How a Quiet Spell at Work Turned Into a Business

The origin story behind Selo

Let me introduce Selo — but first, let’s rewind a bit.

I first got into eBay around the age of 16. It started out randomly, but then I rediscovered my old interest in Pokémon cards. Like many kids, I’d loved collecting them when I was younger, but never quite managed to get the “big three” — Charizard, Blastoise, and Venusaur.

eBay became my chance to finally complete the set. But once I had them, I didn’t stop. I started trading the cards instead, and without really realising it, that was probably my first go at running a business.

Fast forward a few years, and I was working for the family business. During quieter periods, I decided to try my hand at selling online again — this time, with an eBay shop selling surplus parts that our customers no longer needed. It seemed like a no-brainer to shift a few bits and see what happened.

But while doing that, I noticed something interesting.

People were regularly buying fluid sealing components — O-rings, washers, seals — even when the original bus parts they belonged to weren’t selling. It turned out there was consistent demand for these everyday, standard items.

So I pivoted. I stopped selling the bus-specific stock and focused solely on the sealing components. And from there, Selo was born — a business dedicated to supplying useful, well-priced sealing products, whether someone needs one O-ring or a thousand.

As for the name? That’s a story for the next post.