# UshopUgive.com ceases trading

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2006/04/22/ushopugivecom-ceases-trading/
- Published: 2006-04-22T23:00:00+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

![](https://www.fundraising.co.uk/files/images/news/4180.jpg)

UshopUgive.com, the online shopping mall for charities, has ceased trading after
leading retailers and merchants indicated their “reluctance” to continue working
with the site. 
UshopUgive has operated an online shopping mall to raise funds for
over 70 partner charities since 2000, and offered over 100 online merchants. Charities
earned income from sales from these merchants generated via their link to UshopUgive.

A brief statement on the UshopUgive site reports that retailers and affiliates representing
50% of the commission generated by the site, including Amazon.co.uk and the affiliate
representing Argos.co.uk and flybe.com, had expressed their reluctance to continue
working with the site.

According to UshopUgive they did not like the fact that “there was an ongoing incentive(
i.e. the donation to charity)”. As a result, customers were not, after their first
sale, clicking directly to the merchants site, presumably as the merchants had expected.
Instead, they were still visiting UshopUgive first before clicking through, thereby
continuing to generate a commission for their selected charity.

## Advertisement

Since online affiliate marketing is based on the premise, from the merchant’s point
of view, that it is paying usually a one-off introduction fee to the affiliate site,
and that future dealings will be direct with the newly acquired customer, such an
approach would represent a drain on marketing expenditure.

The tone of UshopUgive’s announcement is therefore one of “enormous regret”. With
the withdrawal of key merchants, their business model was clearly not going to be
sustainable so they have decided to cease trading.

In their valedictory statement the management team noted that “all sales made up
to the point of the closure of the site are being honoured so your charity will 
be paid for any sale made on its behalf”.

Many charity shopping malls have appeared over the last six or seven years and most
have failed within a short time. UshopUgive survived longer than most and, based
on their statement, appear to have victims of their success.

 * **[NCVO's Sustainable Funding Project to hold annual gathering in June](https://fundraising.co.uk/2006/04/22/ncvo039s-sustainable-funding-project-hold-annual-gathering-june/)**(
   22 April 2006)
 * **[National Autistic Society to launch autism-friendly children's book](https://fundraising.co.uk/2006/04/24/national-autistic-society-launch-autismfriendly-children039s-book/)**(
   24 April 2006)
 * **[More bursaries for charities exploring potential of trading goods or services](https://fundraising.co.uk/2006/04/25/more-bursaries-charities-exploring-potential-trading-goods-or-services/)**(
   25 April 2006)