A Spirited Competition: Selling Haunted Jewelry on Ebay

I’m a jewelry maker. I have been selling my creations on the internet for about a year. I spend a lot of time researching how others sell their jewelry. Part of that time is spent looking at listings on Ebay. While I make a specific type of jewelry, I’m sill in competition with every jewelry listing on Ebay. There are a lot of them. During my research, I talked to other jewelry makers and found they also have low Ebay sales. I started paying more attention to what was getting bid on, instead of just how it was listed.

I was a little surprised by what I found. I noticed a lot of bids going to haunted jewelry. Most of this haunted jewelry is not handmade, but it is listed in the same category I use. So, I’m competing with it. I know that jewelry is always going to have heavy competition, that doesn’t bother me.

All that haunted jewelry got me thinking. Why are people buying this stuff? I started reading some of the item descriptions. I still couldn’t see why people where bidding on this jewelry. A lot of the pieces has similar histories, even thought the sellers where different. Thousands of listings for items claiming to be possessed by Jinn, Faeries, Spirits and blessed, cursed, owned by dead but powerful Witches and Gypsies. And yes, people are buying it. Most items had more than one bid.

Ok, I’m a pagan who practices witchcraft. I believe in hauntings, Faeries, spirits,Witches and all that. I’m also a big skeptic. I have a hard time believing anything one says, especially when they are selling something. I know it is a personal issue I have to work on. So, are people listing things as “haunted” just to get sales? I hope not, but I wonder. Mainly when I see titles containing things like “unlimited wishes granted!”. Now, do you really think that if someone had a ring or something that granted unlimited wishes, they would be selling in on Ebay for 9.99? I don’t.

I’m not saying that the sellers of all of these items are trying to rip us off, but to me it doesn’t scream “I’m a good person.” Are any of these sellers telling the truth? I don’t know. I’m not going to waste my money bidding to find out if that Witch’s ring will make me lucky or not. And what does that say about the bidders? Are they bidding for fun or do the truly believe that their wishes will come true?

Could I increase my sales by stating that my jewelry is made by a witch? Maybe, and I wouldn’t be lying. I don’t place charms or spells on my jewelry. The only energies they contain are the stones own energies. Could I raise my jewelry sales by claiming I’ve trapped some being in it that grants wishes? I don’t think it would hurt my sales. I also don’t think that it would be helpful to me or the bidders as human beings.