Strategies and Tips Archives - Page 445 of 450

February 3, 2014

DealDash's No Jumper Auctions Explained!

Lam29, a bidder on DealDash, doesn’t like jumpers… Doesn’t like jumpers so much that whenever one of these ‘pesky’ bidders “jumps” in Lam29 gets right out and stops bidding…

“Bid Jumpers are the worst. If I recognize someone as a jumper I get out of the auction and don’t go back. Bids cost money and bidding is addicting!”
We know that no one likes jumpers, right? Well, unless you’re a jumper? But don’t the jumpers get annoyed by other “jumpers?”
And what’s a jumper anyway?
Jumpers are bidders who wait until an auction has been going for quite some time, with a lot of bids being used up by other bidders who have been in the auction longer than they have, in fact jumpers will wait until hours later to even place their first bid in a penny auction. What’s good is DealDash understands the “jumper” frustration and has been one of the first penny auction sites to introduce “No Jumper Auctions.”
How do No Jumper Auctions Work?

No Jumper™ auctions is a new type of auction that makes winning easier. The big difference between No Jumper™ auctions and normal auctions is that new bidders can’t enter the auction after $5.00. This means you won’t have to compete with users that didn’t bid in the auction from the start, before the price reached $5.00.

All of the penny auctions on DealDash.com are now classified as “No Jumper” auctions. What this means for the bidder is that no new bidders can enter “late in the game” – after the auction end price has hit $5.00. So, in order to bid and participate, you must place a bid soon after an auction has begun. As you will see by looking at the homepage, most all of the active auctions have yellow banners plastered over them stating that “No New Bidders” can enter the auction.
So, back to Lam29’s feedback – eventhough DealDash has a $5.00 threshold limiting all new bidders, their “no jumper” policy doesn’t limit anyone from waiting until bidders have spent bids and entering before $5.00.
On the other hand, DealDash users Mrs. Rutkowski shares,
” The bid jumper is a smart bidder if you ask me Its their money and their bids to use how ever they see fit
Its all part of a strategy in most cases but some times newbies do it not knowing how it all works
New comers should study these auctions and learn before jumping rite in and just clicking away
I like to jump other bidders because a lot of the time it will confuse and aggravate the other bidders giving me the upper hand. (SOMETIMES)
Happy Bidding”
Notice how Mrs. Rutkowski says she likes to bid over, “jump” other bidders because it confuses others and gives her an advantage.
Jumping is a bidding strategy, whether other bidders like it or not.
What’s your opinion of “bid jumpers?”

January 28, 2014

Secret Strategies Of A Bid Jumper

Ok, so you get frustrated, red in the face and just downright angry when a bidder comes in “late in the game” and outbids you. These bidders have been coined “bid jumpers” by penny auction users, but what if jumpers had it all right and you were just bidding wrong?
Jumping is definitely a form of strategy for some penny auction bidders.
In defence of bid jumpers…
1. Bid Jumpers conserve their bids.
Think about this: If you begin bidding as soon as the auction starts and continue to bid for a few hours, just because you got in the first, or one of the first bids does not mean you will win or are entitled to win. Anyone can place a bid at any time. Except: Since DealDash understands that bidders do not like late entry “jumpers” all bidders must place a bid before the item hits $5.00, all new bidders after the $5.00 mark will not be allowed to place a bid.
2. Bid Jumpers pay attention.
Bid jumpers “sit in the weeds,” and pay attention to the auction. They research their opponents, they watch their bidding patterns, and they only place bids when the auction has been running for quite some time, or when they think bid buddies have run out of bids.

3. Bid Jumpers often annoy and confuse other bidders, therefore causing them to win more often.
Think of it this way. If a bidder “jumps” in enough while the same, say two bidders, have been bidding against one other it may confuse one or both of the two causing the new “jumper” bidder to win. Not always, but this is a possibility.
Still don’t like jumpers? Check out DealDash’s No Jumper Auctions.
How do No Jumper auctions work?
“When the price of an auction hits $5.00 (500 bids), all new bidders are blocked from entering the auction. This means less bidders and auctions that are easier to win. This is only on DealDash.com.
What do you think about bid jumpers? Do you jump in later?

January 26, 2014

DealDash Features Explained: Avatars and Statuses

Did you know that you can personalize your DealDash bidding experience?
DealDash allows all bidders the opportunity to add more personal flair to their bidding experience with features such as avatars and status updates.
How do you select an avatar on DealDash? By going to the personal profile page which is found under the bidder dashboard you can put in a status update message to share with other bidders. Each time you place a bid your status will be displayed and it will also be displayed when hovering over all bidders in the “all bidders in this auction box.” The “all bidders in this auction” area is helpful because it tells you when a bidder’s first bid was placed. Note the rules, though state to not intimidate others with your status, but some do use this option as a part of their strategy.
Once you’re on the bidder profile page you can set your status. Note the rules:
“Maximum of 250 characters. (0/250 used) Please don’t try to intimidate others or post misleading content, bid count, links, emails, etc. Thank you!”
https://www.dealdash.com/dashboard-public-profile

Now you know how to set an avatar an status, just another great way to add more to the bidding fun on DealDash.com!
What’s your opinion of status updates and avatars?

January 25, 2014

The Number 1 Mistake New Bidders Make: Not Understanding How Penny Auctions Work

Then crying “scam” anyway…
Ok, so these may seem pretty simple to some of you who have been bidding and winning penny auctions for quite some time, however many of you may be making the biggest mistake when diving in and trying penny auctions for the first time
The number one problem bidders have when it comes to penny auctions is not understanding how penny auctions work.
Penny auctions are online auction/alternative e-commerce websites that allow consumers a chance to win popular consumer electronics, household gadgets and gear, gift cards and other desirable items at a discount. But in order to get a discount bidders must take heed and learn how penny auctions work and mistakes that cause many bidders to lose a lot of money.
Unlike the traditional auction such as eBay, where bidders register and receive a bidding name, place a bid and if they’re the highest bid when the time runs out wins, wins. In penny auctions, bidders purchase bid packages ahead of an auction (or if skillful – refill in the midst of bidding). Bid packs, depending on the site, can range from a few set packages to sites that allow bidders to customize their bidding experience by specifying a set number of bids.

On DealDash bids range in packages and are currently $0.20 a piece. Bids on DealDash are currently, as of today, January 25th, 2014 sold in the following bid pack amounts 180 for $32.40, 400 for $72, 800 for $144, 1500 for $270, 2500 for $450To purchase bids bidders select the amount of bids desired and can use either PayPal or a credit card, depending on the penny auction site. Again, no bidding is not free on penny auctions, this is where the penny auction greatly differs from the standard online auction model. So once you have purchased your bid pack you need to know how to bid and how the timer works.

Unlike eBay, where the timer counts down, and the bidder who has bid the highest when the time runs out, penny auctions have timers that count down, BUT – and this is what you must understand If you want to dive into penny auctions: The auction clock may show 10 seconds left, but time will be added, or reset (depending on the site) with each new bid placed. So really, when is 10 seconds left not really 10 seconds left? Any time a bidder places a bid in an actively counting down auction. Not only does the timer increase, or reset with each new bid, the “auction price” increases by $0.01 (hence the name penny auction) with each bid placed.
I’m sure by now, if you’re reading this you’ll have seen the penny auction ads and ending auctions stating end prices for items from anywhere to $0.01 to $100 and beyond. This is what you MUST understand – a penny auction that ended for $45.99, really took in 4,599 bids from all participating bidders.
So let’s back up… A penny auction is an online auction site with a twist. Bidders pay for a chance to win, with each bid placed money is being spent and there is only one winner per auction, so money spent in bids could be “wasted” when you’re not a winner,
So in actuality, when a site advertises items that end of $45.99, the bidder may have “won” the item for the end price of $45.99, but this is in addition to any purchased bids. Say biddertommy won the item, let’s say it was a brand new MacBook pro – awesome deal right?, a MacBook pro retails for $X, well, biddertommy was bidding against just a few other bidders, and he really wanted to win, so he bid a lot… in fact, he placed 998 bids and had to open up another browser window to keep reloading his bid count by purchasing new bidpacks throughout the duration of the auction.
Bids on the penny auction site he was bidding on, were $0.75 a piece (not an uncommon bid price) so biddertommy spent $748.50, plus the auction cost (remember: this price was a result of a culmination of all bids placed by all participating bidders) of $45.99 + any shipping costs if applicable. So when you see that the new MacBook ended for $45.99 and think wow, tommy got an amazing deal – now you’ll know how penny auctions really work. Remember, bids on DealDash are often discounted, with current prices at $0.20 a piece.
Tommy spent $794.49, which still a great discount off of the retail say a MacBook valued at $1,300 but really not the huge final end price savings that you presumed he got based on only looking at the end price.
#1 thing you can learn from this – there are definitely deals to be had on penny auctions, but if you do not win an item for $19 or an iPad at 90% remember – the % off retail and savings price is in most cases a reflection of the final end prices.
Try DealDash.com and let us know what you win!