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QuiBids 101

How do I win more auctions?

As we’ve researched and examined thousands of auctions that have been conducted on QuiBids, we’ve learned several things that can increase a person’s chance of winning an auction. A few things we’ve learned are:

The QuiBids customers who win the most auctions are those who spend the most in their pursuit of winning.

“How are they able to confidently spend so many bids?” most people ask when they learn this truth. “Isn’t it possible that they will just lose all that money?” The answer to this question is actually really  straightforward and also related to the second thing we’ve learned about winning an auction, so we’ll spell it all out together:

QuiBids users who are more willing and prepared to exercise the “Buy Now” feature are the ones who have the most success.

The most successful QuiBids users are those who carefully choose products they’re willing to pay full retail price for. Then, when it comes time to bid — they go the distance. Their willingness to do this increases their odds of actually winning the item. It’s very difficult to out-bid a user who’s decidedly willing to pay full retail price for a certain item.

Less successful QuiBids users are the ones who set unrealistic goals and remain unwilling to bid more than a small fraction of the actual retail cost of an item.

The “Buy Now” essentially acts like a safety net to prevent you from having to pay anything more than retail price on any given item. When you approach an auction in this manner – as potentially discounted shopping instead of a game of cards – all the risk of loss disappears.

Many customers don’t ever consider using the “Buy Now” feature. They’re the ones trying to win a $1500 laptop for $20.  While such a haul is possible (we do stress that it is), it’s highly unlikely.  This is an unrealistic expectation many customers entertain.  We encourage everyone to set a realistic expectation of how much time and financial investment is necessary to win a big ticket item.

 

Comments (24)

1

my3rdhusband Says:

Monday December 28, 2009

Why is time added to each bid? I notice when someone bids the clock adds time. Won't that simply cause the item to never have an ending time, and cause QuiBids to "win" by charging per bids? I think this is unfair.

katiehern@QuiBids Says:

We add time to the clock when each bid is placed for a few reasons. First, without a timer reset, we would never collect enough bids back to cover our costs and therefore wouldn't be able to provide great deals to you and other users like we are currently able to. In addition, we want to give each user enough time to make a decision to bid instead of it being an impulse decision where there isn't enough time to think through their decision.

2

buzzyng Says:

Thursday December 31, 2009

While at first it seems like just a way for Quibids to make more money by adding more time on the clock, it's actually a great way to have the bidders 'put some skin in the game'. Alot of people want things dirt cheap without risk or time ... the I want it now and not have to do anything syndrome. By having to be present and monitoring, we (the bidders) have to give of our time but in return, they (Quibids) provide us with great discounted products.

katiehern@QuiBids Says:

We definitely want to give everyone a fair chance to bid on an item.  That's the reason for the countdown, until a bidder bids, which then adds a little bit of time.  As mentioned in our 'New to QuiBids section,' it's similar to the Going once...Twice... SOLD model.  There's also more info on why time is added in the 'Auctions' section.  Thanks for writing in.  Happy Bidding!

3

Says:

Wednesday February 17, 2010

can you wait till the very last second to place your very first bid? Say it is 28.00 and you place a bid will it only take one bid since it is your first, and can you win on that bid? Also do you have to pay that final price also? or do your bids cover it?

katiehern@QuiBids Says:

It's up to you how you want to bid, and yes, you can bid the last second.  It has happened where a person has won an item with one bid, however it is not the norm.  More than likely, you'll need to place more bids and spend a little more time in the auction. Patience is key.You pay the final price the auction ends at.

4

Says:

Thursday May 20, 2010

how can i see how many bids were made on a sold item?

katiehern@QuiBids Says:

You may view how many bids the winner placed by looking under the 'Winner Information' on the auction page.

5

Says:

Monday September 6, 2010

Could QuiBids ever disallow bid o matic on some items so it can just be person vs. person?

katiehern@QuiBids Says:

The Bid-O-Matic isn't offered on every auction.This is just to keep variety throughout the site.

6

bidfree Says:

Friday September 10, 2010

how do I know the real auction real ending time?

katiehern@QuiBids Says:

The auction ending time is up to the bidders.Whenever users stop bidding on the item and the clock hits 0, the auction is over.

7

GolinFam Says:

Monday October 18, 2010

Just found QuiBids this week and I'm hooked! One of the largest draws is that you put a cap on how many auctions you can win per day/month. This assures me that there are not a whole bunch of 'professionals' preying on all the products to bid on and then resell. It gives a lot of us a fair chance, and sets a structure for us bidders to decide on what we really want!

8

donnas23 Says:

Friday September 2, 2011

What is the difference between real bids and voucher bids?

lstuckemeyer@QuiBids Says:

Real bids are purchased in the “Buy Bids” section of your account. Real bids have monetary value and are therefore refundable and apply towards the 'Buy Now' option. Voucher bids are acquired via auctions and through promotional means. Voucher bids are non-refundable and do not apply towards the 'Buy Now' option, as they harbor no monetary value.

9

vverona Says:

Wednesday September 28, 2011

If I'm not in the bidding session, am I still a candidate for the "buy now" at retail price?

katiehern@QuiBids Says:

No, you must place at least one bid in the auction to be eligible to use the Buy Now feature.

10

lcav281 Says:

Wednesday September 28, 2011

If I want to do my homework on an item that I am interested in by watching other auctions of the same item, but can't watch it until the end of the auction...can I mark it as one of my "items to watch" and go back into my account later and see what the final winning bid was after the auction is over?

katiehern@QuiBids Says:

Yes, you can select any item to add to your watch list. Once an item is in your watch list you can watch it in your account.

11

katiesgoodstuff Says:

Thursday October 20, 2011

Alright, if you have your 12 spots filled up, do they come off all at once in 28 days, or do they come off 28 days from your first auction item?

lstuckemeyer@QuiBids Says:

Each item has its own individual 28-day clock. These items will drop off individually, once 28 days has passed from the date it was won. If you go to the 'Auction Limits' section of your account, you will see the date that these items will drop off this list.

12

Bududuy Says:

Saturday October 22, 2011

How can/what determines a bidder to win when there are for example 15 other more bidders "actively" bidding on an item?

katiehern@QuiBids Says:

The winner of an auction is always the last person who places a bid when the timer hits zero. Nothing else can determine the bidder other than the clock.

13

ssbiscotti Says:

Sunday October 23, 2011

What is the shipping and handling cost of the items? Do they differ?

katiehern@QuiBids Says:

Yes, shipping costs do differ depending on the item. You can always view the shipping cost of a particular item at the bottom of the auction page.

14

oooom Says:

Tuesday October 25, 2011

Does Quibids add any additional shipping charge for shipping items to Hawaii? I see low shipping fees on some large items.

katiehern@QuiBids Says:

No, whatever the shipping price is on the auction page is what you will pay. We will not add more to the shipping price.

15

jadaalexus7403 Says:

Monday November 14, 2011

Hi, my first time here. I was just curious as to know how long do you have to purchase your winning item after the auction has ended?, Or is there a limit?

lstuckemeyer@QuiBids Says:

You have 3 days to claim your won auction.

16

CrlBrdgs Says:

Friday April 13, 2012

What happens if you're the winning bidder (at the moment) and accidentally click Bid? Do you use up another bid? Does the timer reset? Or do you block a bidder until someone else bids to protect those with twitchy hands, inquisitive children, attention wanting pets, or D) all of the above? :o)

eklyons@QuiBids Says:

If you are currently the highest bidder and you click the "Bid" icon, the system will not allow that bid to be placed. You will receive a message telling you that you are 'currently winning that auction.' You will be able to bid again once another user places a bid, and you are no longer the highest bidder.

17

NotRealMoney Says:

Wednesday June 27, 2012

Do to sub-standard internet service I only bid on auctions where I can use the autobid. Is there a way to search for only those auctions?

eklyons@QuiBids Says:

When you are on the Homepage of all auctions, towards the top left of the page, under the words 'Live Auctions,' you will see an icon reading 'Filter By.' When you click on the 'Filter By' icon, a drop down menu will appear providing you with the option to customize the types of featured auctions listed.

18

nautimermaid Says:

Friday January 3, 2014

Is their a set time how long auction can go on? Max time? Hours? Days? Weeks?

jpayne5@QuiBids Says:

No, there is not a set time for an auction to end. The auctions will go on as long as people continue to bid.

19

OCCA1 Says:

Friday January 3, 2014

Why does an auction get locked before the timer gets to zero?

jpayne5@QuiBids Says:

After a certain point, auctions will become locked and only bidders who have been participating will be able to continue placing bids, while all other bidders will be “locked out.” This helps prevent competition for bidders who have been participating for awhile. You can read more about Locked Auctions here: http://blog.quibids.com/locked-auctions-winning-just-got-easier/

20

smunro2011 Says:

Tuesday January 21, 2014

I am wondering why you don't set a limit on the number of vouchers that can be used to bid on your bid packs, like you do with real bids. Some bidders seem to use outrageous amount of vouchers, way more than they will win, to win a bid pack. It just seems like they are wasting bids. I am wondering why you don't institute a limit on this?

jpayne5@QuiBids Says:

We set a limit on the real bids because their value is applied towards the Buy Now. At this time, voucher bids do not apply towards that option so there is no limit to the number of voucher bids.

21

GRUMPYANDPEBBLES Says:

Saturday February 15, 2014

I had this happen recently. There was one second left and I felt I won and right then another bidders name popped up. No time was added so I could bid, zero and I lost why?

jpayne5@QuiBids Says:

It sounds like you experienced some internet lag. We are always happy to review any auction in which this happened though to make sure something else didn't occur. Please contact our Customer Support Team with the auction number. In the meantime, you can help minimize internet lag by making sure your system is up-to-date and meets our recommended system requirements.

22

cella366 Says:

Tuesday March 11, 2014

what does it mean when it says locked?

jpayne5@QuiBids Says:

That means the auction has locked so that only the users who were considered active bidders in the auction prior to the lock can continue bidding.

23

mazarane Says:

Saturday April 19, 2014

Why did my available auctions to bid on go from every few minutes to up to 5 hours til the next auction I can bid on ? Also were did all the auctions over $415 go for me. I see all my friends bidding on $500 and higher auctions but I never can see them any more.

jpayne5@QuiBids Says:

We always offer all items to all users, just not all at the same time. We have to limit how many users can see a particular auction in order to make it possible to win. If all our users were competing in the same auction, it wouldn't be possible to get items at a great deal! The item should be coming up for auction again soon, so keep an eye out!

24

whyknot64 Says:

Friday May 30, 2014

If everyone is using the "Bid-o-Matic" button in the last seconds of the auction, How do you determine who is the winner?

jpayne5@QuiBids Says:

The time of each bid is recorded and applied to the auction in the proper order. Each time a bid is placed the timer is reset with up to 20 seconds.

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