Young Entrepreneur Creates Virtual Yard Sale Site

Jonathon Papsin, a graduate of Concordia College in Bronxville, has brought local tag sales to the Internet, creating a virtual nationwide marketplace. Tagsellit.com has become a hub for tag sales, flea markets, consignment shops, pawn shops, estate sales and more.

Taking advantage of the latest technology, the site has also created apps for smartphones, putting its resources in the hands of shoppers on the go. Tagsellit brings buyers and sellers together, allowing for sales online, as well as providing listings for local sales.

“It took off in Manhattan,” Papsin said. “People really can’t have a physical garage or yard sale there.”

In 2007, Papsin was working as a real estate agent in New York City and saw the need for the site, as his clients tried to sell items or furnish new spaces on a budget. He and business partner Matt Dorman began with virtual yard sales and have added to the site ever since to create a central place for second hand shopping.

Papsin, CEO of the company, said Tagsellit is unique because  Tagsellit does not charge a fee to use the service. “We derive our revenue through advertising, the iPhone apps, and sales of the book, The Ultimate Garage Sale Guide.”

Although listings by the professionals are done with a membership fee, the average visitor to the site can search by item of interest or distance and make offers for free. Papsin said there is even room for the usual haggling.

When the business was just beginning, Papsin gave Concordia students an opportunity to serve as interns.  “I felt like I was giving back all I had learned in my classes there,” he said, adding that Concordia offers unique opportunities to its students because of close relationships with professors and its location.

Currently a resident of Denver, Colo., Papsin stays connected to his alma mater by speaking to current business students at career events. He said he tells them “not everything happens overnight, but with a good approach you can make it happen.”

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