Winning auctions is a matter of skill, just like playing other games that involve competition against other people. Your goal when you’re trying to win an auction might be getting a great bargain on that iPad or laptop, but you’ve got to get through the other bidders first. This is a common mistake people make when they’re learning how the auctions work: they’re so focused on winning that they ignore the fact that other bidders are trying to do the exact same thing! What this means is that bidders who win do it with focus, concentration, and strategy.

I know what a lot of you are thinking: easier said than done right? Maybe so, but DealDash has lots of tools and features to help bidders develop their strategies – and learning to use these tools and features to your advantage is what having a winning strategy is all about. Once you get your bidding strategy down, winning auctions will almost seem like second nature!

One of the most invaluable tools you have on DealDash is the BidBuddy. If you don’t already know, the BidBuddy is an automated bidding tool that places bids for you, even while you’re away from the computer! The BidBuddy is one of the best assets at each bidder’s disposal (if not the best). Here are a few basic ways that the BidBuddy helps bidders win!

#1: – Other Bidder’s Can “Tell” When You’re Using a BidBuddy

Have you ever played poker? Experienced poker players will talk about something called a “tell”, which is a change in a particular player’s behavior that suggests something about what he/she will do in the game. BidBuddies place their bids in a particular sequence, and as a result, many experienced bidders can infer when others are using their BidBuddy. This makes using the BidBuddy a kind of tell, and that can be used to your advantage. For example, if you notice a pattern where several users are participating in an auction with their BidBuddies, you may want to sit it out until some of them stop bidding. That way, you’ll conserve your bids while the other bidders fight it out.

But bidders can’t tell how you’re using a BidBuddy. They won’t know if you have 3000 bids booked in your BidBuddy or 30. A good way to get rid of competing bidders is to place 30 bids in your BidBuddy and watch how they react. Some bidders will think that you’re in the auction for the long haul (regardless of what it takes to win), and decide to bid in a different auction.

#2: – Places Your Bids for You at the Last Second

Most bidders try to conserve their bids and place them at the last possible second. This makes sense, as it prevents you from placing bids that one of your competitors is planning to place anyway. The caveat with this strategy is that its easy to get distracted, click on the wrong spot, or have your browser freeze on you when the auctions closing! Having your BidBuddy waiting in the wings is a great way to avoid such a frustrating situation. Putting some bids in your BidBuddy as a safety net lets you check your e-mail, chat with a friend, or just explore other auctions without having to miss out on that great deal!

#3: – Keeps You in the Game

Probably the #1 benefit to using the BidBuddy is that it lets you leave your computer without having to worry about the auction. Since the BidBuddy runs automatically, you’re free to leave your computer and spend time with friends or family without missing the auction. This is a great way to save time while you’re saving money, and makes bidding less stressful and more fun!

This time saver can be especially useful early on in the auctions. Since the BidBuddy is designed to place bids just before an auction closes, you can keep your BidBuddy on to make sure you stay in the auction without worrying about it wasting all of your bids. If several other bidders have their BidBuddies on as well, they’ll place their bids in a sequence until they either run out of bids or their users cancel them.

These are just a few suggestions on the different ways you can incorporate BidBuddies into your own bidding strategy, but you should keep in mind that bidding in the auctions is still about beating the other bidders. Other bidders can use these same tricks on you, or figure out what you’re up to and alter their own approach accordingly. It’s always worth spending some time checking out the other bidders and the items you’re bidding on to consider how you should go about winning. It’s not always easy to beat the other bidders, but the more you practice the easier it gets, so don’t be afraid to change things up if you’re having problems and create a winning strategy that works for you!

Don’t forget to check out big DealDash winners on our official Facebook and Pinterest pages! You can post pictures of your wins there to get free DealDash bids! With a 100% satisfaction guarantee on your initial bid pack purchase, trying DealDash is a risk free proposition. DealDash customers regularly save between 60-90 percent on the products featured in DealDash auctions, so get in on these great bargains and sign up now!

What we believe about ourselves and life — our self-talk — influences and in certain situations creates what happens to us. The negative thoughts we build our ceilings with include:  I don’t deserve love; don’t deserve success; I’ve never won anything and never will; I’m unlucky; I’ll never get a break; and I can’t — just can’t – be happy, be loved, or win something worth over $200 at DealDash. 

These invisible ceilings made from words, thoughts and beliefs can be sturdier than ones built with wood. The key wordS in that sentence are can be, because we can also tear ceilings down that don’t work and then redo them.

Only this time around we’ll construct ceilings high enough to allow us to experience happiness, success and wins.

Recently, I became embroiled playing an online video game designed to stimulate the mind, increase creativity and problem-solving abilities, and promoted as a tool to help prevent dementia. I did well at most games on this site until I started playing a certain level of a game. No matter how hard I tried, I could not win. And I tried. Every day I practiced obsessively, but no matter many games I played, I couldn’t win. 

I kept hitting the ceiling I had created, a ceiling I reinforced daily by saying “I can’t win.”

One day I remembered what a friend taught me when he noticed that I was immersed in negative self-talk. “Don’t say you can’t do it,” he said.  

“But I can’t,” I said. 

 “Then say ‘Up until now, I have been unable to do it.’ That way you give yourself room to tear down that ceiling and succeed.”

His words helped. Eventually I did what I hadn’t been able to do.

What still astonishes me is that each time I finally break through a ceiling – such as when I finally won that video game for the first time — is that from that moment on, doing that thing becomes easier and easier. The belief that we can do it removes the ceiling and dissolves the impossibility.

Realistically, we won’t win every time we enter an auction. Most of us have low streaks, those times when things don’t come as easily. Then times change and we’re back on a roll. But usually after we do something once, something we previously believed was impossible for us to do, we find ourselves doing it over and over again. It’s not as difficult anymore.

We become believers in ourselves. 

When we break through a ceiling and do something for the first time, we change our self-talk. Now we base our beliefs on reality, not on wishing and hoping. We’re not the little train that could. We’re the train that did and does. 

I’m not a doctor. I don’t know how neurons and the pathways to the mind work, the ones that then connect to our skills and abilities. But breaking through that ceiling sure feels good. 

You deserve happiness, respect and success – however you define success. If you’ve created a ceiling that’s blocking you from winning at DealDash, here are some tips to help you redo the ceilings you create:

• Act as if you’re already a winner — but act responsibly. Our body doesn’t know the difference between what really happens and what we picture or imagine happening in our mind.  Before you start bidding, take a moment. Picture yourself winning. Get into it on a sensory level including how you feel when that computer or mixer arrives at the door. See yourself telling a friend about what you won. Feel how pleased you are at saving money on that item. See your chart at the top of your home page at DD reflect that you have hit your limits: six wins under $200 and three wins over that amount each week or hitting your monthly cash limit of wins. Make being a winner real in your mind. 

• Go for items you genuinely want for yourself or someone else. True desire makes it easier to win. We’re more focused on our goal.

• Make a list of the beliefs you have about success in general and winning at DealDash in particular. What incidents from the past created the beliefs that create your ceiling? What feelings from right now are creating beliefs about not being able to win?

• Make a list of goals. Be as specific as you can about what you want to win. Then put the list away somewhere private. Don’t discuss it. You can add to it if new goals arise but let it go. Don’t obsess about it. Move forward with life. 

• One thing that can assist us in a ceiling redo is surrounding ourselves with people who believe in us. They don’t need to verbalize this belief. If it’s there, we see it reflected in their eyes. Ironically sometimes the opposite holds true. Someone not believing in us can create the spunk we need to break through our ceiling and win just to prove them wrong. 

• Don’t give up unless you make a conscious choice that whatever you’re attempting to do is not what you want to do. Persistence is often what separates winners from the losers at anything in life. 

Bid responsibly, according to your code. Watch your self-talk and work at a do-over on any ceiling you’ve created. One day, you’ll begin to see your invisible ceiling and the thoughts you used to build it. When that happens, you’re on your way to doing what you thought you’d never be able to do.

Remember seeing isn’t believing. Believing helps us see it in real life.

NOTE:  Here’s a correction to the tips in a previous blog about never under any circumstances paying more than the retail value of an item – a reminder that every rules has its exceptions.  Sometimes I’ll win a hundred dollar item for a purchase price of $.63 (sixty-three cents). Add to that the cost of my bids, say $3.00.  Rounded out, I spent under four dollars for an item that costs $100.00.  The savings there gives me some money-room to play with, which means I can pay more than the retail value on some items (but not by much) and still come out a winner.  

 It’s putting into play the same principle as when we strive for balance in our lives. We may not have perfectly balanced time every day and every week. Instead we may work extra hard for half the year and then take the other half-year off, using it for recreation. That’s balance too.  But when it comes to DealDash, don’t plan on having money in your fund that allows you to exceed an item’s value. The responsible thing is to only do that if you’ve already had a big-savings win.

By constantly paying more than the value of an item, we drive up prices for everyone, defeating DD’s purpose of being a place where we can all get good deals.

Customers love the great bargains they get in DealDash auctions! You can see photos and read testimonials from auction winners on DealDash’s new Pinterest page, and of course the official DealDash Facebook page. Every week customers post pictures of the great products they get from DealDash, and the best photo of the week wins a 500 dollar gift card! Last week Theresa used the great bargain she got on this 3TB External Hard Drive to help her win big again on Facebook!

With a 100% satisfaction guarantee on your initial bid pack purchase, trying DealDash is a risk free proposition. DealDash customers regularly save between 60-90 percent on the products featured in DealDash auctions, so get in on these great bargains and sign up now!

One way bidders love to save money on DealDash is by taking advantage of the great promotions. Bids are often on sale for just a small fraction of their list price (60 cents), and cost only 13, 12, or sometimes even just 10 cents apiece! Many customers use these bid discounts as an opportunity to save a couple of dollars on their bid pack purchase, while others will use it as an opportunity to stock up and have enough bids to sustain them for an entire week of bidding, or sometimes even more! Stocking up on bids like this is a great idea, and it’s what makes DealDash’s promotions so important to customers’ winning strategies!

But the value of promotions doesn’t end there: there are often some kind of special “rule changes” designed to help bidders win auctions by using less bids, or offering some other benefit. There are lots of different ways this can happen, but below is a quick recap of some of the rule changes and how you can capitalize on these changes to help you win more auctions:

Huge Easter Sale – Lower No Jumper Limits

During the recent Huge Easter Sale, DealDash lowered the No Jumper™ limit to just $3! Bidders love these No Jumper™ auctions because they prevent competing bidders from joining the auction after it reaches the No Jumper™ limit, which means people who bid early on in the auction will have less competition and an easier time winning. Any way you can limit your competition in a particular auction is great and the value of the lower No Jumper™ limit shouldn’t be underestimated. If you find that auctions run for too long because they have too many people, regardless of the item you’re bidding on, this promotion will be a great resource for you to stay in the auction and outlast the other bidders.

Black Friday Sale(s) – Auction Blowouts

Black Friday Sales are a favorite among DealDashers. They’re available periodically, and typically feature a huge bid sale and an auction blowout, which entails a certain number of auctions (usually 200 or more) happening at the same time. Obviously having more auctions gives you a better chance to win, but the fact that they happen at the same time is really the icing on the cake! One way you can take advantage of these auction blowouts is to carefully research all of the items available and pick what you’re going to bid on carefully. Many times several similar items will be available (for example, different models of laptops or several gift cards to the same outlet). Be a little bit strategic in these situations and try to figure out which one will be the most popular and attract the most interest. It’s unlikely that everyone who wants the item will bid in several auctions for similar products, so if you figure out which one will attract the most bidders you can get snag one of the other ones quick, easy, and most of all CHEAP!

Easter Savings Sale – Free Auction Wins

The Easter Savings sale combined good bid prices with another great benefit: FREE auction wins! That means winners don’t have to pay the final sales price for their items: DealDash picks up the tab! Bidders love the opportunity to get their wins without having to pay that final sales price, so the best way to take full advantage of this is to go all in to auctions that might otherwise cost more than you’d like to spend on your bargain.

POLL: What’s your favorite kind of promotion on DealDash! And don’t forget to check out big DealDash winners on our official Facebook and Pinterest pages! You can post pictures of your wins there to get free DealDash bids!

[polldaddy poll=7019164]

With a 100% satisfaction guarantee on your initial bid pack purchase, trying DealDash is a risk free proposition. DealDash customers regularly save between 60-90 percent on the products featured in DealDash auctions, so get in on these great bargains and sign up now!

DealDash provides customers with a fun and social marketplace for deals. Every day hundreds of customers win fantastic bargains in DealDash’s auctions, and people save big bucks on items they love. Lots of people find winning auctions easy, but winning isn’t enough for some people. A lot of DealDash bidders spend their time honing their bidding strategies to make sure they don’t just win the auction, but they win them fast and cheap!

Here are a few pieces of advice to help new bidders learn how to get those big savings!

Bid at The Right Times

Many people are looking for the right time to bid, because they know that when other people are asleep or at work the site will be less busy. However, this isn’t actually the best way to go about determining the best time to bid. DealDash provides users with lots of information that you can use to figure out when the site is less busy, and when the most opportune time for you to bid is. For example, checking the “Winners List” gives you a chronological rundown of all the auctions that have closed. You can use this to look for times when auctions are closing for consistently low prices (for example, a series of auctions closing for less than $10 or another low price point). Using these times as guides when to bid is the best way to figure out when the site isn’t busy, and will give you a good idea about when you can win auctions for cheap!

Check out the Average Selling Prices of the Items

If you look at a particular auction page without logging in you can see the average selling price of a particular item. These average prices can give you a good idea about when you’re getting a good deal and when you’re getting a great one. If you really want a great bargain avoid bidding in auctions once the item price reaches its average, because bidding after that means you’re paying more than everyone else. Use the “Buy it now” option if you’re already heavily invested in the auction, because this way you’ll get your bids pack AND the product you’re after. If you log in and look at the auction page for an item with quantity limits, you’ll be able to see who’s won it in the past and for how much, which can also be useful for figuring out how much you want to pay for a win!

Bid on Items You Can Win for Cheap 

This doesn’t mean you should be bidding on things you don’t actually want or things that you think won’t be popular. What this means is try and guess when you’ll have the best chance to get a great bargain on your item, and one way to do this is look for similar products that are being auctioned off at the same time. For example, if there’s 10 bidders who all want to get a great deal on an iPad and there’s only one auction open, then all 10 bidders will probably bid in that auction. However, if you wait until there’s 2 or more auctions, the 10 bidders will spread themselves out, giving you less competition. Now that’s smart bidding!

With a 100% satisfaction guarantee on your initial bid pack purchase, trying DealDash is a risk free proposition. DealDash customers regularly save between 60-90 percent on the products featured in DealDash auctions, so get in on these great bargains and sign up now!

 

Check out Adam Pilkey on Google+!

Winning on DealDash is easy. In fact, it’s so easy that most customers are able to win auctions using their first bid pack purchase. But just because DealDash makes winning auctions easy doesn’t mean that the work is done for you. Big winners will tell you that winning takes time, skill, and patience. Many bidders, both new and old, will read advice on how important it is to have good information to build good bidding strategies. But where can you go to find this information? What should you look for? How can it help?

Here are a couple of places you can check on DealDash to find useful information about the auctions!

#1: The Auction Page

When you find an auction you want to bid on, you should always investigate the product, and the best place to start is by visiting the auction page. You can bid from the main page where you see all the auctions happening, but it’s worth the extra time it takes to navigate to the auction page. You can find several important pieces of information by doing so:

• If you’re logged out when you look at the auction page, you’ll see the average selling price listed at the top. You can use this to form expectations about long the auction could run for, and how difficult it will be to win. It’s also useful to use the average selling price to help you budget. Since many DealDash items will be auctioned off multiple times, an auction where the final sales price has surpassed the average selling price might be worth skipping in favor of an auction starting another time.

• If you’re logged in and looking at an auction that has quantity limits, you’ll be able to see a list of all the people who have won the item in previous auctions. You can look through this list to see how much it has sold for recently and decide whether or not the auction is for you. Many experienced bidders have found this particularly useful. Sometimes items that have been becoming more and more expensive will discourage people from bidding, which presents a unique opportunity for savvy bidders to snag an unbelievably quick bargain.

• It’s also important to pay attention to who’s bidding on the items, and when. You’ll be able to see how many people are actively bidding, and also with a little experience you’ll be able to determine who’s using their BidBuddy.

#2: The Winner List

The Winner List is another great source of information. It shows you a list of all the auctions that have sold recently. You can scan through this to check for the bargains that really stand out, which gives you an idea about how great the savings can really be on DealDash! Make a note if you see a pattern, such as a group of auctions closing for really low prices one after another. A pattern like that would indicate a point of low activity on DealDash, and low activity means less competition, giving you a better chance of winning auctions easily!

Getting a great bargain on DealDash is easy, and everyone can do it! It takes some time and patience to learn how to get the most from the site, and arming yourself with the correct information is a great place to start. Don’t be afraid of investing some time researching and digging through some of this information. It’s cheaper than buying tons of bids, and it can pay off more than you could possible imagine!

Customers love the great bargains they get in DealDash auctions! You can see photos and read testimonials from auction winners on DealDash’s new Pinterest page, and of course the official DealDash Facebook page. Every week customers post pictures of the great products they get from DealDash, and the best photo of the week wins a 500 dollar gift card! Last week Gary used the great bargain he got on this 64GB iPad with a Retina Display to help him win big again on Facebook!

With a 100% satisfaction guarantee on your initial bid pack purchase, trying DealDash is a risk free proposition. DealDash customers regularly save between 60-90 percent on the products featured in DealDash auctions, so get in on these great bargains and sign up now!