Without commenting one way or another about the ghoulish, exploitative nature of these sales (oops – couldn’t help ourselves!), allow us to share a word or two of advice.

For sellers of this mountaineering memorabilia: if you’re going to try and make a buck out of this, at least get the spelling right! Our hero’s name is Sir Edmund Hillary, okay?

Does it matter? Yes, it does, because most Trade Me buyers use the Search facility to find stuff. They won’t find it if you don’t spell the name right.

Want proof? Read on.

• 8 sellers opted for the spelling ’Edmund Hilary‘. Only 2 of their auctions have attracted bids.
• Another 8 sellers went for ‘Edmond Hillary’. Again, only 2 auctions with bids.
• 219 auctions correctly identify ‘Edmund Hillary’, with 74 auctions collecting bids as a result.

For the more laconic sellers amongst us:

• 11 incorrectly specified ’Sir Edmond‘, resulting in only 1 bid
• 79 correctly, if briefly, named ‘Sir Ed’, luring bids to 31 auctions 
• 190 acknowledged ‘Sir Edmund’, 69 of which drew bidding action.

And the lesson for buyers? If you want to find the best deals, track down the misspellings!

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