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forum threadFreebiesRGreat posted Jun 03, 2008 02:50 AM
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forum threadFreebiesRGreat posted Jun 03, 2008 02:50 AM

Contests & Sweepstakes Tips, Advice, and Questions

Sears
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The intent of this thread is for users, both new and not-so-new, to ask questions, and help with tips/advice. This is not by any means the "gospel". Please feel free to add your words of wisdom, and if you have questions, just ask! If you have a tip that will make sweeping easier for folks, please feel free to share. This is a community effort. We all will benefit in some way.


The Basic Advice/Tips for the new-to-sweeping folks.
Enter for the items you want/need. If you have no interest in trips, avoid the sweeps where the only prize is a trip. If you know you can't afford the tax on a new vehicle, avoid entering for those.

Set up folders in your bookmark/favorites. Create a separate one for each month, and file any sweeps you are interested in into the folder corresponding with when it ends. Then, if you have a day where you're pressed for time, enter at least the ones ending that day.

Play the instant win games.

Follow the rules! If a sweep is restricted to only females, a certain age group, certain states, etc, make sure you fit the criteria! If you don't, move on to another sweep that you do qualify for. Do not create a bunch of email addresses so you can enter something more than once, or so you can play an Instant win game more. The Sponsors can tell, and will DQ you. You're better off playing by the rules than cheating and getting disqualified and having NO entries.

Don't immediately dismiss essay required sweeps (or recipes, photos, etc)....well, unless you know you don't want to write something. A lot of people pass on them, so you might have a better shot at winning something.

Don't expect this to be lucrative enough to become a job. Yes, a lot of us win, and often, but not nearly enough to quit a job!

Expect things to go slow at first. It takes a while for the wins to roll in. But once they do...look out!

Expect to occasionally hit a dry spell. It happens to ALL of us.

DEFINITELY USE YOUR REAL INFO! If you use a fake phone number, and a sponsor is calling to notify people of wins, you'll never know what you missed out on. I, and many others, have been doing this for a long time, and we have no problems with sales calls. Also, use your real name. If your name is Robert or Catherine, using Bob or Cathy is ok, as they are known acceptable shorter versions of that name. if your name is Matilda, and you go by Fluffy, don't use Fluffy. Looking at your ID to get an affy notarized, they may reject it because the names don't match. The sponsor may also say "Fluffy won, not Matilda". So stick with using your real name, or something close to it.

Most of all, HAVE FUN! And don't be afraid to ask questions. We were all new to this at one time. Any one of us would be happy to answer questions.


For easy form filling, check out Roboform [roboform.com]. Google Tool bar and the autofill feature on IE also work well.

For Mac users, the best form filler is 1Password: http://agilewebsolutions.com/products/1Password (thanks javaFlower!)

FireFox Form Filler browser extensions: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/...ll&cat=all

To set up the autofill feature in IE: Click on Tools, then internet options, then choose 'content'. When that pops up, click on "Autocomplete", and make sure to check the boxes for forms and passwords on forms. This is not a good idea if you are on a shared/public computer!

February 17, 2009, 3:10 am: System Notice: This thread has been automatically renewed after reaching a post limit. Most of its content has been moved to this thread for reference purposes.

July 12, 2010, 3:23 pm: System Notice: This thread has been automatically renewed after reaching a post limit. Most of its content has been moved to this thread for reference purposes.
Community Notes
About the Poster
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Community Notes
About the Poster
The intent of this thread is for users, both new and not-so-new, to ask questions, and help with tips/advice. This is not by any means the "gospel". Please feel free to add your words of wisdom, and if you have questions, just ask! If you have a tip that will make sweeping easier for folks, please feel free to share. This is a community effort. We all will benefit in some way.


The Basic Advice/Tips for the new-to-sweeping folks.
Enter for the items you want/need. If you have no interest in trips, avoid the sweeps where the only prize is a trip. If you know you can't afford the tax on a new vehicle, avoid entering for those.

Set up folders in your bookmark/favorites. Create a separate one for each month, and file any sweeps you are interested in into the folder corresponding with when it ends. Then, if you have a day where you're pressed for time, enter at least the ones ending that day.

Play the instant win games.

Follow the rules! If a sweep is restricted to only females, a certain age group, certain states, etc, make sure you fit the criteria! If you don't, move on to another sweep that you do qualify for. Do not create a bunch of email addresses so you can enter something more than once, or so you can play an Instant win game more. The Sponsors can tell, and will DQ you. You're better off playing by the rules than cheating and getting disqualified and having NO entries.

Don't immediately dismiss essay required sweeps (or recipes, photos, etc)....well, unless you know you don't want to write something. A lot of people pass on them, so you might have a better shot at winning something.

Don't expect this to be lucrative enough to become a job. Yes, a lot of us win, and often, but not nearly enough to quit a job!

Expect things to go slow at first. It takes a while for the wins to roll in. But once they do...look out!

Expect to occasionally hit a dry spell. It happens to ALL of us.

DEFINITELY USE YOUR REAL INFO! If you use a fake phone number, and a sponsor is calling to notify people of wins, you'll never know what you missed out on. I, and many others, have been doing this for a long time, and we have no problems with sales calls. Also, use your real name. If your name is Robert or Catherine, using Bob or Cathy is ok, as they are known acceptable shorter versions of that name. if your name is Matilda, and you go by Fluffy, don't use Fluffy. Looking at your ID to get an affy notarized, they may reject it because the names don't match. The sponsor may also say "Fluffy won, not Matilda". So stick with using your real name, or something close to it.

Most of all, HAVE FUN! And don't be afraid to ask questions. We were all new to this at one time. Any one of us would be happy to answer questions.


For easy form filling, check out Roboform [roboform.com]. Google Tool bar and the autofill feature on IE also work well.

For Mac users, the best form filler is 1Password: http://agilewebsolutions.com/products/1Password (thanks javaFlower!)

FireFox Form Filler browser extensions: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/...ll&cat=all

To set up the autofill feature in IE: Click on Tools, then internet options, then choose 'content'. When that pops up, click on "Autocomplete", and make sure to check the boxes for forms and passwords on forms. This is not a good idea if you are on a shared/public computer!

February 17, 2009, 3:10 am: System Notice: This thread has been automatically renewed after reaching a post limit. Most of its content has been moved to this thread for reference purposes.

July 12, 2010, 3:23 pm: System Notice: This thread has been automatically renewed after reaching a post limit. Most of its content has been moved to this thread for reference purposes.

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Oct 12, 2012 02:31 AM
78 Posts
Joined Sep 2012
thl981Oct 12, 2012 02:31 AM
78 Posts
Thanks
Last edited by thl981 November 21, 2012 at 03:28 PM.
Oct 12, 2012 02:49 AM
313 Posts
Joined Dec 2009
caitybatesOct 12, 2012 02:49 AM
313 Posts
Quote from blahblah88 :
Hi everyone, I'm new to sweepstakes so I'm still a bit unsure of what it all entails. I'm interested in entering sweeps for some of the bigger cash prizes, however I don't want to get hit with hefty taxes at the end. For those who have won prizes totaling thousands of dollars a year, how much do you normally have to fork over in taxes? Is it all worth it?
It all depends on what you make in income. All winnings are seen as income in taxes, so if you win a $900 prize, that it the same as getting a $900 check for work, but you don't get taxes taken out of that until the end of the year. So if you make $40,000 a year, with the $900 prize, you have now made $40,900 for the year, so your refund will be a little less and you might even have to pay some. If it is a cash prize, it's always worth it, because you'll be making money on it no matter what. You would just have to set aside some money for taxes at the end of the year. Any other sort of prize, it'll be something that you have to decide whether or not you would be willing to pay, approximately, a third of the cost of the prize in taxes. Hope that helps.
Oct 12, 2012 04:49 AM
1,133 Posts
Joined Nov 2007
chuckecheezOct 12, 2012 04:49 AM
1,133 Posts
Quote from blahblah88 :
Hi everyone, I'm new to sweepstakes so I'm still a bit unsure of what it all entails. I'm interested in entering sweeps for some of the bigger cash prizes, however I don't want to get hit with hefty taxes at the end. For those who have won prizes totaling thousands of dollars a year, how much do you normally have to fork over in taxes? Is it all worth it?
I would say you're getting way ahead of yourself worrying about taxes right now. There are plenty of people who have been at this for years and probably never made enough in a year to worry about the tax liability. Even the MOST successful sweepers may average 20-25K per year over the long run, and that is with a couple of good years well above average and most quite a bit below that. And you are likely not going to come anywhere near that amount unless you plan on doing it as a full-time job, meaning 6-8 hours and 500-800 sweeps per day. I would say just jump in and start entering a few. It will take you some time to build up a backlog before you start seeing any prizes, unless you are one of the very fortunate few who hit it big immediately. And for the small stuff, like DVDs, tshirts, etc. I don't think most people even bother reporting those. My rule of thumb is valued around $50 or more before I really start worrying about reporting it.

In the end, I would definitely say it's worth it, but if you're really worried about taxes and don't have a means to pay them, avoid prizes like trips where there isn't really any way to recoup the money, and may in fact end up costing you more money. Cash or gift cards are always good, and most merchandise can be sold for slightly less than ARV if you don't want it, although entering for stuff you either can't use or don't want for yourself/family/friends is generally frowned upon around here since that's reducing the odds for others who actually want it. I recommend just jumping in and worry about the taxes later IF you win. Welcome to the madness Smilie
Oct 12, 2012 06:40 PM
118,455 Posts
Joined May 2006
implodeOct 12, 2012 06:40 PM
118,455 Posts
Quote from chuckecheez :
I would say you're getting way ahead of yourself worrying about taxes right now. There are plenty of people who have been at this for years and probably never made enough in a year to worry about the tax liability. Even the MOST successful sweepers may average 20-25K per year over the long run, and that is with a couple of good years well above average and most quite a bit below that. And you are likely not going to come anywhere near that amount unless you plan on doing it as a full-time job, meaning 6-8 hours and 500-800 sweeps per day. I would say just jump in and start entering a few. It will take you some time to build up a backlog before you start seeing any prizes, unless you are one of the very fortunate few who hit it big immediately. And for the small stuff, like DVDs, tshirts, etc. I don't think most people even bother reporting those. My rule of thumb is valued around $50 or more before I really start worrying about reporting it.

In the end, I would definitely say it's worth it, but if you're really worried about taxes and don't have a means to pay them, avoid prizes like trips where there isn't really any way to recoup the money, and may in fact end up costing you more money. Cash or gift cards are always good, and most merchandise can be sold for slightly less than ARV if you don't want it, although entering for stuff you either can't use or don't want for yourself/family/friends is generally frowned upon around here since that's reducing the odds for others who actually want it. I recommend just jumping in and worry about the taxes later IF you win. Welcome to the madness Smilie
I have been entering 6+ years and speaking frankly about my taxes--I have never won 20-25k in a year. I am probably one of the most heavy at entering with 600+ a day.
Oct 12, 2012 10:25 PM
1,133 Posts
Joined Nov 2007
chuckecheezOct 12, 2012 10:25 PM
1,133 Posts
Quote from implode :
I have been entering 6+ years and speaking frankly about my taxes--I have never won 20-25k in a year. I am probably one of the most heavy at entering with 600+ a day.
Well, right - that was sort of my point. The $25k figure I got from a little reading online and found that there were 1/2 dozen or so people who had been sweeping from 15-20 years and that was the average; they all entered daily around as much as you Implode and had several large wins, including trips, cars, etc. so those prizes really boosted the average. I'm thinking that figure is at the upper end of what you might ever expect to average, and around 95% of us are going to be well below that. Ball park, I would estimate the the normal sweeper to bring in anywhere from $3k to $10k per year, assuming a consistent daily entry process. So I think that taxes really should not be a huge concern, even for the most successful winners.
Oct 12, 2012 11:09 PM
2,399 Posts
Joined May 2007
Soinlove01Oct 12, 2012 11:09 PM
2,399 Posts
Do y'all expect tracking #'s on bigger wins?

Contacted the company again because they never got in touch with me like they said they were supposed to, and they said they had a shipping issue and would send out another and I should receive it 'hopefully' within the next week. My husband is like 'they had a shipping issue and didn't let you know? wth?'.

Would you ask for a tracking number or just keep an eye on the mailbox next week and if it doesn't come again, fire another email off? Thx!
Oct 12, 2012 11:26 PM
5,152 Posts
Joined Oct 2008
SweepaholicOct 12, 2012 11:26 PM
5,152 Posts
Quote from Soinlove01 :
Do y'all expect tracking #'s on bigger wins?

Contacted the company again because they never got in touch with me like they said they were supposed to, and they said they had a shipping issue and would send out another and I should receive it 'hopefully' within the next week. My husband is like 'they had a shipping issue and didn't let you know? wth?'.

Would you ask for a tracking number or just keep an eye on the mailbox next week and if it doesn't come again, fire another email off? Thx!
I have had plenty of big wins not give tracking numbers I just keep an eye on the mailbox.

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Oct 13, 2012 02:06 PM
118,455 Posts
Joined May 2006
implodeOct 13, 2012 02:06 PM
118,455 Posts
Anyone else encounter problem with newest FF and newest version of robo? Secondary browsers open without robo and no way to add it. I'm kind of screwed now on entering Frown
Oct 13, 2012 04:32 PM
2,399 Posts
Joined May 2007
Soinlove01Oct 13, 2012 04:32 PM
2,399 Posts
Quote from Sweepaholic :
I have had plenty of big wins not give tracking numbers I just keep an eye on the mailbox.

Thanks for the answer!
Oct 13, 2012 04:55 PM
318 Posts
Joined Dec 2011
bittripfanOct 13, 2012 04:55 PM
318 Posts
I have accumulated a bunch of Hollywood movie money codes over this year through sweeps. For the most part I have been pretty good about deleted the emails after I used the tickets. I'm wondering if there's a easy way of checking if a code has been used. I hate to go the movies with tickets I already used because I got mixed up. Thanks!
Oct 14, 2012 02:20 AM
208 Posts
Joined May 2009
empyreanOct 14, 2012 02:20 AM
208 Posts
Quote from implode :
Anyone else encounter problem with newest FF and newest version of robo? Secondary browsers open without robo and no way to add it. I'm kind of screwed now on entering Frown
Stuff like this is why if I find a FF version and Robo version that works perfectly for me, I won't update unless I really have to. They'll probably have a new update soon that will work out all of the kinks, like always.
Oct 14, 2012 02:53 AM
118,455 Posts
Joined May 2006
implodeOct 14, 2012 02:53 AM
118,455 Posts
Quote from empyrean :
Stuff like this is why if I find a FF version and Robo version that works perfectly for me, I won't update unless I really have to. They'll probably have a new update soon that will work out all of the kinks, like always.
I will be blunt, but was only able to enter 1/4th my normal load today before work...having to right mouse click on things adds a good 10 seconds per. Doesn't sound like a lot but it its a major pain for me.
Oct 14, 2012 03:13 AM
43,372 Posts
Joined Mar 2006
DeegeedeegeeOct 14, 2012 03:13 AM
43,372 Posts
Is there a free version of Roboform or do they only do 30 day trial? I thought I remember years ago completely free version.
Oct 14, 2012 03:24 AM
118,455 Posts
Joined May 2006
implodeOct 14, 2012 03:24 AM
118,455 Posts
Quote from BeBe2008 :
Is there a free version of Roboform or do they only do 30 day trial? I thought I remember years ago completely free version.
Now I believe they only do 30 day trial version...but I think they at one point had an ad driven version where you completed tasks to get a validation key. Really up to you is the cash is worth it, and the free trial is a good way to see how much it helps you. Though the limited number of passcards, greatly limits its usefulness.

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Oct 14, 2012 03:28 AM
43,372 Posts
Joined Mar 2006
DeegeedeegeeOct 14, 2012 03:28 AM
43,372 Posts
Quote from implode :
Now I believe they only do 30 day trial version...but I think they at one point had an ad driven version where you completed tasks to get a validation key. Really up to you is the cash is worth it, and the free trial is a good way to see how much it helps you. Though the limited number of passcards, greatly limits its usefulness.
Ive always used the autofill add-on which recently stopped working for me. I downloaded the trial of Roboform and have 5 days left. I like it and it works well just wanted to make sure there wasn't a free version out there before I buy it. Looks like I'm gonna be buying it laugh out loud

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