Ebay for Charity raised over £20m last year
Ebay’s charitable arm, eBay for Charity, raised an average of £60,000 a day in 2018 for charities such as The Prince’s Trust and the Teenage Cancer Trust, according to recent figures.
90% of the funds came from charities selling products directly on Ebay’s site, as various organisations look to move online. eBay actually partnered with companies throughout 2018 for special fundraising projects, including Conde Nast and Time’s Up last January. Incidentally, most of the funds raised last year were raised in January.
eBay for Charity was launched in 2005, some ten years after the auction site was originally founded in 1995. As well as offering the option to sell products direct for charity, eBay enables buyers to donate part of the price of their products at checkout.
“Connecting non-profits with our big-hearted eBay users has paid dividends for both charities and our community in 2018,” said Head of trading for eBay UK Murray Lambell. “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 into our trusted marketplace model and for shoppers seeking the gifts and experiences that will give back”.
Some of the most expensive ever items bought on the site include a lunch meeting with Warren Buffet and a yacht purchased by Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich for over $160m. The most expensive item sold on eBay for charity last year, however, was a unique Felipe Pantone bike which sold for £15,200 and benefitted World Bicycle Relief UK.