UNWANTED Christmas presents can pose an awkward problem for thousands of people at this time of year.
But now a Capital entrepreneur has come up with a way to get rid of that hand-knitted cardigan over the internet with a minimum of hassle.
Scotland's first eBay drop-off store allows people who are too busy - or too baffled by the internet - to b
ring in their goods and have them sold by a professional for a commission.
Former land surveyor Charles Dollimore, 52, got the idea for his "i-sold4u" shop on holiday in America, where drop-off stores have proved a massive hit.
"I was already selling items for family and friends from my home and the work just snowballed," he said. "I had seen drop-off stores in the US and they seemed to be very popular. About six months ago I realised I just couldn't keep on doing this from home any more - I had too much stuff - so I started a plan to open the shop."
He added: "There is a big market for this. People who just can't be bothered with the hassle of dealing with it all, packaging the goods up and so on, want a company like ours - as do older people who are not comfortable using the internet."
Two weeks ago, with the help of business partner John Wright, who has also kept on a full-time job as cabin crew for British Airways, i-sold4u opened its doors on Mayfield Road. Local buyers can go to the shop to view the goods before putting in a bid, while people from further afield can check out pictures and a description on eBay.
Mr Dollimore, from Marchmont, who has been a buyer and seller of antiques in his spare time since the 1980s, has already posted more than 100 items for sale since the shop opened, including a copy of a rare LP by 1970s Scottish folk group Bread, Love and Dreams, for £375 and a second-hand mobile phone for £200.
The company takes a 30 per cent cut for items under £200, 25 per cent for those which sell for between £200 and £1000 and a 20 per cent share of more valuable goods.
He said: "Most of my inquiries have been from people in Edinburgh and the Lothians, although I have sold something for one woman in Aberdeen."
And he is already planning to launch a franchise of his company, and hopes to have another two or three stores up and running in the first half of next year.
He said: "We have watched what other companies in America have done and have taken the most successful parts. I want to roll out my franchise across Scotland over the next year or so."
He added: "There has been research that has shown that goods sold through eBay trading assistants, which we qualify as, sell for around 40 per cent more, because we know how to present items and people trust where they are buying from."
Writer Sara Sheridan, 38, placed around a dozen items with i-sold4u when she was moving house.
Ms Sheridan, of Gordon Terrace, Marchmont, said: "I had some extra furniture and bits and pieces that I just don't need in my new flat and I didn't know what to do with them. I was driving past the i-sold4u shop and saw the sign and it just seemed ideal.
"I was nervous about using eBay myself because I have never done anything like that before, but it all worked so well."
She added: "The prices things sold for ranged from a fiver for a few glasses I didn't want to a couple of hundred pounds for an Ikea sofa.
"Charles came along and picked up the smaller things and took them to his shop, but left the sofa at my flat until it was sold, then he sent it away.
"It definitely took a lot of the hassle out of things for me, especially when I had so much else on."
