The Shure 55S and related models are the microphones most often associated with Elvis. These were rugged good quality PA mics that were widely used throughout the fifties and well beyond. You can find countless photos of Elvis using this mic, including the famous postage stamp. It is commonly known among microphone collectors as the Elvis mic. So what could possibly be wrong with calling this item an “Elvis Microphone” in an auction title? Nothing, right…..? Wrong! Ebay calls it keyword spamming. They will very likely end the auction and accuse the seller of trying to lure poor unsuspecting potential bidders to their listings just by using that dreaded E word.

Let’s do an experiment:

Type in “Elvis” for a search keyword. The results will be over 10,000 items. A listing titled “Elvis microphone” will obviously be lost in that crowd and it will trap no one. Now type in “Elvis microphone”. The search results gave me 28 items. A very reasonable number that is easy to search through. If I were a buyer searching for an Elvis mic and I didn’t know the model number, how could I possibly find it if Ebay won’t let a seller accurately describe it as it is? Now let’s type in “Elvis sunglasses”. The results come back as 186 items for auction listings plus 298 more for Ebay Express. Few, if any, officially licensed or  actually worn by Mr. Presley. You will find terms such as “Elvis Kill Bill“, “Pimp Elvis“, and even one listing titled “Jackass Aviator Johnny Knoxville Elvis Sunglasses Retro”. That, my friend, is keyword spamming. 

Recently the Ebay gods have been on a rampage, striking down listings that dare to call an Elvis microphone by it’s commonly known name. They don’t stop all auctions. Many seem to slip through during coffee and doughnut time. Ebay say‘s you can use “Elvis“ in the sub-title, but not the title. That sounds like a cheap trick to squeeze an extra 50 cents out of sellers, but I guess they need the money, and nit-picking over words is much easier than trying to stop the actual fraud so prevalent on Ebay. Not wishing to offend these vigilant protectors of the downtrodden and exploited Ebay masses, I will no longer refer to an Elvis mic as being an Elvis mic in my auction titles.