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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
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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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Jun 04, 2012 01:39 AM
458 Posts
Joined May 2007
trips4meJun 04, 2012 01:39 AM
458 Posts
Thanks Jang!
Jun 04, 2012 02:21 AM
1,497 Posts
Joined Aug 2006
zeviloneJun 04, 2012 02:21 AM
1,497 Posts
american idol trip was redic

thanks phans!
Jun 04, 2012 03:43 AM
118,455 Posts
Joined May 2006
implodeJun 04, 2012 03:43 AM
118,455 Posts
Quote from Funkorama :
Thx, also about how many contests/sweepstakes do you have to enter a day or week to start winning stuff?
I think you could enter a handful a day, and eventually win. Or you could enter 500-600 a day, and not win for months. I've seen both of those scenarios. Its all luck.

In general the more you are able to enter the better you do.

In general the less consistent you are in entering something over a long period of time the worse you will do.

In general contests that award less prizes are harder to win.

In general if you can't enter every day on dailies, single entries might be easier to win for you. You are on even odds with everyone else as compared to lesser odds then some people.
Jun 04, 2012 04:37 AM
2,985 Posts
Joined Oct 2007
lusesitaJun 04, 2012 04:37 AM
2,985 Posts
I know a lady that enters like 6-7 hours a day - she writes essays takes pictures etc. I am way to lazy for that LOL
Jun 04, 2012 04:55 AM
118,455 Posts
Joined May 2006
implodeJun 04, 2012 04:55 AM
118,455 Posts
Quote from lusesita :
I know a lady that enters like 6-7 hours a day - she writes essays takes pictures etc. I am way to lazy for that LOL
Reason I don't write essays, is I'm not going to sell myself out to win...the contest for biggest sob story is unreal.
Jun 04, 2012 01:24 PM
1,844 Posts
Joined Jun 2009
JangJun 04, 2012 01:24 PM
1,844 Posts
Nvm. Fixed the problem.
Last edited by Jang June 4, 2012 at 06:28 AM.
Jun 04, 2012 02:03 PM
248 Posts
Joined Apr 2008
theviper21Jun 04, 2012 02:03 PM
248 Posts
Quote from implode :
Reason I don't write essays, is I'm not going to sell myself out to win...the contest for biggest sob story is unreal.
I agree and tend to follow the same philosophy. I think some people take it too far by outright lying for some of these contests. I also only enter contests for things I would use myself or be able to sell and I don't sell myself out to do it either.

I do about 50-60 IWGs a day, 100 or so dailies, then look various places for any single entry sweeps, facebook sweeps, or Twitter sweeps. I don't use roboform, but I do use the feature in Firefox that saves what you type in fields that lets you arrow down and tab through pretty quickly on most of them.

The way I see it, even if you don't have time for dailies try to enter them at least once instead of skipping over them entirely. I have seen quite a few stories from people that have only entered a daily contest once and won (recently one on SD won the car from eBay and only entered once, IIRC).

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Jun 04, 2012 03:47 PM
1,844 Posts
Joined Jun 2009
JangJun 04, 2012 03:47 PM
1,844 Posts
Quote from theviper21 :
I agree and tend to follow the same philosophy. I think some people take it too far by outright lying for some of these contests. I also only enter contests for things I would use myself or be able to sell and I don't sell myself out to do it either.

I do about 50-60 IWGs a day, 100 or so dailies, then look various places for any single entry sweeps, facebook sweeps, or Twitter sweeps. I don't use roboform, but I do use the feature in Firefox that saves what you type in fields that lets you arrow down and tab through pretty quickly on most of them.

The way I see it, even if you don't have time for dailies try to enter them at least once instead of skipping over them entirely. I have seen quite a few stories from people that have only entered a daily contest once and won (recently one on SD won the car from eBay and only entered once, IIRC).
I have the same MO: only enter things I would keep for myself or my family/friends or I can sell. I only enter a few trip sweepstakes, mainly Disney World ones. For essay contests, I've only ever entered like 3.

I used the same Firefox feature until a couple of months ago. Then I got Roboform and it saves me a ton a time.

I also use my FB newsfeed because I often see comment to enter/one day only giveaways. I've won dozens of small to medium things from those.
Jun 04, 2012 05:29 PM
2,368 Posts
Joined Jan 2012
onceisnotenoughJun 04, 2012 05:29 PM
2,368 Posts
Quote from Jang :
I have the same MO: only enter things I would keep for myself or my family/friends or I can sell. I only enter a few trip sweepstakes, mainly Disney World ones. For essay contests, I've only ever entered like 3.
I've been wondering about that lately. I do the same as you, but I wonder if we're the minority?

Like, I have zero interest in sweeps that are for guns, tires, NASCAR trips, computer equipment, children's toys, etc., so I don't bother to enter because I figure that gives someone who really wants the prize that much more of a chance to win. But is that the prevailing sweeping philosophy? Or do most people enter EVERYTHING since a win is a win?
Jun 04, 2012 07:21 PM
118,455 Posts
Joined May 2006
implodeJun 04, 2012 07:21 PM
118,455 Posts
Quote from onceisnotenough :
I've been wondering about that lately. I do the same as you, but I wonder if we're the minority?

Like, I have zero interest in sweeps that are for guns, tires, NASCAR trips, computer equipment, children's toys, etc., so I don't bother to enter because I figure that gives someone who really wants the prize that much more of a chance to win. But is that the prevailing sweeping philosophy? Or do most people enter EVERYTHING since a win is a win?
I'm same way...most vacations, baby related products, jewelry (maybe I should rethink that with gold prices), religious items--I'm sure other categories I'm missing.
Jun 04, 2012 10:52 PM
26,018 Posts
Joined Dec 2010
User1144648Jun 04, 2012 10:52 PM
26,018 Posts
Quote from onceisnotenough :
I've been wondering about that lately. I do the same as you, but I wonder if we're the minority?

Like, I have zero interest in sweeps that are for guns, tires, NASCAR trips, computer equipment, children's toys, etc., so I don't bother to enter because I figure that gives someone who really wants the prize that much more of a chance to win. But is that the prevailing sweeping philosophy? Or do most people enter EVERYTHING since a win is a win?
I too only enter for prizes that I want to win, for myself or family, and leave the others to people who really want to win them. But, I think we are the minority. Yay for the non-greedy minority! Big Grin
Jun 04, 2012 11:22 PM
1,268 Posts
Joined Dec 2008
melan26Jun 04, 2012 11:22 PM
1,268 Posts
I used to enter EVERYTHING when I started sweeping. And now, I realize I don't really want stuff that I don't need. Gave me time to enter more that I want.

Also, I have an add-on in Firefox where I open 10 or so tabs, use keyboard shortcut such as Alt + (letter you want to assign) and it fills it up for me, it also has a shortcut where it fills it up for you and submit it but I doubt I'll ever use it, I just want to make sure it's all filled. It saved me a lot of time when I discovered that feature.
Jun 05, 2012 01:00 AM
1,844 Posts
Joined Jun 2009
JangJun 05, 2012 01:00 AM
1,844 Posts
I love computer equipment so I always enter those. Game systems and games that I really want.

I might enter a gun sweepstakes if I actually learn how to use one.

I love when people win things they really want/would enjoy. Like those VIP trips.
Jun 05, 2012 05:36 AM
1,410 Posts
Joined Apr 2006
ShelbyDieselJun 05, 2012 05:36 AM
1,410 Posts
Quote from melan26 :
I used to enter EVERYTHING when I started sweeping. And now, I realize I don't really want stuff that I don't need. Gave me time to enter more that I want.

Also, I have an add-on in Firefox where I open 10 or so tabs, use keyboard shortcut such as Alt + (letter you want to assign) and it fills it up for me, it also has a shortcut where it fills it up for you and submit it but I doubt I'll ever use it, I just want to make sure it's all filled. It saved me a lot of time when I discovered that feature.

I've just started using FF. What's the add-on? TIA Confused

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Jun 05, 2012 06:01 AM
1,268 Posts
Joined Dec 2008
melan26Jun 05, 2012 06:01 AM
1,268 Posts
Quote from SuDilly :
I've just started using FF. What's the add-on? TIA Confused
The Autofill forms. It lets you create a default form as well as other ones specific to the form of the sweeps/contest entering. It's really been a time saver since discovering and learning new/different features. I hope this form helps you expedite your entries.

Also, I sync my bookmarks so I can now log on to any computer and see all my bookmarks without having to export it and be able to enter my sweeps.

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