Using Creative Fiction To Increase Value Of Trinkets On eBay

from the using-infinite-goods... dept

Thu, Jul 9th 2009 1:30pm — Mike Masnick

When we talk about understanding how to embrace the economics of infinite goods, one of the key points I've tried to make is that every product is a bundle of scarce and infinite goods. That's a point that some people have a lot of trouble with at times, insisting that some people who create infinite goods have no scarcities to sell... and, conversely, that those who make scarce goods, sometimes have no infinite goods to give away with them. While it may be a bit more complicated to separate out the scarce and infinite goods, it doesn't mean they don't exist.

Parker writes in to point out a fascinating example. Apparently a group of fiction writers are experimenting with selling physical goods on eBay with fictional stories given away "free" in the description. The project is called Significant Objects, and involves a bunch of fiction writers purchasing random trinkets, and then coming up with a neat story to go with them. The post at io9 notes that some stories seem better than others at increasing the auction bids, but points out that: "If Rosenfeld's success is any indication, these authors may actually get paid more for short fiction on eBay than they would at most publications."

Again, some will incorrectly claim that we're saying that fiction writers should start selling crap on eBay, but that's not it at all. This is just one (fun) example of many of content creators smartly using infinite goods (the stories) to make a scarce good (the trinket) more valuable, and putting in place a business model to profit from it. Once again, we learn that creativity knows no bounds, not just in creating content, but in playing around with new business models.

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Filed Under: auctions, business models, fiction, infinite goods, scarce goods, significant objects, trinkets, writers
Companies: ebay

12 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 9 Jul 2009 @ 2:31pm

Not a new idea
I've seen several of these on Ebay for years and years, and have done a few myself, mostly to sell something that is bog-standard boring, or actually broken (an AMD cpu that I fragged - sold as pre-broken, actually got about 40% of the retail cost at the time 'bout 6 years ago). Take a leaf from Bearkly Breathed and his Pre-Moistend Belgin Candy Sucker.
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Bill Rider, 9 Jul 2009 @ 3:02pm

you wrote:
> ...smartly using infinite goods (the stories) to make a scarce good (the trinket) more valuable.

Seems to me the trinket is the infinite good (plenty more trinkets to be picked up en masse, and put on eBay) whereas the story is the scarce good (you write a story, you have _one_ story; you can't just pick up more to go with plentiful trinkets; they must be created, one-at-a-time... sounds like "scarce" to me).
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Scott Walker, 9 Jul 2009 @ 3:16pm

Re: Bill Rider and Scare
If you approach it from the standpoint of physical goods are scarce (i.e., can't be infinitely reproduced) and digital goods are infinite (i.e., reproduction is cheap and easy), then the story falls under the infinite category and the trinket falls under the scarce category.

Reproduction of scarce goods require inputs (time, energy, money, raw goods, etc.) and don't scale well. Reproduction of infinite goods is a fraction of the cost of the original.

I always approach it from physical/scarce v. digital/infinite.
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Valkor, 9 Jul 2009 @ 3:20pm

Catalogue Writeups
This just reminds me of the product writeups in a certain high-end catalogue, the name of which escapes me at the moment. Each item had a couple of paragraphs of fairly fanciful copy instead of a prosaic description of available sizes and colors. Can anyone jog my memory?

This seems to be the same thing on a more custom level.
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Suzanne Lainson (profile), 9 Jul 2009 @ 3:23pm

Interesting, but long history
That is an interesting link and I can use it for something I am writing.

But of course antique and garage sale vendors have been doing this for years. They tell you something they are selling has great historic value, and then after you buy it, they grab a duplicate in the back room and tell the same story to the next customer.
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Suzanne Lainson (profile), 9 Jul 2009 @ 3:27pm

Re: Catalogue Writeups
The J. Peterman catalog. It was fun to read.
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Suzanne Lainson (profile), 9 Jul 2009 @ 3:31pm

Re: Catalogue Writeups
Actually, this is a subject I plan to explore. The direct-to-fan marketing that people are talking about in music is a variation of direct sales. So we don't really need to reinvent the wheel here. There is an entire industry that has been studying the best ways to market to customers via catalog sales for decades. And now online sales. Plus we have QVC, which a number of boomer musicians have used to sell their albums.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Jul 2009 @ 6:27pm

Woot
Woot has always done this. Hey, I've got a way to move milk and milled oats from a bowl to your mouth! It's NEW!
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Jul 2009 @ 9:43pm

Re: Catalogue Writeups
It is not high end, but all Trader Joe's product mailers use this type of prose and storytelling feel to discuss the product, price, temporary availability, etc. It makes a much more enjoyable way to see new products hit the shelves, and frankly... I buy more expensive food items because of it.
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Suzanne Lainson (profile), 9 Jul 2009 @ 11:49pm

Re: Re: Catalogue Writeups
The old Banana Republic catalog, back in the day when it was a company that sold a lot of surplus goods and before it was turned into a fashion clothing store, did that as well. It would tell you from what foreign location the items came from.
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Suzanne Lainson (profile), 10 Jul 2009 @ 12:13am

Re: Re: Re: Catalogue Writeups
I'm thinking that if you are good at this type of writing, rather than running around buying stuff on eBay to sell, it might be more lucrative just to work as a copywriter for an established company, let them come up with the stuff to sell, and have them pay you a salary to write.

Of course, now it goes from "art" to "work" but either way your writing is used to sell stuff.
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Suzanne Lainson (profile), 10 Jul 2009 @ 12:16am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Catalogue Writeups
I meant to say, "rather than running around buying stuff to sell on eBay ..."
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