How to Start an eBay Bidding War

Imagine Just Two People in the Whole Wide World Want Something

You Are Selling ….. Just Two People ….. Now Imagine More than

Two People, Many More ….. Imagine Fierce Fighting Where You

Are the Eventual Winner

A bidding war is where two or more people bid furiously

against one another, each desperate to own a particular item.

Phenomenal results are possible, such as last month, where a

postcard by artist A. R. Quinton, depicting a cliff view at

Herne Bay, fetched £100 plus. By anyone’s standards, the card

was worth about £3 for the view and maybe a few pounds more

for the artist.

I checked and found that two serious bidders, one of Herne Bay

topographical postcards, the other a Quinton enthusiast, had

launched a bidding war that was eventually won by the Herne

Bay collector, or was the real winner the seller of this

rather common-a-garden postcard?

Such events are not uncommon. My own best selling item this

month, a pair of vintage cufflinks with ancient Greek Coins,

for which I paid £3 at a flea market, went for £34, with the

two final bidders being a collector of cufflinks and another

of Greek coins. The Greek coin collector won.

You only need two bidders and it doesn’t matter if they’re

interested in the same product or specific parts of your

product or listing. The end result is always the same; more

money for you.

You’re looking for just two people in the whole wide world,

these tips will help you find them.

* List a minimum two items (or themes) in one lot. The trick

is to make each item valuable in its own right and appealing

to more than one person. The cufflinks and postcard are good

examples. I’ve seen other wars raging over two completely

unrelated postcards listed together; two books bearing no

relation to one another; a pack of artist illustrated playing

cards where one bidder wanted the cards and the other

collected all things artist related.

* List in two eBay categories to achieve maximum market

penetration. You can also list in two shop categories. For the

Quinton/Herne Bay postcard I’d list under ‘Artist Drawn

Postcards’ and ‘Topographical’.

* Research and use commonly used keywords for your product to

attract the highest audience for your item. Go to eBay Pulse

pages for common keywords or use software such as Adword

Analyzer to study most commonly used key words and phrases for

specific subjects. Although developed largely for search

engine optimisation and Google advertising campaigns and

similar, products like Adword Analyzer are equally suitable

for all areas of the Internet, including eBay.

* Offer free gifts and bonuses to attract interest from people

selling similar items. For example, offer three cufflinks

where most offer two (emphasise these things get damaged,

lost, stolen); ship items postage free; add complementary

items such as matching tie pin (free or otherwise) with

cufflinks, free presentation boxes with every batch of

wholesale necklaces, and so on.

* Offer a free gift that is valuable in its own right, worth

more than the product listed, and not available from any other

source. Remember to change the freebie regularly as frequent

buyers will have it already. Study and comply with eBay rules

regarding gifts, bonuses and discounts. The trick is to find

people not necessarily wanting your listed product, but very

keen on the freebie