Sushee Perumal, CEO of MaxSold Inc, photographed in his office in Kingston, Ont.Johnny C.Y. Lam/The Globe and Mail
The organizer: Employees at MaxSold
The pitch: Providing an online auction platform for charities
As Canadians cope with being stuck at home in seemingly unending lockdowns, many people have started decluttering and selling unwanted items.
That has been a boon to Kingston-based MaxSold which provides a range of online auction services for estate sales and downsizing. “We found that our business was one of the ones that grew during the pandemic,” company spokesperson Kate Morris said.
A few months ago the company turned its attention to the charitable sector and opened its auction services to charities and non-profit groups on a no-commission basis. It has also provided assistance with marketing and processing donations.
So far MaxSold has helped a variety of organizations – from church groups and Rotary Clubs to food projects, women’s shelters, educational organizations and animal groups – raise more than $230,000 in total. The company operates mainly in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta, as well as in several U.S. states.
“We have developed a simple online system for hosting online auctions and we are thrilled that our platform can be used to further the mandates of organizations in the charitable sector,” MaxSold’s chief executive Sushee Perumal said.
Ms. Morris said the platform also allows charities to broaden their appeal. “It lets them reach a larger pool of potential bidders and buyers, and ideally garners support for the work they are doing,” she said.
She added that the company has been delighted by the support that has been generated for charities. “It shows a kind of resiliency and a commitment to help charities keep doing their work despite everything,” she said. “Being able to provide a simple, effective way for groups to continue to exist and to continue to do their work is amazing.”
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Paul Waldie