Carlow has emerged victorious as the biggest buyers per capita on eBay.ie for 2008, edging ahead of Wicklow and Waterford.
The competition takes every county into account and annually looks at who buys and sells what on eBay.ie over a one-year period. Carlow stole the crown from last year’s winners, Laois.
The people of Carlow spend more on motorcycles, auto-parts and DVDs, films and TV, than anyone else in Ireland. On the selling side, they flog more baby items per capita than any other county, beating closest rival Wicklow by a factor of five. However, Wicklow people have come out as having very refined taste, spending more on gourmet food and antiques than any other county in Ireland.
Waterford natives have been found to accessorise well – they are the highest buyers of jewellery and watches and came second behind Wicklow in the buying of food and gourmet items. Apparently, Louth is music mad, coming first in that category, with Dublin and Wexford in second and third places.
“The great thing about eBay is that the site allows people who live in the country to get their hands on items which wouldn’t normally be readily available to them, and items are delivered direct to your door, cutting out having to drive to the nearest town. Certainly, I believe this is a key reason why my county, Carlow, won this year,” said TV presenter Kathryn Thomas, who accepted the trophy on Carlow’s behalf.
Some counties continue to underperform in the competition, which might be because of poor broadband access in rural areas. Offaly and Roscommon didn’t fare well in either the buying or selling categories.
By Sorcha Corcoran
