Alliances celebrate Christmas for eBay

HONG KONG Cars starting at HK$1 (about 12 US cents) each are the focal point of eBay Hong Kong's Christmas push, which sees the online auction site join forces with Richburg Motors and Nokia.

The first 10 cars were due to go up for auction on November 27, with the first person to buy a car in the promotion set to receive two Nokia N73 mobile phones. Also, eBay users can also play an online game to win more than $100,000 of prizes and a Mitsubishi I, worth $150,000. Meanwhile, members who use a Nokia mobile phone to bid on any of the cars go into the draw to win a $5,000 cash coupon.

The promotion coincides with eBay Hong Kong's third anniversary this month.

Despite stiff competition from Alibaba's Taobao in China, eBay has a very active base in Hong Kong. "Nearly 12,000 people in Hong Kong rely on eBay for their income," said Benjamin Grubbs, eBay Hong Kong's marketing manager.