Briton makes 3 million pounds a year from eBay

LONDON - A former supermarket worker has become Britain’s first eBay millionaire, flogging an inventory of 3,700 items on the online auction site to earn his company more than three million pounds a year.

Ten years ago, Mark Radcliffe was a 21-year-old Tesco supermarket worker earning seven pounds an hour when he established his business First2Save, which he operated from his bedroom in his spare time, with less than 200 pounds.

Now his eBay store is visited by 36,000 customers each month, while he drives a Ferrari and an Aston Martin sports car and owns a house worth 700,000 pounds.

Radcliffe, who started out selling items like mobile phone accessories and computer cables stocked in the garage of his parents’ house, now operates from a 10,000 sq ft warehouse and employs 19 staff.

His company, First2sell, now sells a range of electrical gadgets, including iPod holders, remote control toys and Nintendo Wii.

‘I still have to pinch myself - it’s a dream come true,’ Radcliffe told the Daily Mail.

‘All my mates had mobile phones and needed accessories so I thought it would be a good way to make money. Then I started selling computer accessories too and it just escalated.’

Radcliffe, who has his eyes set on becoming the world’s biggest eBay trader, said his company makes money by keeping itself focussed on popular consumables.

‘Our biggest sellers are all items with a value of less than 15 pounds - accessories for iPod’s and mobile phones, gadgets, and electronic toys - low value goods with a high volume and decent profit margin.

Radcliffe also runs a software company, Verologic.com, to help other budding entrepreneurs launch an eBay business.