Tips of the Trade
8 Reasons To Bid Your Way Through The Holidays
‘Tis the season to be jolly, even when you’re braving the Black Friday cashier line or stuck in stop-and-go traffic on the pilgrimage to many a-family gathering – gifts, kids, and casseroles in tow. For many, the holidays are not all carols, cards, and cookies. It can feel like a downright marathon (in a puffer jacket, no less)! That’s why we’ve compiled a list of reasons why you should keep bidding while you bid good tidings – be it alone in line for the bathroom at the office soirée, or with the whole family in footed pajamas under the tree.
1. You can ensure you get a present this year you actually want.
Maybe you didn’t make the Nice List. Or maybe you overslept and missed the appliance and power tool doorbuster deals, or you didn’t drop enough 24 karat/carat hints to your Secret Santa. Whatever the case, bidding on a handful of things you’d actually like, love or use is a great way to make sure your Christmas morning isn’t clouded with disappointment – or worse – a lumpy stocking full of coal.
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Alfio Grasso Oil Painting of Seated Nude "Sunset," 1970
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Eastlake Style Birdseye Maple and Single Drawer Desk, Late 19th Century
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
14K 0.38 CT Diamond Solitaire Necklace
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
18K Cyma Quartz Wristwatch
2. Pine needles. They are sharp and they are everywhere.
And hey, you don’t look busy, so it might be a good idea to open your laptop elsewhere to avoid being tasked with gathering the billion scattered shards of the tree with little more than your bare hands and Grandma’s ancient cordless Dustbuster. You can say you’re waiting for the battery to charge. (But really you’re just bidding on some fancy, fine and needle-less faux firs.)
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
José M. Lima Floral Still Life Oil Painting, 2023
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Oil Painting of Madonna and Child, 21st Century
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
William Shatner Signed "Star Trek" Print
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Dave Fetty for Fenton "Hanging Hearts" Limited Edition Art Glass Vases, 1975
3. Not everyone understands or loves football.
Don’t feel left out, get in the competitive spirit and start placing bids while the rest of the fam is placing bets on the game. And then just yell at the television or cheer when everyone else does.
EBTH Columbus - Hilliard
Waterford "Prentiss" Crystal Candlesticks With Rectangular Waterford Clock
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Czech Barolac Style Frosted Glass Vase with Cherub and Grapes Motif
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
P. Fioritto Floral Oil Painting, 2012
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Christian Dior Navy Trotter Jacquard Zip Pouch
4. Bidding burns calories.
When it comes to fighting the post-holiday meal bulge, old-fashioned exercise is probably your best bet. However, if you aren’t arm’s reach from an elliptical machine, know that a mouse click burns approximately 1.42 calories. A finger tap on the smartphone is only slightly less. So, depending on how heated the auction gets for that hot little handbag, you could potentially fit in a workout from wherever you’re bidding.
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Walter Stomps Abstract Geometric Acrylic Painting "Galactic Border No. 1"
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Mike Trout, Nolan Ryan, and More Graded Baseball Cards, 1990s-2010s
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Farmside Amish Parcel-Ebonized and Elm Queen Bed Frame
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Francine Wrap Shirt in Leather and Paolo Santini Leather Shirt with Siena Skirt
5. The family that bids together…
Whether you’re bidding together or against each other, it will definitely be a fun alternative to the annual argument over whose turn it is to wash the post-turkey dishes, cutlery and serveware.
EBTH Columbus - Hilliard
Don Hatfield Serigraph "The Sailboat," Late 20th Century
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Death NYC Pop Art Graphic Print of Mickey Mouse, 2022
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Albert duVannes Tonalist Landscape Oil Painting, Early 20th Century
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
Wooded Landscape Oil Painting of Pond
6. You forgot to get someone a gift.
Or your brother brought his on-again-off-again significant other to dinner and, hooray, she brought you a present. Say you need to get more wine from the kitchen, scrawl out a card explaining her gift is in the mail, and clandestinely bid on a trinket she’ll love. Awkward crisis averted.
7. There’s a lot of waiting around.
Tick tock. Watching the clock while the oven preheats, waiting in line at the store, or just waiting for Santa to come down the chimney – bidding is a good way to keep idle hands productive during the season.
8. Get a head start on next year’s gifting!
While you’re opening presents, take notes on what the hits and misses are and get your bids going for next year. Is Great Aunt Claire eyeing that crystal brooch you gave your mom? Would a vintage decanter look slick on Cousin Julie’s new bar cart? Could Dad use a new turntable to play the Beatles stereo vinyl box set you got him this year? One thing’s for sure, when the holidays roll back around next time, you’ll be glad you bid.