If you’re one of those bidders who just and bid and end up losing tons of money, and believe me, even the most conservative spenders can get carried away when they get started on a penny auction site (I’ve been there), learn how to make the most of your bids.
How to Make the Most of Your Bids on DealDash:
1. Don’t “bid throttle” – Slow down! This means don’t just bid right away and blast away your bids by bidding right after anyone else bids. A lot of people get carried away and frustrated that they aren’t able to win right away, so what do they do? Blast away TONS of bids when they really shouldn’t. If you are bidding and someone else bids against you, then you place a bid and they bid against you again notice how other bidders that were also there bidding before you started to bid have slowed down? They’re still there and waiting for you (or the other bidder) to drop out… Watch out for this and don’t get carried away so that you place way more bids than you need to.
2. Stock up and Save!
Okay, I know that sounds like a weekly supermarket ad – BUT, it’s a great idea to stock up on bids, so that you can save money in the long run. Ways to do this would be to watch out for bid promotions and purchase bids in BULK when they’re on sale. For instance, the cost of a bid in an initial bid pack is $0.60 a piece. If you wait or get in on bid pack sales you can get them for as low as $0.17 or even less! There’s currently a bid promotion for Mother’s Day where bids are now $0.15 each.
3. Don’t win? Get ALL of your bids back
Huh, What? You can get ALL of your bids back? I know what you’re thinking… how can that be? Well, DealDash lets all bidders get their bids back if they don’t win an item by using “buy it now” to buy the item within 7 days from the auction close date. This is great if you really want the item you were bidding on and don’t like to lose money by losing the bids you placed. So definitely use buy it now when you bid and don’t win.
4. Keep track of your win limits and make the most of them!
All bidders can win up to 6 items valued less than $200 and 3 items valued more than $200 per week.
You can keep track of the status of your wins by looking at the win limit slots right next to your bid balance amount on the upper right-hand corner of DealDash.com.
5. Bid wisely.
Only bid on items that you really want or need and that you would be able to use buy it now on to get all of your bids back and minimize losses.
Do you bid on DealDash or any other penny auction? Tell us about your bidding tips! Good luck, win tons!
Photo Credits 401kcalculator.org
Tips to Win on DealDash: Your Bidding Buddy
Do you have a bidding buddy? And no, we’re not talking about a friend who tells you when to bid against them and when not too: note this is called collusion and it’s against the terms & conditions, not to mention it’s unethical.
Tired of clicking the bid button?
Make bid buddy your bidding friend. Bid Buddy is an automated bidding system provided by DealDash and accesible in the interface of each auction item
How it works is you input the amount of bids you would like the BidBuddy system to bid for you in the bid field, you must first have the amount in your bidding balance.
You can also tell the system the start and end time you would like to bid from. Once it’s set sit back and watch the computer bid for you.
Getting started:
1. Under where it says BidBuddy – Your Automatic Bidding Tool type in the number of bids you would like BidBuddy to bid for you – then click “Book a BidBuddy”
Advantages to using DealDash’s bid buddy.
- -You won’t risk losing to another bidder if you miss the bid button, if your Internet connection disconnects, if you computer is slow, or due to internet latency if you place a bid too close to the end time and the system does not register.
- – You don’t know if any other bidder is on bid buddy though, and they won’t know that you are. What happens is with each bid round bids are placed by the system by bidders on bid buddy and you can’t control or predict when the bid buddy will fire or when your’s will, but it will fire when the timer goes down and no one else bids and another bidder isn’t on BidBuddy.
- – Keep an eye on how many bids you have left in both your account and in your BidBuddy bidding queue, You don’t want to run out of bids and lose anticipating it to place another bid from your account when you don’t have any left.
- – If you want to try to win the item and if you don’t win, but plan on using buy it now, just set your Bid Buddy for the full retail amount and forget it. Check back later and see if you won. If you didn’t all you have to do is buy it for the stated price and then you will get all of your bids back. Just be sure you buy it now before 7 days from the auction date have passed. Learn more about buy it now on DealDash and save money on everything you want!
Try DealDash today and use BidBuddy to bid on DealDash.com!
DealDash Bidding Tip: Stay Focused
I must admit, the biggest problem I have is patience. Waiting it out is not my forte. One of the best DealDash tips I can give you is to stay focused.
I have lost more auctions by putting a few bids on my Bid Buddy and either walking away to do something or getting involved in my Mahjongg game only to come back a find out I lost the auction. And to add insult to injury, I was the second to last bidder. If only I had stayed focused, I could have at least had a chance. It just happened to me very recently. I was bidding on a Monarch Specialties White Juvenile Chair and Ottoman for my grandson and I plugged in a few bids, walked away, came back to find several other bidders had dropped out and then my bids ran out, making me the next to the last bidder, or the loser!!
Previously I was lucky enough to win a Manual Series 92-inch Projector Screen by Elite Screens for $1.78. I then needed to try for the projector to go with it. Once again I was just 2 away from winning and the projector which sold for $0.91.
Thus I have to try very hard to change how I bid in the future. I need to remain focused and not lose site of what I want in the end – the win! I hope maybe DealDash will add a feature for us “drifters” in the future and add a verbal or noise alert when our bids are about to run out. I know it would help me! Until then I will be more diligent when bidding in the future.
I have been shopping as a DealDash bidder since 9-2012. I have won over 150 auctions. I live in Ohio with my family. Written by Kim Finnegan
ALSO SEE: Patience, Patience, Patience
Summer Fun Guide: The All-American Barbeque
Barbeques, camping, swimming, kayaking, biking, beaches, outdoor concerts, boat rides, fishing, drive-in movies, campfires, road trips, sunshine, lemonade, warm air, hiking, s’mores, just a few of our favorite things that spell out Summer…It’s time to gear up for a fun-filled summer and DealDash can help with our Summer Fun Guide Series. Starting with the great American pastime:
The All-American Barbeque
Barbeque comes from the Spanish word Barbacoa which means, “a framework for sticks set upon posts.” Meat and fish were placed on the posts and slowly cooked to perfection.
Back in the 1950s and ’60s, the barbeque was introduced as a staple in the American way of life. Entertaining with barbeques at family celebrations, weekends, gatherings with friends and family, or just for the fun of it became a part of the American lifestyleway of life and it still is to this day. Today’s grills make it even easier then it was back in the ’50s to barbeque.
DealDash has a variety of different grills and grilling tools and accessories to fit everyones grilling style and lifestyle.
You could get great deals on a Char-Broil Santa Fe Charcoal grill or a Blue Rhino Charcoal grill. Charcoal grills are not as easy to use as gas grills, but if you love the smoked flavor you really can’t go wrong with a charcoal grill. Charcaol grilling involves more time and energy than gas grilling – in that you have to build and light the charcoal briquettes and wait for the flame to start and believe me, this takes trial and error, but it won’t take too long before you become a grilling pro.
The Char-Broil Santa Fe Charcoal Grill has a 4 out of 5 star review, with 25 customer reviews on Amazon.
Char-Broil grills let you master the backyard barbecue. This charcoal grill offers 435 Square Inch of porcelain coated cast iron primary surface with an additional 176 Square Inch chrome plated swing-away, giving you plenty of cooking space for all your favorites. From burgers to kebobs, this Char-Broil Santa Fe grill is sure to turn out flavorful meals. It features an adjustable-height fire grate, front access fire door, metal side shelves, cool touch handles, temperature gauge and a bottom storage shelf.
-One reviewer does cite the downside of the grills design, stating that a lot of charcoal is required to run it.
-On the other hand, one happy owner is happy with the easy set up: “Happy to be grilling over coals again! This grill arrived in good shape and ready to assemble; two hours later, I was grilling steak! I’m a woman who has listened to complaints and bandaged bloody knuckles of my husband who had to put together grills in the past. This was so much easier than I thought it might be! Even when instructions suggested I might need an additional person to help, I was able to put it together without any. The only negative is that the coal rack hangs too low, even on it’s highest level. I only need small fires most of the time. I have to build a bigger fire than needed to get (and keep) the box hot. But it’s great when I need to grill for a group!”
The benefits of gas grilling is that it’s much cleaner, easier to use and quick. No messy charchaol or smelly starter fluid and no wait time waitin for the coals to glow. Plus, there’s no ashy mess to clean up after dinner. It just doesn’t impart the grilled flavor like a charcoal grill does.
The Char Broil Quick Set Gas Grill
Is easier to use than a grill like the Santa-Fe Charcoal grill – but the 3 star review on About.com is due to the low-quality burner, but this is a pretty inexpensive grill retailing at around $100.
- One dual control low weight stainless steel burner 13,250 BTUs per side
- 265 square inches of total grilling space (no warming rack)
- 26,500 BTU total output from the main burners
- Single push-button piezoelectric igniter
- Porcelain coated steel wire cooking grates
- Powder coated steel sheet metal body and frame with plastic side tables
- Cover and propane tank sold separately
The Petit Gourmet Portable Gas Grill with VersaStand from Cuisinart
Cuisinart did a great job on this portable gas grill perfect for summer road trips – camping trips, tailgating, beach getaways or anywhere you can take it!
Beautifully designed, judging by the 4 star reviews by 243 customers if you want a grill for on-the-go you really can’t go wrong with this one!
One happy reviewer who received the grill as a gift shares, “Here is what it is: A very good portable gas grill that takes a minute or two longer to cook steaks, hamburgers, kabobs, chicken, hot dogs etc. It heats up fast, is easy to start and clean and is extremely portable. I liked it a lot and will use it a great deal this summer. To have a grill that is easily transportable and will work off of small tanks of propane is terrific.”
“The Petit Gourmet doesn’t compromise when it comes to keeping you well fed. Despite the compact size, the grilling surface is large enough to grill eight burgers, eight steaks, six to 10 chicken breasts, or up to 4 pounds of fish. The grill’s superior heating performance stems from the powerful 5,500 BTU stainless-steel burner and porcelain-enameled grill grate, which combine to heat the grill quickly and evenly to more than 500 degrees F. Whether you’re grilling at a tailgate, on a camping trip with the family, or at the beach after a fun-filled day in the waves, the Petit Gourmet grill will easily feed you and your crowd.”
Not only does DealDash offer deals on barbeque grills, there are tons of accessories too. Here’s just a taste of a few upcoming auctions: 20-Piece BBQ Grill Set by Whetstone, Outset Chimney Grill Starter, Barbeque Grill Covers, Steven Raichlen Stainless Potato Grill Rack, Stainless Grill Shield for Skewers, and a Kenmore 4pc Stainless Steel Grilling Tools Set.
Will you be grilling this summer? Want ideas for what to grill and how?
These Summer Grilling Recipes from Food & Wine Magazine are packed with tips and recipes from famous chef Michael Chiarello.You’ll find recipes for grilled chicken, burgers, steaks, grilled lamb, grilled pork, grilled salmon, grilled shrimp, grilled corn, grilled vegetables, vegetarian grilling, grilled desserts and how about some Cajun Lemonade? There are some pretty delicious looking recipes for pitcher drinks that go past the traditional lemonade in there too!
Good luck bidding and happy grilling!