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Marty Shapiro never expected to start a business, especially not one dealing with excess inventory, an industry not many people know much about.

Since falling into it, he’s run his one-person business, Going, Going, Gone, from his home in Corte Madera for 17 years. With no advertising or website, just word-of-mouth, trade shows and relationships he’s built with manufacturers and retailers over the the past decade, he acts as a middle man — selling manufacturers’ excess inventory to retailers as well as helping to arrange production of the products if they sell well.

For more information, email him at Mshapiro2@comcast.net.

Q What drew you to the business world?

A My father owned a grocery store in New York for 54 years and I always tried to follow in his footsteps. He was a very good businessman. In college, I graduated in marketing and when I went to apply for a job, they said, “You need a year of sales experience.” So, I took a job just for the experience and found that’s what I love doing, meeting new people and the immediate satisfaction. In the beginning, it got me out of my comfort zone, and it helped me in both my personal and professional life.

Q What’s some good advice you took from your father?

A Treat people how you want to be treated. Don’t look for the home run on every sale. If you treat people right, they are going to come back to you again and again. Relationships are more important.

Q Tell me about your business’ beginnings.

A I was commuting to San Diego from San Francisco, running the sales for a candle and home décor company. I already knew how to do excess inventory because of my previous few jobs. The commute got old after two years and I went to my wife and said, “I am going to start this company, at least until my next vice president of sales position.” My third day doing this, I got a booth in a  show in Las Vegas. I didn’t even have a sign. I talked to a company in home décor that I had a relationship with and I said, “Do you have any excess inventory? I want to try to sell it at the show.” They said they had 6,000 leather waste baskets and I asked for them to send a sample to the show, and they did. I got some samples for skin care products from another company I knew. The first day, I sold all 6,000 leather waste baskets, then somebody who had a few booths from me was watching the action and calls me up the Monday after the show and he said, “How much would you sell the rest of your inventory for?” I got $200,000 and I go, I think has legs. The retailers, manufacturers and consumers all benefit and the product doesn’t end up in a landfill, so the Earth benefits, too. That’s important.

Q When did you find out about excess inventory?

A I never knew about excess inventory until I was in the computer software business and T.J. Maxx called me up and said, “I would like to sit down with you and carry some computer software.” I met with them in my office, showed them a lot of product, came up with the offer and I sold them $2 million worth of software in the 1990s. That’s how I got into it.

Q What unique products have you moved?

A Hair care is my big business. Last year, I sold about 2 million pieces of hair care, and I’ve sold 1 million of nail polish in a year, and another year it was 1 million eye lashes. I have sold eight truck loads of Cadbury chocolate fondue in Canada, and three container loads of hair extensions. You never know what you are walking into until you get into it, a different issue and a different reason why they want to move it.

Q Is there a thrill that comes along with this job?

A Exactly. At this point, I do it more for that. It’s the fun of closing a deal and making it work. It’s a puzzle that you have to make the pieces fit.

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