Where eBid have got it right

21/11/2007 at 23:01

The good news for me is that I won my beanie hat. The good news for you is that vzaar have bunches more eBay swag for auction for Children in Need, so grab your chance.

eBay t-shirt, by Skypephone

All of which got me thinking about eBay merchandise, and wondering just why it’s so damn hard to get hold of. If you shell out £49 to go to eBay University, you’ll get an eBay pen, and possibly an A4 pad with the logo in the corner. You’ll also get the opportunity to pay for a mug, or a fleece. And that’s your lot. If you go to Live, you’ll see grown adults fighting over eBay-branded pins: why restrict that to just three days a year? eBay’s own merchandise store won’t ship outside the US. I don’t get it: if people want your advertising so much they’re prepared to pay for it, why stop them having it?

If I were eBay, every buyer of a car on eBay Motors would get a bumper sticker with “I bought this on eBay” written on it. Cost in money, about 50p a pop: value in free advertising, priceless.

eBid, on the other hand, have actually got this about right. eBid run their own eBid store, where you can either pay money for eBid merchandise, or spend your “buddy points” (sorry guys, -10 for that name), which you earn by referring friends and buying on the site. I might never say this again, but eBay could well take a leaf out of eBid’s book.