The 4th annual eBay for Business Awards are open for entries with the grand prize totalling a humongous £20,000 in cash. You have until 11:59:59 on the 24th of August to submit your entry. This week we are revisiting some of last year’s winners and today we look at Sheanies Vintage:
Sheanies Vintage One Year On
Launched in 2016 on eBay, Sheanies Vintage is now an established retail brand for buying, selling and trading second-hand and vintage clothing, which they source from suppliers around the world.
Thanks to the success of their eBay store, the co-owners and brothers Sean and Liam Sheahan opened a physical shop, Sheanies Thrift and Vintage Clothing, in their hometown of Birmingham in April 2017. It’s gone from strength to strength and now they have an average yearly turnover in excess of £100,000.
Sheanies Vintage won the Sustainability Sellers of the Year at last year’s eBay for Business Awards
How did you use the prize money from your award?
We used the money to try out a new supplier which allowed us to expand & diversify our stock in store and on eBay. As well as increasing the stock we can sell both in store and on eBay, we’ve started looking to create our own sustainable clothing brand to offer more environmentally friendly alternatives for clothing and everyday essentials.
How has your business grown in the past year since the awards?
Directly after the awards we noticed a steady increase in sales compared to our previous years. There was a significant boost to our social media followings after the awards and we’ve also had some great opportunities with media and exposure, thanks to eBay, which has helped maintain growth and sales. We were given incredible opportunities including an IG live interview with Laura Whitmore and our clothes featured in one of Lewis Capaldi’s music videos which we would never have dreamt of happening!
Did the COVID-19 pandemic impact your business?
The pandemic did have quite a big impact on our business as we were forced to close our physical shop. Our suppliers also closed so we were unable to purchase any new stock. We were also close to starting to produce our own eco brand of clothing using sustainable materials, however, that had to be put on hold for the time being.
Was eBay a helpful lifeline during the pandemic?
Without eBay we couldn’t have continued trading. Fortunately, we were still able to list and sell our current stock online which helped us pull through the lockdown period.
What are your future plans for your business?
We are currently working on expanding our shop to two stores as well as looking for another property to open our second store. By doing this we will also be able to significantly increase our inventory on eBay and we plan to create our own website to further boost our brand. Once those are achieved, we will be looking to start our own sustainable clothing brand to offer more environmentally friendly alternatives for clothing and everyday essentials.
Do you have any tips for this year’s contestants?
When making your entry be as detailed and as honest about your business and what led you to start it. Your story is as important as your business success.
