Six small businesses from across the UK were crowned winners at the eBay for Business Awards this week (27 September 2022), with each winner taking home a £10,000 cash prize and a tailored package of business support to help take their businesses to the next level.
The eBay for Business Awards is an annual celebration of the best and most inspiring small and medium sized businesses on eBay. This year, six deserving small businesses beat almost 1000 other applicants to be crowned winners at Friday’s eBay Open seller conference in Birmingham.
Winning businesses this year include a luxury vintage handbag business, a sneaker business set up by a university student, and a family-run shoe business that has grown from one shop in Leicester to a million-pound business with plans to go international.
Winners were chosen this year by a panel of expert judges, including a line up of leading business journalists.
Pre-loved helped this year’s businesses win big, with resale businesses – selling everything from trading cards and second-hand tech – winning in five out of six categories.
Businesses and consumers alike have increasingly been looking to pre-loved and second-hand to shop and sell in a way that’s better for both their wallets and the planet. Last year, eBay saw the sale of one preloved item every second. More recently, eBay’s sponsorship of Love Island, which saw eBay become the hit reality show’s first ever pre-loved clothing partner, has led to an 881% rise in searches for ‘eBay preloved’ on Google.
Each of this year’s winners has been awarded a £10,000 cash prize and a bespoke package of business and marketing support. At a time when businesses across the country are facing a tough trading environment, this support will help these businesses thrive and grow.
Murray Lambell, General Manager of eBay UK, says: “Each year I’m blown away by the calibre of the small businesses who enter the eBay for Business Awards. This year has been no exception, and I am deeply impressed by each of our winners. Congratulations to them all!
“Building a successful business is no easy feat, as the hundreds of thousands of small and medium sized businesses on our platform will tell you. It takes real knowledge, skill and determination to weather the types of challenges I know our small businesses have faced. While tough times lie ahead,, I’ve seen just how resilient our entrepreneurs are – and we will do everything we can to support them.”
The winners of the 2022 eBay for Business Awards are:
- Friends and Family Award: Shuperb (Leicester)
- Safraz Ibrahimset up Shuperb during his university gap year back in 2004, while working in his father’s shoe shop in Leicester. Since then, Shuperb has turned into a family business, with both of his brothers joining the company to take care of logistics, warehouse management and marketing. The brothers have big growth plans, and hope to soon take Shuperb international.
- Resale Economy Award: Nikki Bradford (London)
- Nikki Bradford-Mortonstarted her company by accident, after selling an old Chanel bag on eBay while looking to make some extra cash. Surprised by how quickly the bag sold, she turned this idea into a business, selling luxury clothes, bags and accessories. Years later, she has celebrated a big milestone: Nikki is just about to move into her own office space!
- Essentially eBay Award: Neo Cards and Collectables (Shrivenham, Oxfordshire)
- Richard Page found he had more time in his working day as a lawyer during lockdown, so decided to sell his childhood trading card and game collection. Listing by listing, Richard turned Neo from a side-hustle to a business that he runs full time. His partner Graeme helps out too with the bookkeeping, while he focuses on running the eBay shop and Neo’s busy social presence.
- Be Your Own Boss Award: Amaviti Jewellers (Laurencekirk, Scotland)
- Jan Tait is a mum to three autistic kids, and decided to set up her own jewellery business instead of going back to the workplace to manage looking after her children with employment and her passion for thrifting and vintage jewellery. Jan thinks about the sustainability of every item she sells – and has a vision to turn Amaviti into Scotland’s best online pre-loved jewellery shop.
- Young Upstart Award: Loaded Kicks (Hatfield, Hertfordshire)
- Troy Bustamante set up Loaded Kicks while still at university, investing the last of his student finance into the company, which restores and resells sought-after high end sneakers. Launching Loaded Kicks has changed Troy’s life, enabling him to become his own boss and have financial freedom.
- Impact Award: RTK Technology (Grays, Essex)
- Richard Ellis and his brother realised that the IT industry had a problem: what do people and businesses do with their old tech when they buy a new item? They set out to solve this through RTK Technology, recycling, refurbishing and restoring old tech items. The idea has taken off, and RTK now has a team of 14, including two apprentices, with plans to keep growing and leave a positive legacy.
