Credit Blackpool Gazette: Sam Meakin and Adrian Meakin of The Ink Squid with Tracy Hargreaves from Roost PR.
UK online cartridge retailer The Ink Squid is a finalist in the Red Nose business awards and aims to build on its success.
Blackpool Gazette reports that ink and toner cartridge retailer The Ink Squid is in the finals of the Red Nose business awards for the title of “internet business of the year” and for the “new business” award, with the company also defending its BIBA E-business crown it won last year.
The UK-based company, which was founded three years ago by owner Adrian Meakin with just £600 ($900/€700) worth of stock, is also planning to expand this year and take on an apprentice over the summer following its success in selling ink and toner cartridges on eBay and Amazon.
“eBay accounts for 60 percent of our sales but Amazon is growing,” Meakin explained. “We are now getting access to all the Amazon marketplaces in Germany, Spain and France, once we got our listings translated into the respective languages, Italy will be the next one,” he continued, adding that the company receives “around three to five orders from Germany every day and 10 to 12 from the US.”
As The Ink Squid looks to broaden its customer base in the global market, Meakin said: “We send about 25,000 orders, around 300,000 cartridges, per year to over 200 countries, from little old ladies to PLCs. We are expanding all the time – in fact, turnover has more than doubled year-on-year since we started – currently about £300,000 ($455,000/€350,000).”
The company is beginning to build a good reputation among its customers, with Meakin commenting: “We are proud of our customer service. 100 percent positive on eBay over nearly 14,000 rated transactions – I don’t think any other large-volume ink seller has anything like this kind of reputation.
“Customers can save up to £50 ($76/€58) on a set of inkjet cartridges to more than £500 ($758/€578) on a set of laser toners (compared to the brand name prices) and everything has a lifetime guarantee. If a customer is not 100 percent happy they can return the product for a full refund or exchange.”
As well as its growing online business, The Ink Squid is also seeing an increase in local customers at its walk-in trade premises in Squires Gate, Blackpool; and new stock is expected to be added to the company’s available products listed “on all platforms”.