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- The back room of Auction-it Today on ebay is filled with the type of treasures that often clutter a basement or attic. Everything from old records to mink coats to glassware cover the shelves. But there's one item that gets everybody's attention. "You've got to see this door," said store owner Allan Andreoni, as he moved the furnace-room door away from the wall it was leaning against. Andreoni, 42, of Clyde Township watched me as I looked at the door. Blurred in the grain of the wood, I could make out the face, ears, eyes and horns of a demonic-looking creature. "It's crazy, isn't it?" Andreoni said, his hand running over the image. "We like to keep the door turned around while we're working so it's not looking at us. It kind of creeps us out." Discovering treasures such as the demonic door was just part of the one hour I spent Oct. 19 with Andreoni. Andreoni and his wife, Tammy, opened the shop in September in the former Italian Villa location. The spot where heaps of Italian food once were served now helps area residents put their items up for auction online. Customers can bring in items they're looking to sell and make a little bit of money on. The Auction-it Today staff takes care of everything, including photographing the item, managing the auction and shipping it to the online winner. Auction-it Today's items aren't just being shipped across the United States. Andreoni sent a tackle box to a customer in Japan and coats to someone in Great Britain. As Andreoni checked out the bids on an auto-parts auction, he said the store has built up some regular customers and discovered some of the hot auction movers including Hallmark Merry Miniatures and Precious Moment collectibles. The shop's staff researches how much similar items bring on eBay and discusses selling strategies with customers. On some items, such as the door, writing a description is key to selling the item. Andreoni said the staff tried to come up with a spooky spin for the door's description, but he couldn't talk the owner into asking less than $499 for the item. This is cache, read story here
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