Mark Meyer may be 25 years old and still living at home with his parents and older brother, but his age is no reflection of the auction professional he has become. With skill sets that match, and often trump, his competitors, the West Babylon, NY, native with a bachelor of science in finance from the State University of New York, owns the local store, Nifty Thrifty. Mark is a hard worker with a cunning knack for business and has a proven track record for selling anything.

Mark wears a baseball hat, T-shirt and jeans, but can stand toe-to-toe with any businessman in a $5,000 suit on the auction floor. In order to be taken seriously in an industry that is dominated by an older crowd, Mark lays everything out on the line to earn the respect of his peers. He takes this risky business tactic – along with his innate skill for auctioning -- with him, as a lead in Travel Channel’s Baggage Battles, the half-hour weekly series where auction specialists travel the world looking to snatch up unclaimed personal property in an attempt to turn huge profits.

STATS

Number of years in the auction game: 5 years.
“I scouted many types of auctions before I decided to get committed. I purchased a work truck, acquired my business license, and got to work once I graduated college.”

Highest value auction haul in dollars: “Military communication kits purchased for $1,900 for 2 pieces, each valued at $25,000.”

Biggest auction spend in dollars: “$13,600 at a local police auction in 2012.”

Biggest profit turned in dollars: “This one is my favorite. I spent $80 on a box of white horses at a local police auction. It contained 8 or 9 pieces of vintage Austrian porcelain from Vienna. Beautiful 10-inch figures of military officers riding these Lipizzaner horses. From $80 to $3,400 final sale!”

Number of auction wins: “I've purchased and sold over $3,000 items.”