A marathon is like a penny auction, with its ups and downs, but once you’ve won one, you can win again! 🙂
Remember – you have to learn how to walk before you can run. These 8 tips will help you out if you are a new bidder on DealDash and don’t know where to begin.
1. Bid Before the Auction is on Lock Down
Meaning when it has a lock on it and it says “No Jumper” (Click here for DealDash’s No Jumper Auctions Explained) the auction has already reached the $3 mark and no new bids will be accepted.
2. Know your competition.
Keep an eye on the auctions on a frequent basis. Get to know your opponents. Look them up on AllPennyAuctions.com. Place your bid in early, watch the auction and keep watching it. Watch and see when there are less bidders bidding, preferably just 2 of the same. Then start bidding again. Eventually one of the two will back down, then it will be whoever can bid the longest. Since you have just started bidding you may have a competitive advantage.
3. Use Bid Buddy
Bid Buddy is a great tool to use. It helps you to conserve bids and to not miss out if you miss the bid button.
4. Have a Game Plan Ahead of Bidding
Always have a plan ahead of starting to bid. Do not get distracted by bidder bios that tell you they will never stop. It’s a ploy to scare you so they win easier. Really, it may not work, but it does sometimes.
5. Watch the auction closely
Again, this cannot be stressed enough! Do not get distracted because you can easily let anyone else win when you stop bidding when you meant to get your bid in.
6. Bid Early & Bid Late
The competition may not be as fierce early in the morning or late at night. Take advantage of this. Be an early bird, or become a night owl and try your hand at bidding.
7. Use Buy it Now
If you wanted the item, didn’t win it and lost a ton of bids, you can just buy the item and get your bids back. Just make sure you purchase it within 7 days of the auction end date. Learn more about DealDash’s Buy it Now.
8. Keep Your Eye on the Prize
Again, and again, just stay focused!
“This is for the new bidders, before bidding on your first auction, watch a couple first to learn how it works and get a feel for the whole auction process in general. Then when you feel confident enough, place your first bid and remember to stick with one auction, don’t go placing bids on many different auctions as you will lose tons of bid very quickly. Patience is a key word in the auction world and if you practice this you will find it will pay off in the long run.” -lakergirl1
Summer Fun Guide DealDash Deals: Camping Trip
Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.
-John Muir
Now is the time to schedule your campsites for that summer camping trip you’re always talking about but never get around to go on!
Advance reservations for the 2014 season are now available on the National Park Service’s booking sites: ,www.reserveamerica.com or www.recreation.gov or 1-877-444-6777.
Since you are going to reserve a spot and plan that adventurous summer camping trip, even if just for the weekend, you will need right gear.
Tent First things first. You will need a good, waterproof tent.
This Ozark Trail 20x10inch, 3 room tent is huge and sleeps 10 if you want something spacious. The item value is $159.85 and you can get alerted to when this ite becomes available on DealDash’s website.
If you want to go all out and bring the entire family check out this monster of a tent:
“When the wilderness calls, a Northwest Territory front porch tent 18′ x 12′ size brings along the amenities of home spaces. With accommodations for up to 10 adults, it provides a retreat that redefines rugged adventures and turns them into luxurious vacations. The entire family, plus some, can sleep and move about comfortably with room to spare. A divider panel provides privacy between two groups while a back door with zipper liner lets those in the rear enjoy a separate entry. Full-size windows around all sides keep fresh breezes flowing while a moisture-repelling top lets you stay dry. A fully enclosed floor to keep the outdoors where it belongs is also removable for cleaning.” Valued at $350 – you may also be able to get this cheaper if you bid on it in a penny auction.
And once you win, while you’re at it you may as well move right in! Ok, not quite, but doesn’t it sound appealing? Especially if a camping companion doesn’t like to rough it out in the woods – this tent will deliver a real glamping style camping experience!
Too over the top for your style of camping, and just too big? DealDash has smaller tents too. Take for instance this Giga-Tent that sleeps up to 3 people. Retails for around $169. 
Kayak the day away!
Don’t forget the Airhead Travel Kayak Deluxe – 12 ft and fits up to 2 people this inflatable travel Kayak has a buy it now price of $364, but the last one sold with only 32 bids total.
Chairs – You will want to sit down.
These GigaTent Side by Side Chairs have a buy it now price of $69, features a beautiful powder coated steel frame, 600D padded polyester fabric, arm rests with drink holders and even better than one, it seats two!
Cooking
Ok, it is the 21st century, so if you’re not roughing it to the point where you’re eating MREs and you do have electricity at your campsite check out this Proctor Silex Electric Griddle – perfect for camping and travel. Cook up some eggs, sausages or pancakes in the morning and enjoy sitting by the fire.
Really convinced now that it’s time you go camping?
Check out this How to Camp 89 Tip Guide from TrailSherpa.com: http://www.trailsherpa.com/how-to-camp-89-camping-tips/
Date Night Deals
In desperate need for a date night, but tight on cash? You may want to try bidding on some of these items on DealDash to make you and the special person in your life’s much needed date night a reality.
Do something fun together.
Start the evening out late in the afternoon with a pre-dinner bike ride… trust me, for the yummy food that’s to come later you may want to move a bit. Plus, bike riding, rollerblading, walking, hiking are all really great times to bond as a couple. The last two bicycles that sold on DealDash took in a final end prices of $1.55 and $0.45! Whoa. 
Dinner Deals
$25 gift card to Buca DiBeppo- Buca DiBeppo is a classic Italian restaurant with locations all over the US. They serve quality, fresh Italian dishes family style and they don’t skimp on the details either. The decor is very eclectic, classic Americana/Italian feel.
Start out with the Apple Gorgonzola salad and share Fettucini Alfredo, Eggplant Parmagiana, or Spaghetti Marinara. Don’t forget the Tiramisu! Depending on how hungry you are you will probably have leftovers. Their coffee is delicious too, definitely order it with the Tiramisu… ¡Buen provecho! ¡
Then, a Movie
Next relax and watch a movie together. DealDash has a huge variety of Blu-Ray discs and DVDs for your viewing pleasure. Or win a gas gift card and drive out to the nearest drive-in movie theater! They do still have these, they’re just more rare nowadays.
The RCA LED HDTV DVD Combo has a buy it now price of $240 – Pair it with the Gravity 2 Disc DVD Set is also on sale at DealDash and it’s a great choice if you haven’t seen it yet! Starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock is a great choice if you haven’t seen it yet. It took in a near perfect rating of 97% on RottenTomatoes.com a foremost movie rating site. “Gravity stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney in a heart-pounding thriller that pulls you into the infinite and unforgiving realm of deep space. Bullock plays Dr. Ryan Stone, a brilliant medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky (Clooney). But on a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalsky completely alone – tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness.”
Speaking of outer space… Later, Look at the Stars
Especially good if you’re both geeky-smarty, gaze up at the stars with the help of the Celestron Handheld Digital Microscope. Buy it now for $70 if you don’t win it cheaper! Or the NexStar 500mm Computerized Newtonian Telescope by Celestron – Buy it now is a bit pricey at $270, but the last winner Dc46lw won it for just a few bids.
Hope you like these date night deals, bid, win and enjoy your night!
The Sweetest Deals This Week on DealDash Recap May 12-18th
Favorite win this week: Twix Fun Size Bag for just $1.02. Because chocolate + caramel makes everything better!
Right now on DealDash bids are 70% off during their Gear Up for Summer Bid Sale! If you’re wondering what kind of deals other bidders are getting on DealDash and how it works here’s a recap of the best deals of this past week – May 12th to 18th!
Monday: Whether or not you’re a new bidder and just starting out on penny auctions, bid pack auctions can be a great way to go to save money on bids. On Monday FriedCrab won a 600 bids bid pack for an end price of $0.24 and just a small handful of bids. 
Tuesday: On Tuesday PleaseStopNow must have made everyone just stop because he won this Yvolution Y Fliker A3 Scooter with just ONE bid and a final end price of $0.09…Do you think names like PleaseStopNow cause other bidders to back off? Is it the name alone? Check out our series on Powerbidders: The Powerbidder’s Strategy to Winning DealDash Auctions.
Wednesday: NeoandTrinity won this Garmin nuvi GPS with lifetime updates for a final end price of $0.07 and just two bids on Wednesday. The Garmin GPS retails for around $105. Amazing deal! 
Thursday:
Thursday was a good day for urhawkel, he won an unlocked HTC Smartphone for $2.50 and the bids he spent. Insane deal the HTC One retails for $650! 
Friday:
Wow, now talk about a super deal. This KitchenAid Professional 600 Series 6 Quart Stand Mixer in a gorgeous Tangerine color sold to bidder ruthless714 for just $6.17. It holds a retail buy it now price of $543 and if you’re a serious cook or baker you know that this is a steal of a deal for this heavy duty, sleek and stylish piece of kitchen machinery. Tip: Great wedding gift idea too!
Saturday:
Yesterday bidder vester122 won this awesome Brother Intellifax Fax/Printer/Copier for just a final end price of $307, looks like he was going head to head with bidder WatchMe for awhile, but he won it and if it was just him and WatchMe that’s only 100 bids or so? At a discounted rate of only $0.16 or so each he may have won the $343 printer for as little as $20… Wow! It is a one-per-user item, meaning all bidders can only win this item once on DealDash and all previous winners are blocked from bidding. Bidding tip: Take note that vester122 won shortly after the $3.00 lock-in threshold was meant to limit participants to those who had previously placed bids in the auction.
Today:
PokerPro777 scored this awesome new Keurig Elite Single-Serve Brewer Coffee Machine for just a few bids and a final end price of $0.12! Way to go! The Keurig retails at around $120 and is my daily go-to kitchen appliance. Get one if you like coffee, tea, or hot cocoa even. The Keurig does it all!
What is your favorite win on DealDash? Tell us all about it in the comments section and we may feature you here! Let us know if you have any questions on how to bid and any tips for bidding on penny auctions that you would like to share.