eBay Rich List Ranks Top 30 Brits - Nigerian Tops The List.

The first-ever eBay rich list has revealed that Britain's top online traders are making up to £17million per year selling on the site. 

The Power 30 UK Index, which ranks the site's biggest 30 independent sellers, shows that the country's top eBay sellers have an average annual turnover of nearly £4million.

According to the list, the most successful shops are those selling electrical goods and fishing items while motoring-related sellers and fancy dress vendors are also raking in a fortune.

The new figures show how eBay has inspired a new generation of entrepreneurs who have built money-spinning businesses out of the online marketplace - usually from the comfort of their own home.

One example is Les Bailey, who runs PF Jones, a car parts account which generates some £3.3m in sales per year.  

PF Jones already existed as a motor spares and fuel injection specialist and Mr Bailey worked on the shop floor as an engineer. 

But, almost a decade ago, the father-of-four, from Wigan, Greater Mancester, started trading online - and the business exploded online part of the business exploded.

Last year alone, he generated eBay sales of around £3m. Just on the eBay side of the company, he has 12 employees and sells around 300 items a day such as tow bars, luggage racks and child seats.

The 59-year-old said: 'It was slow at first because the automotive industry is pretty antiquated to be honest - some of the small garages haven't even got computers. 

'People said that's just how the industry is, but I didn't want to be like that.  So around four years ago I started looking at eBay, which was like an electronic car boot sale when it first started.

'But it has progressed from that to a massive market and we have progressed with it. We are bigger than other companies because we class ourselves as a supermarket.  '

He added: 'I like eBay because it's an open market. It doesn't matter what the product is, if people want to buy something these days they look on eBay first. It's like the old Yellow Pages.

'This year I think we will have had a turn over of £2.5million to £3million just for eBay - and that's grown from nothing four or five years ago.'    

Another example of eBay success John and Gill Hewitt from hardware company Bamford Trading who turn over nearly £2m per year, despite having just £2,000 in start-up costs when they launched ten years ago.

The pair, who initially planned to sell household appliances after they moved house, planned their career move on a whiteboard in 2005 because they 'needed a change'. 

Soon, they were selling more than 800 products a day and began having to trade out of a warehouse near Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire. Last month alone, they racked in £164,000.

Mr Hewiit, 59, said: 'I don't think we imagined we would end up among the top sellers. The market is a different place now than it was ten years ago.

'The online market was probably in its infancy when we started, but now it is a very different more mature market. 

'There is lots more competition, lots more products, and lots more service and delivery options. It is much more complicated but we are still here and we are still growing. We started such a long time ago that we are always going to be ahead of the curve.'

Before they launched the company, Gill worked at Kraft Foods and John worked in telecommuncations.  

Shortly after the launch, the couple moved from household goods to appliances, pet products and baby clothes. But when the recession hit they released that more people would be relying on DIY, so narrowed down to concentrate on tools and hardware.

Now, their most popular items are screwdriver sets and spanners for car maintenance.

Top of the list is Chinedu 'Ken' Emechebe, 37, who started selling mobile phone accessories under the name 'universalgadgets01' from his two-bed London flat in 2008 - and now has monthly sales of nearly £1.5m.   

The business became so successful that he was forced to relocate three more times and now works out of a 1,200sq ft warehouse where he employs around 45 people.

The father-of-two said: 'I think the great thing about eBay is just from day one the ease of selling on eBay makes it great for small businesses.

'On eBay everything is set up for you. Yes you pay your fees, but you would have to pay for advertising costs if you went on Google. 

'eBay sets you up, it has millions of people who come on to the website every day, and all these people who are on there are looking for products and deals.' 

Mr Emechebe sells around 2,500 items a day on eBay, with most of the goods coming directly from factories around the world. Among his most popular items are the iPhone 5, ethernet cables and headphones.

He said: 'We outgrew the house and moved into our first warehouse about a year and a half after starting the business and at the moment we are in our fourth warehouse. We have just grown since then.  

'[I think we are number one because] we have been doing this for a while and we understand the market. We understand what most people on eBay want. Customer service is number one and we have to keep the customer happy.'  

Dailymail report.

WOOOOOW!!!..This is Massive!