In the recent comedy hit The 40 Year Old Virgin, the main character's dream girl works at an eBay store.

Residents of State College may not find their soul mates, but they may be able to make some extra cash by using Sell 4 U, a new eBay-affiliated business that opened Jan. 30 at 325 E. Calder Way. The store lists customers' items on eBay and monitors the auction process.

The movie popularized the idea of eBay stores and played a small part in bringing an eBay store to State College. A store similar to the one named in the movie, iSold It, is a successful national chain. Reading about the chain was just one of the many factors that helped owner Art Fine create the concept for his new store.

Fine came up with the idea to turn eBay into a business after using the Web site to sell his own merchandise. Fine ran a liquidation sale on eBay of merchandise that was left after six months at his retail store, People's Nation, 126 E.College Ave.

"I wanted to sell for anyone else who would like to sell on eBay but doesn't have the time, inclination, knowledge or interest to do it themselves," Fine said.

Sell 4 U has advantages over selling without help, Fine said. Sell 4 U subscribes to a proprietary service that allows employees to accurately research the values of items. "You can't be an expert in everything, but it gives me the expertise in almost every arena of what is sold," Fine said.

Store employees have several years of eBay experience. "Both myself and my wife are eBayers, and my partner Mark Tygel has been doing eBay for many years," Fine said. "Our employees are also eBay-savvy people."

Fine contacted eBay about regulations for opening the store, which cannot reproduce eBay's logo but can use the name on its sign to advertise its affiliation. He also visited similar stores and researched their policies. "We knew what it took as individuals, so the only thing we had to do when we turned it into a business was establish the rules of the game," Fine said.

The store receives 30 percent of what the item sells for, and the seller receives the remaining 70 percent. Any additional fees charged by eBay and PayPal are paid by the seller if the item goes for $49.99 or less. If the item sells for $50 or more, the store absorbs the fees.

The store does not charge customers up front, so sellers pay only if the item sells. The buyer picks up all shipping and handling charges.

Customers leave their items at the store and let employees handle the rest.

"We're counting on the fact that there are lots and lots of people out there who don't want to be bothered by doing it themselves," Fine said.

Lauren Wotring (junior-classical and ancient Mediterranean studies) said she uses eBay all the time, usually to buy DVDs, and thinks the store will help students. "Using the store seems easier because eBay is really complicated," she said.

Anna Cancelli (junior-psychology) said she thinks the eBay name will attract customers. "Ebay is a big thing," she said. "It will definitely get some traffic."

Bob Heinbach (junior-information sciences and technology) said he probably would not use the store's services. "I would do it myself," Heinbach said. "I've been using eBay for about a year."