Martin has always been fascinated by all things science and astronomy, and has been collecting fossils since he was a child. One day when buying fossils he came across a meteorite – which is a fragment of material from space – for sale, and a newfound obsession was born. Fast forward to 2015, and Martin launched his small business, MSG Meteorites.
MSG Meteorites sells genuine meteorites that Martin slices and prepares himself, and the business has grown tremendously since he started out seven years ago – from his passion project to a fully functioning online business. Martin sells his products both through eBay and directly through his own website.
Martin’s business needs have changed in line with MSG Meteorite’s growth, and Capital for eBay Business Sellers, delivered by YouLend, has been key in supporting this journey. Martin uses the funding for a number of reasons including buying stock and purchasing key equipment for his workshop, where he preps the meteorite that he sells.
Due to meteorites being natural products of limited numbers, the supply side of business can be tricky, meaning Martin has to purchase new samples as and when they become available to avoid missing out. The financing provides Martin with the funds to buy meteorites at very short notice, and so is a big help in keeping him well stocked. More stock means a bigger shop, and a bigger shop means more customers – and so the funding has been critical to MSG Meteorite’s impressive growth.
The financing is paid back linked to sales volumes, allowing Martin to make the most of the opportunities the funding has unlocked without having to worry about repayment when his business experiences natural peaks and troughs in sales.
One of the places that I bought fossils from had a meteorite for sale, and I realised, wow, you can actually buy a piece of outer space. And that’s where it all started. Before setting up my website and before selling independently, I sold on eBay. It enabled me to have the global reach that I would never have been able to manage on my own.
I started out without any sort of business plan, but after many years of successful selling, I reached a point where I really wanted to grow. The offer of eBay’s financing options with YouLend came at a perfect time, and since I have set up using the Business Capital product it has worked really well for me. The financing, especially when buying stock, has enabled me to bring a whole raft of new customers on. This then means future business and repeat business, and is causing the business to grow massively because of that.
The hours you put in are towards something that you’ve created. The time is your own and you’re putting it towards something you’ve made and worked towards. So although it’s hard work, it’s a great feeling when you achieve success, and you realise: that’s down to me and what I’ve done.
– Martin Goff, owner of MSG Meteorites
Martin runs MSG Meteorites alongside his full-time career as a crime scene investigator – but soon hopes to make meteorites his full time job.
