Record Amount of Cash Raised for Non-Profit Causes via eBay

Monday, February 17, 2020 - 15:43 by Sarah Collinson

Online auction site eBay managed to pull in over $112 million (£86 million) for good causes last year, a larger amount than ever before, according to Tamebay.

Many hundreds of charities from across the UK and the rest of the world take advantage of eBay’s marketplace in order to sell off items which have been donated to them, giving access to a wider audience than would otherwise be available.

In total 19 million different products were sold to generate funds for charitable causes and non-profit endeavours in 2019, equating to earnings of $214 (£164) every 60 seconds over the course of the year.

The good news for charities hoping to take advantage of eBay to host their own item auctions is that the company does not take a cut of the cash off the top. To date eBay has managed to raise over a billion dollars for its charity partners via safe shopping online.

In announcing its record-breaking fundraising efforts, eBay also revealed the charities which managed to make the most out of online auctions, with the top five including well-known international organisations like the Salvation Army.

In terms of the products which prove to be the most popular amongst users looking to buy from charities, electronics topped the table, ahead of entertainment media. Fashion items were also popular, coming in just below books, DVDs and music, while collectibles and tickets for events and experiences rounded out the top five.

Prior to the availability of eBay, most charities would need to sell products from bricks and mortar stores, limiting their potential customer base to a specific geographic area. With the rise of online auctions, non-profit organisations can now easily sell and ship nationally and even globally if this makes sense for them.