Digital firm is on top of the world for reviews
MUSICMAGPIE IS FIRST BUSINESS ACROSS GLOBE TO GET MORE THAN FIVE MILLION POSITIVE EBAY RECOMMENDATIONS
TWO millionaire entrepreneurs have revealed how a business in a garage in Stockport has become a household name.
Steve Oliver and Walter Gleeson launched the hugely successful MusicMagpie from Steve’s garage in 2007 – and the first item they sold was a copy of Abba’s album Gold.
The business, which is still based in Hazel Grove, now employs 1,000 people, exports to 140 countries and boasts an annual turnover of £100m.
It also recently became the first business in the world to get more than five million positive reviews on eBay.
Steve and Walter, who had both worked in the music industry for many years, got the idea for the online site after realising there was a huge demand for hard to find novels and music.
They decided that the model of a ‘modern stock exchange’ could be applied to collectible music, DVDs, books and consumer technology such as mobile phones – which they saw was a source of untapped wealth after the recession left many people looking for a fast and easy way to sell their old items for cash.
Steve said: “MusicMagpie enjoyed rapid growth in its first few years, but our launch on eBay really sent sales soaring – it’s a huge marketplace for collectibles that has given us access to customers around the world who want to be part of the modern stock exchange.
“We have customers from as far afield as Japan who have chosen to give us positive feedback – a vote of confidence in our store, but also in our highly skilled workforce in Stockport. We wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for the support of our eBay selling team and are immensely proud that having started a business un the middle of the worst recession in a century we now employ 1,000 people.”
Walter added: “We’re delighted and honoured to be the first eBay store to hit the five million mark for positive feedback. This is a great stamp if approval for the business, with new buyers immediately able to see that they can trust us to deliver an exceptionally high quality used product with exceptional customer service.”
Dieter Newell, senior director of UK Trading at eBay, said: “Surpassing five million positive reviews is an amazing achievement and we are immensely proud of MusicMagpie.”