ManThings Week 3: eBay, AI, Product Testing & Our First Proper Signs of Progress

Can you build an online shop, train people in real-world digital skills, create jobs, grow a social media presence and somehow make a dent in the skills gap and unemployment at the same time?

We still don't bloody know.

But 22 days after launching ManThings, we're starting to see a few signs that this mad little experiment might actually have legs.

This week brought website orders, our first proper push onto eBay, a new local business connection, AI development work, an upcoming product test... and a couple of eBay sales that arrived at possibly the funniest moment imaginable.

TL;DR

• ManThings is now 22 days into trading.

• We had two website sales this week.

• Around 150 ManThings products have now been added to eBay.

• Two eBay orders arrived less than an hour after the listings went live.

• Local business BrewCo got in touch to support what we're doing.

• Our first major ManThings product test is finally coming together.

• We've got a new Useful Information Poster, which we're giving away free with orders while stocks last.

• Training has moved further into AI, Shopify development, GitHub and eBay tools.

• And yes... the massive Land Rover engine has finally left the building.

Not bad for week three.

Two Sales. Then 150 Products Hit eBay.

We had two orders through the ManThings website this week.

That's actually fewer than the previous couple of weeks, but we're far too early into this to start dramatically staring out of windows wondering where it all went wrong.

The bigger development is that we've now pushed roughly 150 products onto the ManThings eBay shop.

The idea is simple: get the products in front of more people and see what happens.

“If it works, brilliant. If it doesn't, we learn something and change what we're doing.”

That's really what this whole project is about.

Building a business is part of it, but ManThings is also a live training environment. We're learning Shopify, e-commerce, marketplaces, content creation, AI and digital tools by actually using them on a real business.

And then, while Pete was still recording this week's video...

Two eBay orders came in.

Less than an hour after we'd uploaded the listings.

We'll take that.

A Proper Shout-Out to BrewCo

One of the nicest surprises this week came from BrewCo, a local home-brewing business.

Oliver from BrewCo got in touch after seeing what we're trying to achieve with ManThings and offered us some advertising space on their website.

For a project that's still only a few weeks old, that meant a lot.

One of our biggest questions when launching ManThings was whether the message behind it would actually get through to people.

So having another local business spot what we're doing and offer some support this early on was a pretty encouraging answer.

“Knowing that somebody outside the project understands what we're trying to build is a big deal.”

We've returned the favour, and we've already written a full piece about BrewCo and why support between small businesses matters.

Read it here:
https://manthings.uk/blogs/achivo/small-businesses-backing-small-businesses-a-proper-shout-out-to-brewco-uk

And there may well be some home-brewing content coming in the future.

What could possibly go wrong?

Our First Proper ManThings Product Test Is Coming

This one's been in the works for around six weeks.

We're putting workshop vacuums through what we'd describe as a proper ManThings test.

Not:

Switch it on.

Suck up a bit of sawdust.

Declare it brilliant.

Go home.

We're trying to test these things to their actual limits and create something genuinely useful for anybody thinking about buying one.

It's probably the first piece of ManThings content we've produced where we can already see exactly what we originally wanted the product-testing side of the project to become.

We're looking forward to showing you this one.

The Poster You Didn't Know You Needed

We've also had our new Useful Information Posters arrive.

They're A3 workshop posters filled with the sort of information you inevitably end up searching for on your phone halfway through doing a job.

Things like:

• Metric to imperial conversions

• Spanner sizes

• Pilot hole sizes

• Useful measurements and references

Basically, if you've got a garage, workshop, craft room or man cave, there's probably something on it you'll use.

And while stocks last, we're putting one in free with every ManThings order.

Because useful stuff is rather the point.

From ChatGPT to Building Our Own Shopify App

The training side of ManThings took another fairly big step this week too.

AI tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini have already formed a major part of the training, but we've now started moving into coding and development tools as well.

That led to Pete and Phil working together to create an app for Shopify using a mixture of AI-assisted coding, GitHub, Shopify developer tools and eBay developer tools.

Which is a considerable jump from simply learning how to add a product to an online shop.

“The point isn't just learning what a tool does. It's learning how to use it to solve an actual problem.”

That's another skill added to the list — and exactly the sort of practical learning ManThings was created to provide.

And Finally... The Land Rover Engine Has Gone

Those who've been following our weekly updates may remember the enormous Land Rover engine occupying a fairly substantial chunk of the unit.

It's gone.

Hip hip hooray.

Yes, apparently we've aged approximately 40 years just writing that.

That leaves us with an air compressor and tyre balancer still looking for new homes, but getting the engine out has already freed up some much-needed space.

Slowly but surely, the place is starting to look less like somebody abandoned a garage in the middle of an online shop.

Progress.

Follow the ManThings Experiment

We're only 22 days into this, so there's an awful lot still to figure out.

If you want to see whether this slightly ridiculous plan actually works, follow along.

Watch the Week 3 update:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i55xh1kehV8

YouTube

Weekly updates, product tests and whatever else Pete gets talked into doing.

https://www.youtube.com/@manthingsuk

Facebook

For updates, new content and the occasional bit of ManThings nonsense.

https://www.facebook.com/ManThingsUK

Instagram

Shorts, behind-the-scenes bits and everything in between.

https://www.instagram.com/man_things_uk/

TikTok

Because apparently a business in 2026 has to be on TikTok. Them's the rules.

https://www.tiktok.com/@man_things_uk

Want to Support What We're Doing?

ManThings exists as a live training project, helping people build practical digital and workplace skills by actually doing the work.

If you'd like to support that side of what we're building, you can donate here:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=PHHBKMECLGEP2

Following us, sharing a video, placing an order or simply telling somebody about ManThings all helps too.

No inspirational violin music required.

Final Thoughts

Three weeks isn't enough time to decide whether ManThings will become a roaring success or an elaborate way of filling a building with cardboard boxes.

But that's partly the point.

We're building this in public, learning as we go and giving people the chance to develop useful skills through a real working business.

This week we had orders.

We launched properly onto eBay.

Another local business backed what we're doing.

Our product-testing content moved forward.

Our training got considerably more technical.

And two eBay sales appeared while we were literally filming the weekly update.

For day 22?

We'll take it.

See you next week.