Author: DealDash community

Regular DealDash.com shoppers most likely noticed the same auction products are offered in different sizes. For example, the men’s leather shoes come in a variety of sizes. 

What does size have to do with winning auctions? I once analyzed ring sizes and learned the smallest sized rings were easier to win than the larger sized rings, probably because most American women are bigger boned and have a much larger ring size than many women in other countries. When we win an auction (unless otherwise specified)  we are given a choice to keep the item won and pay the selling price or exchange our win for free bids. If the product we win has a BIN of $800 we would most likely get the opportunity to get 800 free bids instead in exchange for the item. That means we do not have to shop for the right size if we can exchange the win for bids.       

Some auction products could be easier to win simply based on size or color, so it might be worth looking at. Therefore, I decided to look at the men’s black and brown leather shoes.

Men’s leather dress shoes

The men’s leather dress shoes go up for auction in sizes 8, 9,  10, 11 and 12.  I only looked at the two best deals won in each Size. I left out a few sizes if I could not find enough data or the data was too old.

In Black (Sizes 8, 9, 11)

• Dec. 26, Size 8 sold at $1.14 and the winner paid a total of $4.88 including the cost of the 23 bids placed;
• Dec. 28, Size 8 sold at $5.18 and the winner paid a total of $13.89 including the cost of the 63 bids placed;
• Dec. 25, Size 9 sold at 22 cents and the winner paid a total of $1.02 including the cost of the 5 bids placed;
• Jan. 1, Size  9 sold at $1.97 and the winner paid a total of $7.40 including the cost of the 36 bids placed;
• Dec. 23, Size 11 sold at 6 cents and the winner paid a total of 26 cents including the cost of the 1 bid placed.
• Dec. 31, Size 11 sold at 16 cents and the winner paid a total of 64 cents including the cost of the 3 bids placed.

In Brown (Sizes 9, 10, 12)

• Jan. 6, Size 9 sold at 94 cents and the winner paid a total of $5.94 including the cost of the 25 bids placed;
• Jan. 6, Size 9 sold at $2.00 and the winner paid a total of $14.80 including the cost of the 64 bids placed;
• Dec. 31, Size 10 sold at 28 cents and the winner paid a total of $1.07 including the cost of the 5 bids placed;
• Dec. 31, Size 10 sold at 39 cents and the winner paid a total of $1.10 including the cost of the 5 bids placed;
• Jan. 4, Size 12 sold at 83 cents and the winner paid a total of $2.83 including the cost of the 10 bids placed;
• Dec. 25, Size 12 sold at $1.16 and the winner paid a total of $4.32 including the cost of the 21 bids placed.

You might want to know what I learned from the above data. Me, too. I have not yet figured it out, but after looking it over I can come to a few conclusions:

1. The best deals DealDash shoppers won in the men’s black leather shoes were in Size 11;
2. The best deals DealDash shoppers won in the men’s brown leather shoes were in Size 10;
3. DealDash shoppers won great deals in all sizes of the men’s leather shoes;
4. DealDash shoppers won the best deals when shopping for the brown leather men’s shoes over the black. The difference is very insignificant, however, it might indicate shoppers prefer to shop for the black men’s shoes over the brown.

Of course, there are a lot of different ways to look at and calculate data, and I only used data from the best deals won in each Size. If I were to take data from the last 10 winners in each Size instead of only using the best deals won,  I might have come up with different conclusions. 

This sponsored blog post was submitted by: Barbara L. Sellers. Barbara was compensated by DealDash for this blog post. Blog posts are written by real DealDash customers. The opinions and advice here represent our customers’ views and not those of the company.

Is our win truly a win or would we be better off using BIN? 

That is the question we should all ask ourselves whenever we shop on DealDash.com. 

Sometimes we would be much better off if we simply purchase the product to get all our bids back free to use in another auction. Therefore, I decided to write this blog about how to better understand how the BIN option works so more shoppers can learn to use it wisely.

When the Buy It Now (BIN) is a great choice

Before we start shopping on DealDash  we should make a shopping list of all of the items we need or want and plan to buy in the near future. Then look to see if we can find any of the items on our shopping list that are now up for auction or will soon go up for auction. If the products we want are listed for upcoming auctions but are not yet scheduled, we can press the “Alert Me” button to be notified when these auctions will go active.

Next, we should take a note of the BIN price listed with the auction. When shopping for the items we need, we should never continue bidding over the BIN price listed. If we do not win the auction by the time it reaches the BIN price, we should stop bidding, purchase the item, and get all our bids back free to use in another auction. 

This may seem straightforward, but some shoppers might not understand how the BIN option works or how to make it work for them. I hope this explanation helps more DealDash shoppers know how to “win using BIN.” 

That, my dear fellow shoppers, is how we keep the bargain in the win. 

This sponsored blog post was submitted by: Barbara L. Sellers. Barbara was compensated by DealDash for this blog post. Blog posts are written by real DealDash customers. The opinions and advice here represent our customers’ views and not those of the company.

Did you see all of the candles and candle holders that go up for auction on DealDash.com? 

During the holiday season many church services and fabulous community events included beautiful candle-lighting ceremonies.

For many years, I collected candles and candle holders, so nearly everyone gave me candles and candle holders as gifts under the tree. In fact, my collection got so big I had to ask everyone to stop giving them to me because I no longer had any more space for so many candles and candle holders. Whenever the electricity goes out, I still have plenty of candles for light. 

It’s really nice to have some candles in my house, and you can, too, because DealDash has several candle auctions. Some candle auctions now listed are: 

• Large ceramic candle (set of 2), with a BIN of $96
• Large ceramic candle (set of 4) with a BIN of $192
• Glazed candle-holder (set of 2), with a BIN of $135
• Medium candles (set of 3), with a BIN of $84
• Soy Candle (set of 3), with a BIN of $116

Let’s take a look at the best deals won so far:

• Dec. 28, the large ceramic candle (set of 2) sold at 2 cents and the winner paid a total of 21 cents including the cost of the 1 bid placed;
• Dec. 16, the large ceramic candle (set of 2) sold at 8 cents and the winner paid a total of 68 cents including the cost of the 3 bids placed;
• Dec. 27, the large ceramic candle (set of 4) sold at 1 cent and the winner paid a total of 21 cents including the cost of the 1 bid placed;
• Dec. 27, the medium candles (set of 3) in Asian Pear, Lychee and Cassis, sold at 2 cents and the winner paid a total of 22 cents including the cost of the 2 bids placed;
• Dec. 28, the medium candles (set of 3) in Asian, Pear, Lychee and Cassis, sold at 22 cents and the winner paid $1.05 including the cost of the 5 bids placed. 

A brief history of candles

Little is known about the origin of candles. However, according to my research, the earliest use of candles were attributed to the Ancient Egyptians, who made rush lights or torches by soaking the pithy core of reeds in melted animal fat. But candles were mentioned in Biblical times, too, as early as the tenth century BC. 

The early candles were made of wicks stuck into containers filled with a flammable material. The first dipped candles were made by the Romans from rendered animal fat called tallow. 

It is believed that candles were used as a source of light and to illuminate celebrations from 3,000 to 5,000 years ago. We all know candles provide light, but the significance of candles goes beyond  providing light in the darkness. 

Candle light is also the symbol of holy illumination of the spirit of truth. In fact, candles are often lit in times of death to signify the light in the next world, and candles represent Christ as the light. Lit candles represent Jesus’s light in the world, bringing hope to people living in darkness. Memorial candles are also lit in remembrance, honor and respect for the lives of those who have passed away. They also symbolize the continuation of the life of the deceased in spirit, and serve as a reminder that the memory of our loved ones will live on.

The bottom line

As you can see from the winning deals listed in this blog, DealDash shoppers are still winning some fantastic deals, and you could too. 

This sponsored blog post was submitted by: Barbara L. Sellers. Barbara was compensated by DealDash for this blog post. Blog posts are written by real DealDash customers. The opinions and advice here represent our customers’ views and not those of the company.

Did you ever shop in a combo auction on DealDash.com? 

Combo auctions include more than one product. If we win a combo auction, we win all of the items included in the auction. 

For example, one combo auction active at the time of this writing includes a high-speed blender and a multi-use 8-quart pressure cooker. These are two items every woman ought to have in her kitchen. 

Blender and Pressure Cooker Bundle

This combo auction that includes a blender and pressure cooker has a BIN of $230. So far, based on 83 reviews of these products, this combo auction received an overall rating of 4.89 out of a possible 5.0 which is a very high customer-satisfaction rating.

The professional-performance blender that has 1800 watts at peak power, 26000 RPM, and has 6 stainless-steel blades. It has an easy-to-use blending speed dial with blue LED and can easily crush nuts, frozen fruits and vegetables to make shakes, smoothies and frozen beverages. The BPA-free pitcher holds 68 fluid ounces and has an 8.5 cup capacity.

For more detailed information about the blender see the auction listing.

The 8-quart pressure cooker is large enough for 6 to 8 servings. It’s a 10-in-1 multi-use pressure cooker and, according to the auction description, it “cooks food up to 70 percent faster.” It also “combines the functions of a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, egg cooker, steamer, yogurt maker, cake maker warmer, searing plan and sterilizer.” 

Another great feature is that this pressure cooker has 16 smart preset programs that takes the guesswork out of cooking. Best of all, in my opinion, are the certified safety measures – 10 safety mechanisms, including automatic pressure control, patented lid locking system with photoelectric switch sensor for added safety. 

For more detailed information, see the auction description.

A brief history of pressure cookers

A French-born physicist Denis Papin invented the first pressure cooker in 1679. According to my research, “The cooker heats water to produce very hot steam which forces the temperature inside the pot as high as 266 degrees F (130 degrees C), significantly higher than the maximum heat possible in an ordinary saucepan.”

My parents had 14 children to feed so having a pressure cooker and knowing how to can and preserve food was very important. In the old days, most people used a pressure cooker to prevent food from spoiling and safely preserve food like green beans and sweet corn during the winter months in quart-sized canning jars. Minnesota usually has long, cold and difficult winters. Pressure cookers from those days were rather dangerous. When I was a child in the 1950s to the 1960s my mother often asked me to watch the needle in the safety valve or regulator on top of the pressure cooker lid. If the needle  moved too far into the danger area, it meant it could explode. I never learned how to can food because I thought those old pressure cookers were too dangerous.

Thankfully, today’s pressure cookers have come a long way, and  with all the built in safety features, they no longer pose the same dangers as the old pressure cookers did.

This sponsored blog post was submitted by: Barbara L. Sellers. Barbara was compensated by DealDash for this blog post. Blog posts are written by real DealDash customers. The opinions and advice here represent our customers’ views and not those of the company.