Charity Auction Service a Success

Selling autographed sports memorabilia online can be a competitive business.

Many companies carry the same items with price being about the only difference. For one Chicago sports memorabilia provider, the game is a little different--and so is the measuring stick for success.

Auction Merchandise Source, run by Dave Wille and Ron Futterman, offers signed sports memorabilia to charities looking to hold auctions or raffles. They take their cut and the charity keeps the rest. More often than not, it turns into a win for both. Bids at fundraisers don't always stay close to market value and that helps both sides of the transaction. For the buyer, it's a tax write-off.

Sometimes they buy items wholesale and turn them over on a 'consignment' basis, while other times they're busy with private signings.

A suburban Chicago newspaper has the scoop on how the young company manages to increase its bottom line each year.