Jason Thickpenny is the founder of model railway shop, Rocket Railways. The idea for the business was born five years ago, out of Jason and his son’s shared passion for model railways. Their hobby turned into a side business for Jason, who began refurbishing and selling the railway parts that the pair didn’t use on eBay. Rocket Railways is now a successful business that sells both on eBay and from the Rocket Railways shop in Leicestershire.
Get to know Jason in his own words below (and check out his eBay Shop)
Can you tell us about how your business started?
I’ve loved model railways since I was a child, and after my son Luke was born I picked up the hobby again, as it turned out to be something we loved doing together. About five years ago - when Luke was four - we wanted to build a model railway together. When starting to search for all the parts we needed, I quickly realised just how expensive it was to buy everything from new, so I turned to eBay to search for what we were after second-hand. Once our railway was complete, we ended up not needing everything we bought, and so I decided to do the spare items up and sell them on. That’s essentially where the idea for the business came from.
This all started as a passion project, where I thought I would refurbish and sell some second-hand model railway items on eBay in my spare time alongside my full time job. As it turned out, there was lots of appetite for what we were offering and I realised we had a viable business here. About three and a half years ago I left my role at a corporate company, made Rocket Railways my full time job, and I haven’t looked back since.
What do you like about selling on eBay?
eBay is the natural platform for our business - when it comes to buying and selling second-hand, eBay is the place to go. The site has a huge global reach, and it has allowed us to attract customers from all over the world. Through its Global Shipping Programme, we have sold items to people as far away as in Australia, and this international visibility is something that we wouldn’t have been able to achieve without eBay.
When it comes to starting out, getting set up on eBay is really easy. To get going you don’t need your own website, nor a bricks and mortar presence - you just need to start listing.
What does an average day look like at Rocket Railways?
To be honest, I don’t think an average day exists at Rocket Railways. We never know what is going to happen or who is going to walk through our door, but that’s what keeps it exciting.
When it comes to the daily jobs that keep the business running, I head up a dedicated team of eight people here. Each person’s role is essential to the success of the business. Like Matt, who works on our product servicing, Shannon who handles the picking and packing of orders, and Laura who is our social media and marketing manager.
What would you say to someone who is thinking about starting their own business?
It’s undeniable that setting up a small business has its challenges. We’ve experienced all sorts of curveballs and setbacks since we started - and I expect we will have many more in the years to come!
Despite this, I wouldn’t change what I do for the world, which leads me on to my main piece of advice. Start a business based on something you really love and then you’ll never really work another day in your life. I get up each day and call something that is one of my biggest passions in life my job - and to me that’s what it’s all about.
How has eBay helped your business to grow?
One way eBay has supported our growth is through its Capital for eBay Business Sellers programme, which enabled us to start an offshoot of our business called Rocket Railways Reclaimed. It’s essentially a scrapyard for model railways, where people can find all sorts of parts and spares that they might need.
We used the funding from YouLend to set up this new section of the business - starting the eBay Shop and investing in the marketing. The funding has let us diversify our business offering, create a new revenue stream, and help find good homes for items that we may not have sold otherwise.
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