Category: Strategies and Tips

I have been shopping on DealDash.com since Feb. 8, 2012, and I started thinking about some of the most common mistakes I still make while shopping.  

You would think with all of my shopping experience I would no longer repeat any of the same shopping mistakes, but I do. It’s not just a matter of knowing what to do and what not to do. Regardless of how much shopping experience we  have, we must be at the top of our game and never allow our mind to wander for even a few seconds. Perhaps keeping a list on hand could serve as a constant reminder. Here are some shopping lessons I’ve learned.

Not giving yourself time to think

What do I mean by this? I cannot count how many times I opened an auction and my instincts told me at first glance that I could probably win it. However, instead of immediately placing some bids in the auction, I find myself just glancing at it on my computer screen while I’m trying to make up my mind if I should place some bids on it or not, and if so, how many. Suddenly, the auction closes right before my eyes and then it’s too late. Did that ever happen to you?  
Lesson Learned: Before deciding how many bids I should place, I should immediately place enough  bids in the auction to give myself some thinking time. If I always did that I would definitely win more auctions.

Not shopping on holidays

Did you know that one of the best times to win awesome bargains is on holidays? When DealDash shoppers are offline because they are busy celebrating holidays with family and friends, we might have less competition. 
Lesson Learned: Holidays appear to be one of the best times to shop with a winning edge.

Failure to return

Did you ever place bids in an auction on DealDash.com with the intention of returning but forgot? I’m a busy person and I often multi-task. Many times I start shopping in an auction but get distracted by something else – a phone call, a doorbell, baking, cooking or TV. I could have won more auctions if I remembered to return to the bidding in time to add more bids. Instead, I must hold a record for coming in as first runner-up to the winner. 

Lesson Learned: When shopping on DealDash we must stay focused and not allow other distractions to take us away. If we have to leave to do something else, we should first place enough bids in the auction to win it.

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.

Most of the auctions on DealDash.com have various icons in the upper left corner. Did you see the red circle with two arrows inside? If you click on that icon a note will pop up saying, “The winner of this auction cannot exchange the item for bids.”

It’s important that all DealDash shoppers pay attention to these icons so we know what to expect. Some shoppers place bids in an auction with the specific intention of exchanging the auction product for bids. In that case, those shoppers would not want to place bids that has been designated with a red icon that does not provide that option. 

Let’s take a look at some of the auction products listed on DealDash (as of this writing) that we cannot exchange for bids.

Hand-Blown Blue Glass Vase

A beautiful hand-blown blue glass vase with the dimensions of 9.45 inches by 6.89 inches by 15.16 inches has a BIN of 200. This vase has the icon letting shoppers know it cannot be exchanged for bids. Shoppers who do not want it should not place any bids on it. That’s okay because plenty of other DealDash shoppers absolutely love it. 

The 186 previous winners of this vase gave it an overall rating of 4.92 out of a possible 5.0 and one of them commented that she can hardly wait for her 30 days to be up so she can try to win another one.

Zodiac Gemstone Necklace

Wow! This Zodiac Gemstone Necklace with a large BIN of $1,459 might draw the attention of shoppers who are looking for an easy way to win a large number of bids. Sorry, but look again. The icon shows this item cannot be exchanged for bids, either. The Zodiac chains are 9.25 silver with 18K white gold plating and the gemstones are Moissanite – a diamond alternative that looks even more lustrous to the naked eye.Perhaps that’s why one previous winner was able to win such a good bargain. On April 27, this necklace sold at $1.32 and the winner paid a total of only $11.32 including the cost of the 50 bids placed. 

It’s a good idea to pay attention to the specific Zodiac sign that is being represented in the auction. If we are shopping for a Pisces, we would not want to place bids on a necklace for a Cancer. We might also want to check to see what previous winners have to say about it. If three or more previous winners say the necklace is “pretty but small” or “wish the chain were longer” we should believe them. For more detail, see the auction description.

Unique Stoneware Set

This unique stoneware set of two with a BIN of $125 is also designated as a “No exchange auction.” This set can be used in multiple ways. We can use them as display items, vases or planters. They each have a sculpted image of a face. 

The dimensions of this stoneware set are not provided in the auction description, but several of the previous 135 winners describe them as “smaller than expected, but cute.”

The Bottom Line

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.

Spring is here and warmer weather is around the corner. 

Therefore, this might be the perfect time to shop for items that we might need for our outdoor camping  adventures.

I see several auctions on DealDash.com that would fit the bill so we are shopping in the right place. How about a pair of women’s hiking boots and a mobile generator?  Best of all, we have the opportunity to win these items at a huge discount. I’m sure that would really “make our day.” 

Let’s take a close look at these auctions.

Women’s Outdoor Hiking Boots

The Women’s Outdoor Hiking Boots with a BIN of $320 caught my attention when they came up for auction in my size. I live in the beautiful state of Washington and we have awesome hiking trails all over the place here, especially in the Mount Rainier area. If you love to go hiking like me, it’s important to have a comfortable pair of hiking boots. 

One of the first things I do when I see an auction product like this is to look at what all of the previous winners have to say about it. Based on 40 reviews, these hiking boots received an overall rating of 4.93 out of a possible 5.0 which is very good. All of the customer comments were positive. One comment I particularly liked was, “My feet are picky! Somehow tho these boots seem as if they were made for me! They look good and they feel good. What more can a couple of feet ask for?”

These sturdy, water-resistant boots come in various sizes and two colors – beige and gray. According to the DealDash description, they feature a thick sole, strong tread base, optimal ankle support and has rope laces and a side zipper. If we need a pair of good hiking boots like these, we better shop for them  now because only 10 units are left before DealDash will be out of stock. Many DealDash customers have already won awesome deals.

Portable Generator

This RV-ready Portable Generator also caught my attention, especially since it has a remote start and comes with a wireless Remote Key Fob so it can “start and stop with ease from up to 80 feet away …” even in cold weather. It also includes Engine Oil, Oil Funnel and Wheel Kit and has 4375 starting watts and 3500 running watts that provides as much as 14 hours of run time on a full tank of gasoline. Therefore, it not only is reliable and powerful, but it has a noise level of 68 DBA from 23 feet.

The Covered Outlets are another great feature: 120V 30A locking, 120V 30A RV and two 120V 20A outlets and Volt Guard built-in surge protector prevents overloads and keeps appliances and equipment safe

Perhaps most important is that this Portable Generator with a BIN of $520 “includes a 3-year limited warranty with free lifetime technical support from dedicated experts.” 

Whether we win it or BIN it, this generator would allow any family or group of friends to go camping in comfort. 

The bottom line

It’s a good idea to log in to DealDash and look for more outdoor adventure items that could help us  experience the best summer we ever had.

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.

DealDash.com is now featuring Inventory Liquidation Week and this could be one of the best times to shop to get some awesome deals.

The first products we should shop for are the auctions marked for liquidation with black and yellow bars. This means these items will soon be eliminated and this week might be our last opportunity to shop for them. 

Therefore, let’s take a look at some of the liquidation auctions that might soon run out of stock.

Full-sized luxury sheet set

A full-sized luxury 4-piece microfiber sheet set with a BIN of $129 just sold at 11 cents and the winner paid a total of only 65 cents, including the cost of the 3 bids used to get it. 

These sheets received 25 customer reviews and earned an overall rating of 4.96 out of a possible 5.0. Most of the winners wrote comments about the high-quality and soft feel. What a bargain for quality sheets. Other outstanding deals DealDash customers received were:

• April 13, this 4-piece set of full-sized sheets sold at 3 cents and the winner paid a total of 43 cents including the cost of the 2 bids used;
• April 7, this auction sold at 11 cents and the winner paid a total of $1.25 including the cost of the 6 bids used; and 
• April 16, this 4-piece full-sized sheet set sold at 39 cents and the winner paid a total of $2.59 including the cost of  the 11 bids placed.

It’s important to note that this is a “no-exchange” auction. That means the winner of this auction did not have the option to exchange it for bids. 

Food dehydrator

Oh, no, this food dehydrator with a BIN of $310 is part of this week’s inventory liquidation, too.  I’ve always wanted to have one because I have a couple fruit trees so it sure would come in handy. I guess this means it’s now or never. The good news is that it’s not yet too late for for us to have an opportunity to win this food dehydrator. It will be coming up for auction several more times this week, so I’ll see you there.

Based on 206 reviews so far, past winners have given this food dehydrator an overall rating of 4.87 out of a possible 5.0 and it it appears from the comments that previous winners just love it!

Several DealDash customers have won some awesome deals, too. So far, some of the best deals previous winners received are:

• April 11, this food dehydrator sold at $2.34 and the winner paid a total of $7.54 including the cost of the 26 bids used and
• April 12, this food dehydrator sold at $3.19 and the winner paid a total of $8.39 including the cost of the 34 bids placed.

By using a food dehydrator like this we will always be able to have plenty of  healthy foods available for our lunches, back-packing trips and late-night snacks. Instead of eating cookies and chips, we can lose weight and feel good by making our own meat jerky, crisp veggies like zucchini and dehydrated fruits like bananas, apples, strawberries and pineapple.

The bottom line

It’s a good idea to check out all of the inventory liquidation auctions this week so we do not miss out on any of the products that we really want to have. Happy shopping everyone!

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.