CLIC Sargent’s eBay shop raises £1m
Howard Lake | 17 July 2014 | News
CLIC Sargent has raised £1 million from sales made through its eBay shop since it opened in December 2006.
Following its early success, in 2008 it was the first charity to employ a paid member of staff to manage its shop. Now there are three members of staff running the shop together with 10 dedicated volunteers.
How the eBay shop reached £1 million
The charity has run a number of successful auctions on its eBay shop. In 2008 it raised £60,000 by auctioning items donated by Spice Girl Mel B, ranging from a rubber duck to a £10,000 piano.
It also holds annual themed auctions. For example, in last year’s Get in Character event, well-known authors including Andy McNab and Joanna Trollope gave winning bidders a chance to appear as a character in their next novels.
The charity also benefited for some time from a partnership with HMV which donated obsolete stock for CLIC Sargent to sell on eBay. This corporate partnership raised £450,000.
The charity also raises funds via its shop from members of the public donating the income raised from their auctions. Donated items include a 2012 Olympic Torch and a rare early edition of Pride and Prejudiceby Jane Austen.
Miranda Hart had donated to CLIC Sargent for sale on its eBay shop
Global sales
Kate Apperley, eBay co-ordinator at CLIC Sargent, said:
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“One of the main reasons the eBay shop has been so successful is the site’s global reach. eBay has the potential to reach millions of people worldwide each day, and we have sold items in every corner of the world. It’s a great place for us to sell the more unusual or collectable items, or higher priced items that just wouldn’t achieve their true value within a traditional high street charity shop.”
Downton Abbey items for sale on CLIC Sargent’s eBay shop
Hair accessory worn by Laura Carmichael, as Lady Edith Crawley in Downton Abbey.
Hair clip worn by Elizabeth McGovern, as Downton Abbey’s Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham.
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.