Perhaps you’re new to bidding on DealDash.com and wonder where this pay for a chance to bid concept came about. While, it didnt start with DealDash, DealDash did start in the early days of penny auctions and enterainment shopping.
The fascinating penny auction concept all started with a German company called Telebid. Telebid originated in Germany and began as a series of advertisements on TV with items that could be “bid” on by calling in on the phone line. Then it progressed and expanded to the Internet with Swoopo.com in 2008. From 2008-2010 Swoopo grew exponentiall and opened to bidders worldwide with the same site open to offer the bidding experience to many countries and languages. It grew so large that the items would get bigger and better with auctions for brand new cars and a trip-around-the-world. The creators of entertainment shopping raised over $10,000,000 in funding in 2009 by August Capital in Silicon Valley, with earlier funding in 2006 from Wellington Partners.In 2010 Swoopo was named to the new TechCrunch Europe Top 100 Index list of the most innovative and “highest-potential” European tech companies.
On the heels of Swoopo’s great success, people took notice and aspiring startup founders set up shop and some even set up software companies just to sell “Swoopo-clone” software to anyone wishing to get into the space and make it big. See, the way Swoopo worked, and why it gets its name as the very first penny auction site is that auctions for desirable items, even trips and new cars, were sold on a rolling 24-hour basis with items being offered to consumers with a chance to win items at a discount, sometimes as much as 99% off (though traffic didn’t make it all that easy for bidders to win items at this great a discount, it did happen.). For many then-penny auction site owners, the concept was nothing more than a pipe dream. Some turned a profit, others lost tons of money. Others even outright stole from bidders and hundreds of examples of this can be found on the industry authority site PennyAuctionWatch.com. The problem was the ability to cheat bidders out of money with fake bidding bot software programs, and anyone who had a little bit of seed money and time to set up a penny auction could easily buy clone software, throw up pictures of a few items, advertise and then rake in earnings from bid packs sold to bidders who had high hopes of winning items that were nothing more than pictures on a screen.
There were good sites and there were bad sites. A few bidders even got in on the action and made a sizable income (some made around $100,000 a year just bidding and reselling items on sites like eBay and Craigslist.) More power to them really, but what happened was these bidders were in it to win and resell so they made it more difficult for the regular joe-bidder to come in and win at a discount, at least on the items they were dead set on winning.
After Swoopo came many other sites, hundreds of which have now come and gone. Swoopo tried to find more ways to provide a better bidding experience, but often came under fire by critics as being deemed online gambling, as being questioned for the ability to offer the same auctions across multiple websites and countries. Later they added buy-it-now which allowed bidders to purchase items at a discount. In March of 2011, Swoopo shut down for good, citing technical difficulties when they were really in the process of filing bankruptcy in Germany. Later on in 2012, DealDash acquired the Swoopo.com URL,so when you go to the website now you will be redirected to DealDash.com.
DealDash originally launched as BidRay and was live in early 2009, BidRay,originally with offices in Sunnyvale,CA, with headquarters in Helsinki, Finland and has grown significantly since its launch and is one of the longest-running and few standing entertainment auction sites open today. In the early days BidRay offered items like nostalgic candy gift boxes, popcorn machines, gift cards, cosmetics, packs of gum, Apple products, and HDTVs.
Have you been around since the early days of Swoopo and BidRay? We want to hear from you!
Let us know if you bid on Dealdash and the reasons you still bid!
Win Discount Gift Cards on DealDash
DealDash is one of the best sources for getting gift cards at a discount online. There are over 100 different types of gift cards offered on DealDash, and really if you need to give a gift, or just want to save money on groceries, gas, clothing, food, furniture, or really anything, even spas & hair cuts… You should try bidding on the upcoming gift card auctions!
There’s something for everyone with these gift card auctions. For babies & kids DealDash.com has Children’s Place, Babies R Us and Toys R Us.
Looking to spruce up your yard or home? There’s Lowes & Home Depot Home Improvement gift cards up for bid.
How about a shopping spree? When you can buy anything from toilet paper to groceries, to designer clothing and accessories, car parts, appliances, furniture, books and so much more, Amazon.com gift cards ranging from $10-$800+ are often offered on DealDash’s penny auctions.
Plus, there’s no better way than to be able to bid on gift cards and then use buy it now if you don’t win, too!
Dining out or gifting a restaurant gift card for a newlywed, friend, grad or just because?
An Outback Steakhouse can be used at Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar and Roy’s; Texas Roadhouse, Red Robin (great veggie burgers, btw), IHOP; Darden Restaurants: Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze, Seasons 52 and Red Lobster gift cards, Chili’s if you’re in the mood for something Mexican, Italian: Family style? Buca di Beppo. TGI Friday’s – because in there, it’s always Friday. LongHorn Steakhouse if you’re a meat lover. Panera Bread offers up great soups, salads and baked goods, great for a quick bite to eat or a lunch date. Fast food junkie, or just need to eat fast? There’s Burger King, Boston Market, Subway, Dunkin Donuts and Arby’s gift cards. Craving good, home country cooking and goodies in a Country Store? Cracker Barrel is the place for you.
Shopping for clothing, shoes or accessories check out gift cards to Gap, also includes Athleta, Piperlime, Banana Republic and Old Navy. Macy’s, Dillard’s and Bloomingdales if you love designer fashion. Tj Maxx, Marshalls and Homegoods if you’re a bargain hunter. JCPenney’s and Kohl’s gift cards, too!
Like to eat in, but have your food delivered? Omaha Steaks ships prime cuts of meat and fresh seafood right to your door.
Like nice soap and lotions? There’s Bath & Body Works gift cards for that!
Looking to plane a trip? American Airlines gift cards – win multiple cards and stack them, for super discounts on airline tickets. You’ll be jetsetting in no time.
Fishing season is here. Check out the Bass Pro Shops gift cards if fishing is your style.
Need just about anything for the house? There’s Target, Wal-Mart, K-Mart and Sears gift cards.
Under the weather or just need beauty or cleaning supplies, or even snacks and electronics? CVS and Walgreen’s gift cards are also offered on a daily basis.
New Shoes: Footlocker gift cards will help you fill up your closet.
Need money to call home there’s even Skype gift cards.
Now this is something, that if you drive, you definitely need. Gas gift cards. Bid on them and if you don’t win them, just buy it now and save your bids to try again next time. Sinclair, Sunoco, BP, Shell, Texaco, ARCO PumpPass, and Philips 66 are all offered.
Health + Fitness: GNC Gift cards.
The Masters make you want to take up golf: Bid and win Golfsmith gift cards.
Bookworm? Barnes & Noble gift cards are for you. Or want to go see a movie? DealDash has AMC Theaters gift cards. Entertainment, food, drinks and fun, check out Dave & Buster’s.
A few dot com businesses are in the mix too: 1-800-Flowers for flowers (just because – everyone could use flowers!), Orbitz.com for travel bookings, Spa Finder to find a spa or hair cut, Nintendo e-shop, PlayStation or Valve Steam Wallet if you’re a gamer. Apple App Store if your iPhone is looking pretty bare.
It’s almost summer, the weather is warmer that means it’s time for ice cream and slushies… Sonic gift cards will fuel your french fry, burger, malt, shakes, onion rings and ice cream desires.
Again, if you bid on any of these gift cards and really want them and don’t want to waste bids if you don’t win. Use Buy-it-Now and get all of your bids back to try again next time!
Good luck and Happy Bidding, Shopping and Eating!
Recent Great Deals on DealDash & Tips for Winning!
Wow! Have you seen the recently ended auctions on DealDash lately?
Take a look at these amazing deals that were had this week by bidders!
An HP – split 2-in-1 13.3 touch-screen laptop with 4GB memory sold for $2.52, that’s only 252 bids placed by all bidders paconwa1 got a super great deal on this new laptop. The retail price is $598 for this super all-in-one, you can’t beat a few bids and $2.52 end price!
Nikon 24.1 Megapixel DSLR Camera, retails for $700, sold for just $3.04 – 304 bids total! Congratulations to bidder adockstader15. Plus – on all of these items, DealDash cut the end price in half!
Skullcandy Uprock On-Ear Headphones, Pink buy it now $30 – sold for an end price $0.12. Congratulations trbotrek! 
The Eureka AirSpeed ONE Pet Bagless Upright Vacuum ended for just $0.48 – 48 bids total by 3doggiesmom.
DealDash winner MyGirlsLuvMe won this $200 Nintendo 3DS XL in Red/Black for just a final end price of $0.62 and a small fraction of the 62 bids!
You can get great deals on DealDash too! Here are a few tips to bidding and winning!
1. Patience
Patience is key – each bid you place is money already spent, so be careful and try to conserve your bids by not bidding until the timer counts down – around 2-3 seconds without another bidder bidding, then place a bid.
3. Research
Know your competition. Check the ended auctions daily and keep tabs on winners who have won items, a great place to do this is by checking stat on AllPennyAuctions.com.
For instance, a search of user MyGirlsLuvMe shows that during her lifetime of bidding at DealDash, she placed 95,440 bids at an average cost of $0.16 per bid, she paid $1,026.53 – won 79/1502 items bid on and won items totalling a retail value of $15,049.88, spent/won $16,296.45.
|
Most Profitable Win, Most Valuable Item Won
+$2,910.57 on 5000 Bid Pack, 5000 Bid Pack ($3,000.00)
2014-1-16
|
|
B.
|
Milestone
50k bids
2014-1-13
|
|
A.
|
Most Bids Placed
2,991 bids on Nikon D5300 Digital SLR Camera with Built-In Wi-Fi and GPS (won)
2013-12-17
|
https://www.allpennyauctions.com/users/DealDash.com/MyGirlsLuvMe/
| 95,440 @0.16 USD | $1,026.53 | 79 / 1,502 | $15,049.88 | $16,296.45 / $15,049.88 | -7.65% | $-1,246.57 |
You may be able to look at the data mined and presented on the APA site and see that she may not give up easily and has been willing to spend a significant amount of time bidding on items. Though, sometimes she just places 1 bid and doesn’t win. Whereas she placed 2,991 bid on a Nikon D5300 DSRL camera and won.
| Apple iPad 16GB Wi-Fi with Retina Display, Black($400.00)(Won for $147.09) | 2014-04-09 03:48 |
1,074 / 14,709 @$0.16
|
+$81.07
|
3. Collect Bids
Bid on Bid Pack auctions, stock up on bids when DealDash run bid sales and share pictures of your wins on Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter to earn more bids. This makes winning cheaper in the longrun if you can take advantage of opportunities to win free bids or buy them at a discount.
4. Get your bids in early!
All auctions on DealDash are No Jumper auctions, meaning you must place at least one bid before $5.00 in order to be eligible to continue to bid after it reaches the $5 price mark.
What’s the best deal you have won on DealDash? We want to hear about it!
Why Choose DealDash Over Other Penny Auctions?
DealDash is not the only online entertainment, “penny auction” online running auctions. Since penny auctions launched in the USA in 2008 there have been hundreds of different sites that have come and gone. DealDash has proven that they aren’t going away anytime soon like these fly-by-night penny auction sites, so what sets it apart and why should you choose DealDash.com over all others?
Well, let me tell you…
1. DealDash’s Proven Track Record
2. Sustainable – User Friendly Features
3. Fast Shipping
4. Huge Variety of Items
5. Excellent Customer Service
6. Bidder-conscious: No- jumpers, and no “stamping” auctions are allowed, unique bidder stats
7. Frequency of items
8. Cheap Bids
DealDash has a proven track record. Since 2009, DealDash has consisently shipped and sold thousands of penny auction wins. They’re an established company with millions of dollars invested to keep providing a consistent service with chances to obtain everything you’d want for less than retail
DealDash is one of the few progressive players in the entertainment auction space. Since launching, they have done many things to improve the customer experience and to make bidding sustainable. DealDash’s Buy it Now option has allowed bidders to save money by getting 100% of bids refunded back into their bidding accounts by opting to buy an item at the stated retail price.
All items, either won in DealDash’s auctions or purchased with buy it now, are shipped quickly shortly after purchase.
Huge product variety – The variety of items offered by DealDash is HUGE. And there really are items that would appeal to everyone. With auctions of everything from household necessities (like toilet paper and cleaning supplies), to gift cards for restaurants, shopping and gas, toys, baby gear, small appliances, furniture, greenhouses, Dyson vacuums, KitchenAid mixers, coffee, snacks, steaks, laptops, Apple products, digital cameras, TVs and just about any electronic you could want and so much more on a daily basis.
No stamping or jumping allowed in DealDash’s auctions. Bids aren’t even accepted until the auction countdown clock is at 10 seconds or less. All auctions are “no jumper” auctions meaning if you see “No New Bidders” stamped over an item, no one can come in late and bid after $5.00 if they haven’t already placed bids in the auction before the $5.00 auction price.
DealDash shows you more info on each bidder than other similar auction sites. When bidding info is displayed under each user’s name like when they joined and where they’re at as far as how close they are to their win limit. Each user can select an avatar and status message to personalize the bidding experience. Not only is there a wide variety of items, auctions run around the clock.
DealDash cares about their customers and it shows. They frequently call and e-mail users and ask for feedback on what they can do to provide an even better experience.
Saving money is important to you, not only are the auctions a great chance to save money: DealDash frequently has seasonal bid sales. The current Spring Bid Sale offers bids at 70% off with 180 bids for only $32.40 – $0.18 a bid! Most penny auctions bids range in price from $0.60-$1 a piece.
What are you waiting for? Try DealDash.com now and let us know what you think!
