Penny Auction Investigator – Penny Auction Scam – Penny Auction Sites

Website: www.YouBeeDoo.co.uk
Prize Entertainment Ltd
The Forum
277 London Road
Burgess Hill
West Sussex
RH15 9QU
United Kingdom

Domain Registered: September 2009

PAI Member Rating:

(2 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)
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YooBeeDoo.co.uk is a very new penny auction site that features a format different from the ones being used on other penny auctions. In fact, it seems to be a never-before-seen format that just might encourage other penny auctions to follow their stead. According to YooBeeDoo’s management, the penny auction model being used today doesn’t put a real limit on how much penny auctions can make and how much bidders can spend bidding on auctions. The management apparently feels that the business model is inherently unfair, and the opening of YouBeeDoo is their attempt at providing a real fair playing ground for all bidders.

Unlike the regular penny auction site, auctions on YouBeeDoo don’t have a bid button, instead they have Bid-Blocks, which are numerous bid buttons that have a corresponding dollar amount. The key to winning on the site is to bid on the Bid-Block of the highest value before the timer ends, or when all other Bid-Blocks have been used. So the main factor that makes YouBeeDoo different is that each auction has a limit on how many bids can be placed.

This also means that the site has placed a limit on how much they can make, depending on how many of the bids were used per auction.

To make the auctions more exciting, YouBeeDoo also uses a bid-erasing system designed to create nail-biter scenarios. Each time a bidder clicks a Bid-Block, the one above it—whether it’s been used or not—will be erased, so the person who used that block will have to find another one to stay in the game. This system creates a competitive atmosphere, but it also requires a completely new strategy for those acquainted with regular penny auctions.

Website: www.NightCents.com
Michael Susa
781 Old Frame Rd
Smithfield, Pennsylvania 15478
United States
(724) 570-2650

Domain Registered: March 2010


PAI Member Rating:

(1 votes, average: 1.00 out of 5)
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If you’re a night owl who mainly has free time during evenings and late nights, then NightCents.com might be the penny auction site for you if you’re looking for someplace new to score bargains and great deals. The site operates daily from 5 in the afternoon to 4 the next morning EST, hence the name NightCents.

Despite being very new, NightCents has been getting plenty of good feedback from penny auction enthusiasts because of their dedication in providing good customer service, as well as their handling of site problems in a speedy manner. Bids on the site aren’t the cheapest, but are reasonably priced nonetheless. Bids are priced as follows:

• 19 Credits = $10.50
• 38 Credits = $20.00
• 63 Credits = $32.50
• 125 Credits = $64.00
• 188 Credits = $95.00
• 300 Credits = $155.00
• 625 Credits = $300.00

Among the items NightCents has up for auction include gift cards from various retail chains, mp3 players, digital camcorders, mobile phones, and more. While that may not be overly impressive to some, most of the site’s bidders don’t mind as they would rather enjoy being in a fair playing field instead of just having big-ticket merchandise up for grabs.

Because the site is so new, NightCents experiences some site issues from time to time, ranging from lagging timers, slow navigation across the site, as well as registration & email problems. Fortunately, however, NightCents has done their best to fix these problems as fast as they can. They’ve also sought feedback from their customers on the kinds of problems they experience while using the site.

The bottom line is that NightCents is still working out a few kinks, and while that may be an excuse for other sites to perform poorly, that hasn’t gotten in the way of NightCents desire to cater to their customers’ needs and wants.

Website: www.Foopile.com
Brawnco Incorporated
Paul Vernon
382 NE 191st St #39082
Miami, FL 33179-3899
US
+1.8886663609
support@foopile.com

Domain Registered: April 2009


PAI Member Rating:

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Foopile is a fairly new auction site that features a wide variety of items. These include gift cards, iPods, laptops, and an assortment of “odd” yet handy products, such as vacuum cleaners, knife sets, coffeemakers, camping gear, and more.

Indeed, foopile.com seems to have no problem with variety, and yet despite the absence of big-ticket prizes, bidders on the site are sure to have no problem gunning for the items of lesser value.

The site has a healthy community of regular bidders, and from what we’ve observed, all of those bidding on live auctions seem to be genuine people, and not bots. Another thing we like about foopile is that for a relatively new player, they offer numerous live auctions for bidders to choose from. Normally, a new site would start with 6 to 12 live auctions—foopile has kicked things a notch higher by featuring over 50 live auctions. Again for a new site, that’s pretty impressive.

Foopile’s auctions are somewhat different from those of other penny auctions. Each bid placed on an item still raises the final price by 1 penny, but the auction timer works differently. Each auction comes with a predetermined end date, meaning each auction is set to end at a specific date and time. This twist usually eliminates the problems brought about by bots and shills to some extent.

Another plus point for foopile comes thanks to the management’s efforts to communicate with their members. Foopile’s staff makes a point of getting feedback from members on how to make the site better. They also try to attend to complaints that have to do with auction and shipping issues as much as they can.

Website: www.Dibzees.com
Dibzees LLC
PO Box 5582
Coralville, Iowa 52241
United States
+1.5733429337
INFO@DIBZEES.COM

Domain Registered: April 2010


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For a penny auction site that’s been around for quite some time, we wonder why Dibzees.com seems to only have gift cards up for auction on their site. Aside from the occasional gadget like a camera or iPod, the majority of items won by Dibzees’ members are gift cards from various retail chains and establishments.

We’re not saying that’s a bad thing though; we’re just wondering, since we distinctly remember that Dibzees used to regularly auction off big-ticket items such as video game consoles, home ware, Apple products and more.

Dibzees has an impressive number of gift cards from an incredible variety of retail chains and establishments, including Applebees, Target, Visa, Outback Steakhouse, Sears, Starbucks, Best Buy, Home Depot, and a whole lot more. Indeed, Dibzees’ has such a wide assortment of gift cards, that they just might give BidCactus a run of their money when it comes to being king in their niche market.

But where Dibzees really excels at is in providing quality customer services to their members. While a number of bidders were at first apprehensive with the site because it seemed like they weren’t making a profit with their first few auctions, Dibzees’ management have done an amazing job of alleviating their members’ fears of being scammed by communicating with them and getting feedback.

Whether it’s a problem with shipping, or issues with live auctions, Dibzees makes it a point to resolve the issue as quickly as they can. We definitely give them a thumbs up for that.

However, that’s not to say Dibzees is perfect. A few members have complained about problems with shipping, such as won items that take too long to arrive at their homes. It’s a good thing Dibzees addresses these issues to keep everyone happy.

Website: www.BidSwagger.com
Sam Jurrens
2017 Wickshire Circle
Edmond, Oklahoma 73013
US
+1.4057063486
sam@stipd.com

Domain Registered: February 2010


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BidSwagger.com is another fairly new penny auction site that just recently went back online after taking a short break to fix site issues. BidSwagger is now up and running in tip-top shape, and is working on making the site better than ever.

Being a new penny auction site, it’s quite impressive for BidSwagger to boast of a community of regular bidders who enjoy gunning for items on the site. Truth be told, BidSwagger’s selection of items are far for impressive. As of the moment, the site seems to be auctioning off gift cards from different retail chains and establishments, bid vouchers, small cash packages, and nothing more. For someone looking to score deals on gadgets and other luxury goods, BidSwagger might not be for you.

Nevertheless, it seems that bidders on BidSwagger don’t really mind the lack of big-ticket items. We think this is due to the fact that BidSwagger is focusing more on providing quality customer service to their members. Indeed, it’s ironic that only the small sites seem to be putting an effort in keeping their customers happy, while some of the more established penny auctions don’t seem to care at all.

Anyway, back to the site. Bids on BidsWagger are sold in bundles, and are priced accordingly:

• $20 for 25 bids
• $50 for 70 bids
• $125 for 195 bids
• $300 for 530 bids
• $750 for 1470 bids

Each bid placed on an item increases its final price by 1 penny. When the countdown timer reaches 15 seconds, each bid resets it by 15 seconds more, allowing other bidders a chance of winning the auction.

Some of the site’s problems include the occasional site glitch and timer lags. The site’s management have done their best to attend to these problems as fast as they can, and they seem to be doing a great job of not ticking people off.

Website: www.Bidfather.com
Domains by Proxy, Inc.
15111 N. Hayden Rd., Ste 160, PMB 353
Scottsdale, Arizona 85260
United States
(480) 624-2599
BIDFATHER.COM@domainsbyproxy.com

Domain Registered: April 2010


PAI Member Rating:

(3 votes, average: 3.67 out of 5)
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BidFather.com is a very new penny auction site that boasts of an impressive selection of items normally found on larger penny auctions. As with all new penny auction sites, BidFather has the usual gift cards and small-ticket items up for grabs, but they’ve also managed to pique the interest of people gunning for items of higher value by auctioning off gadgets such as the Apple iPad, newly released mobile phones, special edition video game consoles, and HDTVs.

User traffic on the site is relatively low, making it easier for you to keep track of bidder activity and know which members you can go up against, and which ones you’ll have to avoid if you don’t want to lose. Indeed, the site seems to be free of bots based on our observations, so if you’re a newbie to penny auctions, BidFather just might be the perfect site for you.

As with most other penny auctions, registration on BidFather is free. We would’ve liked a handful of free bids for members to get their feet wet, but we understand that a new site such as BidFather might have trouble with that. Bids are priced between $0.55 to $0.75 each, and come in packs of 10, 25, 50, 100, 300, and 500 bids. Note that if you purchase a larger bid pack, the price of each bid becomes cheaper. As always, the last bidder before the timer runs out wins the auction, and will then have to pay the final price of the item, as well as shipping and handling fees.

Like all new penny auctions, BidFather repeatedly suffers from site glitches and bugs, but the management has been nice enough to work out these kinks in a speedy manner.

Website: www.abcpennyauctions.com/
Administrative Contact:
Private, Registration ABCPENNYAUCTIONS.COM@domainsbyproxy.com
Domains by Proxy, Inc.
DomainsByProxy.com
15111 N. Hayden Rd., Ste 160, PMB 353
Scottsdale, Arizona 85260
United States
(480) 624-2599 Fax — (480) 624-2598

Domain Registered: September 2009



PAI Member Rating:

(1 votes, average: 2.00 out of 5)
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With increasing competition and a shrinking pool of bidders the simple fact will always remain, only the strong will survive. It is the rule in nature and business is no different, Most Penny Auctions will not survive past 6 months due to 2 major factors, money and time. Money will be on short supply, as any Penny Auction will lose money for the first 2 years as most bidders will be hesitant to take a chance on an unproven site. Timing and age of the site is also a big determining factor in the success thereof of any penny auction. Fly by night business’s can only last but so long until there practices are laid in clear view for all to see, The coming months will start to bring in a flurry of collapsed auctions turning to other ventures to make a buck. As the saying go’s if its to good to be true usually it isn’t. ABC Penny Auctions was just another victim of, monkey see monkey do, Just because another company is successful there is no correlation that it will work for your company, Mc Donalds Is a very successful business across the world, that dosn’t mean that if i start selling burgers that i should also be as successful, actually the cards would be stacked against me because they already have most of the market share and people already patronage there establishment. In hine sight any x-penny auction owner will tell you that all they did was, waste there time, waste there money, and waste there effort on a dream that really isn’t really worth the effort, time or money unless you have an edge over the competition and if not, don’t even waste your time. You can feel the disgust and frustration of ABC Penny Auctions in there last letter to there members:

ABC PENNY AUCTIONS

WE ARE VERY SORRY TO ANNOUNCE WE WILL BE CLOSING

As most of you know, we have been offline for the past 5 days due to problems with the script. We now have that fixed.

But because of the continued problems we have had with this site along with the slow bidding we have had for the past month, we have decided it would be best to shut down.

We have continued to grow each week and tried to add different items and more auctions with increased values, but the bidding has not been what we needed to be able to continue operating.

We will be listing auctions again on Wednesday as usual. Please DO NOT PURCHASE MORE BIDS. These auctions will be for everyone to use the bids they have. Please use your bids on these remaining auctions.

We will list auctions Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Please use your bids up on these auctions! NO EXHCANGE FOR CASH.

SUNDAY NIGHT WILL BE OUR LAST NIGHT FOR AUCTIONS. WE WILL BE CLOSING AFTER SUNDAY. If you win in these last days you MUST pay for the auctions by SUNDAY NIGHT. These items listed beginning on Wednesday through that Sunday night will be mailed out on Monday. All wins on ABC, to this point, have been shipped. We will be sending out one more email on Sunday to be sure everyone knows we have closed.

THANK YOU! CHERYL @ ABC PENNY AUCTIONS

Website: www.BidsTick.com
Creative Headquarters LLC
Phone: (323) 393-3760
4727 Wilshire Blvd #601
Los Angeles, CA 90010
US

Domain Registered: April 2008


Auction Type: Penny Auction
PAI Member Rating:

(18 votes, average: 4.11 out of 5)
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Bidstick, one of the more established penny auction sites on the web behind Swoopo offers a very limited amount of products, there auction platform differs from other penny auctions in that there auctions tend to have a shorter duration and that there products are primarily technology based.  Bidstick could be a resource for bidders to get technology based products due to the trending of the site visits from search engines.

Update 4/16/10:

One of the more established penny auction sites on the web today is BidsTick, an “old” player in the game right behind Swoopo. BidsTick used to stand out amongst the pack by being one of the first few online penny auction sites that had a chat box. Unfortunately, that feature seems to be down, as many regulars at the site have noted.

Another impressive feature on BidsTick is their testimonial page, where the site encourages their winning bidders to post videos of themselves together with the items they’ve on YouTube, which then get posted on the site in exchange for 100 bids. We feel that this unique approach to sending the message across to their visitors that the site is legitimate is a good move. This erases the doubts of potential bidders, especially with testimonials from people who’ve been lucky enough to win a laptop or HDTV for only 5 to 10 bucks.

So let’s go to the downside of BidsTick. First of all, this penny auction site has a somewhat dull homepage. Compared to other sites, Bidstick simply looks boring. Of course, it boils down to aesthetic preference, so we’ll let that one go. Another thing we’ve found out is that the site has a very limited range of products. After observing the site for a month, BidsTick has had less than 15 product changes, with “regulars” like an LG refrigerator and ATV repeatedly up for grabs since last year.

Electronics seem to be the main focus of the site, with Apple products, HDTVs, and notebooks auctioned off on a regular basis. If you’re looking to purchase such items at a bargain price, BidsTick may be for you.

Website: www.Swoopo.com
Entertainment Shopping AG
Domagkstrasse 34
Muenchen, Denmark 80807
MVoigt@swoopo.com
Domain Registered: July 2008


PAI Member Rating:

(5 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)
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Swoopo, undeniably has the largest selection of items of any penny auction on the web. They are in multiple countries and are considered  the penny auction heavyweight titan.  If you want it, Swoopo has it on auction, with about 200 items on auction at any given time,  a crafty bidder has the chance to take home a great deal if they have the patience.  Winning or Losing depends on the bidders skill of auction price and time negotiation. There are many people who have won and who have lost on swoopo, but one thing is sure the more time you spend bidding on the auctions and acclimating yourself to swoopos bidding procedures, your skill in auction price and time negotiation should improve dramatically.

Update: 4/24/10

In the world of online penny auction sites, Swoopo is regarded by many as the king. Established in 2005 in Germany, Swoopo is widely considered as the first ever online penny auction website to use the bidding system other auction sites use today. The site claims to have auctioned off 200,000 items since its establishment 5 years ago. As to how many of those auctions were legitimate remains to be seen.

Swoopo also claims to have over 2,000,000 registered customers – something that’s very likely, given its global presence in the market.

Because of the site’s worldwide reach, bidding competition at Swoopo is nothing short of fierce. The penny auction site has an immensely vast array of products. Think of any electronic device or home appliance, chances are, Swoopo has it. At any given point in time, the site has over 50 ongoing live auctions; that’s one of—if not—the most any penny auction has to offer.

It’s worth noting that depending on your location, the site you’re using is only a local portal for the global Swoopo network. For example, typing in Swoopo.com results in Swoopo.co.uk if you’re in the United Kingdom. Now since the site’s servers are located in Germany, US-based bidders might experience timer lags, making it annoyingly hard to bid at an auction.

And as if that’s not enough of a factor to lessen your chances of winning, remember that you’re bidding against thousands of live bidders, so don’t expect to win anything. Indeed, it takes some major skillz to be effective at Swoopo.

One issue plaguing Swoopo is the alleged use of bidding bots that go against registered users. Swoopo denies this of course, but there’s no way of really being sure when it comes to online penny auctions.
Penny Auction

Smartbid.com soon to enter the lowest unique bid arena will face stiff competition.

Smartbid-Review

Website: www.smartbid.com/
Administrative Contact, Technical Contact, Zone Contact:
bidorbuy.com Inc
Andy Higgins
PO Box 815 Strathavon
Johannesburg, Gauteng 2031
ZA
+27 (82) 803 2223
+27 11 259 1179 [fax]
andy.higgins@bidorbuy.co.za

Domain Registered: November 2009

PAI Member Rating:

(1 votes, average: 2.00 out of 5)
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With many companies competing to enter the penny auction market, there will be fewer and fewer winners. With new sites opening up all the time the penny auction pie is becoming smaller and smaller and anyone looking to jump in on this supposed cash cow is assuredly mistaken. With many auctions not making it past there 6 month mark, the question has to be asked is it worth it to open another auction? And apparently the answer is starting to become a resounding “NO”. With established penny auctions like Bidstick and Swoopo accounting for much of the “Penny Auction” craze most penny auctions or even unique lowest bid auctions that open up will not see the same amount of success as there would be counterparts. Unless there is some dramatic difference from just another swoopo clone being released most penny auctions will be akin to a red headed cousin that gets no respect or love.

Smartbid.com will be opening soon and we would love to hear from the company or from users as to there experiences with or in the site.