I’ve been shopping on DealDash.com for more than 10 years and many people ask me how to win auctions. That’s not an easy question to answer.
Strategies that work for some shoppers might not work for others because there are many variables that can make a difference between winning and losing. For example, the day of the week and the time of the day we choose to shop can make a difference. We each develop some winning strategies over time based largely on our own shopping experiences. Nonetheless, I am willing to share “My Five Winning Rules” that should help everyone to shop more wisely.
Rule # 1
Before placing a single bid in any of the auctions, scroll to the bottom of the home page and read all the information under the word “Help.” This is especially important for all new shoppers.
Rule #2
Do not place single bids from the home page. Instead, click on the auction you would like to win. A new window will open so you can see what’s happening. That’s where you will find the automated bidder, BidBuddy. Always place your bids into BidBuddy and allow it to do your bidding for you. You can place as many bids there as you like and add more bids as often as you like as long as you have enough bids left in your account. You can also easily delete bids whenever you want with a click of a button.
Whenever you delete bids you placed into BidBuddy, they will automatically go back into your account. If you place 100 bids into BidBuddy and you win the auction after using only 40 bids, the extra 60 bids will automatically go back into your account so you can use them in another auction.
Rule #3
Know your competition and never bid in the same auction with a power bidder who has an endless supply of bids and never stops. I have a list of about 100 screen names that I will never shop with in the same auction. If I already placed bids in an auction and one of the power bidder screen names show up, I immediately delete my bids (even though I was there first) and I look for a different auction with less competition. I seldom bid in an auction that has more than 30 qualified bidders.
If you are a new shopper, how do you know who the power bidders are that you should probably avoid competing with in the same auction (especially if you only have a limited number of bids)? You can quickly make your own list of power bidders. First, click on “Winners” at the top of the Home Page. A list of “Featured Winners” will pop up highlighting the shoppers who recently won the best deals. Click on “Show All Winners.” Scroll down and write down all of the screen names you see that won three or more auctions. Anyone who won three or more auctions on the same day are most likely power bidders that you probably would not want to compete with in the same auction.
You can also click on several auctions and look at the screen names that won the auction in the last 30 days. If you see the same screen name in several different auctions, write those screen names down, too. Now you will already have a good start on your list of power bidders who consistently win the most auctions. As you are shopping, you might discover more fierce competitors to add to your list of power bidders to avoid.
Rule #4
Pay attention to the “No New Bidders” lock out status and place your first bid in the auction before it reaches the designated amount. Usually, all new bidders are locked out after the auction reaches $5.00. However, DealDash has a fairly new feature where all new bidders are sometimes locked out at various designated amounts before the auction reaches $5.00. All new bidders might be locked out at $3.00 or less. If you do not place your first bid in time you will not be allowed to compete in the auction.
Rule #5
Before placing bids in an auction, go to the top left of the Home Page and do a search for bid packs. Click on each of the bid packs that have recently sold and write down the screen name of the last winner. When checking who won the largest bid packs it is a good idea to write down the last two or three winning screen names. We probably would not want to compete with anyone who recently won a large bid pack because that shopper would most likely be able to outbid us.
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.