The eBay for Business Awards recognise the best of British innovators, entrepreneurs and small businesses. Free to enter, the Awards are open to all businesses with an eBay account, regardless of size. Winners receive dedicated eBay business support, cash prize and a trip to meet eBay’s global executive team in the USA.
Now, eBay is celebrating this year’s finalists – including Velocity, a Cambridge-based company started by two friends on eBay just five years ago that now generates £25 million of sales per year – at a ceremony at the Ham Yard Hotel in Soho this evening.
Over 1,000 inspirational entries came from across the country, from multi million pound enterprises to small bricks-and-mortar businesses turning to eBay to sell around the clock when their shop doors are shut. This year’s awards recognise some inspirational finalists, including:
-
Velocity
Founded by the creators of Majority, the second largest DAB radio brand, which now accounts for 40% of the business’s £25 million sales
-
The Smokey Carter
A herb and spices business started from one man’s kitchen, which is now stocked in 30 delis across Europe
-
Zzap
A coin-handling business masterminded by two students in their university halls, which now supplies clients including McDonalds and Sainsbury’s
-
Heavenly Homes
An interiors company run by an ex-City lawyer, who pursued her passion and built a successful home furnishing business turning over 100K+
-
Agri Parts
Established by an entrepreneur with a complex heart condition, this farming accessories business is a thriving example of how to overcome adversity to build a successful business
“The eBay for Business Awards celebrate some of the best and brightest of the eBay seller community.
Whether these businesses are selling DAB radios or tap shoes – all of them share sheer determination, innovation and agility to have built successful businesses in today’s retail climate.”
– Rob Hattrell, Vice President, eBay UK
About the eBay For Business Awards
The eBay for Business Awards is a nationwide hunt for the best and brightest of British innovators, entrepreneurs and small businesses with great products to sell. Spanning multiple categories, the award program celebrates the contributions of small businesses on eBay to the economy and recognizes the entrepreneurs who have used eBay to help build successful businesses.
The ten award winning finalists receive £1,000, gold plated customer service support and free eBay store subscriptions for a year.
The Grand Prize Winner will receive a £5,000 cash prize and a trip the USA to meet eBay’s top team.
More information about last year’s winners is available here.
Full list of eBay for Business Awards 2018 finalists
| Business Name | Location | Business type | Detail of the business |
|---|---|---|---|
| Velocity | Cambridge | Electronics | Business founders PJ and Eddie have built the second largest DAB radio brand in the UK, taking their business from a garage to an 18,000 sq ft warehouse achieving sales of over £25 million last year. |
| The Smokey Carter | Manchester | Seasonings /Sauces | Husband and wife team, Howard and Samantha Carter, are the producer of World inspired BBQ rubs and sauces. Smokey Carter now has 13 different sauces and rubs available and is stocked in delis across the world, from Kuwait to Sweden. |
| Families and Babies | Bolton | Charity | Families and Babies is a charity that supports breastfeeding mothers and their families across the UK. Selling on eBay has provided them with the ability to expand support for breastfeeding, wellbeing and volunteering opportunities. |
| That’s Entertainment Dancewear | Liverpool | Retail | Husband and wife, Alan and Gill, run an expert business in dancewear and theatrical make-up. Through eBay, they have been able to tap into an international market and now sell their stock all over the world. |
| ZZap | Wokingham | Machinery | Andrew, the founder of ZZap, invested all his savings in his cash-handling machine business, after starting his business at university with a friend. ZZap now supplies high profile clients such as McDonalds and Gucci to name a few. The company has sold over 30,000 units and has recently moved to a 3250 sq ft warehouse. |
| Hopkinson Cycles | Wakefield | Retail | Hopkinson Cycles is a third-generation bicycle shop started in 1970. Changes in shopping habits initially hit the family business hard. However, Hopkinson Cycles started to list on eBay and their online business grew rapidly, with turnover increasing to over £1 million each year. |
| Bottle Buddi | Plymouth | Retail | Inspired by her daughter, Sarah-Jane created ‘Bottle Buddi’. Frustrated with never having enough hands to hold everything whilst making sure her daughter was hydrated, Sarah Jane designed this light-weight water resistant pouch which attaches to a book bag using press studs. Bottle Buddi has sold an estimated 13,000 orders across the UK and counting. |
| Schott Packaging | Darlington | Packaging | Working for his father’s removal company, Tom Schott noticed unused cardboard boxes leftover and began to list some on eBay to clear space. There was a high demand for Tom’s products and now, with help of friend Josh, Schott Packaging Ltd employs five members of staff and is projected to turnover £1.1million this financial year. |
| Heavenly Homes and Gardens | Bristol | Homeware | Initially Jade was working as a corporate lawyer by day and in the evenings running her homeware business. In 2016, Jade decided to run her business full time and her eBay turnover increased by 300%. Heavenly Homes and Gardens has recently hit a £100,000 turnover, having sold products to fashion designers and film sets. |
| Agri Parts UK Ltd | Presteigne | Machinery | Emilio has turned his tractor parts and accessories start-up into a successful business with 3 stock-filled warehouses. Having defied four open heart surgeries, selling on eBay enabled Emilio to run his business the way he wants, working around his health conditions. Agri Parts has customers from all over the world, from Israel to Russia to Puerto Rico. |
15 Responses
I have to admit to reporting quite a few of Velocity’s listings for breaching the picture standards. ‘The listing inappropriately draws attention or diverts members to a listing.’
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/302685732856
Guess eBay really don’t care!
And as for Hopkins cycles, the worst service I ever had on eBay was from them!
Oh well… 🙂
Good luck on winning..the rest of us plod on in the hope we get sales…..lol
The ten award winning finalists receive… gold plated customer service support….
when speaking with ebay CS, i often get the impression they have been dipped in gold, or another heavy metal, just from the sheer density they manage to convey.
It’s a sham one of my competitors won last year after copying my products and breaks so many rules like plastering their website domain on images, now they even have a picture showing their ebay trophy I thought you was only supposed to show pictures of the product you are selling. It’s so disgraceful how they can pick winners that breach ebays policies, I have reported the seller many times but nothing ever gets done.