Mary Potter Hospice’s TradeMe page has been operating for 19 years, and has since grown into a vital income stream to help keep palliative care services free-of-charge for patients and their families. The online store had its two best months ever in October and November at nearly $10,000 a month raised for the Hospice and thanks to TradeMe’s generous support, it is now upgraded to an official TradeMe store at no cost for the Hospice.
We’re excited that Michael Bacon, a long-term volunteer in our online retail team, has just started his new position as Online Store Manager and will be a driving force in growing the new online store.
Michael has been an avid TradeMe user for over 15 years, with a passion for collecting diecast toys and mid-century ceramics, glass and furniture.
When he retired early after working in the banking and financial services industry for 32 years, he decided to give back to the community he grew up and lived his entire life in.
“My mum Alison passed at the Hospice. The care, compassion, and even humour my mum enjoyed in her final days cemented my affiliation with the Hospice.”
Michael’s TradeMe expertise and passion for collecting items made him the perfect volunteer at Mary Potter Hospice’s Online Retail Team.
“I identify, research, list and package donated items via our TradeMe presence. I often deliver items in person to our customers and also spend considerable time raising awareness of the Hospice,” said Michael.
“My greatest sales, those that have made me smile, have been items others thought would never sell. A recent success was most definitely the sale of 24 issues of Murray Ball’s Footrot Flats comics. Sale price was NZD $1.95 in the 1990s. We sold all 24 for just over NZD $3,000 with the majority going to winning bidders in Australia.”
Michael hopes that the bigger and better online store will give the Hospice greater access to a wider audience. “The Hospice receives a considerable volume of donated items. When I first started, annual TradeMe sales were around $70,000 a year. I see this as an opportunity for us to be raising $120,000+ per year.”
Around half of the $16 million a year needed to run Mary Potter Hospice come from retail sales, donations, grants and bequests. The upgraded TradeMe store will play an important part to help keep palliative care services free in our community – visit it online and check out some of our quirky and fun items:
A huge thank you to Michael for his contribution as a volunteer, and our wonderful team of volunteers in the online retail team for helping us make Hospice happen.
This is where the magic happens: Product photos are taken here before being loaded to the TradeMe store