£22.5m raised by eBay for Charity UK in 2018
Melanie May | 8 January 2019 | News
Figures released by eBay.co.uk reveal that eBay for Charity UK raised £22.5m last year: equating to £60,000 per day, or £2,500 an hour.
eBay for Charity UK has been running since 2005 and is now the second largest charity programme for the company globally.
It has revealed a list of facts and figures on how people in the UK fundraised and donated in 2018, including:
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- 2018 saw year-on-year growth of 13%
- Cancer, children, animals and military veterans were the causes eBay shoppers donated to most frequently at the online checkout
- 90% of eBay for Charity’s funds were raised by over 3,300 charities selling directly on site
- November was the month of giving, with eBay.co.uk seeing an increase in sales by charities, as part of its eBay for Charity programme. Cancer Research UK grew at 530% YOY in November, while Sue Ryder Hospice saw an average 203% YoY increase in sales
- BBC Children in Need saw £15k raised via the site
- The most expensive / unusual item sold on eBay for charity last year was a one of a kind Felipe Pantone bike which sold for £15,200 to benefit World Bicycle Relief UK.
Less than 24 hours left to bid on the incredible Felipe Pantone @rmnc_cc custom @iamspecialized bike! The sale will benefit The Power of Bicycles – the higher the auction price, the more people we can mobilize in rural Africa! Make your bid now: https://t.co/aNrJUzf3rP
— powerofbicycles (@PowerOfBicycles) November 27, 2018
Other big campaigns included:
- Condé Nast’s partnering with Time’s Up and eBay in January to auction off gowns and tuxedos worn by celebrities at the 2018 Golden Globes, benefitting the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund
- eBay.co.uk supporting The Albert Kennedy Trust for the second year running with exclusive merchandise designed by Henry Holland (main image), adidas Samba trainers customised by the likes of David Beckham, Elton John and Marc Jacobs for the adidas ‘Prouder’ campaign and young beneficiaries of The Trust’s work, and two specially designed pins by PINTRILL on dedicated hub www.ebay.co.uk/pride. This raised £40,000
- UK TV personalities, sports stars, actors and chefs, including Phillip Schofield, Emma Willis and Tim Henman support of eBay.co.uk’s first ever “Give Day” on 9 October with exclusive auctions. A 5p donation was made for every item shoppers put in their baskets with over £105K going to The Prince’s Trust
And we're off! #24GiveDay has begun where we're donating 5p for every item bought on @eBay_UK, doubling this for every transaction of 2 items or more with 100% of the funds going to @PrincesTrust. Get shopping now to kick-start a young person's future https://t.co/N4i9U2N1xG pic.twitter.com/6RmRkXae1L
— eBay for Charity UK (@eBay4CharityUK) October 9, 2018
- With shoppers keen to get hold of limited-edition Kevin The Carrot merchandise, Aldi teamed up with eBay to maximise funds raised for The Teenage Cancer Trust with a winning bid of £510 received for a limited-edition plush toy with an original price tag of £3.99
.@AldiUK's unmissable #KevinTheCarrot auction is now live on @eBay_UK, fundraising for the fantastic @TeenageCancer #charity. Starting price for the 10 festive limited-edition Kevins is just 99p. Bid here: https://t.co/vJMKmMQtLC … #ChristmasCovered #HappeningOnEbay pic.twitter.com/Xobnu85yKT
— eBay for Charity UK (@eBay4CharityUK) December 6, 2018
Looking forward, in 2019, eBay.co.uk has announced that it is planning activity to support International Women’s Day and Pride.
Head of Trading for eBay UK Murray Lambell said:
“Connecting non-profits with our big-hearted eBay users has paid dividends for both charities and our community in 2018. The growth in the eBay for Charity program in the UK demonstrates the benefits for both charities seeking to reach new audiences and diversify their traditional charity shop model by tapping in to our trusted marketplace model and for shoppers seeking the gifts and experiences that will give back. 2019 is already shaping up to be exciting for us as we look to reach £150M in funds raised by the end of the year.”
Main image: Henry Holland t-shirt
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.