BLING IT EBAY : AN EBAYANA FAN'S GUIDE TO EBAY LINGERIE

When you think of eBayana , do you think of lingerie? Probably not — until you read this guide. And until recently, there weren't enough items in the subcategory of eBay lingerie to make up a whole guide. But thanks to October 2009's Bling My Bra series of eBay charity auctions benefiting Susan G. Komen For the Cure, there is now enough eBay lingerie that it deserves a guide of its very own. And while we're slipping into something more comfortable, I'm going to include some "loungerie" (explanation to follow) and even some eBay pajamas and a PowerSeller negligee — er — nightshirt.

TUNED BY EBAY

For something to become a subcategory of eBayana , there must be at least one of its ilk. For it to become a subcollection, there must be more than one. I already had the eBay pajamas and PowerSeller negligee — er — nightshirt, but they comprised an eBayana subcategory of eBay sleepwear. It wasn't until I stumbled upon a special promotion at eBay Austria (ebay.at) that I found a little something (and I do mean little) to jump-start my subcollection of eBay lingerie.


And "jump start" is an apropos term indeed, because this special promotion — tuned by ebay — was for eBay Austria's eBay Motors in the Spring of 2007. I'm not sure exactly what they were promoting, besides eBay Motors in general, and I'm not sure why the promotional slogan was in English. However, in addition to featuring an adorable tuned by ebay convertible (one of those larger items of eBayana that I'd just love to have, but am not likely to acquire — like the eBay slot machine. But I digress) tuned by ebay also offered some fabulous swag. You could download a tuned by ebay bumper sticker or send away for a free tuned by ebay decal, or you could purchase a tuned by ebay teddy bear (wearing a tiny tuned by ebay shirt), a tuned by ebay T-shirt, or — my inevitable favorite — a tuned by ebay camisole and tuned by ebay thong (not the flip-flop kind). They're made of 100% cotton and are quite high quality. Here's a picture of a young Austrian eBayer stretched out on the hood of the tuned by ebay convertible wearing her tuned by ebay camisole and, I'm sure, the matching tuned by ebay thong.


I actually had the foresight to order two tuned by ebay thongs, and was I ever glad I did. Because I was able to offer one as a door prize at a Dallas eBaybes & eMales Sellers Group meeting on the night that eBay officials came to visit in May 2008, and my tuned by ebay thong was immortalized by Griff in the Chatter, which sadly is now on hiatus, as being "the definite hit of the evening." The eventual recipient was pretty happy with it, too.

BLING MY BRA

But without further ado, let's get to some even rarer eBay lingerie, because each piece is unique: the eBay Bras created for Bling My Bra in October 2009. The brainchild of Beth Cherkowsky (a.k.a. woadieland), Bling My Bra is a series of eBay charity auctions benefiting Susan G. Komen For the Cure in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. First on the block was the eBay Live! Bra by Susan Dutton, an eBay Senior Project Manager in Trust and Safety. Based on a stylish black eyelet Victoria's Secret number, it features the word EBAY on each cup in colorful foam letters and is further adorned with pins from various eBay Lives. It also was signed by its creator. It got four bids and sold for $30.30.

Then there's the eBay Radio Bra, with concept by Griff and Lee Mirabal and execution courtesy of Bev (video-town and familynitemovies). Done once again on a basic black bra, it features a volume knob on one cup tip and a speaker on the other, with an antenna stretching up the back, and it's further adorned with the eBay Radio cariacture of Griff plus the eBay Radio logo. Strategically placed black sequins and ball fringe complete the look. It's been signed by Griff and Lee since this photo was taken.

Two other Bling My Bra creations that are marginally eBayanic also deserve mention here. One is the Support Our Troops Bra, an all-American red-white-and-blue, stars-and-stripes number that includes pinwheels on the tip of each cup and a signature by eBay CEO John Donahoe. It's been won once already and is being re-auctioned by the winner, video-town. Also thanks to video-town is the Funny Farm Bra, which brings to crafted life the 1988 Chevy Chase movie in which eBay's own Jim "Griff" Griffith was an extra. It features a portrait of Griff swinging between the cups.

The penultimate eBay bra is the eBay Warm Fuzzies Bra by monjott (crafted by my husband, Jon Mott). eBay Warm Fuzzies are colorful little pompoms in all four eBay colors, pink, and purple with googly eyes and sticky feet that have attached ribbons bearing various eBay affirmations: "You're a great eBayer." "You have a cool User ID!" "Thanks for the eBay tip!" "It was nice to meet you at eBay Live! 2006." "You're A++++++++++++++" and "Thanks for being part of the eBay community!" They were handed out to deserving eBayers by eBay staff members at eBay Live! 2006 in Las Vegas. It just so happened that when I applied that year for my Press credentials as a Contributing Editor to eBay Radio, I was given staff credentials instead. So I got to work the show! I gave away all my Warm Fuzzies, but I bought an extra bagful on eBay from another eBay Live! 2006 staff member, and they were perfect for creating this bra. It's signed and dated and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.

And last on the list of Bling My Bra items keeping you abreast of the latest in eBay lingerie fashions: the eBra, created by my ownself, eBetsy. It is made from silk rose petals in all four eBay colors, which I found in the eBayana category at eBay Germany (ebay.de). What caught my eye in the title were the words "eBay-Farben" ("eBay Colors"); I knew what those words meant, and I used a translator and the auction pictures to figure out the rest. Each dainty real silk rose petal is hand glued, painstakingly and with love, to create the eBra. The iron-on eBay patches on each cup tip (which actually are hand-sewn on) were purchased from the eBay-ana category at ebay.com. They're available from several different sellers at a variety of prices (so compare before you buy) and also come in a PowerSeller style with the PowerSeller icon. The eBay eBra by eBetsy is signed and dated and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.

EBAYANA  PAJAMAS

What could be cozier on a chilly night than some snuggly warm eBay PJs? They're not quite lingerie, but the PowerSeller negligee — er — nightshirt could be, so I'm including these navy blue and white checked flannel pajamas from eBay Canada too. They have the full-color ebay.ca logo embroidered on the front pocket of the shirt and Baywinkle (eBay Canada's friendly moose icon) embroidered on the back pants pocket.