A group of hospice charity shopworkers who sold a rare vinyl single by Sheffield rock band Def Leppard for more than £1,000 are among those in the online charity retail sector to be recognised in an annual award scheme.
The single was donated to the eBay store team at Sheffield based St Luke’s Hospice’s charity shop, who sold the 1979 single for £1,022 to a buyer in Switzerland, far exceeding its £600 launch price.
The single is so valuable as only 1,000 were released by the band early in their career and the sleeves were glued by lead singer Joe Elliot’s mum.
It was released for £1 at the band’s live shows and handed to DJs and other influencers at the time. One copy was handed by Elliot himself to the late John Peel while the legendary DJ was on stage at Sheffield University.
The St Luke’s team won the Ecommerce Treasure Hunter award at this year’s Shopiago Online Charity Retail Awards.
Winners received a £250 donation to their charity, along with £250 high street vouchers for their team and a trophy.
“What a brilliant find! A modern classic that sold for even more than the estimated price,” said judge Helen Olszowska, the managing director of Seashell Collective, about St Luke’s Def Leppard sale.
Drum roll… 🥁
— Shopiago (@shopiago) June 24, 2024
We’ve now announced the winners of our 2024 Shopiago Online Charity Awards! Take a look at our brand-new film showcasing the impact of charity retail operations across the UK.#OnlineCharityAwards #CharityRetail #CharityTechhttps://t.co/3XSJFcGyoz pic.twitter.com/U20KkQarjY
Other winners include British Red Cross, Exmouth, in Devon’s Caroline Grey, who won the volunteer of the year gong. She works mostly from home researching and listing donated items. Her work has helped increase the shop’s online revenue from £761 to £9,209 in a year.
“Looking through the award submissions is inspiring, said Thom Bruan, business development director at online retail firm Shopiago.
Another of the judges, Influencer Jen Graham, aka Charity Shop Girl, added: “Judging these awards has been fascinating. Hearing the stories of the hard work, determination and clever thinking of people working and volunteering in the sector has really warmed my heart and drives home just how important retail revenue is for charities.”
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