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forum thread Posted by FreebiesRGreat • Jun 3, 2008
forum thread Posted by FreebiesRGreat • Jun 3, 2008

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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9,736 Comments

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Mar 11, 2018
1,103 Posts
Joined May 2008
Mar 11, 2018
conehead433
Mar 11, 2018
1,103 Posts
If you have a ToysRUS GC looks like you may need to use it now or lose it as they may completely out of business as early as next week. I have a $25 GC that is probably going to end up in the garbage. Trying to find a deal on a Bluray movie. Their website lists a bunch of $29.99 movies that I could of bought on BF for ~$7. Even in the process of liquidation they still don't have any decent deals. Some chains deserve to go out of business. In spite of bankruptcy their CEO and other top officers are getting mega millions as their stores close.
Mar 11, 2018
117,718 Posts
Joined May 2006
Mar 11, 2018
implode
Mar 11, 2018
117,718 Posts
Quote from conehead433 :
If you have a ToysRUS GC looks like you may need to use it now or lose it as they may completely out of business as early as next week. I have a $25 GC that is probably going to end up in the garbage. Trying to find a deal on a Bluray movie. Their website lists a bunch of $29.99 movies that I could of bought on BF for ~$7. Even in the process of liquidation they still don't have any decent deals. Some chains deserve to go out of business. In spite of bankruptcy their CEO and other top officers are getting mega millions as their stores close.
Can you buy me a pack of Magic cards, if your not gonna use it... Also legos are always a good value.
Last edited by implode March 10, 2018 at 04:45 PM.
Mar 11, 2018
316 Posts
Joined Oct 2007
Mar 11, 2018
FattyMcJiggleTits
Mar 11, 2018
316 Posts
Quote from minxa1 :
I definitely agree with the insanity part! lol..
I've been trying to mix things up with FB and blogs, but not having a lot of luck with those either. Plus it kills to see the same people winning on FB over and over again, makes me wonder if I'm doing something wrong.
The same people win on FB because other sweeps sites post these contests using their referral links & then tons of people enter through them, giving them a huge advantage over the rest of us. I'm pretty sure the sponsors of the contests could care less who wins as long as their getting more clicks, likes & shares.
Mar 11, 2018
117,718 Posts
Joined May 2006
Mar 11, 2018
implode
Mar 11, 2018
117,718 Posts
Quote from FattyMcJiggleTits :
The same people win on FB because other sweeps sites post these contests using their referral links & then tons of people enter through them, giving them a huge advantage over the rest of us. I'm pretty sure the sponsors of the contests could care less who wins as long as their getting more clicks, likes & shares.
I've read elsewhere referral ones get botted, up to judging company to root that out.
Mar 11, 2018
316 Posts
Joined Oct 2007
Mar 11, 2018
FattyMcJiggleTits
Mar 11, 2018
316 Posts
Quote from implode :
I've read elsewhere referral ones get botted, up to judging company to root that out.
Like the way the person who's sold about 100 Teeoff codes from the Ultra contest on eBay should've been botted? Or the one that sold 200 Papa Johns codes from the Frito contest? I think a lot of companies that have contests on FB, Twitter, IG only care about getting traffic to their page and if you can get it for them they'll be happy to give you the prize.
Mar 11, 2018
278 Posts
Joined Mar 2006
Mar 11, 2018
hopeunknown
Mar 11, 2018
278 Posts
Quote from implode :
I haven't heard of anyone winning...trust your gut when something feels off, your often correct in your instincts.
Yeah a lot of the dojomojo ones seem sketchy. A lot of the same companies (Acenela, General Assembly, PureWow, etc) sponsor contests and its strange when other brands with few followers on IG/Facebook can afford to sponsor...
Mar 11, 2018
4,425 Posts
Joined Jul 2007
Mar 11, 2018
lovelyone
Mar 11, 2018
4,425 Posts
Quote from conehead433 :
If you have a ToysRUS GC looks like you may need to use it now or lose it as they may completely out of business as early as next week. I have a $25 GC that is probably going to end up in the garbage. Trying to find a deal on a Bluray movie. Their website lists a bunch of $29.99 movies that I could of bought on BF for ~$7. Even in the process of liquidation they still don't have any decent deals. Some chains deserve to go out of business. In spite of bankruptcy their CEO and other top officers are getting mega millions as their stores close.
Your best bet is to sell the GC to someone who can probably use it. Or go to the store and use it where the deals are better than online. You can also use them at BabiesRUs so if you have some young kids in your family, you can always buy some clothes or shoes for cheap.

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Mar 11, 2018
1,103 Posts
Joined May 2008
Mar 11, 2018
conehead433
Mar 11, 2018
1,103 Posts
Quote from lovelyone :
Your best bet is to sell the GC to someone who can probably use it. Or go to the store and use it where the deals are better than online. You can also use them at BabiesRUs so if you have some young kids in your family, you can always buy some clothes or shoes for cheap.
Ended up using on The Avengers Civil War 3D. Cost me about $7. Thought about Pre-ordering The Last Jedi but wasn't sure I would ever get it. At least I'm getting something for it.
Mar 12, 2018
3,880 Posts
Joined Dec 2016
Mar 12, 2018
StormRichards
Mar 12, 2018
3,880 Posts
Quote from FattyMcJiggleTits :
Like the way the person who's sold about 100 Teeoff codes from the Ultra contest on eBay should've been botted? Or the one that sold 200 Papa Johns codes from the Frito contest? I think a lot of companies that have contests on FB, Twitter, IG only care about getting traffic to their page and if you can get it for them they'll be happy to give you the prize.
Yeah, that contest was ridiculous. When I won that Teeoff I wasn't even considering trading it here because of the $5 limit on SD. Then I noticed people trying to trade it for $3. The cheaters seriously kill trade value for prizes you aren't interested in.

Mar 14, 2018
2,728 Posts
Joined May 2007
Mar 14, 2018
sah0724
Mar 14, 2018
2,728 Posts
How are you guys getting contacted when you win? email or phone?
Mar 14, 2018
638 Posts
Joined Jun 2015
Mar 14, 2018
weasul
Mar 14, 2018
638 Posts
Quote from sah0724 :
How are you guys getting contacted when you win? email or phone?
Usually email, but I have had a few by phone. Sometimes they won't leave a message - if they don't reach you, they go on to the next choice.
Mar 14, 2018
2,728 Posts
Joined May 2007
Mar 14, 2018
sah0724
Mar 14, 2018
2,728 Posts
thanks I use 2 emails, one for spam which is this email, one personal.
Mar 14, 2018
10,802 Posts
Joined Sep 2014
Mar 14, 2018
njbob49
Mar 14, 2018
10,802 Posts
Quote from sah0724 :
How are you guys getting contacted when you win? email or phone?
Quote from weasul :
Usually email, but I have had a few by phone. Sometimes they won't leave a message - if they don't reach you, they go on to the next choice.
Quote from sah0724 :
thanks I use 2 emails, one for spam which is this email, one personal.
It is usually by email, but there are exceptions and some times they do call. For those that refuse to answer a number they don't recognize, when I won the 2017 Camaro last September, they did call me. I usually didn't answer, but for some reason I answered that call. So you never know if you missed a prize by not answering.
Mar 14, 2018
117,718 Posts
Joined May 2006
Mar 14, 2018
implode
Mar 14, 2018
117,718 Posts
Quote from sah0724 :
How are you guys getting contacted when you win? email or phone?
A variety of ways--Email, Phone, Social Media...you have to adapt to win. More channels you leave open the better your chances.

I find large prizes they typically contact you by phone on. Cash! Car! Trips!

I find smaller prizes are typically email.

Some don't contact you at all, prizes will just show up--to that end you should start monitoring Fed Ex, UPS, and USPS tracking to your address.

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Mar 14, 2018
6,322 Posts
Joined Sep 2006
Mar 14, 2018
KMA
Mar 14, 2018
6,322 Posts
Quote from TBotzon :
I have noticed Acanela Expeditions has one to two contests for trips a month. I never see a winner posted or have heard of anyone winning. I noticed they do not use a national company to pick winners. Just wondering if anyone has won or heard of anyone winning? Wondering if I am wasting my time.
Since not everyone posts about their wins, I wouldn't use that as a determining factor. From the rules:
Quote :
To request a winners list, send a self addressed, stamped envelope to Acanela LLC at 4106 N Fremont Drive, Lehi, UT, 84043. Requests must be received within four (4) weeks of the end of the Entry Period.

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