TMCnet News
Local eBay auction company pulls plug(New Haven Register (New Haven, CT) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Jun. 2--MILFORD -- The AuctionBlocks, a store that sells customers' items on eBay for them for a fee, is closing after less than a year in business. Though the store will officially close when its lease at 1097 Bridgeport Ave. expires June 30, owner Robert Block said he closed its doors in March and now only sees customers by appointment. "It was a financial decision," Block said of the closing. "It wasn't making money. The prospects of it making money weren't that good." The AuctionBlocks LLC was formed July 22, according to documents filed with the Secretary of the State's office, which list Block as sole principal. Customers would bring merchandise to the store that they wanted to sell on eBay online auctions. The AuctionBlocks would then attempt to sell the items on eBay and, once they sold, take a certain percentage of the sale price as a fee and pass the rest along to the customer. Since its doors closed in March, however, some customers said they have had difficulty getting items or money returned to them. "We've had a number of complaints and inquiries," Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said, adding that his office is attempting to determine the status of the business. "We're looking into it." According to the state Better Business Bureau, three complaints were filed against the business in the past year. Two of them, one regarding sales practice issues and the other regarding contract issues, were resolved. The third, which involved delivery issues, has not been resolved, according to bureau filings, which indicate that AuctionBlocks failed to respond to the bureau or to the customer. Block said he has made multiple attempts to contact customers who are owed money or who have items at the store, but that there are about 15 he has not reached. The business stopped accepting merchandise and listing items online in early March. At that time, Block said, he sent customers letters asking them to pick up their belongings by April 28. He subsequently made phone calls and sent e-mails to customers telling them to arrange a time to pick up items. Though he sold some smaller, cheaper items to a flea market, the majority of his inventory remains at the store. Once the lease expires at the end of the month, he plans to keep the items in a storage facility for six months to a year, he said, adding that he hopes they are eventually claimed by customers. Block, who has a full-time finance job, though he would not specify what or where it is, can be reached at 209-7076. |