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Ebay

15 facts your never knew about eBay.co.uk as it celebrates birthday

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By Stephen Lepitak, -

August 24, 2014 | 3 min read

It’s been fifteen years since online auction site eBay landed in the UK, and the world has certainly changed since it did, having hit the three billion items sales figure, worth around £65bn.

Since it launched, the site has claimed that it now generates over a third (34 per cent) of e-retail sales through mobile, with mobile accounting for 43 per cent of all retail site traffic.

81 per cent of small businesses operating on eBay.co.uk sell to four or more countries, it has claimed.

Tanya Lawler, vice president, eBay UK, said: “The UK will spend an unprecedented £45 billion shopping online this year and the evolution of eBay over the past 15 years is a good illustration of the transformation of the nation’s retail sector.

“Shoppers expectations have changed dramatically in recent years. Now on eBay in the UK a pair of shoes sells every 10 seconds, a handbag every 23 seconds and a tablet every two minutes via mobile. The best retailers have adapted to keep pace and today, more than 140 UK brands and retailers – from fashion to homeware, toys to electricals - are using eBay as part of their omnichannel approach to ensure customers can shop anytime, anywhere on any connected device.”

To celebrate the launch back in 1999, the platform has released 15 facts that most people probably didn’t know about the site.

1) The first item sold on eBay.co.uk was a three track CD from German rock outfit, The Scorpions, for £2.89.

2) In 15 years eBay has sold three billion items, worth £65bn.

3) Last Christmas, 14 gifts were bought on eBay each second.

4) Lady Thatcher's Handbag sold on eBay for £103,000.

5) Princess Beatrice’s royal wedding hat (aka ‘the pretzel’) fetched more than £80,000 on eBay with proceeds going to Unicef and Children in Crisis.

6) Ahead the Brazil World Cup, 24 football shirts sold every hour.

7) In the UK an item is bought every second via the eBay app.

8) A pair of shoes sells every 7 seconds a handbag every 19 seconds via mobile.

9) 9pm is the peak time for tablet shopping.

10) Today, more than 140 UK brands and retailers can be found on eBay.

11) 75 per cent of items sold on eBay are sold at fixed price.

12) UK businesses selling on eBay each export to an average of 39 counties – higher than anywhere else.

13) Over 200,000 businesses large and small sell on eBay in the UK.

14) Close to £70m has been raised from the generosity of Brits buying items through eBay for Charity, raising funds for thousands of charities across the UK.

15) Over 19 million Brits visit eBay every month - that’s well over one third of the UK’s adult population.

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