Article that was in Atlantic City Press

USPS delivers for eBay

By REGINA SCHAFFER Staff Writer, (609) 272-7211

Published: Thursday, May 18, 2006

Updated: Thursday, May 18, 2006

If it's not nailed to the floor, chances are Milton Byron wants to sell it on eBay. Rare is the day Byron passes a garage sale or a flea market and doesn't pull over.

“If the kids stand still long enough, they're going on eBay,” Byron said, only half joking.

The Egg Harbor Township man is considered an eBay “power seller.” That means he has sold more than 40,000 items — mostly hockey memorabilia and other sports collectibles — since his first online auction in 1998. For Byron, what was once a nice way to make some extra money has grown to become his main source of income.

The United States Postal Service knows there are many more budding Milton Byrons out there. And more Milton Byrons mean more people using the USPS to ship merchandise. That is good news for the post office in an age when more and more correspondence moves across the Internet.

“We realize that a lot of people aren't sending cards and letters anymore,” said Mike Behringer, communications specialist for the South Jersey District and the local “eBay Day” instructor. “We've regained a lot of our business through eBay.”

To capitalize on that growing market, the USPS has partnered with eBay to offer a series of “eBay Day” seminars at local post office branches. The seminars provide free information for customers to help them learn how to buy, sell and, most importantly, ship their merchandise.

“We thought, if everyone is going to use the post office to sell stuff, why not hook up with eBay?” Behringer said. “People inherently want someone to hold their hand.”

It is a smart strategy. According to a July 2005 survey by ACNielsen International Research, more than 724,000 Americans report that eBay is their primary or secondary source of income. Another 1.5 million claim to supplement their income by selling on eBay, according to the survey.

In the first six months of 2005, eBay members in the U.S. sold merchandise worth $10.6 billion.

Those statistics were evident in the Egg Harbor Township postal annex Tuesday morning. There, a capacity crowd of about 60 people came to hear Behringer offer his eBay advice. The seminar was a joint effort organized by post office branches in Absecon, Cologne , Egg Harbor Township , Northfield , Pleasantville and Pomona .

Behringer's main talking point — you don't have to go to the post office to use the post office. Shipping labels can be printed on a home inkjet or laser printer. Insurance and online shipping can be purchased through PayPal through their “Click-N-Ship” link. A postal carrier will even come pick up your package free of charge — a service that has been around for a while but seemed to impress many in the audience.

“We want your business folks,” Behringer said. “We want you to use the United States Postal Service.”

Elizabeth Reynolds has sold only a few children's toys and cookie cutters on eBay over the past few years. With five children, the Pomona , Galloway Township , mother wants to kick her selling into high gear to make some extra cash.

“I came (to the seminar) because I wanted to learn how to upload photos,” Reynolds said. “I want to make more money for my kids. I have a whole basement full of things.”

Despite being a power seller, Byron said he still has a lot to learn, which is why he attended the eBay seminar Tuesday. He left with new information on how to ship packages without leaving his house, and he plans to become an eBay trader assistant — something he learned about through the post office.

“It's great,” Byron said. “It's a great tool.”

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