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Contests & Sweepstakes Tips, Advice, and Questions
June 2, 2008 at
07:50 PM
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Last Edited by BostonGirl March 8, 2015 at 07:18 AM
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://agilewebsolutio
FireFox Form Filler browser extensions: https://addons.mozilla.
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.
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://agilewebsolutio
FireFox Form Filler browser extensions: https://addons.mozilla.
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 Wiki
Last Edited by JD123
November 1, 2014
at
11:13 AM
Before we had this thread, limpstar posted this site for info on sweeps & taxes in the I Won Thread:
All About Sweepstakes Taxes
http://contests.about.
Also consider talking to your tax preparer and/or researching further into your tax responsibility.
I have found this page helpful in understanding some of sweep's law - a sweeps law co.'s site:
The Lustigman Firm; Attorneys at Law
http://www.sweepstakes
The Lustigman Firm provides experienced legal counsel that helps protect the business interests
of its advertising and promotional clients around the United States and Canada
What does " age of majority in your state or province " mean?
(sometimes abbreviated as AoM+ )
it's the legal age of that state or province...
The Age of majority is the threshold of adulthood as it is conceptualized in law. It is the chronological moment when children legally assume majority control over their persons and their actions and decisions, thereby terminating the legal control and legal responsibilities of their parents over and for them.
http://en.wikipedia.or
there's a list by country and by US State there....
For most purposes, the age of majority in the U.S. is 18,
except for 2 states with the age of 19 (Nebraska,Alabama)
and one state with the age of 21 (Mississippi)
and two (American Samoa and Puerto Rico) that retain 14 as the age of majority.
Occasionally PA is listed under the 19+ or 21+
~javaFlower
Regarding missing prizes
If you were expecting a prize you've never received you can complain 1st to the sweepstakes administrator, then to the sweepstakes sponsor and finally to USPS Postal Inspectors
https://postalinspector
-Kotik
ePrize Contacts
[email protected] - Bob Marsh, Senior Vice President, Midwest Region, Phone: 248.543.7522
[email protected] - Darlene Morris, Business Manager, Phone: 248.543.7403
[email protected] - Alesya Opelt, Vice President, Marketing, Phone: 248.543.7440
Occasionally a....less than ethical sweep will get posted.
You might end up finding unauthorized charges on your phone bill. Unauthorized charges on the phone bill are what's called "Cramming". Once you contact the company that's charging you, and you have requested your phone company remove the charge, if you so choose, you can file a complaint with the FCC.
FCC Online complaint form: esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm
You can also file your complaint with the FCC's Consumer Center by e-mailing [email protected] or calling 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) voice or 1-888-TELL-FCC (1-888-835-5322) TTY
You can fax your complaint to 1-866-418-0232
Or by snail mail:
Federal Communications Commission
Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau
Consumer Inquiries and Complaints Division
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, D.C. 20554.
I also recommend a 3rd party block on your line to prohibit this from happening. 3rd party blocks don't affect your phone in any way, except by not allowing some company outside of your local phone company from adding charges to your bill.
Slickdealers on Twitter
(I don't really know where is best to start this list, but I decided to just start it here. If anyone thinks we should move it somewhere else, please do so.)
Slickdealers on Facebook
(Hopefully, it is allowed to post this here. If anyone thinks this link should be deleted, please do so.)
You can find the facebook slickdeals sweepers in this group: http://www.facebook.co
Track incoming packages
UPS http://www.ups.com/mychoice/
FedEx https://www.fedex.com/login/web/j...n.jsp?TYPE
USPS https://www.usps.com/manage/manage-your-mail.htm
This post can be edited by most users to provide up-to-date information about developments of this thread based on user responses, and user findings. Feel free to add, change or remove information shown here as it becomes available. This includes new coupons, rebates, ideas, thread summary, and similar items.
Once a Thread Wiki is added to a thread, "Create Wiki" button will disappear. If you would like to learn more about Thread Wiki feature, click here.
This post can be edited by most users to provide up-to-date information about developments of this thread based on user responses, and user findings. Feel free to add, change or remove information shown here as it becomes available. This includes new coupons, rebates, ideas, thread summary, and similar items.
Once a Thread Wiki is added to a thread, "Create Wiki" button will disappear. If you would like to learn more about Thread Wiki feature, click here.
All About Sweepstakes Taxes
http://contests.about.
Also consider talking to your tax preparer and/or researching further into your tax responsibility.
I have found this page helpful in understanding some of sweep's law - a sweeps law co.'s site:
The Lustigman Firm; Attorneys at Law
http://www.sweepstakes
The Lustigman Firm provides experienced legal counsel that helps protect the business interests
of its advertising and promotional clients around the United States and Canada
What does " age of majority in your state or province " mean?
(sometimes abbreviated as AoM+ )
it's the legal age of that state or province...
The Age of majority is the threshold of adulthood as it is conceptualized in law. It is the chronological moment when children legally assume majority control over their persons and their actions and decisions, thereby terminating the legal control and legal responsibilities of their parents over and for them.
http://en.wikipedia.or
there's a list by country and by US State there....
For most purposes, the age of majority in the U.S. is 18,
except for 2 states with the age of 19 (Nebraska,Alabama)
and one state with the age of 21 (Mississippi)
and two (American Samoa and Puerto Rico) that retain 14 as the age of majority.
Occasionally PA is listed under the 19+ or 21+
~javaFlower
Regarding missing prizes
If you were expecting a prize you've never received you can complain 1st to the sweepstakes administrator, then to the sweepstakes sponsor and finally to USPS Postal Inspectors
https://postalinspector
-Kotik
ePrize Contacts
[email protected] - Bob Marsh, Senior Vice President, Midwest Region, Phone: 248.543.7522
[email protected] - Darlene Morris, Business Manager, Phone: 248.543.7403
[email protected] - Alesya Opelt, Vice President, Marketing, Phone: 248.543.7440
Occasionally a....less than ethical sweep will get posted.
You might end up finding unauthorized charges on your phone bill. Unauthorized charges on the phone bill are what's called "Cramming". Once you contact the company that's charging you, and you have requested your phone company remove the charge, if you so choose, you can file a complaint with the FCC.
FCC Online complaint form: esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm
You can also file your complaint with the FCC's Consumer Center by e-mailing [email protected] or calling 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) voice or 1-888-TELL-FCC (1-888-835-5322) TTY
You can fax your complaint to 1-866-418-0232
Or by snail mail:
Federal Communications Commission
Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau
Consumer Inquiries and Complaints Division
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, D.C. 20554.
I also recommend a 3rd party block on your line to prohibit this from happening. 3rd party blocks don't affect your phone in any way, except by not allowing some company outside of your local phone company from adding charges to your bill.
Slickdealers on Twitter
(I don't really know where is best to start this list, but I decided to just start it here. If anyone thinks we should move it somewhere else, please do so.)
| SD name | Twitter name |
| kdka421 | k8fenner |
| Starbelly | Lunachique |
| dodgers77449 | michael0902 |
| sanaperv | @slicksweepberry |
| blueeyeleo |
(Hopefully, it is allowed to post this here. If anyone thinks this link should be deleted, please do so.)
You can find the facebook slickdeals sweepers in this group: http://www.facebook.co
Track incoming packages
UPS http://www.ups.com/mychoice/
FedEx https://www.fedex.com/login/web/j...n.jsp?TYPE
USPS https://www.usps.com/manage/manage-your-mail.htm
This post can be edited by most users to provide up-to-date information about developments of this thread based on user responses, and user findings. Feel free to add, change or remove information shown here as it becomes available. This includes new coupons, rebates, ideas, thread summary, and similar items.
Once a Thread Wiki is added to a thread, "Create Wiki" button will disappear. If you would like to learn more about Thread Wiki feature, click here.
This post can be edited by most users to provide up-to-date information about developments of this thread based on user responses, and user findings. Feel free to add, change or remove information shown here as it becomes available. This includes new coupons, rebates, ideas, thread summary, and similar items.
Once a Thread Wiki is added to a thread, "Create Wiki" button will disappear. If you would like to learn more about Thread Wiki feature, click here.
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I'm not quite sure how you find your blog giveaways, but most of the ones I'm finding are VERY long and tedious. I'd say for this reason alone, I'd warn newbies to stay away from blogs b/c it takes forever to enter them.....or if you search for shorter entry ones, that will take time too. At this point I'm giving up on the blogs. Its not easy to find the giveaways that I like, and they all want you to jump thru 547 hoops in order to complete their rafflecopter. I've been sweeping for a few years now, and I don't find this to be fun at all. Yeah, the winning is fun, but entering is a pure PITA. And if I was a newbie who started with blogs, I'd give up in a heartbeat.
Like I mentioned before, the better ones I find from Facebook posts by sponsors. It isn't often that these sponsors choose review and giveaway blogs for these; instead, they go for bloggers whose main focus isn't on giveaways. It took me awhile to get a good database from which I find the low entry/single blog giveaways. I put a lot of time to find them and am still finding new ones. I remember once entering a giveaway for skin care. I was disappointed that I didn't win it, so I googled it and found other blogs with the same giveaways, but only 1 was still active. I entered it and won (the $500+ skin care prize I mentioned the other day). I still do that and have won others like this. When I found the Ninja blender giveaway it was on the last day; there were less than 60 entries - this was a true count, because you had to leave a comment for each entry. Most people didn't participate in all the options, so they had so few entries; I did them all and won.
The last of my prizes that arrived today had a total of 10 entries, with 3 of them being mine. Since this was a Rafflecopter giveaway, that probably isn't the true number of entries. When I checked the app after it ended, it showed I had 3/4 entries. Most likely I filled out all 4 entries on the last day I entered, but as with Rafflectopter, it never shows your true entries. I do know the entries were unbelievably low when I first entered; there was maybe 1 day left to it, so I was shocked to see that on a $100+ food basket and knew I had a good chance.
I once asked a host about this and from her end, she could see all my entries and gave me a number that was much higher than what I could see; this told me it does accurately record the entries.
Like I mentioned before, the better ones I find from Facebook posts by sponsors. It isn't often that these sponsors choose review and giveaway blogs for these; instead, they go for bloggers whose main focus isn't on giveaways. It took me awhile to get a good database from which I find the low entry/single blog giveaways. I put a lot of time to find them and am still finding new ones. I remember once entering a giveaway for skin care. I was disappointed that I didn't win it, so I googled it and found other blogs with the same giveaways, but only 1 was still active. I entered it and won (the $500+ skin care prize I mentioned the other day). I still do that and have won others like this. When I found the Ninja blender giveaway it was on the last day; there were less than 60 entries - this was a true count, because you had to leave a comment for each entry. Most people didn't participate in all the options, so they had so few entries; I did them all and won.
The last of my prizes that arrived today had a total of 10 entries, with 3 of them being mine. Since this was a Rafflecopter giveaway, that probably isn't the true number of entries. When I checked the app after it ended, it showed I had 3/4 entries. Most likely I filled out all 4 entries on the last day I entered, but as with Rafflectopter, it never shows your true entries. I do know the entries were unbelievably low when I first entered; there was maybe 1 day left to it, so I was shocked to see that on a $100+ food basket and knew I had a good chance.
I once asked a host about this and from her end, she could see all my entries and gave me a number that was much higher than what I could see; this told me it does accurately record the entries.
I used to get frustrated wondering how and where I'd find the good giveaways, but now that I get so many emails I know which ones to not even open (which is 90% of them). I used to search Twitter, but even that's a lost cause because most of those are for the ones with impossible odds. Start paying attention to your favorite brands on Facebook and maybe make a list (Facebook calls it an interest) with the ones that often have giveaways, either on their pages or through blogs. You'll be surprised by how many new blogs you'll find that don't get a lot of exposure. Some discourage people like us, where others appreciate the advertising that we give them (which can result in new followers).
I'm so missing entering, but today my cousin took my Chromebook and will give me a diagnosis soon (whether to replace the hard drive or buy a new one). I wanted to give him this Windows laptop, too, but I need something to check email and I don't do well with my smaller devices). In the meantime, prizes are still being delivered (just not won).
I used to get frustrated wondering how and where I'd find the good giveaways, but now that I get so many emails I know which ones to not even open (which is 90% of them). I used to search Twitter, but even that's a lost cause because most of those are for the ones with impossible odds. Start paying attention to your favorite brands on Facebook and maybe make a list (Facebook calls it an interest) with the ones that often have giveaways, either on their pages or through blogs. You'll be surprised by how many new blogs you'll find that don't get a lot of exposure. Some discourage people like us, where others appreciate the advertising that we give them (which can result in new followers).
I'm so missing entering, but today my cousin took my Chromebook and will give me a diagnosis soon (whether to replace the hard drive or buy a new one). I wanted to give him this Windows laptop, too, but I need something to check email and I don't do well with my smaller devices). In the meantime, prizes are still being delivered (just not won).
Thanks for all of the tips! I think it will be like any other kind of sweeping....you learn as you go and develop your own techniques. I'll keep my eyes open for the various kinds of blog giveaways. I've already started making my list of blogs to check back and visit again and those to avoid altogether. I know I was just overwhelmed....and it is indeed overwhelming if you're just starting out. Well, any kind of sweeping is overwhelming at first because it just seems like there's so much to learn. I'm going to make sure to keep it fun and not stress out about it too much. When I stress, I quit sweeping, so that's the key for me.
I also like that I can get to know bloggers better this way. I've already connected with one blogger and she seems nice. She has gluten free giveaways, so I'll definitely be frequenting her blog.
I can understand why some may not like those who are "sweepers" but at the same time, we are consumers, right? I think some fail to see that many of us who enter a lot of contests do end up buying that product or something else from that same company later on. I know I've done that fairly often. So its not just about us winning for the sake of winning, KWIM?
But I'll still tell the newbies that blogs are horrible, just so my odds are better. Kidding, kidding...LOL.
Thanks for all of the tips! I think it will be like any other kind of sweeping....you learn as you go and develop your own techniques. I'll keep my eyes open for the various kinds of blog giveaways. I've already started making my list of blogs to check back and visit again and those to avoid altogether. I know I was just overwhelmed....and it is indeed overwhelming if you're just starting out. Well, any kind of sweeping is overwhelming at first because it just seems like there's so much to learn. I'm going to make sure to keep it fun and not stress out about it too much. When I stress, I quit sweeping, so that's the key for me.
I also like that I can get to know bloggers better this way. I've already connected with one blogger and she seems nice. She has gluten free giveaways, so I'll definitely be frequenting her blog.
I can understand why some may not like those who are "sweepers" but at the same time, we are consumers, right? I think some fail to see that many of us who enter a lot of contests do end up buying that product or something else from that same company later on. I know I've done that fairly often. So its not just about us winning for the sake of winning, KWIM?
But I'll still tell the newbies that blogs are horrible, just so my odds are better. Kidding, kidding...LOL.
Sometimes blogs pay for their giveaways, but most of the time it's from sponsors. I use that to determine whether I enter a giveaway that I only visit for these. Too bad if they don't like us - the sponsor is not concerned with promoting the blog, but with promoting their product.
I don't have a list of bloggers that I visit. Instead, I follow them via email and open the ones with tags that say giveaway (you do know how to create these tags, right? - I might be using the wrong terminology). Another way is with Feedly. Do you use that? If not, you should check into it. Feel free to PM me anytime if you need help with anything including how to subscribe to RSS feeds including doing so by using the tag, "giveaway," in Feedly.
Package was suppose to be delivered via UPS/post office. UPS said it dropped off at the post office on July 16th with delivery expected on the 17th (Friday). The post office tracking said July 16, 2015 "Pre-Shipment Info Sent to USPS" (which means it doesn't necessary have the physical item but was told by UPS that an item is coming).
It's been 5 days and it didn't come in today's mail. Does that mean the package has been lost? Thanks for any advice.
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In my experience, they have been offering this for free every six months. They say this is for new Roboform users, but I'm not a new user and it's working for me. Just pushed out my license through 7/23/2016. Woo hoo!
I was just emailed an affy for a trip and I am not really sure what to do? The only other "big" thing I won was a Weber grill but it was $500 so I didn't have to fill any papers out.
I am not really sure how the taxes work? do they have to be paid right away? And how do I know how much I would owe? Once I sign the papers do they plan everything for me? I am scared!
If anyone had any advice that would be really good!!
I was just emailed an affy for a trip and I am not really sure what to do? The only other "big" thing I won was a Weber grill but it was $500 so I didn't have to fill any papers out.
I am not really sure how the taxes work? do they have to be paid right away? And how do I know how much I would owe? Once I sign the papers do they plan everything for me? I am scared!
If anyone had any advice that would be really good!!
I approach trip wins as I will have to pay taxes on the full listed ARV in the document I'm signing. I look at my current tax rate as a % of my income and figure I will probably pay around the same amount % wise on the said trip.
Any up front money requested for taxes means the win is probably NOT legit. You pay taxes at the end of the year and NEVER pay taxes to the company running the contest.
If the value of the trip (any prize) is big enough, don't be afraid to contact a tax professional...the IRS doesn't play around. They expect you to do due diligence and pay on time at the end of the year.
Most professional judging agencies do everything for you, you just sit back and let them dot i's and cross the t's. Also if you want to change any of the accommodations, they often can work with you on that. They probably won't pay for that, but you may be able to pay extra through their travel agents to add extra people or extend your trip. Say for example you win a trip abroad and its only for a few days--the airfare is the expensive part. Extending it a few days might be worth it to get the most out of things. It NEVER hurts to ask nicely to tailor a trip to your specific needs/tastes.
I was just emailed an affy for a trip and I am not really sure what to do? The only other "big" thing I won was a Weber grill but it was $500 so I didn't have to fill any papers out.
I am not really sure how the taxes work? do they have to be paid right away? And how do I know how much I would owe? Once I sign the papers do they plan everything for me? I am scared!
If anyone had any advice that would be really good!!
I found that thus far I am only lucky with the sweeps with multiple small wins (such as roadtrip.mars.com, vote4twix.mars.com, CoronaUSA.com), but don't want to accidentally miss out on any of these....
How do you guys efficiently sift through the long list of contests/sweeps for those with highest odds of winning? thanks in advance for your tips.
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I found that thus far I am only lucky with the sweeps with multiple small wins (such as roadtrip.mars.com, vote4twix.mars.com, CoronaUSA.com), but don't want to accidentally miss out on any of these....
How do you guys efficiently sift through the long list of contests/sweeps for those with highest odds of winning? thanks in advance for your tips.