A PARCEL delivery company is enjoying a boom thanks to the popularity of eBay.

Growth in the number of people making a living by trading through the online auction site and other similar websites means Bolton-based Parcel2go.com is set for record turnover and profit this year.

Turnover for Britain’s biggest online parcel delivery service is on target to top £10million by the end of the current financial year, an increase of more than 50 per cent on last year.

The firm also expects profits to rise by more than 300 per cent to top £1million.

The internet presence of the company was established eight years ago and the business now handles more than 750,000 parcels a year.

eBay trade accounts for a large percentage of Parcel2go.com's business and many regular users depend on them.

Richard Adams-Mercer, business development director, said: "The firm has seen a dramatic pick-up in demand in corporate and private orders over the last 12 months."

"We are certainly bucking accepted industry trends. Traditionally, there are peaks during the year, such as Christmas, after which business tends to slacken off."

"We have seen our bookings rise throughout the year. We dealt with three times as many packages this July as in July, 2007."

"We are looking to make further strides to develop the company in order to not only ensure short-term success, but also make us a vibrant and robust business for many years to come."

The firm, based in Coe Street near the town centre, handles packages of all shapes and sizes, covering a single package from a private household to repeat bulk orders from companies.

There has been growth across the board and Parcel2go.com has forged partnerships with the world’s leading delivery companies, including FedEx, DHL, UPS and City Link in order to offer customers a cheaper and more flexible service. In addition to building up business across the UK, the company has developed a significant proportion of its business in bookings to and from foreign countries, including the United States, the Far East and Poland.

Parcel2go.com is now set to develop further strategic partnerships with household names in the retail and financial sectors.