Toronto entrepreneur sending kids through college with eBay sales

WATCH ABOVE: This month the company turns 15 in Canada and has reshaped the retail landscape. Peter Kim reports

TORONTO – It’s been 15 years since eBay has given Canadians a platform to sell their goods, with more than $10 billion in merchandise changing hands through the online retailer.

“We’ve sold over 200 million items,” said Andrea Stairs, eBay Canada’s managing director.

Some of those items have been sold by Virendra Rajawat, who imports gemstones from India and sells them online. He lives in a modest North York apartment and has two children.

“We are surviving here because of this (eBay) only. My daughter is going to be in university with no OSAP loans. My son is going to be in university also with no OSAP loans,” said Rajawat, who worked in the medical diagnostics field in India.

Now the photos he takes are of the gemstones and jewellery he markets online. Rajawat says he sells around $250,000 in product each year.

At eBay Canada’s downtown location there are no offices. Even the company’s managing director sits at a desk among staff working in a collaborative environment. It’s the type of egalitarian setting that mirrors how the online retailer has helped reshape the industry.

“There’s been a power shift between the retailer and the consumer: The consumer now gets to call the shots about when they want to engage, where they want to shop and how,” said Stairs. eBay is the conduit for more than one billion dollars worth of transactions each year in Canada.

Rajawat has been selling online since 2004 and has benefited from shifting consumer habits. He says the secret to his success is focusing on high volume, low margin products, along with commitment and honest marketing. Many of his customers are return shoppers.

“We have customers in the US, Australia, Germany, the UK, and France,” he said.

eBay Fun Facts

• In 2001 Ricky Martin’s pants sold on eBay to benefit the Canadian Music Therapy trust fund
• Sir John A. MacDonald’s bedroom suite was listed in 2002
• Wayne Gretzky’s jersey sold for $26,000 in 2003
• Canadians spent almost $20 million on video games in 2012
• A pair of jeans was purchased every six minutes in Canada in 2012
• The most expensive engagement ring purchased via eBay Mobile in 2013 was bought for $28,500
• Drake’s lint roller sold for $55,100 in 2014
• Justin Bieber’s sneakers were sold for more than $62,000 in 2015 with the proceeds donated to Stratford’s House of Blessing Food Bank