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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

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
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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Dec 14, 2017 06:02 PM
117,944 Posts
Joined May 2006
Dec 14, 2017 06:02 PM
implodeDec 14, 2017 06:02 PM
117,944 Posts
Quote from SwampStomper :
I requested the movie code also. I didn't get it though even though it looked like it said I did.
Wow, kind of looks like a pattern to me. Marlboro rep said it didn't look like I was supposed to receive the offer based on eligibility (whatever that means). At that point I told him to give me a second, I still had the email that was directed at me. Pulled it up and read ti to him. He told me I could try and go back to claim it, but offers are usually claimed pretty quickly.

Yeah, no kidding--I claimed my movie offer within 10 mins of getting the email...I wonder if the Music code offer was supposed to invalidate the movie offer, but they made a mistake? I didn't press my luck on the matter. They are pretty generous with the free offers in the first place.
Dec 15, 2017 11:17 PM
1,103 Posts
Joined May 2008
Dec 15, 2017 11:17 PM
conehead433Dec 15, 2017 11:17 PM
1,103 Posts
SD is giving away a bunch of stuff on Facebook right now on their Spin the Wheel. Check it out.
Dec 15, 2017 11:47 PM
117,944 Posts
Joined May 2006
Dec 15, 2017 11:47 PM
implodeDec 15, 2017 11:47 PM
117,944 Posts
Quote from conehead433 :
SD is giving away a bunch of stuff on Facebook right now on their Spin the Wheel. Check it out.

link to chat??? can't figure it out
Dec 16, 2017 12:35 AM
1,103 Posts
Joined May 2008
Dec 16, 2017 12:35 AM
conehead433Dec 16, 2017 12:35 AM
1,103 Posts
Quote from implode :
link to chat??? can't figure it out
Sorry, I didn't see your post. It's over now, but if you clicked on SD's Facebook page it would have been the first thing you saw. I didn't win anything and it actually kind of sucked because it wasn't random. The three hosts picked whoever they wanted. There were some really good prizes, XBOXOne, PS4 Pro, Canon T6 camera, $500 Sam's Club GC, Sony 55" 4K TV, and a GC's to Kohl's, Macy's and others.
Last edited by conehead433 December 15, 2017 at 04:39 PM.
Dec 16, 2017 12:50 AM
117,944 Posts
Joined May 2006
Dec 16, 2017 12:50 AM
implodeDec 16, 2017 12:50 AM
117,944 Posts
Quote from conehead433 :
Sorry, I didn't see your post. It's over now, but if you clicked on SD's Facebook page it would have been the first thing you saw. I didn't win anything and it actually kind of sucked because it wasn't random. The three hosts picked whoever they wanted. There were some really good prizes, XBOXOne, PS4 Pro, Canon T6 camera, $500 Sam's Club GC, Sony 55" 4K TV, and a GC's to Kohl's, Macy's and others.
I eventually figured it out...but was acting really glitched. NOT sure if they saw my comments at all or emotes. Video would freeze or comments would not post and I would have to reload. NOT even sure if you might of had to prereister for it like some previous things they have done. Oh well, least I tried.
Dec 16, 2017 01:21 AM
1,103 Posts
Joined May 2008
Dec 16, 2017 01:21 AM
conehead433Dec 16, 2017 01:21 AM
1,103 Posts
Quote from implode :
I eventually figured it out...but was acting really glitched. NOT sure if they saw my comments at all or emotes. Video would freeze or comments would not post and I would have to reload. NOT even sure if you might of had to prereister for it like some previous things they have done. Oh well, least I tried.
It definitely had some glitches with the video stopping. Some people could hear but not see the video and they picked some winners from posts on twitter. I really hated that they didn't choose winners randomly. Some of the winners were obviously names they recognized from people who had participated in their previous shows. This was my first time participating and because of the way they chose the winners it will probably be my last. Disappointed in SD.
Dec 16, 2017 02:20 AM
378 Posts
Joined Nov 2016
Dec 16, 2017 02:20 AM
HappytailDec 16, 2017 02:20 AM
378 Posts
Quote from conehead433 :
It definitely had some glitches with the video stopping. Some people could hear but not see the video and they picked some winners from posts on twitter. I really hated that they didn't choose winners randomly. Some of the winners were obviously names they recognized from people who had participated in their previous shows. This was my first time participating and because of the way they chose the winners it will probably be my last. Disappointed in SD.
Same here. I was commenting up a storm and wasn't picked at all. Wish it was random. Maybe my name doesn't stand out enough!

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Dec 16, 2017 08:48 PM
2,837 Posts
Joined Apr 2012
Dec 16, 2017 08:48 PM
sghotraDec 16, 2017 08:48 PM
2,837 Posts
I caught the SD chat a couple of weeks ago, and they said they do it every Friday. I'm usually at work so miss out altogether. I did get on one on Zappos the other day but didn't win. Not a great year for wins.
Dec 19, 2017 02:07 PM
1 Posts
Joined Apr 2013
Dec 19, 2017 02:07 PM
r13greenDec 19, 2017 02:07 PM
1 Posts
Question-

I made a separate gmail account for my sweeps entries. Obviously this account receives hundreds of promo mail from the various sponsors. My concern is that any winning notifications will get lost in the shuffle. Since a "win" email is specific and doesn't go out to everyone with the same email address, will it show up in my main folder? I'm worried that any notifications will get buried in my promo emails.
Thanks in advance!
Dec 19, 2017 02:24 PM
1,501 Posts
Joined Dec 2014
Dec 19, 2017 02:24 PM
sarasara1Dec 19, 2017 02:24 PM
1,501 Posts
Quote from r13green :
Question-

I made a separate gmail account for my sweeps entries. Obviously this account receives hundreds of promo mail from the various sponsors. My concern is that any winning notifications will get lost in the shuffle. Since a "win" email is specific and doesn't go out to everyone with the same email address, will it show up in my main folder? I'm worried that any notifications will get buried in my promo emails.
Thanks in advance!
I use gmail also. I get them mostly in my main inbox but also in the promotions and also in spam. So be very careful!
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Dec 19, 2017 02:25 PM
3,467 Posts
Joined Feb 2009
Dec 19, 2017 02:25 PM
rachaelm
Pro
QA
Dec 19, 2017 02:25 PM
3,467 Posts
Quote from r13green :
Question-

I made a separate gmail account for my sweeps entries. Obviously this account receives hundreds of promo mail from the various sponsors. My concern is that any winning notifications will get lost in the shuffle. Since a "win" email is specific and doesn't go out to everyone with the same email address, will it show up in my main folder? I'm worried that any notifications will get buried in my promo emails.
Thanks in advance!
That's a very valid concern. It's hard, especially this time of year, with massive amounts of emails from every.one.ever. I have had some win emails go to my spam folder. The majority do go to my main box, but sometimes they get filtered.

I set up flags for certain keywords, such as "Congratulations" "Win" "Won" "Congrats". That way I pay closer attention to those emails. However, I still scan the title of every dang email that comes in.

In the last month, I've received 24,688 emails. (I just checked) Absolutely redonkculous.
Dec 19, 2017 03:59 PM
4,371 Posts
Joined May 2007
Dec 19, 2017 03:59 PM
slowdive21Dec 19, 2017 03:59 PM
4,371 Posts
I just did a thorough email search. Never got my 3 pandora plus codes or top flite code from the "sayyestosummer" promo. The page is down too. I emailed them several months ago and never got a reply. I have screen prints of filling out the winning form and the winning screens, but no where to send them. I was probably going to give them away anyway, but it make me worry about better prizes.
Dec 19, 2017 04:23 PM
2,803 Posts
Joined Jan 2011
Dec 19, 2017 04:23 PM
sunshine3331Dec 19, 2017 04:23 PM
2,803 Posts
Quote from r13green :
Question-

I made a separate gmail account for my sweeps entries. Obviously this account receives hundreds of promo mail from the various sponsors. My concern is that any winning notifications will get lost in the shuffle. Since a "win" email is specific and doesn't go out to everyone with the same email address, will it show up in my main folder? I'm worried that any notifications will get buried in my promo emails.
Thanks in advance!
Make it a habit to check your spam folder every day. I do it several times a day. I once found a winning email for $10,000 from Comcast in my spam folder. It only said the name of the sweep in the subject line.
Dec 19, 2017 04:39 PM
739 Posts
Joined Nov 2008
Dec 19, 2017 04:39 PM
mike34Dec 19, 2017 04:39 PM
739 Posts
Quote from sunshine3331 :
Make it a habit to check your spam folder every day. I do it several times a day. I once found a winning email for $10,000 from Comcast in my spam folder. It only said the name of the sweep in the subject line.
I do periodic searches of my gmail for 'to:me congratulations' and 'to:me congrats'. It catches other emails but narrows the number of emails to look through considerably. I also automatically label emails from 'prizelogic.com' so they stand out (there are probably other common contest-managing companies I should automatically label too).

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Dec 19, 2017 07:47 PM
117,944 Posts
Joined May 2006
Dec 19, 2017 07:47 PM
implodeDec 19, 2017 07:47 PM
117,944 Posts
Just got email with $20 TJX GC code, any idea which promo this is from...remember $12;000 one and $100 Prize ones,,,is it legit? Website appears to be cashstar.

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