Ten small businesses from across the UK were crowned winners at the fifth annual eBay for Business Awards, held during eBay Open UK. Each of the eBay for Business Award 2021 Winners will be receiving a £5,000 cash prize and a tailored package of PR and Marketing support to grow their business.
The eBay for Business Awards is an annual moment designed to recognise and celebrate the most inspiring sellers among eBay UK’s community of 300,000 small and medium-sized businesses.
This year we’d like to give a special shout out to Ian Montgomery and the team at XS Items. Ian has been a Tamebay reader and supporter for over a decade and while it’s always fantastic to read about relatively new businesses winning the eBay for Business Awards, it’s great to see a stalwart that’s been trading for years also being recognised for their expertise. If you didn’t enter the awards this year, then make sure you submit an entry next year and it could be you that wins recognition and a package of support for your business.
This year, eBay received over 2,000 entries for the awards across all categories, ranging from kitchen table start-ups and university ‘side hustles’, to established family businesses and those complementing offline stores with online avenues.
eBay for Business Award 2021 Winners range from a vintage fashion brand on a mission to reduce the amount of clothing that ends up in landfill, which has grown by over 1000% in the last year, to an entrepreneur who set up his very first business – a sneaker outlet – on eBay this year while on furlough and has since turned over £1million.
The Awards were presented at eBay’s annual seller conference, eBay Open. A special Grand Prize was also voted for and announced during the evening, with St Rocco’s Hospice receiving a £20,000 cash prize and a PR and marketing support package valued at over £100,000.
This year, there were hundreds of applicants from businesses that had started up during the COVID-19 pandemic, when eBay saw a 237% boom in the number of small shops setting up on the marketplace – the equivalent to a new business registering online every 2 minutes.
The Awards build on eBay’s £33 million investment to help its 300,000 small business sellers weather the challenges brought on by Covid-19, and follows the launch of Capital for eBay Business Sellers, a financing scheme to help small businesses access much-needed funding.
“To turn an idea into a thriving business, it takes someone who is willing to take risks, who can think creatively to innovate, and has the determination to overcome whatever challenge is thrown at them. That’s never been truer than it is now.
This year’s eBay for Business Awards has been a celebration of the entrepreneurial spirit that has withstood the impact of the pandemic and I’m delighted to have had the opportunity to recognise the very best and brightest of the small British businesses selling on our platform. It’s been inspiring to hear each of their unique stories and I feel privileged to celebrate their success with them.”
– Murray Lambell, UK General Manager, eBay
eBay for Business Award 2021 Winners
Young Upstart Award – Botanico
Will Purdom has been selling plants for as long as he can remember, and after completing his university degree he had plans to find work as a gardener. However, his plant selling business Botanico – which he ran throughout college and university – took off and has now become his full-time occupation. Will is currently in talks with the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh to set up a new charity which gives back to communities where exotic plants are harvested.
Sustainable Seller Award – Go Thrift
Sarah Dean had previously dabbled in selling vintage clothing as a side hustle, but after leaving a few “horrible jobs” she realised that selling second-hand clothes was what she wanted to do – and at a larger scale than she’d ever seen before. Go Thrift has since grown in size by 1000% and the business is continually trying to keep up with its high pace of growth.
From Little to Large Award – XS Items
In the summer of 2004, Len and Cliff were relaxing around a swimming pool in Florida discussing successful business models that could be transposed from the US to the UK. Along with two more business partners, Gareth and Ian, they decided to set up XS Items, a refurbished tech and homewares business, after six months of detailed planning. Since its launch, XS Items now employs 40 people and generates annual sales of £6m.
Innovation Award – Buycombi
After spotting a gap in the market in 2016, Donald Weeks set about developing a new product to change the way the heating and plumbing industry repairs boilers by designing, manufacturing, and selling his own patented product. The initial feedback from eBay helped Donald persevere with his business, and the impact on his life has been immeasurable.
Family Business Award – Fashion Flair
Adewumi Akinyotu came to the UK to obtain a higher degree whilst her husband, Samuel, was teaching mathematics. After having their first child, Samuel struggled to find a job, so the family ended up borrowing to get by. In response to this, Adewumi started selling some gifts she didn’t need on eBay, and after receiving positive feedback she decided to carry on with her business. Now, Fashion Flair, operates from a warehouse and they have big plans to expand their business in the future.
eBay Pro Trader Award – Yellow Ape Limited
Yellow Ape Ltd was founded in 2019 by Austin Terry and his brother, Taylor when they were only 24 & 25 years old respectively. The business specialises in selling second-hand electronics, which they offer at extremely competitive prices. The Terry brothers have also employed an additional member of staff to help with their business and turnover is growing month on month.
Specialist Seller Award – Bosede Accessories
Helen Adekalu runs her jewellery and accessories business, Bosede Accessories, from home with 100% of her sales coming from eBay. She sells specifically African inspired jewellery that she struggled to find in mainstream stores, and started her business after being shocked at the expensive prices other companies were charging for these products.
Be Your Own Boss Award – Brown & Ginger
Prior to starting up her business, Josephine Marsh felt that she never quite found the right career for her. In 2016, she made the decision to open Brown & Ginger from her bedroom in a shared house, while continuing to work full time. Within six months her turnover was significant enough for her to work part time and focus more of her efforts on her business. Fast forward to today and Josephine’s business has gone from strength to strength, and she has now moved into a 1,600 sq ft warehouse with an office and photo studio.
Community Hero Award & Grand Prize Winner – St Rocco’s
St Rocco’s Hospice offers palliative care to all who need it in Warrington and is largely funded by its retail stores and online offering. eBay has been a part of St Rocco’s fundraising since 2006 and has grown since they employed an ecommerce manager in 2019. The charity aims to build on its success by recruiting more trainees and moving to a warehouse.
Lockdown Launch Award – Mooky Kickz
Over lockdown, Moe Omar found that he had more time on his hands due to being put on furlough. When searching for a pair of trainers for his partner he found that sourcing the limited-edition shoes was more difficult than expected. This sparked his light bulb moment and he decided to start his business Mooky Kicks selling limited edition trainers. Since then, his profits have soared and he has been part of eBay’s Sneaker Authenticity Guarantee programme.
