usell ( otcqb : usel ) is a publicly traded recommerce company with headquarters in new york city .

it operates as an online marketplace where people can sell used cell phones , tablets , video games , textbooks and gift cards to professional buyers .

usell

not only usell is doing this , there are tons of others in this as well . how is usell going to stand out ?
in order to compare gazelles revenue to usell ' s revenue , we need to estimate usell ' s device revenue , because usell reports commission revenue , ( $ 20 ) , and gazelle reports device revenue ( $ 100 ) .
choose usell over ebay and craigslist to sell their next used phone or device .
think usell provides a safer , more secure way to sell devices than craigslist .
disclosure : i am long usell . for complete disclosure and disclaimer information please click more
think usell provides a faster and easier way to sell used phones and devices than ebay .
disclosure : i am long usell . for complete disclosure and disclaimer information please click here .
try googling
sell my iphone
and you will see that usell and gazelle come up on top . since usell generally pays the highest price , the company should ultimately prevail .
en cualquier momento y desde cualquier lugar , usell crm es una solución 100 % móvil . aunque estés en el sitio más remoto , usell ofrece servicio total en online y en offline .
usell buyer getter my phone hen tried to offer me $ 2 . 60 instead of the originally
enciclopèdia catalana y microgestió son dos ejemplos del éxito en la implantación de la app usell crm .
i agree with your analysis that usell would be an ideal acquisition target for ebay . that would of course be the holy grail for usell shareholders . but realistically speaking , has there actually been any chatter about this even being a remote possibility ? though i do think usell is undervalued regardless .
our management believes gmv is useful in evaluating usell ' s overall volume of transactions and in evaluating the spe ' s performance . since all spe revenue is generated by usell ' s management team and employees , our management believes it demonstrates how effective usell ' s business model is and its potential if it had additional capital . investors should recognize that usell will not receive all of the profits from the spe assuming profitability ; usell receives a minority percentage of any distributions until the investor receives an agreed upon preference at which time the profit sharing shifts to usell receiving a majority of the distributions .
usell . com’s 100 percent happiness guarantee ensures our customers are deliriously happy or we’ll make it right .
usell is a recommerce marketplace that helps individuals turn unused items into cash . usell ensures that customers get the highest payouts with the least amount of hassle by facilitating risk - free transactions with professional buyers .
since usell will probably always be able to offer the highest price to device sellers , it ' s logical to conclude that usell will ultimately have the larger market share . i know that if gazelle were publicly traded today , i would buy usell , not gazelle ( except for a quick ipo trade ) .
“usell . com is the leading cash commerce platform that easily and securely turns your electronics into cash . ”
smartphones , ipods , ipads , textbooks , game consoles , gift cards . usell accepts some broken items .
usell . com , inc . : usel ) files an 8 - k creation of a direct financial . .
if usell can continue to improve in these areas , the company ' s inherent value will continue to increase .
bill try googling
sell my iphone
and you will see that usell and gazelle come up on top . there are some other marginal sites , but they are kludgy and do not inspire confidence . since usell generally pays the highest price , usell should ultimately prevail . consumers will figure out fairly quickly were they can get the highest price .
if you ' re getting ready to sell your old phone to buy an iphonex , check out usell . i shopped around to get the most money for my ancient samsung galaxy s4 and usell not only paid me 4x what the next c
as mentioned above , the company makes reference to
gmv ,
a measure of performance not calculated in accordance with gaap . our management believes gmv is useful in evaluating usell ' s overall volume of transactions and in evaluating the spe ' s performance . since all spe revenue is generated by usell ' s management team and employees , our management believes it demonstrates how effective usell ' s business model is and its potential if it had additional capital . investors should recognize that usell will not receive all of the profits from the spe assuming profitability ; usell receives a minority percentage of any distributions until the investor receives an agreed upon preference at which time the profit sharing shifts to usell receiving a majority of the distributions .
usell acts as an intermediary to connect you with its network of buyers . after you choose the offer you want ( they range in price , but the company recommends one ) , usell sends you a prepaid envelope . you can get paid in cash or via paypal . usell says you ' ll get paid within five days of when the buyer receives the phone .
if usell continues its current growth rate and is able to establish itself as the primary
sell it now
website , the long - term potential is staggering . daniel brauser believes he can build usell into a multibillion dollar company . i agree .
usell . com , inc . ( usell ) is a technology - based company . the company focuses on extracting the value from used mobile devices . it acquires products from both individual consumers , on its website , usell . com , and from carriers , retailers and manufacturers through its subsidiary , we sell cellular , llc . these devices are then . . . ( more )
we started usell with the goal of changing the way consumers dispose of their old technology and giving them cash to do so .
usell . com , inc . is a technology based company focused on extracting the maximum value from used mobile devices , at large scale . usell acquires products from both individual consumers , on its website , usell . com , and from major carriers , big box retailers , and manufacturers through its subsidiary , we sell cellular . these devices are then distributed globally , leveraging both a traditional sales force and an online marketplace where professional buyers of used smartphones compete to buy inventory in an on - demand fashion . through participation on usell ' s marketplace platforms and through interaction with usell ' s salesforce , buyers can acquire high volumes of inventory in a cost effective manner , while minimizing risk .
used # usell to get cash for my old iphone 4 with a cracked screen . better than collecting dust in my desk drawer ! -
usell . com , inc . is a large market maker of used smartphones . usell acquires products from both individual sellers , on its website , usell . com , and from major carriers , big box retailers , and manufacturers through its subsidiary , we sell cellular , llc (
we sell cellular
) . the company maximizes the value of these devices by reclassifying them , adding value to them , and moving them throughout the world to those who want them most . in order to serve its global and highly diverse customer base , usell leverages both a traditional sales force and an online marketplace where professional buyers of used smartphones can buy inventory on - demand . through participation on usell ' s online platform and through interaction with usell ' s salesforce , buyers can acquire high volumes of inventory in a cost effective manner , while minimizing risk .
usell . com , inc . is a large market maker of used smartphones . usell acquires products from both individual consumers , on its website , usell . com , and from major carriers , big box retailers , and manufacturers through its subsidiary , we sell cellular , llc (
we sell cellular
) . the company maximizes the value of these devices by reclassifying them , adding value to them , and moving them throughout the world to those who want them most . in order to serve its global and highly diverse customer base , usell leverages both a traditional sales force and an online marketplace where professional buyers of used smartphones can buy inventory on - demand . through participation on usell ' s online platform and through interaction with usell ' s salesforce , buyers can acquire high volumes of inventory in a cost effective manner , while minimizing risk .
mike : i really love the idea behind usell . i mean , i have three or four cell phones laying around myself that i no longer have any use for , and technology is changing faster than i can keep up with it . where did the idea for usell come up ?
would love to know where my phone is . usps said it was delivered 5 days ago and the usell system says its still being delivered .
elimina tareas administrativas , ahorra procesos y reduce costes . usell crm es muy rápido y te ayudará a agilizar la gestión comercial de tu empresa .
however , if gazelle is able to run a successful ipo , that will only help usell , by bringing increased awareness to this sector , and potentially bringing high valuations to all involved . and it won ' t take wall street long to figure out that usell provides the more profitable business model .
although the process of selling on sites like usell might be easier and less hassle , you get far more by selling your phone on ebay . i just did a price comparison of the iphone 5s 16gb , and usell offers a price of $ 260 , while they sell on ebay all day long for over $ 100 more at $ 360 . i am in the uk and this space is already very crowded , exactly the same concept as usell .
¡cuando decimos que es fácil y sencillo de utilizar , lo decimos de verdad ! tengan el conocimiento tecnológico que tengan , tus comerciales utilizarán usell crm fácilmente .
select what you ' re trading in , answer a few questions about its condition , then usell will show you the best offers on its network of professional buyers . once you accept an offer , usell will send you a prepaid shipping kit or let you print a prepaid shipping label to send your item in .
you will notice that michael brauser is well - versed in developing and selling internet companies . he would not be investing his time with usell unless he was confident of the company ' s success . in my opinion , his experience , track record , and guidance will be instrumental in developing usell into a thriving corporation .
in introducing new product categories , usell initially calculated that it could handle a decrease of up to 5 % of its conversion rate on electronics , which it measures as a usell customer placing an order to sell to a merchant , he says . through optimizely’s web - based portal , his team set up an a / b test to compare usell’s previous home page with one featuring five new categories—kids’ clothing , women’s clothing , textbooks , video games and gift cards—along with electronics , he says .
usell crm está diseñado por y para comerciales , buscando cubrir las necesidades y requerimientos . ¡mejora y agiliza el proceso comercial con el crm móvil diseñado especialmente para ti !
unlike other services , there are no selling fees , shipping costs or haggling at usell . as long as you send in the correct device in the condition that you quoted , the price you see on usell is what you ' ll get paid . we require our buyers to initiate payment within 5 business days of receiving your device .
sites like usell . com , which offers sellers a list of user - ranked bids for their used hardware , saw huge increases in activity following the iphone 5 announcement .
number 4 : usell has decreased working capital deficit from $ 1 , 269 , 000 on december 31 , 2013 to $ 256 , 000 on june 30 , 2014 .
chief product officer and co - founder of usell . com . industry stints include social games ( area / code ) , creative agency ( pentagram , etc ) , and ecommerce
with usell ' s $ 23 . 1 million in 2013 device revenue , and using the same 3x multiple , that would give usell a valuation of $ 69 . 3 million , today . some would consider that a very conservative valuation , because a 3x multiple is low for a company with such a high rate of growth in a rapidly expanding segment . many would argue that a 5x or 10x multiple would be more appropriate . but even with a conservative 3x multiple , usell is still worth more than 3 times today’s valuation .
usell . com , inc . ( usell ) , incorporated on november 18 , 2003 , is a technology - based company . the company focuses on extracting the value from used mobile devices . it acquires products from both individual consumers , on its website , usell . com , and from carriers , retailers and manufacturers through its subsidiary , we sell cellular , llc . these devices are then distributed across the world , which leverages an online marketplace where professional buyers of used smartphones compete to buy inventory in an on - demand fashion .
census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your usell ancestors , such as occupation . occupation can tell you about your ancestor ' s social and economic status .
michael brauser ' s presence at usell is extremely important . he is a large shareholder with over a 9 % position . here is a short list of some of his accomplishments :
had a great experience selling my samsung galaxy s4 to @ usell . they were quick & easy to use . no fuss , no muss ! i ' d recommend to anyone . -
census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your r usell ancestors , such as occupation . occupation can tell you about your ancestor ' s social and economic status .
if we look at usell ' s reported revenue for 2012 and 2013 , we see that approximately 66 % of the total revenue for those 2 years was reported in 2013 . this can be confirmed by looking at the relationship between usell ' s reported revenue , ( commission revenue ) for 2012 and 2013 . if 66 % of usell ' s device revenue was generated in 2013 , that would equate to over $ 23 . 1 million in device revenue for 2013 . in other words , 66 % of $ 35 million is $ 23 . 1 million .
ompetitor offered but also made the process painless . payment came via paypal . i didn ' t even have to box up the phone because usell sent me a pre - paid padded mailer .
wow ! say goodbye to carrier subsidies and hello to financing . when it ' s time to upgrade , sell your old phone through usell to offset the cost of that shiny new device . urltoken
usell es el crm móvil que te permitirá mejorar la gestión de tu equipo comercial y el seguimiento de tus clientes . incrementa tus ventas y ahorra en tareas administrativas con la mejor solución tecnológica para comerciales .
robert averick and the fund he manages own more than 10 % of usell and this additional buying is a positive indicator . from what i understand his due diligence has been thorough and all - inclusive .
census records can give you a fascinating window into the day - to - day lives of your usell ancestors - like hours worked per week , level of education , veteran status , employers , and more .
consulta el estado del cliente , tu calendario , los eventos , las tareas que tienes que llevar a cabo y realiza informes de evaluación de las visitas comerciales . consigue un seguimiento mucho más exhaustivo con usell crm .
con usell crm podrás gestionar leads y oportunidades de ventas , y hacer informes / reports de las visitas comerciales . con este crm móvil minimizarás procesos , administrarás mejor las tareas y centrarás los comerciales en vender más .
census records can give you a fascinating window into the day - to - day lives of your r usell ancestors - like hours worked per week , level of education , veteran status , employers , and more .
this $ 100 figure is comparable to what gazelle gets when it sells a device and books revenue , in other words device revenue . our goal is to compare device revenue from usell to device revenue from gazelle .
use census records and voter lists to see where families with the r usell surname lived . within census records , you can often find information like name of household members , ages , birthplaces , residences , and occupations .
from what i can determine , most investors have a cost basis higher than where usell is currently trading so i don’t see much selling pressure at this low level . this should provide a reasonable level of downside protection .
on usell , a 32gb iphone 4 in good condition can fetch $ 130 , and a 32gb 4s can draw in $ 210 . competitor urltoken shows similar price quotes of $ 149 and $ 205 for the two models .
usell crm es totalmente móvil , conéctate desde cualquier plataforma dónde y cuando quieras . incluso si te encuentras sin conexión podrás trabajar , porque en cualquier momento y en cualquier lugar puede presentarse una oportunidad de venta . ¡estate siempre preparado !
i don ' t see any risk of a near - term financing , the company doesn ' t need cash . since i can ' t predict when usell will be profitable , there could be financing risk down the road .
the primary reason usell is undervalued , is that wall street is completely unaware of this company , or the new market usell is serving . investors also know nothing about the staples or tracfone partnerships , because no announcements have been made , probably at the request of the larger companies . most investors are also unaware of dr . frost ' s or michael brauser ' s large positions or the fact that the company has overtaken gazelle in terms of unique visitors to the website .
to complete a sale , sellers on usell mail their electronics via prepaid envelopes to buyers — typically companies that sell through wholesale channels and to overseas markets . once the device has been inspected , the buyer then pays by paypal or check .
the technology’s biggest advantage is its simple toolset and the time it saves usell on engineering and development , croft says . he can set up an experiment in a few hours on optimizely’s web site , then start running it as soon as he adds a snippet of code to the usell web site . previously , usell ran a / b tests with the now - defunct google website optimizer , he says . that tool required at least two weeks of advance planning so developers could set up an experiment , two weeks building it and two more weeks to run a test . because of those limitations , usell conducted far fewer tests each month with the google tool , he says . optimizely also simplifies sharing results , he says , because it provides a shortlink , or a truncated version of what would otherwise be a long , unwieldy url address , that an experimenter can give to anyone on his team to allow them to watch the results as they come in .
you ' re moments away from finding the best prices for your used textbooks . let urltoken help you sell your textbook . usell gives you an instant quote for your book and free shipping , so it ' s the best place to sell textbooks online .
the following table presents an additional operating metric , gross merchandise volume (
gmv
) , which management believes is useful in evaluating usell ' s overall volume of transactions . we define gmv as the total of usell revenue plus revenue generated by the special purpose entity (
spe
) . gmv is a non - gaap financial measure because it includes spe revenue which is not reportable in our financial statements nor is it in accordance with gaap . for information on non - gaap financial measures , see pages 20 of this report :
seeking more information , usell repeated the experiment for another two weeks . this time , optimizely showed no significant change in electronics conversions with the new categories present on the site , croft says . because the test was exactly the same as the last one , his team was reassured that the site changes would , at worst , not be significantly detrimental . on june 15 usell switched over to the new home page for good . two weeks later , it now processes 20 % more orders in total on the site than before , he says .
this press release refers to gmv . the company defines gmv as the total of usell revenue plus revenue from the special purpose entity (
spe
) . gmv is a non - gaap financial measure because it includes spe revenue which is not reportable in usell ' s financial statements nor is it in accordance with gaap . see immediately below for a reconciliation between our revenue under gaap and gmv , which is non - gaap , as well as later in this press release for further discussion of gmv under
non - gaap financial measure - gmv .
usell ' s second method of sourcing devices is through its website , usell . com , where individual sellers can find cash offers for their items based on the make , model , and condition of each item . upon accepting an offer , sellers can ship their devices for free using either a prepaid shipping kit or shipping label , and then track the progress of their orders online from initiation to final payment of their devices . since the acquisition of we sell cellular , only a small percentage of our devices have been sourced in this manner versus through wholesale channels .
gazelle ' s success in the marketplace presents competitive risk , but as daniel brauser stated , at this early stage of the cycle , gazelle ' s success could actually help usell . competitive risk will become more of a factor as this segment of the internet industry becomes more developed .
mike . i have not heard any rumors of a buyout , this is pure speculation on my part . my investment in usell is not based on whether or not a buyout happens , it ' s based entirely on a great business model , extreme undervaluation , and strong fundamentals .
mike . you ' re absolutely right , you can get more on ebay , but when you subtract ebay ' s and paypal ' s commissions , postage and packaging , the profit factor diminishes . when you look at usells 40 % year - over - year growth , and the 70 % month over month increase in orders placed , you can see that a lot of consumers are choosing the easier approach with usell , rather than going through the hassle of dealing with ebay . i ' ve done it both ways , and i will continue to sell items on usell .
sell your mobile phone for cash at usell . com . with our mobile phone trade - in program , you can compare cash offers from hundreds of professional buyers in seconds . we make it easy for you to turn your old and unwanted cell phones into cash , quickly and hassle - free .
an unusually short lifespan might indicate that your usell ancestors lived in harsh conditions . a short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family . the ssdi is a searchable database of more than 70 million names . you can find birthdates , death dates , addresses and more .
on usell . com , we guarantee cash payment within five business days and there is no commission or shipping charge . we send out a pre - addressed , pre - paid and pre - padded container into which you simply insert in your phone , seal it up and drop into the nearest mailbox .
nextworth has tried to enhance its legitimacy by partnering with target , the national retailer ; ipad owners can walk into target stores to sell their tablet to nextworth and get paid on the spot . usell addresses the problem by showing users offers from several resellers , and showing customer - satisfaction ratings for each .
another big problem : if it doesn’t carry an apple or a samsung logo on it , you won’t get much , if you can sell it at all . my old htc radar phone would snag a paltry $ 15 at usell and $ 20 at buymytronics ; gazelle and nextworth wouldn’t even touch it .
an unusually short lifespan might indicate that your r usell ancestors lived in harsh conditions . a short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family . the ssdi is a searchable database of more than 70 million names . you can find birthdates , death dates , addresses and more .
see pages 17 for a discussion of another non - gaap financial measure which is gmv . this financial measure is non - gaap because it combines our actual gaap revenue with the off balance sheet revenue of the spe . we define gmv as the total of usell revenue plus revenue generated by the spe .
in order to calculate usell’s device revenue , we take the 350 , 000 devices sold since 2012 , and multiply it by $ 100 per device , and that gives us a total device revenue of $ 35 million . this $ 100 per device is the device revenue that the end - user ends up paying .
mike : hey , everyone . i’m mike sullivan and thanks for joining us today on mo . com , where we feature small business owners and entrepreneurs and then bring you hints , tips , insights , and perspectives on what it takes to be successful . joining us today is doug feirstein of usell . usell is the leading cash commerce platform that allows consumers to trade in their used or unwanted cell phones for cash . doug , thanks for joining us and as i usually like to kick things off with , can you tell us a little bit about your background and what kind of led you up to where you are today ?
usell has managed the sales of about 350 , 000 devices since the beginning of 2012 at an average price of at least $ 65 per device for a total of nearly $ 23 million paid to sellers . this can be confirmed by going to the bottom of usell ' s homepage , and looking at the ticker count which displays the total number of devices sold and dollar amount paid to sellers . it is important to note this is the price paid to the sellers from the buyers . this is not device revenue . the buyers would then go on to resell this device to an end - user for approximately $ 100 , which would equate to device revenue .
the experience was as desired and expected . i received a fair offer and everything went as promised . no tricky business once my phone was sent in . i received what was offered and i didn ' t have to pay any additional costs . i looked at other services but they didn ' t deliver as promised ; usell did !
technology and operational processes continue to play a key role in limiting the growth of usell ' s fixed costs while increasing capacity , sales velocity , and average selling prices . the company continues to invest in its online platform and has steadily transitioned more of its customer interactions online . usell has also invested resources in optimizing the processes and technology needed to test and grade devices in its warehouse , with the aim of increasing capacity and decreasing processing lead - time . management believes that these investments are important to make now for two reasons : 1 ) they differentiate the company from competitors of similar scale that are looking to purchase from its suppliers , and 2 ) management expects that the new iphone launch late this year will drive substantial trade in volume over the subsequent six months . by adding more value than its competitors and becoming the partner of choice to our suppliers , usell ' s management believes that it will greatly benefit from industry trends as trade - in continues to increase in importance throughout the mobile ecosystem .
urltoken operates by purchasing unwanted , high - value items directly from consumers , providing them fast payment , erasing all personal data , and then either refurbishing or recycling the phone , depending on its condition . convenient and secure , usell helps consumers avoid the hassle and risk of peer - to - peer sales channels such as ebay and craigslist .
according to the last 10 - q , usell had over $ 1 , 000 , 000 in cash , and no significant debt . the company has since raised $ 4 . 65 million in a registered direct offering . but what ' s most important is that in the past 12 months , the company has made progress in the following areas :
but , as usell’s brauser and nextworth’s trachsel both warned , finding a reputable reseller online isn’t always the easiest task . some companies , they say , will offer you a good price for your tablet online , but then claim it’s in worse condition than expected when they receive it , sending you a smaller - than - promised check as a result .
business derived from our urltoken website utilizes an agent commission revenue model , whereby we do not take possession of the devices that are sold to us by sellers , but rather facilitate transactions between these consumers and our network of professional buyers . historically , some of the devices we acquired through our urltoken website utilized our managed by usell service , whereby we partnered with a third party logistics company to inspect and process devices before passing them along to buyers offering the highest prices for each device . through this approach , we took possession of devices for a brief period of time before they were passed on to the ultimate buyer . however , by the end of 2016 , we shut down our managed by usell service and shifted all of our business from urltoken to the agent commission revenue model .
usell pays optimizely roughly $ 359 per month to run tests for up to 200 , 000 site visits , plus $ 5 per each additional 1 , 000 visits , croft says . that’s the third , or gold , tier of the vendor’s pricing model , which starts at $ 17 per month to test up to 2 , 000 site visits , plus $ 9 per each additional 1 , 000 visits .
feirstein , best known for founding usell . com , a technology - resale site , and liveops . com , a crowdsourced call - center company , had built a community of 20 , 000 independent agents into a massive
at home
call - center . he certainly knew something about communications and large - scale human resources . mickiewicz had mastered online auctions . grant knew how to appeal to developers .
as with all early - stage companies , there is risk . even though the future looks bright for usell , there is no guarantee that management will continue to execute . we have all invested in companies that showed tremendous promise but failed because of management ' s inability to deliver . michael brauser ' s involvement as chairman of the board de - risks the situation some , but as with all early - stage micro caps , diligent monitoring is required .
online marketplace usell . com , which allows merchants to bid for consumers’ used smartphones and electronics , wanted to add trade - ins for other types of used products but worried that doing so would hurt conversions in its core category , says chief product officer and co - founder christian croft . after running two experiments with a / b testing vendor optimizely , however , the e - marketplace learned that expanding its offerings would only add incremental revenue , he says .
usell presents a particularly attractive business model , based on scalable software , no inventory expenses , and minimal infrastructure . i expect the company ' s 40 % year - over - year revenue growth to continue and possibly accelerate . with a market cap of just $ 20 million , the company is deeply undervalued considering the multibillion - dollar total addressable market , and the company ' s ability to seamlessly expand into multiple markets . the extreme level of undervaluation and ability to turn profitable at any time , provides significant downside protection
categories : yahoo financeget free summary analysis usell . com , inc . reports financial results for the quarter ended june 30 , 2017 . highlights summary numbers : revenues of usd 24 . 64 million , net earnings of usd - 1 . 15 million . gross margins narrowed from 5 . 58 % to 3 . 18 % compared to the same period last year , operating ( ebitda ) margins now - 1 . 76 % from 1 . 66 % . change in operating cash . . . read more ( read more . . . )
while you probably don’t have quite this much techno - crap in your house , i’ll bet you have some . according to the npd group , the average u . s . household owns nearly six internet - connected devices . a recent survey by used gadget marketplace usell reports that seven out of 10 americans own gizmos they haven’t touched for at least two years . as a species , we generate 20 million to 50 million metric tons of e - waste each year , most of it toxic , the vast majority of which still goes into landfills .
but when a company is addressing multibillion - dollar markets , and growing revenue at 40 % annually , at some point , investors take notice . this is only the 2 nd seeking alpha article on usell , and i would expect more analyst coverage in the near future . as wall street realizes the value of this company , and just how much interest there is in this sector right now , the share price will rise to a more appropriate level . this is the type of opportunity that could develop from undervaluation to overvaluation within a very short time frame .
the downside ? prices vary wildly , and you probably won’t get as much as you want for it . for example , my black , wifi - only , 16 gb ipad 2 , which cost me $ 500 new two years ago , will fetch $ 106 at nextworth . gazelle offered me $ 120 for one in flawless condition . buymytronics offered $ 125 , which was also the top of the price range for ecoatm . usell , which provides a marketplace of buyers rated and ranked by its customers , showed me offers ranging from $ 80 to $ 145 .
caution : you will get ripped of by usell - they will send you a curious looking check - that will bounce . your back will charge you a fee for that little gift . then you will have to wait for another one that when you take it to the issuing bank - they will not honor it . ( my bank eventually got it cashed , but not for almost a month ) . they will also tell you they will repay the bank fee - they will not . i have filed a complaint wilts postal inspectors , because they do this as a business practice .
croft says it’s important to validate the effect of any changes usell considers making to its web site before finalizing them . to that end , it conducts four to six a / b tests each month , he says . though they’re usually for more minor changes than updating the whole home page—for instance changing the text in just one spot—they still ensure that the business is always moving forward , he says . “you could fall into the trap of making changes based on your gut instinct all the time , but you’d never be able to look back and prove that you made progress at each step . ”
the company , through usell . com , allows individual consumers to find cash offers for their items based on the make , model and condition of each item . upon accepting an offer , consumers can ship their devices for free using either a prepaid shipping kit or shipping label , and then track the progress of their orders online from initiation to final payment of their devices . the company sells its devices through utilizing its marketplace bidding platforms where buyers can source devices on demand ; employing its sales force to sell devices to its client base across the world , and leveraging third party e - commerce platforms .
for two weeks in late may , the e - marketplace sent half its desktop traffic to the first version of the home page and the other half to the second , comprising about 140 , 000 site visits altogether . in that test , electronics conversions took a hit , dropping by 3 . 6 % , croft says . although that was in usell’s acceptable range , it still made his team slightly nervous because it was closer to the 5 % drop threshold than to breaking even with the conversion rate , he says . any more of a decrease on electronics sales , and adding the new product categories would not increase net revenue , he says .
doug : so the idea for usell really has been an iterative process , but it started with this initial vision back in 2006 , when i tried to sell some stuff on ebay , but really trying to sell your own stuff is hard . initially , the vision was to make it easier for the general consumer to be able to sell their stuff and get cash for that , without having to deal with all the hassles of sort of the traditional , or at least the ways that existed back then in the peer - to - peer selling , like ebay . at first , we started it was every product , and like with any business , as we sort of hit different challenges head on , we realized that we kind of had to narrow our focus into products and services that we had a clear secondary market and there was high demand . that is sort of how we ended up focused in the consumer electronics vertical , because everybody has phones , like you said , you have three or four phones . virtually everyone i talk to says the same thing , and it was a great way for us to really leverage mass marketing through direct response to drive demand for the service , but there is also a clear secondary market for it . that is really where the idea for usell came from .
usell has two primary means of sourcing devices to satisfy demand from its global base of customers . the first source is through its wholly - owned subsidiary , we sell cellular , which was acquired in the fourth quarter of 2015 . we sell cellular is among a handful of top tier wholesalers whose primary business is to buy used smartphones that have been traded in with the major carriers and the big box retailers , fully inspect and grade these devices , and then sell these devices wholesale and retail through its highly experienced sales force . we sell cellular is one of a select group of wholesalers that has qualified for r2 certification , the industry standard for both data destruction and environmental protection .
agent commission revenue increased by $ 139 , 000 , or 993 % , from $ 14 , 000 for the three months ended june 30 , 2016 to $ 153 , 000 for the three months ended june 30 , 2017 . agent commission revenue increased by $ 300 , 000 , or 968 % , from $ 31 , 000 for the six months ended june 30 , 2016 to $ 331 , 000 for the six months ended june 30 , 2017 . the increase in agent commission revenue was due to our decision to shut down our managed by usell service at the end of 2016 and no longer take possession of devices sent in through our urltoken website . payments for devices sent in through urltoken are now made directly from buyers to sellers , and we only recognize a commission on these transactions .
while a minority of our product is sold directly to consumers via third party ecommerce platforms , the majority of our sales are to professional buyers . these buyers include brick and mortar retailers , online retailers , large and small wholesalers , small repair shops , large refurbishing providers , and insurance companies . approximately two - thirds of our customer base is in the united states , with the balance abroad . we are able to provide all of our buyers with a low risk , cost - efficient way to acquire inventory . through participation on usell ' s online marketplace or through interaction with our salesforce , our buyers gain access to the high volume of devices that we acquire through both wholesale and retail means , without taking on the risk and investment involved in marketing directly to consumers or purchasing directly from carriers , big box retailers , and manufacturers .
this was a horrific experience , i was given a quote of about 100 $ for my iphone i thought why not and decided to ship it to them , after almost 2 weeks i got the mailing packet finally and shipped it to them , no email no calls nothing for 2 weeks again , when i contact them myself they told me we sent u a check for 9 $ , i said what is 9 $ i was quoted 100 and got the most vague excuse about the market going up and down and my phone has a scratch here or there basically saying total bs , i demanded my phone back and they said no read the terms and conditions which is longer then the declaration of independence right . . . . people need to be aware of this scam and avoid usell unless you want to send them your valuable phone for free .
sales and marketing expense increased $ 72 , 000 , or 17 % , from $ 414 , 000 during the three months ended june 30 , 2016 to $ 486 , 000 during the three months ended june 30 , 2017 . the increase is primarily attributable to the higher fees paid as a result of the increased ebay sales during the three months ended june 30 , 2017 , compared to the three months ended june 30 , 2016 . with the we sell cellular acquisition and the company ' s newfound ability to source devices directly from the carriers , retailers , and manufacturers , its primary sales and marketing expenses have shifted from consumer marketing to paying out sales commissions and selling fees . because the vast majority of usell ' s sales and marketing expenses are now paid to third party selling platforms , such as ebay and amazon , any increases or decreases in these expenses are directly tied to sales for the period .
sales and marketing expense increased $ 294 , 000 , or 37 % , from $ 791 , 000 during the six months ended june 30 , 2016 to $ 1 , 085 , 000 during the six months ended june 30 , 2017 . the increase is primarily attributable to the higher fees paid as a result of the increased ebay sales during the six months ended june 30 , 2017 , compared to the six months ended june 30 , 2016 . with the we sell cellular acquisition and the company ' s newfound ability to source devices directly from the carriers , retailers , and manufacturers , its primary sales and marketing expenses have shifted from consumer marketing to paying out sales commissions and selling fees . because the vast majority of usell ' s sales and marketing expenses are now paid to third party selling platforms , such as ebay and amazon , any increases or decreases in these expenses are directly tied to sales for the period .
while quarterly revenues dropped slightly from the prior year , the company saw a 15 % increase in gmv for the quarter ended june 30 , 2017 and a 26 % increase in gmv for the six months ended june 30 , 2017 . despite this increase in gmv , industry conditions resulted in suppressed margins for the quarter . margins are driven primarily by supply and demand , but can also be impacted by the company ' s ability to make opportunistic purchases . due to these factors , management cannot predict margins from quarter to quarter . however , management believes that , due to the company ' s scale and supplier relationships , it is able to purchase at prices lower than its customers , which results in low risk of loss on its inventory . usell ' s management therefore believes that increasing gmv is of primary importance , as this should result in increased gross margin dollars in future quarters . management further believes that increasing gmv , coupled with limiting growth in fixed costs , should lead to a positive impact to profitability over the long term .
while there appears to be no moore ' s law equivalent for smartphones , gestation periods continue to hasten with each subsequent generation . while i remain content with my nearly four year old windows phone , my wife and kids all boast near state - of - the - art iphones . . . i dwell in a home where it is almost a moral imperative to never fall behind the latest technological innovation . these recurring upgrade cycles have resulted in quite an inventory buildup of vintage iphones . i located over a half dozen of them , including two iphone 4 models and two iphone 4s models . i am not alone with my collection . there are perhaps hundreds of millions of
end of first life
smartphones sitting in drawers across america that could still live a second life somewhere else .
ebay ( ebay ) , amazon ( amzn ) , and craig ' s list are some of the readily available marketplaces to sell used cell phones , and they currently dominate the resale or
re - commerce
sector for electronics , but i found a very good alternative that i wanted to share . visit the website urltoken , and in three easy steps you can receive multiple , instantaneous bids to sell your smartphone and get cash guaranteed to arrive in a maximum of five business days . i was intrigued enough that i was able to secure an interview with harvard mba and ingenious twenty - something innovator , mr . nik raman , co - founder and chief operating officer of urltoken ( usel ) .
mr . raman : with the speed of improvements in personal technology , from smartphones to personal computers and even televisions , america is already facing a huge problem of electronic waste . millions upon millions of devices lie dormant . many have a useful
next life ,
and this equipment can and should be monetized .
richard : explain why i shouldn ' t just sell my smartphone or ipod on ebay or amazon versus urltoken i did some homework and discovered that i would probably get a little more money selling on ebay and amazon .
richard : ok , so you can work for a slightly higher price if you are willing to jump through a lot of hoops , endure uncertainty , and wait a long time . now how do you compare with the carrier ' s buyback programs , like at & t or verizon ?
mr . raman : they are constantly changing their offers , so an apples to apples comparison is difficult . and keep in mind they don ' t pay cash , they also just give credit for an in - store phone upgrade . they have a lot of room to manipulate numbers based on how long they can lock in a customer on a contract . in general , urltoken is usually a little bit better than the major cellular carriers .
mr . raman : looking on our website urltoken it is easy to see that we have , in limited areas , begun our process of vertically expanding our offerings . we are already aggregating bids for ipad , ipods , game consoles , video games , gift cards and certain women ' s clothing items . the expansion proposition in our business is to find and facilitate re - commerce transactions where the value - to - weight ratio is advantageous , minimizing the effects of bearing round - trip shipping expenses . watches and jewelry are high value and low weight merchandise that will fit our model nicely .
richard : consumers are idly hoarding hundreds of millions of electronic devices . what advice can you give them ?
mr . raman : while they are being left in the closet , money is being lost . a rough rule of thumb is that iphones depreciate 5 % per month while android devices lose value at about twice that rate . another thing to consider is that a damaged iphone 4s may be worth up to $ 100 . damaged often does not translate into worthless .


ralph appelbaum associates ( raa ) is the world 's largest museum exhibition design firm .

it has offices in new york city , london , beijing , berlin , moscow , and dubai .

ralph appelbaum associates

glassdoor has 13 ralph appelbaum associates reviews submitted anonymously by ralph appelbaum associates employees . read employee reviews and ratings on glassdoor to decide if ralph appelbaum associates is right for you .
ralph appelbaum associates also designed the exhibitions at bill clinton ' s presidential library . [ courtesy of ralph appelbaum associates ]
ralph appelbaum associates , inc . - overview ( free company information from companies house )
glassdoor gives you an inside look at what it ' s like to work at ralph appelbaum associates , including salaries , reviews , office photos , and more . this is the ralph appelbaum associates company profile . all content is posted anonymously by employees working at ralph appelbaum associates .
fifa world football museum , brazil 2014 revisited temporary exhibit planning and design by ralph appelbaum associates , inc .
site and artifact photography by dmitriy kurenev and mikhail kamensky / ( c ) ralph appelbaum associates , alexander chaplinsky , and askar kabzhan .
designed by ralph appelbaum associates / media development by potion design studio / fabricated by three dimensional services , inc . / brain sculpture by felice grodin
i applied in - person . the process took 2 weeks . i interviewed at ralph appelbaum associates ( new york , ny ) in may 2015 .
ralph appelbaum associates , the exhibition designer of the national museum of african american history and culture , will design the exhibits at the obama presidential library .
new york - based ralph appelbaum associates will head a team of several firms and individuals with expertise in media , lighting and acoustics in designing exhibits .
“you can really see this natural evolution of museums being essentially big boxes filled with educational stuff and collections to now–museums that are seamless with storytelling and seamless with the narrative that they offer , ” said ralph appelbaum , founder of ralph appelbaum associates .
i applied in - person . the process took 2 weeks . i interviewed at ralph appelbaum associates ( new york , ny ( us ) ) in may 2015 .
ralph appelbaum associates will lead the exhibition design team for the opc , in partnership with civic projects and normal , and artists and educators amanda williams , andres hernandez , and norman teague .
ralph appelbaum associates new york focuses on museum exhibitions and you do not get much exposure to a variety of tasks , such like choosing materials and finishes , as you would get in hospitality - oriented firms .
founded in 1978 by ralph appelbaum , the firm has created over 500 projects that are visited by over 50 million people each year .
founded in 1978 by ralph appelbaum , the firm has created over 500 projects that are visited by over 50 million people each year .
ralph appelbaum associates will be in charge of a team that includes several chicago firms that will design how the exhibition spaces in obama’s library and museum will function and be laid out when it’s built in jackson park .
ralph appelbaum associates creates award - winning museum exhibitions , visitor centers , and educational environments that explore natural history , physical sciences , cultural , social , and corporate history , sports , brand heritage , and the fine arts .
philip hughes , creative director for the ikea museum project at ralph appelbaum associates , says that the designers worked with the architects to “insert a story into the building so that it was told in a logical and interesting way” .
ralph appelbaum associates inc . ralph appelbaum ( principal in charge ) ; james carthcart ( project director ) ; alex vlack ( executive producer ) ; lilly preston ( senior producer ) ; caitlin mennen - bobula ( project manager ) ; carlos rodriguez , andri klausen ( 3d designers ) ; josh hartley , rosanna vitiello ( graphic designers ) , ilona parkansky ( content developer )
appelbaum associates are also planning a newseum exhibit that will allow visitors to use news wire reports from all 50 states to produce a newspaper front page .
ralph appelbaum associates will head a team of several firms and individuals with expertise in media , lighting and acoustics , including several chicago - based collaborators , according to the nonprofit that is developing the library and museum in historic jackson park .
, an exhibition about the complex relationships between technology and democracy . it marks the 100th anniversary of the norwegian museum of science and technology and was designed and produced by ralph appelbaum associates and tamschick media + space in cooperation with the museum .
the design team for the smithsonian’s national museum of african american history and culture is a collaboration of four architecture firms forming a single cohesive team—freelon adjaye bond / smithgroupjjr . gustafson guthrie nichol is the landscape architecture firm , and ralph appelbaum associates is the exhibit designer .
the first of this series of temporary exhibitions launched in september 2016 with the theme ' brazil 2014 revisited’ . hypsos executed this temporary exhibition , under the authority and to the design of ralph appelbaum associates , including steelworks , graphics , showcases and av - hardware .
national museums of scotland has confirmed the appointment of ralph appelbaum associates to design 16 new galleries at edinburgh’s royal museum , as revealed by dw ( dw 1 december ) . the £7m project forms part of the £44 . 5m royal museum masterplan , due for completion in 2011 .
ralph appelbaum associates is known for its work at the william j . clinton presidential library ( 2004 ) , the museum of the portuguese language ( 2006 ) , the national world war i museum ( 2006 ) , the london transport museum ( 2007 ) , and the newseum ( 2008 ) .
bradford a . mckee , ' what ' s a museum : what he says it is . how ralph appelbaum built a monopoly in the field of exhibition design . architecture magazine , 2002
ralph appelbaum associates ( raa ) , an international planning and design firm with offices in lower manhattan , is currently undertaking a significant new history and cultural museum project and we are seeking candidates with degrees and / or professional experience in african american studies , history and / or culture for a position as content coordinator for the project .
designing exhibits for a museum whose purpose is to celebrate a language is a bit different from creating a shrine for artifacts . at the museum of the portuguese language , the world ' s first museum of its kind , ralph appelbaum associates presents the language as a dynamic cultural heritage and uses technology to emphasize its permanent state of transformation .
at the same time , appelbaum associates tends to provide the equivalent of educational tracking for visitors , with such items as pictograms for children and those who don ' t speak english , and complex scripts for the college - educated .
a roster of design teams has worked on the project . ralph appelbaum associates worked with ikea’s in - house creative team to create the narrative and interior design of the permanent exhibition spaces , and swedish consultancy from us with love , created the interior design for the temporary exhibition space . the museum also includes a restaurant and shop , designed by ikea’s in - house team .
appelbaum also helped to design the exhibition spaces in former president bill clinton’s library in little rock , ak .
“we are honored to lead this incredible exhibition design team and to collaborate with the obama foundation to help develop a presidential center that reflects the dynamism and openness of the obama presidency and encourages and supports civic engagement , ” founder ralph appelbaum said .
. after the interns toured our offices , ralph appelbaum spoke to the group about the evolution of museums and raa ' s role in that development . having designed the clinton presidential center and library , we have a strong connection to the foundation .
on april 29 , the united states holocaust memorial museum , in washington , d . c . , commemorated its twentieth anniversary . ralph appelbaum associates designed the museum’s permanent exhibition , a controlled emotional encounter in three acts . the exhibition , which includes architectural elements brought over from poland and germany , vividly conveys the magnitude of the holocaust . ushmm has attracted nearly 35 million visitors since its opening .
in 2002 , the liberty memorial associated charged ralph appelbaum associates with creating a museum that , like the memorial itself , would honor those who served in world war i in defense of liberty and country . the new national world war i museum at liberty memorial in kansas city , mo , chronicles one of the nation ' s central epics , one that brought the united states onto the world stage .
on 9 february 2016 at the polish ministry of culture and national heritage it was announced that the consortium of three companies : ralph appelbaum associates ( raa ) , wxca sp . z o . o . , and platige image sa – who had won the design competition for the development of a visual - spatial concept for a permanent exhibition at the józef piłsudski museum in sulejówek – officially signed the agreement .
appelbaum ' s firm , incorporated in 1978 and now with about 140 employees , rose to prominence after he designed the displays for the u . s . holocaust memorial museum in the early 1990s . last april , the newseum opened 70 , 000 square feet of exhibition space designed by appelbaum and associates , and in december , another 16 , 500 square feet of appelbaum - designed exhibition space opened at the u . s . capitol visitor center . if plans go forward for a vietnam veterans memorial visitors center - - an underground facility planned near the wall - - appelbaum is slated to design that as well .
just in time for the queen’s diamond jubilee and the olympic games , the redesigned crown jewels exhibition opened , on march 29 , 2012 , at the tower of london . ralph appelbaum associates ' london office used improved lighting and mounts to highlight the collection’s 23 , 578 gems . the show examines the crown jewels’ history and ongoing role in royal ceremonies . it also features newly restored footage of queen elizabeth ii’s coronation , in 1953 .
ralph appelbaum associates ( raa ) is the exhibit designer for 82 , 000 square feet of the museum’s inaugural exhibitions , composed of 12 galleries spanning 400 years of history , community and culture . raa is a multidisciplinary firm specializing in the planning and design of museums , exhibits , educational environments and visitor attractions . a family - owned company founded in 1978 , raa’s portfolio includes more than 700 completed commissions in more than 40 countries .
the man in charge of planning exhibits , ralph appelbaum , said there ' ll be an augmented reality component to the vivarium — that way you can capture a photo of that butterfly without worrying it ' ll fly away . think
pokémon go ,
but butterfly photos .
as appelbaum’s first major project , he is bringing in a team that knows both the city and the south side well .
ralph appelbaum sees it a little differently .
clearly there ' s the story of berry gordy ,
he says .
but there ' s also the story of detroit , which was a terminal of the underground railway and of the northern migration in the 20th century .
lord cultural resources’ role included leading the national public engagement process , the establishment of general museum and facility requirements , the development of a functional strategy , collections analysis , preparation for collections storage and operations planning . in 2011 , lord cultural resources provided content development and communications services as part of the winning team of ralph appelbaum associates for the exhibition design for the new museum . in 2012 , an additional contract was awarded for concept development for the resource library .
on june 5 , 2013 , ralph appelbaum associates launched a media - rich sneak preview of berlin’s humboldt forum . the installation , now on display at the humboldt box , features a video triptych , a table projection , and a 3 - d acrylic model . the humboldt forum , slated to open in 2019 , will house three museums , two libraries , and humboldt university . featuring a vast collection of artifacts from around the world , the forum will emphasize cultural connections and encourage a global dialogue .
ralph appelbaum has 25 years of involvement in every facet of museum and exhibition design . his renowned work for the united states holocaust memorial museum and the american museum of natural history has won every major design award , and he has served as an advisor to foundations , philanthropies , and heads of state around the world .
madeline developed her interpretive planning approach during the sixteen years she spent with ralph appelbaum associates , where she was a senior writer and interpretive planner for major museum projects . these include , among others , the newseum , indiana state museum , innovation center at the corning museum of glass , and the american museum of natural history’s biodiversity hall . prior to entering the realm of exhibit interpretation , madeline worked in public broadcasting as a writer and documentary producer for science programming at new york’s wnet - 13 and boston’s wgbh .
phillip tefft , director of uk operations at ralph appelbaum associates , says : “the raa team was inspired the moment we received the brief for the south asia gallery at the manchester museum . we are honoured and privileged to have the opportunity to collaborate with both the british museum and manchester museum for this prestigious project , and we look forward to working with this team to showcase the british museum’s remarkable collections to south asian and broader audiences , to the community and to the world , in a celebration of ‘all things desi’ ! ”
but many newer museums are not based on collections at all . instead , they dramatize a historical event or trend , like the japanese migration to california , or trace the development and influence of an idea , like freedom of the press . these new - wave institutions are also known as single - subject museums , and appelbaum associates has emerged as the leading exhibit designer for them .
appelbaum associates is unusual in taking on only nonprofit work , usually for museums of history , ethnology or natural science . recent projects have included the american immigrant museum of honor at ellis island and the jewish museum in new york , several visitor centers for the national park service and the adler planetarium in chicago . recently , the company was named to design the museum of african - american history in detroit .
mr . appelbaum began with a provocative statement : ' ' we ' re searching for a way to make the building seem different from the museum of modern art , which seems so generic . ' '
i remember him saying , ' this is for streakers , strollers and studiers , '
daniel p . jordan , the director of the thomas jefferson memorial foundation , said of mr . appelbaum .
donald albrecht writes ,
positioning his design expertise within the context of fundraising , public relations and other forms of marketing , appelbaum acknowledges that today ' s museums must compete with other forms of leisure entertainment .
his work is not without its detractors . some believe he has contributed to a diminution of the museum , from temple to forum . certainly , appelbaum has helped to bring the museum into open view in our society .
in the course of a five - hour conversation in his office on the 29th floor of a downtown new york high - rise , appelbaum , 66 , throws out perhaps a dozen different definitions of what museums should do .
mr . appelbaum has some narrative decisions to make . then he will have to translate them into concrete , glass and steel for the motown museum , which will occupy the former motown studios in detroit . collections in second place
mr . appelbaum ' s services do not come cheap . his fee is 20 to 30 percent of a project ' s budget , which is double or triple the typical architect ' s fee . theatrical , but not theater
for many families , the case of dr . bradley was life changing . even those who were not personally affected by dr . bradley could not fathom that something so awful occurred in their community . historical societies or museums hold onto collections that have a controversial history so that others can learn from it . as long as an exhibit is not opinionated , society has the right to all details of history as long as it is not confidential . joshua dudley , senior designer for ralph appelbaum associates , believes that the text in an exhibit should not have subtle points and should not avoid uncomfortable facts or ideas . if museums did not exhibit controversial topics , so much of vital history would be erased from people’s minds . one reason that historical facts have so much importance is so that others can be educated on its historical background .
we ' re wary of the market - driven approach in which museums are afraid to act as smart as they are ,
said mr . appelbaum .
we don ' t want them to become infotainment attractions .
viewer assistance
mr . appelbaum sees a few other stories as well . there ' s the story of black entrepreneurship , for example .
motown was the largest black - owned business in america , and created more black millionaires than any other company ,
he says .
everyone laughed , and then his visitors fell silent as mr . appelbaum outlined his plans for ' ' extending the language of domesticity ' ' throughout the building . he spoke about everything from benches and ' ' window coverings ' ' to the design of the inevitable cafe . the trustees appeared impressed when he mentioned his idea for a series of niches that would serve as showcases . after a half - hour , mr . appelbaum abruptly left the room , entrusting one of his staff designers to preside over the remainder of the meeting .
mr . appelbaum used the storytelling approach to spectacular effect in the holocaust memorial museum in washington , working historical artifacts , videotaped testimony by holocaust survivors and written texts into an interior design that takes visitors on a compelling historical journey that , in theory , few should be willing to make .
later that afternoon , i asked mr . appelbaum why he felt compelled to criticize the museum of modern art . if the museum ' s building seems ' ' generic , ' ' as he said , it ' s surely because its clean , no - nonsense , all - white galleries have been copied many times over . the building doesn ' t try to make a statement , except by deferring to the art . as such , it differs from mr . appelbaum ' s own designs , which , he says , ' ' mediate between the objects and the viewer . ' '
…appelbaum has demonstrated a rare ability to draw emotion from passersby . he knows , for instance , how to make people cry in public . he is perfectly capable of disarming viewers with displays of poignant beauty and promise , or overpowering them with graphic proof of tragedy and loss .
—barbara flanagan , 2000
ralph appelbaum has a lot of projects underway , but none has proved quite as daunting as the world religions museum in taiwan . ' ' it ' s unbelievable , ' ' he said the other day . ' ' i give my presentation to a monastery in the mountains . here i am , plugging in my computer as the clouds are going out the door . do you know what it ' s like working with buddhists ? have you ever had a video conference with dharma masters and their nuns ? they say there is no past and there is no future ; there is only now . and i say , ' what do you mean ? we have to plan . ' ' '
how , exactly , should the past be presented ? that became the subject of discussion when my interview with mr . appelbaum was pleasantly interrupted by a group of his clients . six trustees and staff members of the museum of american folk art filed in for a meeting . the museum is constructing a six - story building on west 53d street , next door to the museum of modern art , and mr . appelbaum has been hired to design the exhibition space . the meeting was held in his conference room , around an oval table ( gray , of course ) with a tray of oversize strawberries in the center .
appelbaum ' s influence is enormous in part because he has capitalized on a time in the museum world when the lines between entertainment and education have blurred , as museums feel competition from an ever wider array of distractions . there ' s a trend toward museums wanting to be all things to all people , technologically seductive but educational ; a place for scholarship and conservation , but also a family entertainment destination . museum directors worry about having a reputation for being old - fashioned , yet they don ' t want to surrender their status as authoritative , even elite places . appelbaum is happy to help them sort things out .
in conversation , mr . appelbaum favors new - age language . he says , for instance , that ' ' sharing is at the heart of any museum ' s mission . ' ' he thinks museums should be ' ' intergenerationally friendly . ' ' he contends that they ' ' don ' t bring objects together , they bring people together . ' '
not all of mr . appelbaum ' s projects are imbued with the same moral gravity . they include high - tech fun houses like the newseum , in arlington , va . , which tracks the history of journalism , going back to smoke signals . it ' s the sort of place where visitors can pretend to be television anchors ( and take home the broadcasts ) , or sip coffee at the news bite cafe while reading the latest headlines on the internet . ' ' people thought it couldn ' t be done , ' ' mr . appelbaum said with more than a hint of pride . ' ' they thought , ' why would anyone come to a museum to see newspapers they ' ve already read ? ' ' '
mr . appelbaum , whose firm is the largest of its kind in the country , does not offer his services cheaply . his fee is generally 25 percent of a project ' s budget , which is double or triple what most architects charge . although he declined to specify the budget of any of his projects ( ' ' who can remember ? ' ' he said ) , cheryl filsinger , the company ' s marketing coordinator , offered a few examples . the holocaust museum , she said , had a ' ' fabrication budget ' ' of $ 13 million , while the fourth - floor fossil halls at the american museum of natural history , completed by mr . appelbaum in 1996 , had a budget of $ 18 million .
we were getting away from the giant cabinet - of - curiosities approach to the idea of a good yarn , using literary and theatrical constructs ,
said mr . appelbaum .
we began thinking of an exhibition as a three - act play , or a five - chapter book . we started thinking in theatrical terms , like where does the love song belong ?
mr . appelbaum , by comparison , sees museums as a place to have a bonding experience ; as such , he is in sync with the zeitgeist . we ' re in an age when people want their own experiences , however personal , to be instantly historicized . they take endless photographs and make videotapes of evenings at home , amassing their own archives . when everything is a fit subject for documentation , museums can be devoted to any subject , golf included . the world golf hall of fame and museum , in st . augustine , fla . , is the work of mr . appelbaum and , like most of the 120 projects he has completed , it is a single - theme museum . these days , no topic is too recent or specialized to disqualify it from museum apotheosis .
mr . appelbaum is a celebrated museum designer , which may sound like a contradiction in terms . not long ago , exhibition design was mainly an afterthought , which architects grumpily took care of when they weren ' t dreaming up signature buildings . to design a show meant little more than making sure that the tyrannosaurus rex wasn ' t taller than the ceiling or that the rodin bronze wouldn ' t crush its pedestal .
he oversees a staff of 60 architects , designers , engineers , model makers , researchers and writers who split off into teams for each project . on one floor of the company ' s loft space on greene street , designers generate computer images of proposed installations . overhead , on a shop floor , the images are turned into tabletop models and finally large - scale models , which suggest stage sets , although not to mr . appelbaum .
the field of exhibition design embraces a wide variety of practitioners . it includes companies that produce jazzy commercial displays for trade shows or corporate offices and companies that create exhibits for small museums on a tight budget . at the top end are design studios that create ambitious exhibitions for major museums and corporations , like edwin schlossberg inc . , which is designing sony wonder , a technology museum in sony plaza in manhattan , or krent / paffett associates in boston , which is creating the first permanent exhibit for the national museum of the american indian in the former custom house in lower manhattan .
mr . appelbaum , who is 50 , grew up in the williamsburg section of brooklyn . he designed his first major cultural exhibition in 1979 , for the american museum of natural history when it accepted a traveling exhibit from colombia called
gold of el dorado .
south america was not new to him . after studying industrial design at pratt institute he served in the peace corps in peru , where he helped indians design crafts that they could market for the tourist industry .
at least one of mr . appelbaum ' s projects was slammed by critics ( myself included ) , though it drew crowds . in 1995 , he designed an edward hopper exhibition for the whitney museum of american art . although hopper is known as america ' s premier poet of loneliness , the whitney show was the sort of event where one couldn ' t find a moment of quiet , not least because of the video that played continuously , smack in the middle of the galleries .
mr . appelbaum sees similar opportunities closer to home .
lots of institutions around new york haven ' t blossomed into what they could be : the thomas edison labs , for instance ,
he said , pointing out that it was a matter of getting the story right and expanding the idea of what makes a museum .
i ' m surprised new york doesn ' t have a watch museum or an insect museum ,
he said .
if nothing else , we ' ve got great roaches .
not that mr . appelbaum agrees with this point . he insists that there is not an object in existence , nor a museum , that cannot be enhanced by his showmanship . and he says this without apology . ' ' as long as our school systems are not teaching art education , ' ' he said , ' ' we need more context . we need to teach people to honor the past . and in a society where my son calls his sneakers awesome , how do you create a sense of awe ? ' '
although mr . appelbaum earns his living packaging the past , he grows reserved when the subject turns to his own . born in 1942 , the son of a supervisor for the subway system , he was raised in the williamsburg section of brooklyn . as a child , he liked to build models of boats and planes . asked how he acquired his interest in culture , he said : ' ' i never really think about that . i prefer to think about now and my opening dates . i know where i ' ll be in dates four or five years from now . ' '
' ' i don ' t know what the critics were complaining about , ' ' mr . appelbaum said , a bit testily . ' ' they ' re a bunch of starched shirts . it was a record - breaking show . the whitney ended up with a piece of media that was super - popular . and bloomie ' s had a mannequin display , with everyone reading their hopper booklets . ' ' he was hoping , he said , that the hopper show ' ' would be the start of something major , ' ' a series of shows that contextualized artists . yet that hasn ' t happened .
mr . appelbaum is an affable man of 56 , with a trim gray beard and an obliging manner . on a recent afternoon , he was dressed stylishly in a gray shirt , a gray suit and a matching polka dot tie . ( ' ' gray is a safe color , ' ' he wryly explained . ) we met at his office , which occupies two floors above a plant shop in a loft building on spring street in soho . his staff of 85 includes architects , designers , editors , model builders , historians , childhood specialists , one poet , one painter and one astrophysicist , and they split into teams for each project . asked where he lives , he replied with a straight face , ' ' on airplanes . ' '
in 1978 , after working for the industrial designer raymond loewy , mr . appelbaum started his own company . his staff consisted entirely of his wife , madelynn gingold , a painter whom he had met at pratt . at the time , very few people were thinking about exhibition design , which was seen as a minor offshoot of architecture , as opposed to a field of its own . the only prominent name attached to it was that of charles eames , the architect and furniture designer ; in the 1960 ' s , after his curvy eames chair became the hallmark of good - taste decor , he put together some jazzy exhibitions for i . b . m . and wowed the design world with a pavilion at the 1964 world ' s fair .
raa has expertise in all aspects of planning , design , and media production . the firm offers comprehensive interpretive solutions , from a project ' s concept phase to its realization .
the firm is composed of designers , writers , architects , scientists , historians , artists , educators , and filmmakers . they work collaboratively to produce authentic and compelling attractions rooted in a deep understanding of content , expert storytelling , and world - class design .
raa has realized commissions in thirty - three countries on five continents . whether one - room displays or encyclopedic presentations in palatial settings , raa ' s exhibitions entertain and educate a global audience .
raa projects have been honored with the following 300 + awards in the fields of design and communication .
international architecture awards , winner , st . louis and the jefferson national expansion memorial
industrial designers society of america , silver industrial design excellence award for museum exhibits and set design , martin luther king , jr . , visitors center , national park service
i . d . annual design review , i . d . design distinction award in environments , american museum of natural history , dinosaur halls
i . d . annual design review , i . d . design distinction award in environments
we are always interested in hearing from talented individuals who are seeking positions in a multi - disciplinary environment . please email your letter of interest to humanresources @ urltoken , include the position that you are applying for and the office location in the subject line , and attach your cover letter , resume and portfolio or writing samples .
we offer summer and semester internships to under graduate and post - graduate students in design , writing and research . email your inquiry to humanresources @ urltoken . please include your resume and portfolio and / or writing samples .
raa is an affirmative action program / equal employment opportunity employer . we provide equal employment opportunity to all employees and do not discriminate against any member of its staff , or any applicant for employment , because of age , race , color , religion , sex , marital status , affectional preference , national origin , military service , disability , or any other characteristic protected by law .
glassdoor will not work properly unless browser cookie support is enabled . learn how to enable cookies .
explore the many benefits of having a premium branded profile on glassdoor , like increased influence and advanced analytics .
very friendly coworkers . people usually do not have to stay over time and you are not affected by the stress unless there is a deadline approaching .
i do not have clear understanding of what changes have been made regarding staff changes and neither do my coworkers . maybe people talk about it in secrecy but i would love to have more transparency .
we sit down and review our work samples or portfolios with the hiring team at a career night . later , we are contacted by the company for further discussion about our full portfolios , which was pretty much what we did for the meeting . after that , there was a question and answer session though everyone knows what they want and what will be offered . eventually , the company contacted me for an internship opportunity .
copyright © 2008–2018 , glassdoor , inc .
glassdoor
and logo are proprietary trademarks of glassdoor , inc .
your trust is our top concern , so companies can ' t alter or remove reviews .
incredible projects all over the world . work on meaningful cultural issues . high level of knowledge , expertise , with a focus on quality to achieve world class results . raa has a stellar reputation industry wide , especially in the past , for innovative work . the offices in new york are impressive and there is a lot of travel involved .
founder needs to retire , senior designers need to retire , a new management structure that removes control from the current father / son and delegates to experienced business managers . consider a board of independent directors . communication and transparency need to improve drastically . staff need to be allowed to advance and younger ideas need to be given attention . finances should be shored up so that project budgets are allocated realistically and time and resources controlled .
for the most part , the people here are smart , passionate , and easy to get along with . some of the projects are very interesting , and you have the opportunity to design and create spaces and exhibits that will be experienced by millions of people .
communication from management is nonexistent , which is especially troubling when people get laid off or have their time reduced . there ' s zero transparency into management and financial decisions , which makes you feel like they ' re just making it up as they go along . also , i began as a freelancer , and my invoices would be ignored until i got my project director involved , and he or she intervened with accounting .
right - size the org . close the satellite offices . communicate with staff . treat your freelancers fairly . retire people who have spent their entire lives at the firm and are out of touch . bring up smart , enthusiastic entry - and mid - level staff .
extremely interesting projects and intelligent coworkers . the work is very sophisticated , collaborative and undoubtedly some of the best in the field . good work - life balance and office culture . some nice perks like occasional catered lunches and work trips .
it is almost impossible to get a raise or move up the ladder . there is no transparency and it is hard to know what ' s going on . upper management isn ' t open to new ideas .
the company is run by architects . there is very little room to move up .
work on giving people titles . make an effort to structure the company so that senior designers get more support to increase productivity .
this will replace the current featured review for targeted profile . are you sure you want to replace it ?
jackson park in the woodlawn neighborhood has been selected as the site for the barack obama presidential center .
the new york firm that helped shape the recently opened national museum of african american history and culture will lead the exhibition design for the obama presidential center ' s museum on chicago ' s south side , the obama foundation announced tuesday .
the local team members will include the firms civic projects and normal , and the artists and educators amanda williams , andres hernandez and norman teague .
almost half of the exhibition design work for the opc will be performed by minority - and women - owned businesses , the foundation said .
raa , which was not made available to comment , also worked on the william j . clinton presidential library , the rose center for earth and space at the american museum of natural history and the united states holocaust memorial museum .
presidents barack obama and george w . bush opened the smithsonian ' s new museum focused on black history .
raa ' s exhibit design for the national african - american museum , which opened in september , blends monumentality and minutiae . dramatic subterranean galleries showcase massive artifacts — a prison watch tower , a slave cabin , a train car — in an almost cathedral like setting .
leading into and out of these open spaces , the galleries are stuffed with the narrative , in word and object , of a people ' s history .
overall , the design aims to be a metaphor : the history traces a path from the bottom of the structure upward , with the top floors becoming more celebratory , showcasing vibrant looks at the arts , sport and other culture .
the obama museum team ' s civic projects specializes in bringing community participation to the design process , most recently working with the bronzeville retail initiative and the development of the englewood exchange , envisioned as an incubator for food industry start - ups .
normal has done design work for a number of local institutions , including the art institute of chicago , the chicago architecture foundation and the theaster gates studio .
williams , who grew up on the south side , is a visual artist and architect , creator of the color ( ed ) theory series . hernandez , an artist and educator , is working on a number local projects with the museum of contemporary art chicago and the chicago department of cultural affairs and special events .
teague is a designer and educator who examines the complexities and history of communities .
the selections were based on the firms ' and individuals ' track records on civic projects and
their collective mission to develop interactive , state - of - the art , and dynamic spaces that help visitors connect history to action ,
david simas , chief executive of the obama foundation , said in a written statement .
we are confident this team will contribute to our building a presidential center that is more than just a library or museum , but that will be an innovative center that inspires communities and individuals to take on our biggest challenges .
type in the name of your neighborhood or select one from the list below .
sorry , we couldn ' t find any neighborhoods that match . please try again or select a neigborhood from the list below .
the dnainfo archives brought to you by wnyc . read the press release here .
hyde park — the designer behind the national museum of african - american history and culture will lead the planning of the exhibits at barack obama’s presidential library , the obama foundation announced tuesday .
the new york - based firm might not be familiar to many in chicago , but its work is among the most well - known in the country , including the new national museum of african - american history and culture and the united states holocaust memorial museum in washington , d . c . , and the rose center for earth and space at the american museum of natural history in new york city .
south side artist amanda williams , known for her “color ( ed ) theory” project that painted vacant houses in englewood vibrant colors , and andres hernandez and norman teague will help in the development of the library .
“obviously , it is a tremendous honor to participate in a project that will resonate locally and globally , ” williams said . “as someone who was raised on the south side , it brings my childhood aspirations for what is possible for my community full circle . ”
among the chicago design firms now slated to work on the obama library are civic projects . the firm has most recently worked on the bronzeville retail initiative and the englewood exchange .
chicago firm normal , which has worked on projects for the art institute of chicago , the chicago architecture foundation and theaster gates studio , will also work on the project .
obama foundation ceo david simas said the team has been charged with creating state - of - the - art interactive exhibits for the museum .
“we are confident this team will contribute to our building a presidential center that is more than just a library or museum , but that will be an innovative center that inspires communities and individuals to take on our biggest challenges , ” simas said .
obama himself returned to chicago last week to meet with community leaders and to start fundraising for the construction of the library .
the first of the materials that will be housed in the library also arrived last week .
man in black robs 2 wednesday night in hyde park : u . of c . police
ken griffin giving u . of c . $ 125m , second - largest gift in school ' s history
dnainfo is chicago ' s leading neighborhood news source . we deliver up - to - the - minute reports on entertainment , education , politics , crime , sports , and dining . our award - winning journalists find the stories - big or small - that matter most to chicagoans .
copyright © 2009 - 2018 , new york public radio . all rights reserved .
raa is a diversified , creative practice offering its clients comprehensive planning , design and content services . the firm was established in 1978 to provide museums with professional communications and exhibit design services , with a staff of more than 130 specialists in various disciplines : architecture and interior design ; exhibit and industrial design ; graphic design and visual communication ; content development and management ; research , writing and editing ; media design and technology , raa provides services to clients with challenging missions in the public , educational and cultural realms . the firm is best known for large - scale , permanent interpretive museum projects requiring a marriage of complex educational content with physical environments that are at once compelling and smoothly operational .
roles and responsibilities : the content coordinator plays a central role in the project team . working closely with and reporting to the project’s content developer , the content coordinator is responsible for organizing , maintaining , coordinating , tracking and communicating the project’s content . content may include artifacts , images , objects , artwork or text to be included in the project . to perform work , the content coordinator uses content management and content development formats , tools and systems such as artifact and image databases , exhibit matrices , content and script outlines , spreadsheets and tracking documents and schedules .
in addition to content coordination , the content coordinator supports the content developer with research , writing and content development tasks , and provides content management and administrative support for the project .
on a day - to - day basis , the content coordinator becomes familiar with nearly all aspects of the project’s content and along with the content developer , they effectively become the project’s “in - house experts” who work collaboratively with the design team to develop and realize the project .
the content coordinator may also liaise with the client ; manage and / or facilitate interactions with content consultants , advisors or contractors ; attend content related meetings , or perform research trips .
the position requires an immediate start date and candidate should be available to travel . the salary is commensurate with experience .
qualified candidates : please submit a letter of interest and resume via e - mail to jenniepocock @ urltoken .
by participating in an array of marketing events , the team was always able to make important new connections with unique individuals from the russian cultural scene .
changes won ' t be saved until you sign up for an enhanced profile subscription .
help the fairygodboss community by easily leaving an anonymous company tip ( no sign up required ) ! we crowdsource employer benefits such as vacation and maternity leave so that women can make informed decisions about their career and lives .
flextime , healthcare , on - site childcare , 401k and more . . .
a defined contribution plan that allows employer discretionary contributions . these plans often contain a 401 ( k ) feature .
this plan , or any part of it is intended to meet the conditions of 29 cfr 2550 . 404c - 1 .
participants have the opportunity to direct the investment of all the assets allocated to their individual accounts , regardless of whether 29 cfr 2550 . 404c - 1 is intended to be met .
a cash or deferred arrangement described in code section 401 ( k ) that is part of a qualified defined contribution plan that provides for an election by employees to defer part of their compensation or receive these amounts in cash .
employee contributions are allocated to separate accounts under the plan or employer contributions are based , in whole or in part , on employee deferrals or contributions to the plan . not applicable if plan is 401 ( k ) plan with only qnecs and / or qmacs . also not applicable if code section 403 ( b ) ( 1 ) , 403 ( b ) ( 7 ) or 408 arrangements / accounts / annuities .
total or partial participant - directed account plan - plan uses default investment account for participants who fail to direct assets in their account .
a pension plan that is made available by a sponsor for adoption by employers ; that is the subject of a favorable opinion letter ; and for which a single funding medium ( for example , a trust or custodial account ) is established for the joint use of all adopting employers .
during the plan year did the employer fail to transmit to the plan any participant contributions within the time period described in 29 cft 2510 . 3 - 102 ?
were any loans by the plan or fixed income obligations due the plan in default as of the close of plan year or classified during the year as uncollectible ? disregard participant loans secured by participant ' s account balance .
are you claiming a waiver of the annual examination and report of an independent qualified public accountant ( iqpa ) under 29 cfr 2520 . 104 - 46 ?
if there was a blackout period , have you either provided the required notice or one of the exceptions to providing the notice applied under 29 cfr 2520 . 101 - 3 ?
copyright © 2008 - 2018 , brightscope inc . all rights reserved . your use of this service is subject to our terms of use and privacy policy
information is provided ' as is ' and solely for informational purposes , not for investment purposes or advice . brightscope is not a fiduciary under erisa . brightscope is not endorsed by or affiliated with finra .
html public
- / / w3c / / dtd html 4 . 01 transitional / / en
urltoken
this article appears to be written like an advertisement . please help improve it by rewriting promotional content from a neutral point of view and removing any inappropriate external links . ( december 2009 )
reported in 1999 that the firm was composed of
architects , designers , editors , model builders , historians , childhood specialists , one poet , one painter and one astrophysicist .
the holocaust museum is sheer brilliance , i don ' t think i ' ve seen anyone use the written word and videos to such advantage . when you look at the museum , there aren ' t that many artifacts , but he has used them to advantage , putting them in settings and surrounding them with living history .
, raa
over the past three decades , [ has ] completed more than 250 commissions in the fields of social , cultural and natural history at a variety of museums , memorials and heritage projects in more than 50 cities worldwide .
albrecht , daniel ( 2000 ) . design culture now . princeton university press . isbn 978 - 1 - 56898 - 215 - 1 .
flanagan , barbara ( 2000 ) .
interior magazine , designer of the year
.
this entry is from wikipedia , the leading user - contributed encyclopedia . it may not have been reviewed by professional editors ( see full disclaimer )