All the way with eBay
Acampo seller wins award, aims to help charity
Acampo resident Clara Jeanne LaCelle has become an eBay Shine Award winner and is a finalist nominated to receive a grand prize of $25,000, which she plans to donate to the Sacramento based nonprofit, The Glass Slipper.
LaCelle became an eBay seller in 2002 after a friend inspired her to monetize her excess inventory that she had collected as a Mary Kay consultant.
Although LaCelle was skeptical, she figured she had nothing to lose and listed her stock online. She was in disbelief at how quickly the items sold.
“Since my inventory was a little older, I had a lot of makeup shades that had been discontinued and the only place people could find them was online,” LaCelle said.
After selling her inventory her online store manifested into an antique store, and she even began selling clothing and personal items she did not use. As a market place she was given the freedom to pursue a myriad of eclectic product markets and sell what she wanted.
After testing various items in the market, LaCelle found her niche selling makeup and health products and dedicated her page “SURFINJUNKIE” to selling only those items.
“I ended where I started, selling makeup. It was something I was used to,” LaCelle said. “I like selling makeup because it is easy to transport and super lightweight to ship.”
LaCelle travels to New York and New Jersey to build her inventory. She works with U.S. based companies Sephora, Ulta, and Macy's to build her stock.
Since starting on eBay, LaCelle has sold over $2 million through her page, in the 17 years she has had it.
“It was a hobby for a long time but when my kids went to a high school they wanted to go to a private school. That is when I started taking eBay more seriously,” she said.
With four kids attending private high school, LaCelle needed to earn close to $2,500 a month to afford her children’s tuition.
While in school, her children helped her build her inventory, photograph products to put online as well as uploading them. They also helped her pack orders and mail shipments to customers.
Once her kids were in college, they continued to help her maintain the operation by working remotely on campus. According to LaCelle, when her kids were in college she had to make $6,000 to $8,000 a month to cover tuition.
“When my kids went to college, I wanted them to not have to worry about paying student loans. I remember the stress of being in college and having to pay my bills and the emotional toll it took on me,” LaCelle said.
LaCelle, who grew up in foster care, struggled to provide a stable home for herself after she turned 18 and aged out of the foster care system.
“I remember once I turned 18, my foster family had kicked me out, because they could not get money for me anymore,” she remembers. “I was in the middle of my senior year and I was living in my car.”
LaCelle went to college and found refuge in the dorms on campus, but when spring semester would conclude and summer would begin, LaCelle was back in the throes of poverty and uncertainty.
“Most summers my backseat became my home until the next semester would start up again, and I would be in a dorm,” she said.
For LaCelle, the experience in foster care helped shape her and develop her tenacious spirit, but it also left her wanting to help other young women who struggle being in the foster care system.
She got involved with The Glass Slipper a nonprofit organization that provides life-changing programs for girls in foster care and group homes, by providing at-risk girls aging out of the system skills to attend college and enter the workforce.
LaCelle serves as a mentor. She teaches young girls about business and educates them on how they can become online retailers through sites like Etsy and eBay.
“The Glass Slipper offers so many programs to these young girls. There are programs where girls learn how to sew, woodworking skills, how to build things and a culinary program,” LaCelle said.
The Glass Slipper is currently in the process of installing a commercial kitchen, which is what lead LaCelle to apply for the eBay Shine Award.
“I remember laying in bed scrolling through my phone when I saw an ad that said I could win $10,000 for charity and I knew I wanted to win for The Glass Slipper and help them get that commercial kitchen,” she said.
LaCelle remembers sending her application on April 24 and received an email from eBay executives who wanted to set up a Skype phone interview with her.
“On May 29, I had my interview and they said I would get information on whether I would be a finalist within a few weeks. Two days after my interview, they told me I had been selected and I would be a finalist for the Shine Award grand prize of $25,000,” She said.
If LaCelle wins the grand prize, she will donate her winnings to The Glass Slipper.
Working with the girls, she has learned about the adversity each has faced, and the difficult experiences they have had.
According to LaCelle, many girls in foster care have been victims of sexual, physical and emotional abuse by their foster parents.
“Many foster kids become victims of human trafficking. Predators see foster kids as easy prey because they are easy to manipulate and most of them are vulnerable because the majority of them don’t have a stable home environment. It’s so heartbreaking. Most of these kids don’t have anyone invested in their future,” LaCelle said.
LaCelle has taken on the role of a big sister for most of the girls because she can empathize with the trauma they have experienced. She believes girls feel like they can talk to her because she can talk to them without coming across as an authoritative figure.
“I know what these girls have gone through. I mean, they could tell you stories that would make you want to break down. Regardless of what they have gone through, they are moving forward and that is why I want to win this because they deserve it,” she said.
EBay picks eight finalists for the Shine Award, but the public can vote for the grand prize winner. The online voting is now open at
People can vote up to three times daily until Thursday.
The grand prize winner will be announced on Thursday at the eBay open conference awards ceremony.