The merchant of refuse

Andrew Edwards

If you have something you don’t want anymore, there’s a good chance

Tony Orlando will take it.

Orlando owns the Costa Mesa franchise of iSold It, a business

where customers supply the inventory. The idea behind the franchise

is for people to bring in their old stuff and let Orlando and crew

auction the goods off on eBay. He opened for business in late

January.

“I just want it to grow and be a good avenue for people to sell

their goods that are no longer needed,” Orlando said. “All the stuff

that sits and gathers dust and takes up space.”

Until sold, baseball cards, stuffed animals and old golf clubs all

have their place in Orlando’s 17th Street store. People have brought

in antiques, tires, musical instruments and Star Wars toys.

“We just get a huge variety of things. People come in and ask us

‘What sells good?’ ‘What kind of things do you take?’” Orlando said.

“It’s really hard to shoehorn.”

Remember the bright orange Union 76 ball that used to be a part of

the Balboa Island skyline? Orlando said he sold it for $500. “There

was a collector out from the Inland Empire who bought it,” Orlando

said. “He collects old oil memorabilia.”

The ball was not the only unique item Orlando and his employees

have seen.

“We sold a caribou skull that was made out of steel,” employee

Tricia Gueleserian said.

Thursday, Gueleserian wrote a description for an autographed copy

of a book of plays by existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre. She said the

store received the book from a woman who has supplied the store with

multiple signed volumes, but she always brings the books in

individually.

After a customer brings in their old guitar or lamp, Orlando’s

employees write up a description for the item, take a picture of it

and respond to questions. They also research previous eBay items and

other sources to gauge a likely selling price. Orlando said he does

not take an up-front fee, but makes his money by taking a portion of

the final selling price.

“They can go about their business and we perform the selling price

for them, and they get a check in three to six weeks,” Orlando said.

Orlando’s iSold It franchise is at 427 E. 17th Street, Costa

Mesa.