Literally millions of dollars in transactions pass through eBay’s virtual marketplace every single day. With a market that large, it’s no wonder that auxiliary businesses have sprung up to compete for their piece of the eBay pie.

Some of the most popular auxiliary eBay businesses are eBay drop-off centers. By its very nature, eBay attracts a high percentage of everyday people interested in selling items on the web. However, many of those people don’t really understand how eBay works or don’t have the time to market their products through eBay on their own. That’s where drop-off centers come into the picture. Instead of having to market their merchandise on eBay themselves, they bring their stuff to the drop-off center where trained staff does the marketing for them. The drop-off center makes its profit by taking a certain percentage of the final sales price.

In recent years, several franchisors have jumped on the drop-off center bandwagon. Although these franchises haven’t been around as long as franchises in other industries, they are proving themselves capable of earning sizeable profits by offering customers a high level of expertise in selling their products.

Most eBay drop-off center franchisors have solid backgrounds in technology businesses. They know what they’re talking about because they have ridden the wave of internet business through the dot com craze to more stable internet business models. With a little research, new franchisees can benefit from the experience of their eBay franchisors to gain an upper-hand in the marketplace.

Points to Consider

• If you’re just starting out and have little eBay experience, an eBay-related franchise is definitely the way to go. In a relatively short period of time, you will be given the training and support you need to successfully sell your customers’ merchandise over the internet.
• eBay-related franchises are young and there is no telling what the future may hold. Technological advances and changing internet trends could conceivably have a negative impact on demand for your services. Ask your franchisor about this and particularly inquire about the mechanisms the franchisor has in place to adapt with the virtual marketplace.
• Unlike other businesses, eBay franchises live in a parasitic relationship with a specific company – eBay. eBay is one of the internet’s most reliable businesses right now, but if the company were to tank for some reason you would be in trouble. Give some thought to an exit strategy for your franchise should the unthinkable actually occur.

Franchise Opportunities

• iSold It. iSold It is one of a handful of companies who have established dominance in the eBay drop-off center industry. In a short period of time they have established more than 600 franchise locations. Their current plans call for an expansion to 3,000 franchises located in all 50 states.
• Quik Drop. Quik Drop is another leader in the eBay drop-off center franchising industry. Capitalizing on consumer demand for a convenient way to sell their merchandise on eBay, Quik Drop has expanded its franchising efforts to include both U.S. and international locations.
• OrbitDrop. OrbitDrop is also a contender in drop-off center franchising. Like the other serious franchisors, OrbitDrop provides comprehensive training and support services for their franchisees as well as a proven and successful model for helping their customers sell their merchandise profitably.

Want to Learn about Franchise Opportunities?

Browse tons of franchise opportunities in the Gaebler Ventures franchise directory:

Our Directory of Franchise Opportunities now includes over 1,400 franchise opportunities. If we're missing a franchise, please let us know.