QuiBids 101
How Do I Win More Auctions?
So how do you up your chances of winning an auction? As we have researched and examined thousands of auctions that have been conducted on QuiBids, we have learned several things that can increase a person’s chance of winning an auction. The first main thing that we have learned is:
The QuiBids customers that win the most auctions are the ones who spend the most bids in their pursuit of winning.
Most people’s first question after learning this is, “How are they able to confidently spend so many bids? Isn’t it possible that they will just lose all that money?” The answer to this question is actually fairly simple and it is related to the second main thing we have learned about winning an auction.
The QuiBids customers that have the most success are the ones that are willing to exercise the “Buy it Now” feature if they do not win the auction.
The customers who are the most successful at QuiBids are the ones who pick out products that they would be willing to pay full retail price for. Then they bid on those items for a chance to win them far below retail price. As a result of their willingness to go all the way they usually have a very high chance of actually winning the item.
The QuiBids customers that have the least success are the ones that have unrealistic goals and are unwilling to pay more than a small fraction of the actual retail cost of an item in bids.
Even if you are unsuccessful in winning an item, you can still apply any of the bids that you have used towards that item and still buy it for a price that is comparable to what you would pay at a local retailer. It is a fun and risk-free way to do your holiday shopping. However, many customers don’t ever consider using the “Buy it Now” feature. Instead, they are interested in spending $20 trying to win a $1500 Apple Macbook. Although it is possible for someone to win the Apple Macbook with $20 in bids, it’s highly unlikely. This is an unrealistic expectation that certain customers have. We encourage everyone to set a realistic expectation of how much time and financial investment is necessary to win a big ticket item.
To Recap
- Pick out the items that you would like to purchase for yourself or give as gifts
- Set some personal goals for how many bids and how much time you are willing to invest in an auction
- If you fail to win the auction, exercise the Buy it Now feature and purchase the item at value price
Comments (81)
qchong Says:
actually the bidders are at zero-sum games.
Matt@QuiBids Says:
qchong, if there was no "Buy it Now" feature, you'd be right in your assessment that it is a zero-sum game. However, with the "Buy it Now" feature, this creates the situation where users can always get something for their bids, eliminating the potential for a zero sum game.
TonyBarone16 Says:
can you give an example of how the "buy it now" feature works? lets say the $1500.00 Macbook went for $1000.00 how much would a bidder be able to "but it now" for?
Jill@QuiBids Says:
It depends on how much the person bid. If the person bid 200 times (200 x .60 = $120), and he/she decides to Buy it Now, he/she can take the cost of bids away from the retail price and get the item (in this case, a Macbook for $1,500) for $1,380.
my3rdhusband Says:
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.
Jill@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.
buzzyng Says:
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.
Jill@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!
lumpkat Says:
I can't find an explanation of how the autobid feature works. Could you please explain.
Jill@QuiBids Says:
The Bid-o-Matic, sure thing. Take a look here: http://www.quibids.com/help_faq.php?cat=10 and scroll about half way down. It explains in detail about how it works, how to apply it, etc.
thekyzier Says:
I can't find the first time bidders auction items. Where are they?
Jill@QuiBids Says:
If you haven't won an auction yet, log in and you will find a beginner's auction panel.
hupomeno Says:
Will an item ever go over retail value? Or will the auction end when it reaches a certain dollar amount at or close to retail?
Jill@QuiBids Says:
We hope not. It doesn't end per se, but we wouldn't think people would bid up an item over retail. Up to the users and their bid practices. Now on an individual user bidding close to the retail value, we give out warnings letting them know it'd be smart to stop.
accessa Says:
What if you are bidding and run out of bids. Can you continue to bid and pay up later?
Jill@QuiBids Says:
No, you will have to purchase bids first.
elmersglue42 Says:
can i see how many bids an item has gotten so instead of the newest 10 bids i could see all of the bids an item has gotten
Jill@QuiBids Says:
If I understand you correctly, no. We don't post that info.
wseaton22 Says:
Hi, say I use the Bid-O-Matic on 50 bids. I don't win the item but decide to quit bidding. I chose to Buy It Now. Will I get those 50 bids back? I thought I read that some where. And if i do, does it only work on the bids used by the Bid-O-Matic?
Jill@QuiBids Says:
You can then apply those used BOM bids to the Buy it Now, yes. The only reason they would not be used towards Buy It Now would be if those bids used by BOM were voucher bids.
xmrjx17 Says:
Can someone answer this question? What if I came into an auction right at the end. Could I win if I placed one bid? Also, how do you win? if someone stops bidding?
Jill@QuiBids Says:
Just depends. Each auction is different. It has happened where someone has joined in at the end of an auction (one that's been going on for awhile) and won with only a few bids. However, it's not the norm. When you win, you'll see the screen telling you that you indeed, won.
jgdishon Says:
Items I want to bid on are comming up late at night. Do you rotate the time of day that items are uo for auction?
Jill@QuiBids Says:
Valid question and yes, we sure try to.
jojo6223 Says:
How con you get an icon for your user name?
Jill@QuiBids Says:
Once you log into your account, under your Account Links, there is a sub page that says My Avatar. Either that way or when you log in, you'll see the icon with the link/word that says, 'change'.
johnnye Says:
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?
Jill@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.
TonySnark Says:
I just won $60 speakers for .6 cents on my FIRST BID EVER. I love this site
jjules747 Says:
I did the buy it now thing how do I know it went through?
Erin@QuiBids Says:
Hey jjules747--There is not set equation for winning auctions because every single auction is different, but the best thing that you can do is read through the Quibids 101 and learn some of the helpful tips that we have provided. Also, take a little time to familiarize yourself with the site. Get a feel for the best times to enter and win an auction, and take notice of usernames--Learn who you do or do not want to bid against.
normal Says:
How do you buy bid-o-matic, and how do you start and stop it? Thanks--
Jill@QuiBids Says:
If it's offered in an auction, you will see it below that item's live auction page, below the Bidding History section. You start the Bid-O-Matic by setting the parameters and selecting “activate”. You can also turn this feature off using the “deactivate” button.
spamj25 Says:
2 questions :) Why is there a charge applied to gift cards and vouchers when the code is sent via email? Do you take recommendations of products users would like to see auctioned? Thanks in advance...Love the site :)
Erin@QuiBids Says:
These charges help to cover processing and activation fees. We LOVE suggestions from users! The more we hear from you, the more stuff we can put on the site that we know you want! And hey! That's the whole reason we're here, right?!
delbrige Says:
How many times can you win in 24 hours?
Jill@QuiBids Says:
You may win 3/day with your real bids. Voucher bids do not count toward the win limit, so you are able to win more than 3, as long as it's with those voucher bids.
viking1025 Says:
why are we limited to 8 items in a 28 day period and can this be rushed? and can my wife open an account even if we use the same credit card?
Jill@QuiBids Says:
The limits are set in place in order to give a more fair chance for others to win. Our Regulations state that there should only be one account to a household. Feel free to contact our support regarding the number of accounts.
Thrycebitten Says:
So my question is if you are the winning bidder and a losing bidder decided to use the "Buy it Now" option, what recourse does the original winner have?
Jill@QuiBids Says:
They will have had the ability to get the product at a true discount. The Buy it Now feature is a way to get the product for retail value.
jimvu107 Says:
If I use the buy it now, can I still continue bidding and win the same item again?
Jill@QuiBids Says:
No, not in that same auction.
Olcoach Says:
am i understanding correct? If i win a auction, I will get the product at the discounted price. In the meantime, a bidder can also purchase the product at the retail price and we both receive the product.
Erin@QuiBids Says:
That's right Olcoach! You will both receive the item, but only one user will be the winner.
jgoogles Says:
what are voucher bids? and how can you use them on an auction?
Erin@QuiBids Says:
Jgoogles, check out this link to our Help section for a full explanation of Voucher Bids: http://www.quibids.com/help_faq.php?cat=10
lavnel Says:
how do I get to my watchlist
Erin@QuiBids Says:
You can view your Watched Auction List by clicking on the 'My QuiBids' tab. This is a wonderful feature to utilize!
isadam Says:
how can i see how many bid were made on a sold item?
Erin@QuiBids Says:
You may view how many bids the winner placed by looking under the 'Winner Information' on the auction page.
haniwa Says:
I enjoy QuiBids and am truly satisfied with the items I received / won... kudos. Customer support is the best!
Erin@QuiBids Says:
That's wonderful haniwa! We love to hear this!
lovegolf Says:
Do you know if you are bidding on a used or new product? If used, to what extent?
Erin@QuiBids Says:
Everything is new, new, new :)
bourg1 Says:
Can the Buy It Now be used hours after you lost? If so, where do you find the place where you can buy it now?
Erin@QuiBids Says:
The Buy it Now option is available for two hours after the auction ends.
erhoads Says:
The vouchers allowing you to win more than 3 items in a day does that apply to the 8 per month rule also?
Erin@QuiBids Says:
Vouchers wins do count toward the daily win limits, but they do not count toward the 8 per 28 days limits.
bbray4life30 Says:
How often does a wii come up to bid on?
Erin@QuiBids Says:
We put Wii systems up for auction all the time! Just keep checkin'!
Zman14 Says:
When does the 24 hr period reset? After 24 hrs from your last purchase or is it Midnight to midnight each day?
Jordy@QuiBids Says:
The 24 hour auction limit is reset 24 hours from the last purchase. Thanks!
trishous Says:
Is the 24 hour auction limit set from the time you purchase it (actually pay for it with the credit card) or is from the time that you win the bid? For example, say I won the auction at 3:30 pm (and it was the third time that I'd won that day), but did not actually pay for the item until 7:00 pm when I got home from work, would the time limit start at 3:30 or at 7:00? By the way I love this site BUT I have to be very careful not to get too carried away :-)
Chad@QuiBids Says:
The items isn't included in your auction limits until you win it. So if you won it at 3:30 but paid for it at 7:00, it would still count against your auction limits at 3:30.
MosesDaTruth Says:
Do voucher wins count toward your daily win total (3) or toward your monthly win total (8)?
Chad@QuiBids Says:
No, voucher wins do not count towards your monthly limits.
gottagohome Says:
If you don't win the item and you decide not to use the buy it now option, can you transfer that credit toward a different item for buy it now?
Chad@QuiBids Says:
No, the Buy It Now option only applies to whatever auction item you were bidding on.
bigspender40 Says:
I love the buy it now feature. A lot of my items came from the buy it now. Keep it up Qubids.
Chad@QuiBids Says:
Thanks! We have had a lot of great feedback from the Buy It Now option. Happy bidding!
deffy11 Says:
Is there an added cost for shipping? Or is it covered when you win an auction? Is there shipping cost if you use buy it now?
Chad@QuiBids Says:
The shipping cost is located at the bottom of the auction item page.
cpeters8 Says:
After I buy the bids i pay for them do I pay for them again when I use them?
Chad@QuiBids Says:
You are only charged one time when you buy a bid pack.
swmoriconi Says:
I have never seen any Bid-O-Matic icons on any of the items--will you try to give a more detailed example of where to look to see if that item offers the bid-o matic option?
Chad@QuiBids Says:
The Bid-O-Matic is located in the box under the Bid History section of the auction. You start the Bid-O-Matic by setting the parameters and selecting “activate.” You can also turn this feature off using the “deactivate” button. Simply input the minimum and maximum auction price that you wish for the Bid-o-Matic to place bids within, as well as the number of bids you're prepared for it to use. Remember that the Bid-o-Matic can only bid within the parameters that you set for it. It cannot, and will not, bid until the auction price hits your minimum amount, nor will it bid past the maximum price you have set for it. * Please note that the Bid-O-Matic is not offered on every auction. This is just to keep variety throughout the site.
Sirobone Says:
This is awesome! I just found this site and feel like i've been missing out! I can't wait till payday... i was going to be doing a big shopping trip anyways... now i can try and win them cheaper... and if not... i still had plans to spend retail value anyway. This is fantastic!
Chad@QuiBids Says:
Welcome to the site! Best of luck and happy bidding!
OneQuestion Says:
Could QuiBids ever disallow bid o matic on some items so it can just be person vs. person?
Chad@QuiBids Says:
The Bid-O-Matic isn't offered on every auction. This is just to keep variety throughout the site.