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Increased investment in staffing and equipment will give Bristol-based St Peter’s Hospice the edge in the race to win more online cash.
It follows a £10,000 grant from MissionFish UK, eBay’s partner charity, which will be used to fund an additional member of staff for two days a week at the charity’s dedicated eBay shop on Gloucester Road.
The funding comes at a time when Bristol’s biggest charity upgrades its presence on eBay in a bid to corner more contributions from the public via online channels.
The additional funding will also be used to upgrade the eBay shop’s equipment levels including new gold and diamond purity testers, two new hi-tech cameras, studio lighting and mannequins.
St Peter’s Hospice’s eBay manager Ben Clarke said the upgrade would enable the charity to improve presentation of goods for sale via eBay.
He said: “We will be taking our eBay operation to the next level. Many charities have set up online stores but they do tend to look fairly similar. This investment in equipment will make St Peter’s Hospice’s eBay offering stand out among our competitors and improve presentation of the goods donated by members of the public.
“As more people browse online for bargains and things to buy provides an excellent way to generate more funds for the hospice. A lot of goods donated at our shops are perfect for eBay and gives us an additional revenue stream.”
Ben said selling items via eBay had already brought in significant income with individual items fetching hundreds of pounds.
He said: “A Karen Miller leather trench coat was snapped up for £156, while hiking boots fetched more than £70. Fashion coats, wraps, prints and the ever popular Toby jugs also attracted the eye of eBay shoppers. One buyer over here from Australia will be diverted to Bristol to pick up a Royal Doulton jug, which are proving particularly attractive to collectors.”
Bristol’s only adult hospice established a dedicated eBay offering in 2007 and it has gone from strength to strength, taking over the old Gloucester Road shop premises when the charity opened its flagship department store back in June.
The eBay store already handles hundreds of items from toys to toby jugs and saucepans to skateboards and staff believe the professional image will increase sales further.
Ben added: “We are determined to improve our online shopping site in line with those of the online boutiques and large retailers. More professional presentation and appearance will help us close the gap.”
MissionFish has worked with the online marketplace to deliver eBay for Charity since 2005. Its small grants fund was launched to help charities such as St Peter’s Hospice set up online businesses.
“Our eBay shop complements our existing network by advertising and merchandising selected items to a wider audience - thereby increasing sales.
“Improved packing and listing equipment allows us to make our packing process more professional and efficient, process more orders and save money, while photography equipment would increase our final selling price, by improving the visual appearance of the products.”
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Visit the St Peter's Hospice eBay shop