The first time I met someone who was making a living on eBay, I naively asked them how they were able to compete with all of the other sellers out there without offering absolute rock-bottom (and margin-killing) prices. I assumed that almost all eBay auctions were similar and that the only way "to break a tie" between sellers was to have good feedback and the best price. I was quickly informed that there was a lot more to eBay success than being the cheapest seller.

Things like the quality of the listing's photos, the information provided and the skill of the copywriter who penned the listing all make a huge difference when it comes to selling on eBay. A great price is certainly helpful, but it isn't the "be all end all" of auction success.

That lesson was hammered home as I began to experiment with eBay and made a point to pay close attention to what was working and what was falling flat. I soon realized just how important positioning and good old-fashioned marketing can be. Nothing made that more clear than what are sometimes called "sideshow" auctions.

There are two different kinds of sideshow auctions. There are the tongue-in-cheek auctions that may or may not even offer a product of real value. They're primarily done as a joke without much concern for actual eventual earnings. Then, there are the sideshow auctions that make sellers a fortune. They utilize savvy marketing tactics to gain widespread attention and notoriety. They also get mobs of bidders.

One guy is selling an empty Dunkin' Donuts. He ordered a drink, didn't like it and dumped it. Bids have crossed the two thousand dollar plateau. He knows how to run a sideshow! Your probably familiar with other semi-famous eBay auctions that used a creative spark to send bids through the roof. There are hundreds of them and the ones that are being done correctly are raking in the big bucks.

You don't have to be P.T. Barnum to run a highly successful eBay auction. A little knowledge of how to run a good sideshow, however, is helpful if you want to make more on eBay. If you can combine a bright idea with a solid understanding of what makes the buying public "click," you might be able to transform a run-of-the-mill item into a stack of cash!

You do need to be entertaining, but it takes more than that. You also need to understand the "mechanics" of managing one of these crazy and popular auctions. You need to know how to find the real pulse of eBay, how to refine and present your core idea and more if you want to make more on eBay using this strategy.

You can learn by watching other wild auctions and emulating the techniques you see there. This route will eventually get you to your moneymaking destination if you are a keen observer. Others think it makes more sense to learn from the folks who've "been there and done that." A number of helpful online resources are available to help you make more on eBay using the powerful "sideshow strategy."

Hey, you can always list those used golf clubs in the garage with a boring "nuts and bolts" description and a few good photos. You might make a few bucks if you get lucky. You can try to make more on eBay by dropping your prices and hoping for increased volume. You might even decide that the road to riches is paved by drop shippers. Then again, you might be better of figuring out whey people can pull in a few grand off of a lousy cup from a doughnut joint!

Even if you don't try to outdo the wackiest and wildest auctions out there, you can still adapt many of the sideshow strategies to your own listings. The end result should be more attention, more interest, more bids and more money. If you want to make more on eBay (and who doesn't), learning the ropes of managing your own virtual sideshow makes perfect sense!