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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
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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Nov 24, 2012 12:28 AM
1,461 Posts
Joined Dec 2009
LurkedUrWinNov 24, 2012 12:28 AM
1,461 Posts
Let me know when you win a new iPhone and I will gladly pay you $50 over subsidized price and I'll leave it at that.
Nov 24, 2012 12:38 AM
27,601 Posts
Joined Dec 2006
suncat77Nov 24, 2012 12:38 AM
27,601 Posts
Deleted because I was blathering on. Smilie
Last edited by suncat77 November 23, 2012 at 07:18 PM.
Nov 24, 2012 05:12 AM
105 Posts
Joined Oct 2012
MOSCHUNONov 24, 2012 05:12 AM
105 Posts
Quote from Soinlove01 :
How do you guys find out how much to price wins to sell? I have a sealed 16gb iPhone 5 that will arrive on Monday. I will only sell local but I am not sure how to find a price? Hoping it sells well because I need the money for Christmas, anyone know what they are going for?
Sell it on Ebay if you can. I saw them going for almost $1000... I sold my hubbys USED iphone 4s when he got the 5 on Ebay and i got almost $400. The new in box 5 will get you over $600 on Ebay. you'll probably take home like 85% after fees and stuff.

Quote from Soinlove01 :
Thank you for all the advice everyone. I checked completed ebay ads and looks like it goes from $500-$700. Does putting a firm price work or should I increase the value and expect the buyer to haggle the price to what I want?
I would start it at .99 and let it go up. It will go up, trust me. You'll get more watchers and bidders that way.
Last edited by MOSCHUNO November 23, 2012 at 09:13 PM.
Nov 24, 2012 06:42 AM
39 Posts
Joined Dec 2009
roma2009Nov 24, 2012 06:42 AM
39 Posts
Quote from MOSCHUNO :
Sell it on Ebay if you can. I saw them going for almost $1000... I sold my hubbys USED iphone 4s when he got the 5 on Ebay and i got almost $400. The new in box 5 will get you over $600 on Ebay. you'll probably take home like 85% after fees and stuff.



I would start it at .99 and let it go up. It will go up, trust me. You'll get more watchers and bidders that way.
Wow that is great advice! I would never of thought to do that but it makes sense. I've been so confused on how to sell on ebay. Whether to do a reserve or not. And returns. How do you handle returns or if ebay decides to take back a payment. I am scared of scammers.
Nov 24, 2012 01:00 PM
29 Posts
Joined Jan 2011
EPRNov 24, 2012 01:00 PM
29 Posts
Quote from roma2009 :
Wow that is great advice! I would never of thought to do that but it makes sense. I've been so confused on how to sell on ebay. Whether to do a reserve or not. And returns. How do you handle returns or if ebay decides to take back a payment. I am scared of scammers.

You might know this already, but make sure to use delivery confirmation if you use USPS. A few months ago I started selling some items on Ebay. I sold a cheap item which I promptly shipped it. The buyer gave me positive feedback and all, but about a month after, Paypal charged me the amount that I sold the item for. Buyer claimed he didn't received it so Paypal was looking for a delivery confirmation # from me. I didn't spring for the delivery confirmation # option so I was without any recourse. I told Paypal that the buyer had given me positive feedback but they didn't care. I'm just glad it wasn't an expensive item. From now on, I always use delivery confirmation.
Nov 24, 2012 03:43 PM
118,455 Posts
Joined May 2006
implodeNov 24, 2012 03:43 PM
118,455 Posts
Quote from roma2009 :
Wow that is great advice! I would never of thought to do that but it makes sense. I've been so confused on how to sell on ebay. Whether to do a reserve or not. And returns. How do you handle returns or if ebay decides to take back a payment. I am scared of scammers.
Also if you are new member without feedback be aware you may get less for your items until you are more experienced.
Nov 24, 2012 03:46 PM
6,059 Posts
Joined Jul 2012
ChrisB65Nov 24, 2012 03:46 PM
6,059 Posts
Quote from roma2009 :
Wow that is great advice! I would never of thought to do that but it makes sense. I've been so confused on how to sell on ebay. Whether to do a reserve or not. And returns. How do you handle returns or if ebay decides to take back a payment. I am scared of scammers.
You are not required to take returns as long as you do not misrepresent the item. For an item that expensive, you have to get a signature for the package to be protected through Paypal, and I would recommend insuring the package(it doesn't cost too much) to protect yourself even more.

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Nov 24, 2012 05:23 PM
105 Posts
Joined Oct 2012
MOSCHUNONov 24, 2012 05:23 PM
105 Posts
Quote from roma2009 :
Wow that is great advice! I would never of thought to do that but it makes sense. I've been so confused on how to sell on ebay. Whether to do a reserve or not. And returns. How do you handle returns or if ebay decides to take back a payment. I am scared of scammers.
Just put "no returns, item is brand new in box and 100% authentic and item will be shipped via USPS with tracking and signature confirmation." -- If you do signature confirmation and tracking then you'll be covered by ebay and/ or paypal if anything happens with the mail. Be sure to post tons of pictures of the actual item in your home instead of the manufacturer picture that Ebay will give you. If you type in Apple Iphone 5 etc you will get a prefilled listing. Leave their item details and change the picture to actual pictures of the iphone in the sealed box. You can actually download the ebay iphone/ ipad app which is super easy to use to list the item. Then edit the description with some of your own words. You can even include that you won the iphone and already have it which is why you're selling it. There are tons of iphones on ebay. I think you'll be happy with what you get. I would start it at .99. It will definitely go over 500. I think that's bare minimum. Buyers typically wait until the last day / hour to put in bids but worst, worst case scenario you can always request to cancel the transaction and say you lost the item or something if you aren't happy with the price you get since you don't do much on ebay anyhow. If this becomes an issue u can PM me and I will give you instructions on how to do that. If the item is brand new in box I don't think the buyer can dispute anything. I feel a lot safer on ebay than craigslist, that's for sure.
Good luck and let us know how you do!
Nov 25, 2012 12:59 PM
39 Posts
Joined Dec 2009
roma2009Nov 25, 2012 12:59 PM
39 Posts
You guys have great advice! I am going to copy and paste it into a document. I was feeling so overwhelmed just trying to decide how to start, how to price, shipping etc. But all of you answered so much for me. Thanks so much and hope you win lots Big Grin! Tried to multiquote you all but don't know how; Thank you MOSCHUNO, ChrisB65, Implode and EPR!
Last edited by roma2009 November 25, 2012 at 05:01 AM.
Nov 25, 2012 02:53 PM
350 Posts
Joined Feb 2010
flmom08Nov 25, 2012 02:53 PM
350 Posts
Just curious, do you guys have better luck winning the IWG or the regular sweeps?

I used to play a few years ago, just got back in the game. Biggest win was last month when I won the Miami Dolphins/Publix/Kelloggs sweeps. sent the afidv. last week Smilie
Nov 25, 2012 08:48 PM
2,399 Posts
Joined May 2007
Soinlove01Nov 25, 2012 08:48 PM
2,399 Posts
Quote from MOSCHUNO :
Just put "no returns, item is brand new in box and 100% authentic and item will be shipped via USPS with tracking and signature confirmation." -- If you do signature confirmation and tracking then you'll be covered by ebay and/ or paypal if anything happens with the mail. Be sure to post tons of pictures of the actual item in your home instead of the manufacturer picture that Ebay will give you. If you type in Apple Iphone 5 etc you will get a prefilled listing. Leave their item details and change the picture to actual pictures of the iphone in the sealed box. You can actually download the ebay iphone/ ipad app which is super easy to use to list the item. Then edit the description with some of your own words. You can even include that you won the iphone and already have it which is why you're selling it. There are tons of iphones on ebay. I think you'll be happy with what you get. I would start it at .99. It will definitely go over 500. I think that's bare minimum. Buyers typically wait until the last day / hour to put in bids but worst, worst case scenario you can always request to cancel the transaction and say you lost the item or something if you aren't happy with the price you get since you don't do much on ebay anyhow. If this becomes an issue u can PM me and I will give you instructions on how to do that. If the item is brand new in box I don't think the buyer can dispute anything. I feel a lot safer on ebay than craigslist, that's for sure.
Good luck and let us know how you do!
Thank you, I will definitely PM you on how to cancel one, that's a huge worry. I'm going to try to sell it local for a week and see how that goes but will go to eBay if that doesn't work. The only thing I do not like about eBay is that Paypal can hold your money while the buyer has the item for up to a month. That just infuriates me that they can do that. I do have a 41/100% feedback rating on eBay though so hopefully that would work in my favor. I dunno. Has the paypal holding your money thing gotten any better? They held it for almost 2 weeks last time I sold on eBay last year with my xperia smartphone and I did the delivery confirmation and all of that jazz as well.
Nov 25, 2012 09:03 PM
2,432 Posts
Joined May 2006
TBotzonNov 25, 2012 09:03 PM
2,432 Posts
Uggg! Accidentally allowed a contest to post on facebook in my behalf. Is there any way to undo the damage?
Nov 25, 2012 09:11 PM
26,018 Posts
Joined Dec 2010
User1144648Nov 25, 2012 09:11 PM
26,018 Posts
Quote from TBotzon :
Uggg! Accidentally allowed a contest to post on facebook in my behalf. Is there any way to undo the damage?
Click on the down arrow at the top right of the page. Go to Privacy Settings, then Ads, Apps & Websites, Edit Settings.
Under Apps You Use, click Edit Settings. Find the app you want to edit, click Edit, and you should be able to X out the permissions to post on your behalf.
Nov 25, 2012 10:11 PM
2,432 Posts
Joined May 2006
TBotzonNov 25, 2012 10:11 PM
2,432 Posts
Quote from MLx3 :
Click on the down arrow at the top right of the page. Go to Privacy Settings, then Ads, Apps & Websites, Edit Settings.
Under Apps You Use, click Edit Settings. Find the app you want to edit, click Edit, and you should be able to X out the permissions to post on your behalf.
Thanks so much! Boy did I have some cleaning to do EEK!

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Nov 26, 2012 02:35 AM
89 Posts
Joined May 2009
Lisa82Nov 26, 2012 02:35 AM
89 Posts
Today I received an email from Molton Brown. I don't remember signing up for their emails and sometimes people say they receive emails from companies if they've won something. Is this true? The only contest I saw for Molton Brown was for a lucky mag sweepstakes from July.

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