Products on the shelves of a Snappy Auctions store are only up for grabs to buyers in the world of online auctioneer eBay. Customers bring in their goods and Snappy sales staff manages the process from starting bid price to pay-out.

And Gordon's custom-made software is what makes the process a breeze. She says most locations can operate with fewer than two full-time employees. The system helps the salesperson determine the item's value based on the market demand and even the best day to kick off the bidding. In exchange, customers fork over between 15 and 35 percent of the sale, depending on the price of the item.

Gordon says this arrangement works because sellers don't "want to put up with all the hassles" of selling on eBay. When Gordon got the idea for Snappy Auctions, she says only 2 percent of registered eBay users were sellers. And buyers "are more likely to bid on our items than someone who hasn't sold much," she says.