Small New Jersey Town Named eBay Capital of America

April 4, 2007 — -- A small New Jersey town has become the biggest online auctioneer.

According to eBay, half of the 12,000 residents of Lumberton, N.J., belong to the online auction site, and this is its most active community, with more buyers and sellers than any other town in the country.

In one three-week period, 46,000 items were auctioned from Lumberton. One of the sellers, Lee Yeosh, a mother of four, has sold clothes, cameras and a rocket powered by vinegar and baking soda.

"I don't have very much storage space," Yeosh told ABC's John Berman. "So if I have to dust it, clean it or move it. It's gone."

For others, eBay has become a second business. "I'll shoot for a 50 percent profit … so if I buy something for $10, I'll root for selling it for $15," said Nate Wood, who has pocketed $1,500 from his eBay sales.

Kathy Pfeiffer, the local postmaster, notes the shipping involved in all these transactions has nearly overrun her tiny post office, with as many as 200 packages arriving each day.

"It is like gangbusters. … Our parking lot is full all day long. There's a constant line," said Pfeiffer.

While everyone in Lumberton seems very proud of earning eBay's top distinction, no one in the community seems to know why -- it's not as if the town has an abundance of junk or is an antique mecca.

And, Pfeiffer adds, "they didn't put anything in the drinking water to make everyone decide to sell all their stuff on eBay."

Yeosh has her own explanation. "We have three girls, so we buy a lot of Barbie stuff."

Next month, eBay will throw a party for the town, with tickets offered for free, although given the residents' fondness for the auction, someone in Lumberton might sell them for a profit.