If you are selling an old broken laptop, you answer some questions and our auction experts create a listing and we would manage the sale," said auctionPAL CEO Maureen Ellenberger. "We actually have a great chart for this. To list something on eBay there's about 17 steps. In our method, if you are using the online approach, there's three steps and we do all the rest of the work for you."

The company, comprised of about 18 people, moved its online business from Charlestown to Waltham in May and are located at 200 West St.

AuctionPAL was founded by two brothers, Drew and T.D. "Colby" West.

"We have two young guys that are the founders of the company. The first is Drew West. When he was in high school and college he would sell skis out of his room for the other students," Ellenberger said. "What he realized was there was an opportunity to help do these things for people that are too busy or technophobes."

Ellenberger said the brothers grew up in upstate New York.

Running the Family Business

September 27, 2007

Brothers make eBay sales easier

Colby West launched his first lucrative business shortly after getting his driver's license.

He started an invisible dog fence franchise in his hometown in upstate New York and passed it off to his younger brother, Drew, when he went off to college.

So, it's not surprising the two turbo-motivated brothers, after business school and working in venture capital, are once again back together as a team breaking ground on a new business venture.

"It's like a bug. You can't get rid of it. You either have it or you don't," said Colby.

Earlier this month, the Wests launched the Web site auctionPAL. The site, which is backed by venture capital funds and employs 30 plus people, is aimed at helping the reluctant eBay browsers by making it easier to sell their items on-line. Have a last season Gucci bag, unlucky golf clubs or out of date Blackberry - auctionPAL sells it online for you with a few clicks of a mouse. All you do is fill out a few forms and they post it online, find the best auction site and even send you the box and packing material when it sells. If that's not easy enough, users in the greater Boston area can actually pick up the phone and have an auctionPAL agent come out to their home and take all the information from them, including a photo.

"People have all this great stuff to sell and no one is serving that niche," said Colby, who now lives in the South End. "Of all the people who use eBay, studies show only 8 percent sell things."

The idea hatched when Drew was still in college.

"I've always had a passion for figuring out the residual value of people's belongings," said Drew, a former competitive skier. "I would pay them for their old skies and then turn around and sell them online for $400 or $500."

Knowing he was onto something, he began flirting with the idea of opening an eBay drop store, where people drop their stuff to be sold online.

"I looked at the model and said to myself, 'We are reintroducing brick and mortar into a virtual world.' I figured there were better ways around it," said Drew.

He spent the next few years developing auctionPAL, applying for patents and figuring out operations.

Colby soon stepped in to market the idea and secured financing.

After living together for awhile on top of work, recently, Colby and Drew made the residential split.

"It's been a real rollercoaster but the ups are tremendous," said Drew. "Working with someone you know, when you're not there, will have your back 100 percent, it's amazing."

auctionPAL Debuts Next-Generation Online Seller Service in Boston

September 10, 2007

Users Choose from "Three Levels of Easy" to Turn Unwanted Items into Cash

WALTHAM, Massachusetts - September 10, 2007 - auctionPAL today launched a unique technology-enabled service that allows users, regardless of their level of technical sophistication, to sell their unwanted items online for maximum value without ever leaving their home or office. Consumers, businesses and non-profit organizations can all benefit from the service -" consumers can sell personal items they no longer use, businesses can sell overstocks or outdated equipment and non-profits can raise funds through the sale of donated items. The company recently completed a successful beta program and will focus initially on the Boston market.

According to Forrester Research, online consumer auction sales are expected to reach $65 billion by 2010, accounting for nearly one-fifth of all online retail sales. However, user numbers reveal a dramatic discrepancy between the numbers of buyers versus sellers. Transaction data gathered from auction sites such as eBay show that out of 100 million active online auction site users, more than 90 percent are buyers. There are currently no proven methods for recruiting online sellers.

"Our goal is to make it really simple for users to sell online," said auctionPAL CEO Maureen Ellenberger. "Our service eliminates the complexity of listing and selling items on the traditional online auction sites such as eBay. With auctionPAL, users can become proficient online sellers by taking advantage of our system which can be customized to provide the level of assistance that the individual user requires. In short, auctionPAL makes online selling safe and hassle free."

Prospective sellers have three options when using auctionPAL:

• First, via self-service online (Easy), the seller uses auctionPAL' calculator to determine the value of the unwanted item. Next, the seller uploads a photo of the item to auctionPAL, and an auction expert with domain knowledge identifies the right combination of online venue, pricing and timing for obtaining the most value for the item. Using the apExpert application, auctionPAL lists the item, monitors the auction and sends shipping materials to the seller when the item has sold. auctionPAL arranges shipping and the seller receives a check from auctionPAL.
• The second option (Easier) provides a live agent via phone to sellers who want or need assistance through the process.
• With the highest level of service (Easiest), an auctionPAL domain expert comes to the seller' home and provides on-site assistance through the pricing, listing and auction process.

The company' commission rates vary and are competitive in comparison to other consignment models. Moreover, auctionPAL users can get their items up for sale immediately, avoiding a complex posting process and they don’t have to worry about fraudulent bids, monitoring auctions or cumbersome shipping issues.

"The popularity of Craigslist, eBay and scores of other auction sites prove that personal online selling is a service highly valued by consumers," said Ellenberger. "By providing users with the best and easiest-to-use venue, we hope to turn them into proficient online sellers, enjoying the most positive and profitable experience possible."

auctionPAL's service is driven by sophisticated patent-pending technology that uses a proprietary adaptive logic process to optimize online selling strategies over time. Further, the aggregation of online marketplace data, the use of selling strategy tools and unique aP templates all combine to ensure maximum value for each item listed.

auctionPAL was founded by Drew West, who began his online selling career as a student at Middlebury College where he created an online auction site for ski and sports equipment. His success convinced him of a significant market opportunity in helping people identify the value in their unwanted items and then helping them sell those items online. West joined forces with his brother, T.D. "Colby" West to create a technology service platform that would provide users with a high level of support for online selling, including shipping and fraud protection. The early kiosk prototype evolved into the patent-pending technology services platform that is the foundation for auctionPAL. In March 2007 auctionPAL closed its Series A round of financing.

About auctionPAL

auctionPAL is the premiere service for helping users sell items online. The company' patent-pending technology platform eliminates the barriers to online selling and will introduce a new group of sellers to the online marketplace. The company combines Web-enabled technology with expert knowledge, professional shipping, fraud protection and their "Three Levels of Easy" process to transform users into proficient online sellers, helping then turn unwanted items into cash.

Software Vet Makes Another Bid for Startup Success

August 24, 2007

The difference between operating an enterprise software firm and a consumer-based Internet company has hit veteran technology executive Maureen Ellenberger full force at Waltham's auctionPAL LLC, where she has been CEO since January.

At auctionPAL, a company that's developed a system for listing items with online auction websites such as eBay Inc.'s, Ellenberger is seeing that it's not easy to shift from the long sales cycles and full-time sales forces of the enterprise-software world to the user-registration head counts and reliance on search-engine optimization of a web-based consumer startup.

"It's instant feeback," she said. "Things move much quicker."

Ellenberger said she's also wrestling with how to measure a product's readiness and the best method of reaching the right customer base. On top of that, she is now working with young entrepreneurs who have never known failure in a region where investors are better known for backing business-to-business rather than prerevenue consumer-focused ventures.

AuctionPAL has attracted $3 million in investment, including $2.4 million from a new investment firm, Boston-based Dace Ventures, in March, Ellenberger said. Dace, created by former CMGI President David Andonian, has reportedly raised $75 million from limited partners that include Tudor Ventures, according to published reports.

AuctionPAL launched a beta test in May with about 70 testers and introduced its service publicly last week. Ellenberger said the website now has approximately 500 registered users.

Ellenberger is the veteran tech exec brought into auctionPAL to place it on the path to profitability, which is nothing new to her. In 1997, she founded Eggrock Partners, a Maynard enterprise software maker and consulting firm that sold in 2000 to Boston-based Breakaway Solutions Inc. in a stock deal worth $250 million.

She was subsequently CEO of Bedford software maker InteQ Corp. for a year before becoming an entrepreneur-in-residence at Battery Ventures LP, a Wellesley venture capital firm.

At Battery, she met auctionPAL founders and brothers Drew West and Colby West in November 2006. Ellenberger initially advised the two about their business model, but soon after accepted the CEO position at their startup.

Drew West, the 25-year-old COO, started auctionPAL as Sell-High LLC while he was a freshman at Middlebury College in 2001. He changed the name last year.

AuctionPAL employs agents who will come to a seller to pick up goods and will help set up auctions; users can telephone agents for advice on selling items or users can employ the website's self service that analyzes the prices of comparable items and the best places to sell them online.

AuctionPAL charges a commission of up to 35 percent for clients using in-person agents; up to 30 percent for telephone assistance, and 20 percent for the self-service. The 17-person company, which includes eight developers in Russia, plans to reach profitability within a year.

Nearly 40 percent of web shoppers in North America shop on eBay, the most popular retail website (Amazon.com is No. 2), according to Forrester Research in Cambridge.

Customer and New York investment banker Ethan Pond said he sold more than $500 in electronic equipment and clothes through auctionPAL in July. "I made a few hundred bucks on stuff I didn't think had any value," he said.