My Five Winning Rules

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.

These rules are optional, but for me they are important to how I bid.

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.

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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.

Bundle Up for Cold Weather

It’s that time of year again when we must bundle up to stay warm during cold weather this winter. Shopping on DealDash.com can help us do just that.

Did you see all of the new jackets and coats now up for auction? Perhaps these coats and jackets could make good gifts, too. Let’s take a look at some of them.

A woman models a stylish jacket outdoors.
A quality jacket can be a staple of your wardrobe for years!

Wool jacket – Size XL

This wool jacket has a BIN of $1,600.00.  Many of us might never be able to afford to pay full price for a high-end jacket like this. We could, however, win this jacket at a reasonable price when shopping here on DealDash. Before placing our bids it’s important to scroll down and check the size chart to ensure the jacket will properly fit the intended user.

The design of this brand name jacket has a luxurious sophisticated appearance. Therefore, the 100 percent high-grade Alpaca wool material lined with soft polyester will not only keep us warm but it will give us a classy look at the same time.

It has two deep pockets and according to the DealDash auction description, “the chic aesthetic offers endless styling options” so we can wear it with a formal outfit or use it as the “perfect top off for a casual ensemble.”

Since this is a new item, we do not yet have a record of previous winners or customer ratings.

Grey leather jacket – Size L

Another new jacket is this band name leather jacket in Grey, Size L, with a BIN of $3,400.00.  The best deals previous winners got so far are:

  • Nov. 20, this auction closed at $4.16 and the winner paid a total of $21.76 including the cost of the 88 bids placed;
  • Nov. 27, this auction closed at $14.41 and the winner paid a total of $26.01 including the cost of the 58 bids placed;
  • Nov. 13, this auction sold at $7.55 and the winner paid a total of $45.69 including the cost of the 219 bids placed and
  • Dec. 4, this auction closed at $20.61 and the winner paid a total of $135.32 including the cost of the 656 bids placed.

This lamb leather with faux-shearing jacket was designed to keep the user warm during chilly months.  It has a zip closure and ribbed knit cuffs and hem.

So far, previous winners gave this jacket an overall rating of 5.0 out of a possible 5.0 and it does not get any better than that.

Nylon outdoor sports jacket – Size XXL

This durable, water resistant nylon sports jacket comes with a BIN of $745.00. It is made for outdoor adventures like hiking trails or just running errands on city streets in nasty weather.

It comes in various sizes from small to XXL and has two zipped pockets, elasticized cuffs to keep the cold out and a hoody with adjustable drawstrings and cord-lock. It also comes in two colors – green and orange. We could also shop for matching pants.

The bottom line

This is a new item so I cannot yet provide the best winner deals or winner ratings.

Click to go to DealDash.com

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.

Christmas Gifts for Children

Christmas is not far away now, but we still have time to shop for some amazing gifts for our children or grandchildren on DealDash.com. Therefore, I started checking out all of the auctions that will make awesome gifts for children. Here are some of the items I found.

Christmas is a magical time of year – for children and adults, alike!

USB Wired Gaming Mouse and Mat

Most children are really into playing various console games and some of them might love to have a new USB Wired Gaming Mouse and good gaming mat. After all, the better the mouse and mat, the better their score, right?

This ergonomic designed mouse for both left- or right-handed use was made in the United Kingdom. It has a BIN of $120 and is compatible with Windows XP/7/8/10. This mouse has textured sides for better grip, has precision control, comes with Chromatic lighting with 16.8 million colors and comes with a 1.8 ultra-durable USB cable. For more specifications on this wired gaming mouse, see the auction listing.

According to the DealDash description, the gaming mouse “mat pad is constructed of a 2-layer high profile fine polymer resin surface for optimum performance” and “the gaming mat stays firmly in place.”

Gaming Console

A good game console is no doubt on the top of many children’s Christmas list, and DealDash has one of the most popular ones up for auction, too. This new modular design and adaptable Joy-Con controllers makes it possible to play on our TV or instantly transition to a handheld mode by removing the console from the dock and attaching the Joy-Con controllers to the sides. In other words, we could enjoy a traditional gaming experience with our family on our TV at home or we can enjoy gaming on the go. The battery offers hours of mobile play.

However, I’m not going to mislead you. If you are shopping for this Switch Console with Neon Blue & Red Joy-Con with the idea of saving money, be prepared for some serious competition because this is a very popular item. Some previous winners got a bargain price but not many, so we might want to shop for this console with the idea of using the BIN price of $364 to purchase the console and get all our bids back for free.

For more specific information, see the detailed description in the auction listing.

Inflatable Bouncer

This new 9-foot by 12-foot inflatable bouncer for children age 3 to 8 is sure to be a gift children will never forget. Exact measurement is 144-inches long, 108-inches wide and 72-inches high, and the inside bounce area is 84-inches long and 84-inches wide. Most children love to bounce and slide and will be sure to get many hours of joy from this toy.

This durable bounce house is made of polyester and according to the auction description, “it is double-stitched to protect the fabric against rips and tears.” Amazingly, the high-pressure air blower included can inflate and deflate this soft and safe bounce house in less than a minute. You might even say that this is a gift that will keep on giving because it is sure to delight young preschool and elementary school children for birthday parties and many other special occasions. Maximum weight is 250 pounds, and it is designed for outdoor use only. It also comes with its own carrying case for storage.

This inflatable bouncer has the reasonable BIN of $196 so if we do not win, we could BIN.

Click to go to DealDash.com

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.

Christmas Gifts for Men

It’s that time of year again where we are trying to get our last-minute Christmas shopping done, and I am so grateful that DealDash.com is here to help us do it without breaking our bank account.

After looking through the auctions for items that would make a wonderful gift for a man, DealDash did not disappoint.

Make it a Chistmas to remember this year!

Over the years I’ve learned most men love to get tools, so we cannot go wrong if we put some tools under the tree for the men in our lives.

Let’s take a look at a few auctions that would make awesome Christmas gifts for men.

129-piece tool set

I won this set a few years ago and my son could not have been happier. What young man wouldn’t be happy with a 129-piece tool set?

According to the DealDash description, this “exceptionally flexible and super-functional” set includes the most commonly used tools for performing many different projects whether at home or on the road. It includes: 16-piece hex key set, 20-piece bit set, 1-piece 6-inch-long nose plier, 1-piece 6-inch- diagonal plier, 1-piece 6-inch adjustable wrench, 1-piece ratchet bit handle, 1-piece 8 oz. claw hammer, 1-piece knife, 1-piece 8-inch crimping plier, 1-piece 3m measure tap, 4-pieces of precision screwdriver and 40-pieces of assortment fasteners in a plastic box.

This tool set has a BIN of $450 but 41 of the last 42 winners won this set for less. In fact, many of the previous winners won it for much less at an incredible savings. Over the last 30 days the best bargains previous winners received were:

  • Nov. 28, this tool set sold at $2.52 and the winner paid a total of only $8.65 including the cost of the 40 bids placed;
  • Nov. 16, this 129-piece tool set sold at $4.94 and the winner paid a total of $20.94 including the cost of the 80 bids placed;
  • Nov. 7, this tool set sold at $7.15 and the winner paid a total of $9.66 including the cost of the 34 bids placed.

As we can see from the three actual examples above, these past winners had a huge savings. DealDash is the only place I know of that we can get great bargains like this.

Whole-cut leather dress shoes

If you are shopping for a serious businessman who never works with tools, how about a fancy pair of whole-cut leather dress shoes?

This auction has a BIN of $1,450 because these are not just ordinary dress shoes. They are truly high-end dress shoes that any man with expensive tastes would be proud to wear. The best news is that out of the last 33 winners 27 of them saved more than $1,000.00. That not only means we would be getting a wonderful gift, but we will most likely be saving a whole lot of money.

Let’s take a look at some of the best bargains previous winners have already received:

  • Dec. 1, these high-end men’s dress shoes sold at $5.69 and the winner paid a total of only $4.68 including the cost of the 12 bids placed.
  • Nov. 4, these leather dress shoes sold at $2.11 and the winner paid a total of $12.25 including the cost of the 56 bids placed;
  • Nov. 7, these shoes sold at $5.41 and the winner paid a total of $10.76 including the cost of the 43 bids placed;
  • Nov. 11, these fancy men’s shoes sold at $5.77 and the winner paid a total of $14.35 including the cost of the 66 bids placed;
  • Nov. 15, these shoes sold at $1.98 and the winner paid a total of only $12.49 including the cost of the 60 bids placed

So you see from the above examples above that many shoppers were already got amazing bargains on these elegant men’s dress shoes.

So far, these shoes received an overall customer rating of 5.00 out of a possible 5.00 and no product can get a higher rating than that. We just need to make sure we shop for the correct size.

The bottom line

There are plenty of other awesome Christmas gifts for men that we can shop for on DealDash.com, too, so I’ll see you in the auctions!

Click to go to DealDash.com

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.