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August 17, 2004
The Most Popular eBay Online Auction In History?
So far, the most popular eBay online auction in history showed a hairy guy named Larry selling his ex-wife's wedding gown. The listing became a literal phenomenon with almost 18 MILLION views. Larry appeared on CNBC, The Today Show, MSNBC and eBay radio.
You can see it here, although he unfortunately used a picture service, and therefore the great photos are no longer available:
http://auction-genius-course.com/listings/weddingdress.shtml
Larry started the bidding on this dress at only $1, yet eager buyers pushed it to $3,850. I am constantly preaching that we need to make our listings sound human, rather than like a corporate ad department. Larry obviously knew this very well. For example, he included this amusing paragraph:
"Oh, yeah. I also got three marriage proposals. Yes, you read it right - three marriage proposals. I feel like one of those mass murderers on death row. I never understood how the hell they got more chicks than I did. Now I know. They sold crap on eBay."
In a way, though, this is a sad auction, because Larry could have used this humongous publicity to create a dynamic business and ongoing income stream, rather than a one-shot sale of a wedding dress, if he had only known how. Too bad for missed opportunities.
Posted by SydneyJohnston at August 17, 2004 12:40 PM
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