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

Contests & Sweepstakes Tips, Advice, and Questions

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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
Deal Details
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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Feb 22, 2013 01:23 PM
265 Posts
Joined Apr 2011
allison1887Feb 22, 2013 01:23 PM
265 Posts
Quote from sammeedog :
Eprize is definitely dropping the ball. I won a $1000 walmart card from MCR early december, signed affidavit, contest ended 12/31. I recieved prize January 11. I got a 1099 for it. I emailed them Monday, haven't heard anything yet.
I have yet to receive my gift card, but got the 1099. I tried to e-mail them and ask for any kind of tracking number and got the * 8-10 weeks after contest you will get your prize. I'm wondering if it got lost??
Feb 22, 2013 02:16 PM
43,372 Posts
Joined Mar 2006
DeegeedeegeeFeb 22, 2013 02:16 PM
43,372 Posts
Just wondering if when you guys enter the SD sweeps does the number of entries change after you submit. It doesn't change for me. I even tried refreshing after entering and the number stayed the same but it said I entered.
Feb 22, 2013 04:10 PM
118,455 Posts
Joined May 2006
implodeFeb 22, 2013 04:10 PM
118,455 Posts
Quote from sammeedog :
Eprize is definitely dropping the ball. I won a $1000 walmart card from MCR early december, signed affidavit, contest ended 12/31. I recieved prize January 11. I got a 1099 for it. I emailed them Monday, haven't heard anything yet.
Eprize is pretty good about tax related issues...received a 1099 one year for a prize I won two years ago. I emailed them, and they immediately retracted it after I pointed it out.
Feb 22, 2013 05:21 PM
14,856 Posts
Joined Jan 2012
princess101Feb 22, 2013 05:21 PM
14,856 Posts
I emailed eprize about 1099 form, next day they sent email asking what contest I won and the next day they asked how much money was on the 1099 form. I told them, but added "you sent it out so you should know". Next day email said they will get it corrected and they are only customer service and do not have access to the amount.
Feb 22, 2013 06:47 PM
1,964 Posts
Joined Dec 2005
euuser84404Feb 22, 2013 06:47 PM
1,964 Posts
Quote from princess101 :
I emailed eprize about 1099 form, next day they sent email asking what contest I won and the next day they asked how much money was on the 1099 form. I told them, but added "you sent it out so you should know". Next day email said they will get it corrected and they are only customer service and do not have access to the amount.
Eprize is good about it if you contact the right person. They've corrected 1099's for me before. Good luck!
Feb 22, 2013 08:40 PM
118,455 Posts
Joined May 2006
implodeFeb 22, 2013 08:40 PM
118,455 Posts
Quote from atomala :
Eprize is good about it if you contact the right person. They've corrected 1099's for me before. Good luck!
Any person I should specifically know to talk to?
Feb 22, 2013 11:50 PM
5,164 Posts
Joined Sep 2012
robonero954Feb 22, 2013 11:50 PM
5,164 Posts
Has anybody won a MyCokeRewards Sweepstakes? (not instant win). If so, how long did it take for you to receive your prize?

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Feb 23, 2013 12:35 AM
1,488 Posts
Joined Jan 2008
sammeedogFeb 23, 2013 12:35 AM
1,488 Posts
Thanks everybody, I'll try the normal eprize address instead of the 1099@eprize that they say to use.
Feb 23, 2013 03:08 PM
11 Posts
Joined Feb 2013
KontestKrazyFeb 23, 2013 03:08 PM
11 Posts
Rather new to sweepstakes. When you win a prize, are you notified somehow? Or does it usually just show up on your doorstep? Or maybe both?

THANKS!
Feb 23, 2013 03:21 PM
6,323 Posts
Joined Sep 2006
KMAFeb 23, 2013 03:21 PM
6,323 Posts
Quote from KontestKrazy :
Rather new to sweepstakes. When you win a prize, are you notified somehow? Or does it usually just show up on your doorstep? Or maybe both?

THANKS!
It depends on the types of sweeps you enter. For me the answer is yes, I'm more often notified than surprised with a package showing up at my door. Since a large majority of my wins come from blogs and Facebook posts (the kind where there's no form to fill - you share and/or like and/or comment in the post), they must let me know so I can provide my mailing info (the ones on Facebook do require me to initiate contact with them via private message or email, so I have to check back to see when the winner's name is announced). There are so few that I've been surprised by - one would have been a surprise had my friend not seen the names announced on Facebook and shared the post with me. Looking at my spreadsheet for this year's wins, of my 44 wins only 2 were complete surprises.
Feb 23, 2013 10:13 PM
8,994 Posts
Joined Jan 2006
allyn9Feb 23, 2013 10:13 PM
8,994 Posts
Quote from KMA :
It depends on the types of sweeps you enter. For me the answer is yes, I'm more often notified than surprised with a package showing up at my door. Since a large majority of my wins come from blogs and Facebook posts (the kind where there's no form to fill - you share and/or like and/or comment in the post), they must let me know so I can provide my mailing info (the ones on Facebook do require me to initiate contact with them via private message or email, so I have to check back to see when the winner's name is announced). There are so few that I've been surprised by - one would have been a surprise had my friend not seen the names announced on Facebook and shared the post with me. Looking at my spreadsheet for this year's wins, of my 44 wins only 2 were complete surprises.
I'd be curious to see how you set up your spreadsheet. Would you consider sharing?
Feb 23, 2013 10:30 PM
6,323 Posts
Joined Sep 2006
KMAFeb 23, 2013 10:30 PM
6,323 Posts
Quote from allyn9 :
I'd be curious to see how you set up your spreadsheet. Would you consider sharing?
I wouldn't even know how to share. LOL I just followed the advice of someone on here who said to make one using Google Drive (formerly Google Documents).

For my headings I put:

Item won
Date won
Date received
Value of item
Name or place where item was won (either the name of the sweepstakes or a link to a blog giveaway or a facebook post giveaway).
Expiration (if it's a coupon or gift card that must be redeemed by a certain date)
Other - if I gave the coupon away to someone and didn't print it, myself, I'll put that info there. And if it's an e-gift card, then I'll put it's location (usually my inbox) or I'll put the number and pin.

Nothing fancy. And it doesn't calculate the total value of all prizes won.
Last edited by KMA February 23, 2013 at 02:33 PM.
Feb 24, 2013 03:33 AM
271 Posts
Joined Dec 2010
dspringfieldFeb 24, 2013 03:33 AM
271 Posts
Quote from KMA :
Nothing fancy. And it doesn't calculate the total value of all prizes won.
Find an empty cell somewhere off to the side and put this up in the blank space next to "fx" just below the menu and toolbar.

=SUM(DBig Grin)

Where the Ds are the letter of the column where you have the values. It'll show a total in the cell once you click out of it.
Feb 24, 2013 11:38 AM
11 Posts
Joined Feb 2013
KontestKrazyFeb 24, 2013 11:38 AM
11 Posts
Quote from KMA :
It depends on the types of sweeps you enter. For me the answer is yes, I'm more often notified than surprised with a package showing up at my door. Since a large majority of my wins come from blogs and Facebook posts (the kind where there's no form to fill - you share and/or like and/or comment in the post), they must let me know so I can provide my mailing info (the ones on Facebook do require me to initiate contact with them via private message or email, so I have to check back to see when the winner's name is announced). There are so few that I've been surprised by - one would have been a surprise had my friend not seen the names announced on Facebook and shared the post with me. Looking at my spreadsheet for this year's wins, of my 44 wins only 2 were complete surprises.

thanks

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Feb 24, 2013 05:02 PM
14,856 Posts
Joined Jan 2012
princess101Feb 24, 2013 05:02 PM
14,856 Posts
I received my corrected 1099 form from eprize. I was VERY surprized that it came so quickly

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