Seller Success with e-Bay’s Up and Running Programme
10th June 2020
New sellers on ebay.ie have reported huge success on the e-commerce site following the launch of its Up and Running programme, which aims to support small to medium sized (SMEs) Irish businesses struggling amid the COVID-19 restrictions.
Almost 140 businesses in Ireland joined the new Up and Running programme in May in a bid to keep afloat and reach new markets and new customers amid the pandemic.
Those that joined the programme sell a wide variety of products, including, chocolates, fabrics, beauty products, musical instruments and more.
The initiative was developed by the global e-commerce site to help local SMEs sell products at a time when many had to shut up shop due to the COVID-19 lockdown. The programme supports Irish businesses that are new to eBay by setting them up on the platform, removing all fees for the first three months, offering guidance and mentorship, and providing a direct line of communication to a dedicated eBay Ireland team.
Seller Success Amid Unsettling Times
For chocolate maker, Clare Tait (main picture), the ecommerce opportunity has allowed her business, Chocolatey Clare, to continue operating and selling, despite many of the cafés and stores she supplies, closing due to COVID-19 restrictions. The food producer, who supplies luxury, dairy-free and gluten-free chocolate bars to retail outlets like The Butler’s Pantry, believes that an online sale presence is paramount following COVID-19.
Speaking about the Up and Running Programme, Clare said: “I knew that Ireland was heading for a lockdown and I immediately started looking for online platforms to sell on in order to achieve as wide a reach as possible for my brand. I was delighted to find out about eBay’s Up and Running programme as it is an international marketplace and allows me to access a new array of customers who might not be looking on my own website. We’re only getting started but the potential is huge.”
As phase two of easing lockdown restrictions begins across Ireland and stores and cafés slowly begin to reopen, Clare is confident she will continue to sell on eBay.ie in the months ahead.
Dublin-based business, Uncanny Collectibles, sells genuine collectors’ items and action figures from brands such as Marvel, DC and NECA. It was one of the first to join the eBay programme after its usual means of selling was put in jeopardy due to COVID-19 government restrictions. The company reported a 40% increase in sales during the month of May after joining the programme.
Kim Mooney, owner of Uncanny Collectibles said: “Joining eBay’s Up and Running Programme has been a very positive move for my business, I started my own website selling collectables in 2017 and know how difficult it can be to develop shipping rules, postage policies and everything else that comes with selling online, but the eBay team’s help and guidance has been brilliant, they really helped make the process so easy so I could get selling on ebay.ie as quickly as possible.”
John Mulligan and Aishling Whyte of BuyLeatherette.ie
Another business to join the programme is Naas-based company buyleatherette.ie. The Kildare business was set up by John Mulligan and his girlfriend Ashling Whyte after they found themselves without an income due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
John, who runs a catering business, and Ashling, who runs a fabric shop, decided to join eBay after identifying a gap in the market for selling high-quality faux leather fabric at an affordable price online. Just 18 days after launching their eBay store, the couple had sold 58 units, and reported a huge number of requests for fabric samples, which they are confident will convert to more sales in the future.
The duo are already planning the next step for the e-commerce business and aim to move into the UK market in the coming months, a move that they believe would not be possible without the help of eBay’s new programme.
eBay Ireland’s site lead, Hazel Mitchell, said: “The Up and Running Programme has given Irish businesses, new and old, the chance to survive and even thrive amid what is a very uncertain time. Being a business owner is tough at the best of times, but never more so than the past few months when government restrictions have forced the majority of retail businesses to shut up shop. If reopening is a worry or cashflow is a cause for anxiety, we want businesses to know that they can expand their selling capabilities by joining the eBay Up and Running programme and we are here to help.
“Many sellers that joined the Up and Running programme in April and May have reported increased frequency of sales, a wider market reach, and their first global sale. This isn’t just great for the businesses involved, but it’s also fantastic for the local economy, which is under huge strain at this time. The programme is still available to join so we invite businesses across Ireland to get in contact with us today and find out how we can help them enhance their selling capabilities.”
Companies interested in the Up & Running initiative are invited to:
Create a business account on the sign-up page HERE
Complete the eBay Ireland business questionnaire HERE to activate the programme
Email the eBay Ireland team if you have any questions ebayireland@ebay.com
