04:22 PM CST on Tuesday, December 27, 2005

By CAROL CAVAZOS / WFAA-TV

For those who don't want to make the trek to the mall to return unwanted Christmas presents, there's always an online option. But some people aren't sure how to use eBay and other online auction sites to deal with digital regifting.

So a new breed of retail store is popping up in shopping strips around North Texas designed to help consumers turn excess items into cold cash.

The iSold It chain now has four stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and more are on the way.

"We've had our first customer, we think it was a Christmas present they wanted to turn into cash quickly," said Keith Wagner, an iSold It store owner. "[It] still had some wrapping paper marks on it."

Chris Jones walked into the iSold It store to sell a VCR to make more room for his Christmas presents. Jones had never sold anything on eBay himself, and decided he would rather not start.

"Garage sales are a big hassle," he said when asked why he headed to the store to sell the VCR.

iSold It stores help customers bypass garages by selling items on eBay. The franchise has 11 more locations more planned North Texas in the new year.

Wagner's store, located on Lovers Lane in Dallas, opened Dec. 1.

"We believe Dallas-Fort Worth will be the number-one market in the country for iSold It... for this business and for this new concept, which is really only two years old," Wagner said.

The store takes items customers bring in; researches the value of the item; takes pictures; then posts it on the eBay site.

If the item is sold, the store keeps one-third of the profit.

But if no buyer bids on the item in seven days, the seller can elect to re-list the item, have it donated to the Salvation Army, or simply keep it.

While iSold It employees said the old VCR Jones brought into the store may only fetch $30, he said he isn't disappointed.

"It's collecting dust at the house," he said. "Whatever it gets is gravy."

Other eBay helper stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth area include QuikDrop, OrbitDrop and Drop to Sell It.

E-mail ccavazos@wfaa.com