The 411

Keep up to date on what your competition is doing. Create a strategy. Increase your odds of winning.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

DealDash411: Tips, Hints, Strategies and Commentary: TIMING and IT

Ok we just heard some AWESOME info from LadyK and Drummerboy giving us the DL on past DD. Or i guess i could say LK and DB gave us the DL on DD. I've been around, but not as long as they have, so i needed help on that one. Which brings me to one of my 2 points today: TIMING. Well, actually, I'll start with IT. Yep there is a Stephen King's IT Dvd up for auction. First of all, RANDOM! Was someone going through their old DVD collection and rooting stuff out for DD? That movie is a blast from the past, and not a nice blast. That book/dvd is creeeeeepppy. I have an irrational thought that if you bid on a movie like that no good can come of it. (woohooo that one was unintentional but i like it).

I would like to point out a few things - 1) They say in the description that this movie is UNRATED. Is that even possible? It has to be R or strongly cautioned or whatever they say to protect young children's eyes and creating a lifelong fear of clowns. Clowns freaked me out before, but after IT, they are a lost cause. I will never like clowns. Ugh I'm remembering scenes from the book it is all flooding baaaaaack. Don't get me wrong - I am a Stephen King fan - I have respect for his ability to come up with the most crazy, sick, twisted stuff. But some of it is a bit too much for me (like MISERY). The Shining is sooooo good - that's literally the only book that i had to stop reading at times because i was so freaked out (i was young give me a break).  Clearly Shawshank Redemption  is ca-ray-zee good. Like remarkably amazing. Some Stand By Me  was a cult classic, but let's not forget gems like The Green Mile, The Stand, and The Langoliers.
BUT the problem with IT is that it freaks the poopies out of people.  Sailboats, gutters, ugh. I wonder if DD just triggered people all over the country to have anxiety attacks when they saw IT up for auction. That movie, like Jaws, scarred alot of people for life.

now for TIMING. TIMING is seriously what i think rules this world. (Read The Outliers by Malcom Gladwell if you don't believe me. I'm a book nerd too, did i mention that?) I've always said since i was young that i was born in the wrong year for everything i have done. meaning i seem to miss the hey day of most things. Some examples - not being old enough to go to your favorite's bands concerts before they broke up.  joining a company right after it had it's big peak. Joining then yet another company that just had its big peak (hence, why i have limited $$). So you get to hear all the stories about "how it used to be" but you missed it. And they all got paid out and you didn't. And it used to be so much fun, and now it isn't. Then buying a house in the good area right before economy busted. 2 years earlier and you would have made bank like everyone you know in the neighborhood sitting pretty. And so i'm not at all to hear that i missed the PEAK of DealDash. I hear all these awesome stories like in the last post, about games, and PA respect, and good deals and lots of winning and i think it is safe to say these are "the good old days of dealdash." Which are clearly over, because DD i guess wanted to be rich, not cool and awesome. it really is about timing in this world. But now you are underwater. You either have good timing or you don't. Some of it is not our fault - it is just circumstance (seriously - read Gladwell's book - it will change your outlook on all kinds of things).  I have know for a long time that i am NOT the person with the timing. So i no longer get disappointed. I expect that i will have missed the peak. So I guess what i am trying to say, is that when i know or find out about something, there is a good chance that it already peaked! I'm like your human timing gauge. I found DD and I found it too late, and now i blog about it instead of winning cool stuff.  Therefore, i will make a point to announce things that i have just discovered, so everyone else can realize it is time to move on. Think of it as a public service announcement.

See i try to help people as much as i can. I'm a giver.

Now, I can't check out DealDash for a minimum of 10 full minutes because i can't keep seeing that darn clown on the IT dvd cover. Then i may not be able to check the winnings for a few hours so i don't have to see IT there either...see what you have done to us DD? Don't auction things that bring up old childhood fear and anxiety. You seriously just ruined everyone's day. Everyone woke up saw the clown and now can't stop thinking of when their innocence was taken and ruined by this moment in life. No one is going to be in the mood for bidding now. You just shot yourself in the foot. In the clown foot.

Thanks for reminding me how much that movie/book freaks me out. I don't even want to spell check or check my grammar because i'll have to think about it again. So grammar pass on this one, stemming from the re-awakening of childhood anxieties.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

DealDash411 Tips, Hints, Strategies, and Commentary: How Has DealDash changed? And What Does One Per User really mean?

This is new for me. People asking me questions. It is making me a little nervous. I hope i do a good job. I'm over- excited about this as usual. Here we go:

Starting with the One-Per-User Myth. I'm calling it that because i too have noticed that there is something suspect about the One-Per-User.  It seems like some players shouldn't be able to go for the same item after winning one.  But yet some people do seem to be able. So there is obviously some sort of loop hole in the One-Per-User Rule. Here are some possibilities:

1) Any new update, version, etc. immediately means it is a new item, and back up for grabs for anyone. Even a new color. Or a new tiny update of some sort. Or a different description word, or a they found a higher retail out there somewhere and are matching it. So "technically" it is a new item.  So I bet even if you called DD out on this, saying you are looking for at the exact same item with same bidders on it, they'll come back and say, well, this one is "technically"different because it has a different serial number." And you say,"of course - don't they all have a unique serial number?" And they say "exactly." And you groan and roll your eyes.

2)Maybe One-Per-User is really "One-Per-List." So when one list gets too long they make a new list and it all starts again. I mean, we obviously know DD wants to make max dollars, but still come across as very fair.  So they want people to keep coming back. So they have created loopholes

3) Their system doesn't track that well. I find that one hard to believe.

Why do the same players go after very similar items? Shouldn't they be satisfied with winning one mac computer already?

This is how the world works. It's not always fair. People do what they want.  I think that after awhile, the players who have already gotten all their Hamilton Beach gear, bean bag chairs, giant giraffes and PS3 systems get bored and wait for a new item so they have something to go for. I think it is about the win. Or about Christmas presents or birthday presents. Everyone wants a deal. Even if they already got one.

I personally have a different moral code for DD (not that i've thought about this until about 2 seconds ago, but i like where i'm going with it).  I don't go for things I've already won. Well, at the way beginning i did, but now, it's a one shot win for me. i don't need a bunch of cameras and computers. However, maybe i would have more friends if i gave them all mini-netbooks and ipods. hmmm......maybe my family members wouldn't have gotten sick about me talking about dealdash if i consistently gave them rad stuff....

And maybe people who have money to spend just like to get lots of stuff for cheap. Isn't that the 99 cent store phenomenon? Don't you always end up getting more stuff there just because it is 99 cents? I do. Because it makes me fee like i have dough.  (although isn't it false advertising to call it a 99 cents stores, and then stuff is not always just 99 cents? That's crap).

After a while, you're sick of seeing the same old stuff up for auction, so when you have a new item pop up everyone goes a little bit ca-razy. (actually i usually say "crazy" as a 3 syllable word. I don't do it justice unless i say "ca-ray-zee." Yeah that is much better).

HOW HAVE THINGS CHANGED SINCE THE BEGINNING OF DEALDASH TO NOW?

I'm calling on my long time player friends to pitch in on this one....that's LadyK, Proto, Drummerboy, Pennywiser, MyPreciouS, AbbyGirl, and i guess anyone who actually reads this. I shouldn't be too picky about that.
LadyK will jump in on this. She does a great job. (was that pressure? i didn't mean to put pressure on you).

I've noticed the obvious:
1) way more bid sales
2) 300 and 600 bid packs are no longer One-per-User (maybe because there really is no justifiable loophole for this one).
3) Major increase of hop-ons/jumpers/froggers or whatever your term of choice is.

I want to hear what some long time players have to say....let's wait and see.....

Friday, September 23, 2011

DealDash411 Tips, Hints, Strategy and General Commentary: A Very Interesting Subject and Woo Girls

Ok, for those who may not thoroughly check through my blog and look at ALL comments, i am posting a most interesting comment i received earlier today. I have interspersed my comments throughout in RED. original comment is in BLUE. This is a long one...i'm warning you in advance.





Anonymous said...







Hey DD411... or is it really TPAF, or now TG411? (btw, shouldn't that be TV411? just sayin'!)

DD411 -  you would think i should be TV411 instead of TG411. In my puny brain  I was just thinking...."oh my gosh! i totally blew it! it should be TV411. What was i thinking?  And then  i remembered, "oh yeah, i did that on purpose. " i had forgotten. i felt like TV411 would mislead people into thinking i was a TV junkie. I do watch a good amount of tv. But i'm not talking about tv. So I changed it to TG411. It may not be the most sound reasoning in the entire world, but i'm just happy i remembered that i  DID have a reason and i did contemplate it for all of 5 seconds.  Trust me I would be the first to call myself out of stuff like that if i had screwed it up! I almost did until i remembered why. 

Anyway, I digress. My reason for dropping a note is to fw to you and the other DD'ers "in the know" on this site my following post to DD:

"Hello again, Dave!

Now our "About Me"'s are being censured? When did that start? Maybe I'll have to ask Jayboy.
Anyway, when can I make a new "About Me", so that I can stop being a billboard for DD's "About Me"? Please respond, 'cause I can't seem to change the one you gave me, and I have more banal info to share if you'll let me; I promise you can trust that it won't be so objectionable to you...

Respectfully,
MyPrecious"

So what do you think? Had you noticed that some of us that had posted "About Me's" had them removed and replaced by the inane DD advertising that they have for us now:

"About me... be friendly and share a bit
about yourself. Hobbies, Interests, etc.
- DD"
DD411 - Now like i said i will be the first to call myself out. I did NOT notice this change yet.  I probably should have noticed but i was too busy copying and pasting that lamp from the Ikea site, so i missed it. However, I did know that some were "unchangeable." my lovely supportive friend mgoldstein1029 tried to revise their About Me to make it point to lovely me and was unable to. Now it can be changed once a week. But for awhile it had been locked. I didn't comment on it at the moment, because i didn't want my friend to get kicked off like my friend SORELOSER did.  So i kept my trap shut. 

However, to start removing people's About Me and replace them with DD's personal message to the world is RIDIC. i'm not even spelling out that whole word because it isn't even worth the rest of the word! So many thoughts running through my head...must organize

1) Don't ask everyone to make a personal statement about themselves and then not allow half of them. I fully understand no one should write something like "if you bid against me i will  hunt you down and make you regret it." Duh. We all understand that's not cool, and no one should use the About Me to cheat. Another DUH.  But if you can't infuse your own personality into it, then why bother? No offense to all those who really do share their hobbies, but come on...do we really care? We're still going to try to kick your bootie and win stuff even if  you love paper dolls, hackey sack, and fruit loops.  In fact, sometimes this personal information can really hurt a player's odds. Let's not forget that essentially this is a gambling site. There are always a few ruthless people out there. When they see that you have 17 grandkids and 12 great-grandkids, they begin profiling..."little old lady, just learned to use the computer. great grandson johnny told her about dd so little granny is going to give it a go.  Clearly  she must be super sweet because she loves all her grandkids and they clearly like her. I don't think you brag about your offspring if they all hate you. So clearly granny has won them all over, so she must be all sugary and sweet and has a rocking chair. "  It actually puts a "potential sucker" stamp right on little granny's forehead!  And who knows if that is even remotely true anyway? While the rest of us say "Aw that's nice," some ruthless player is zeroing in and setting some bid buddies in case granny falls asleep at the computer, whether any of that is true or not.

So, let's be honest -no one really CARES about what their competition likes and dislikes. No one is going to back out of an auction because they "like tennis" too.  Go make friends with your competitors over on Bid Lounge and everyone can discuss all their likes and dislikes over there. Part of what always intrigued me about deal dash is that you could infuse some real personality in the game. If we really can only write about stamp collecting and cacti then we might as well say  nothing at all.  [Tangent: i once saw someone write "might as well" as "mieswell." One word. So awesome.]


Can you actually believe that's what pops up next to Gollum's creepy face every time I place a bid on anything? That's just wrong. Smacks a little of when another DD bidder got in trouble for giving you props by listing your DD411 link on their ShoutOut, way back before they even had this "About You" thing.
Anyway, I thought this seems like it might just be up your alley for fodder for the DD blog. Not like you seem to need any help or anything (except for maybe today?. JK, you're doin' mighty well at this.) But have at it from here if you want, it's all yours... (or don't, my feelings won't be hurt either way!)

DD411 - Ok, so i completely agree. Gollum is not saying a friendly a message from the DD crew. AT ALL. It's bogus.  Why let you even put your own icon and create your own Username if they are going to hijack your About Me? You can't give out 1/2 freedoms. It is all ( and i mean all in a non-offensive non cheating way) or nothing. If you say something more competitive, first, does anyone really care? It's a great way to bluff or pretend  that you have no human feelings. But it is like a UserName. It is just a name. If anything it is entertaining. They want to create a competitive yet safe  happy loving environment on DD. It's like when everyone wins the same trophy at the end of the t-ball season, so it's not really about winning. It's about getting a worthless trophy.  So, if DealDash is going to give ALL of us a trophy for playing "nice" on DD, then ok, maybe i can get there -if the trophy is in the form of cash or apple gift cards. If not, then let us just play.  We essentially are competing for trophies of various worth, not consellation prizes and trying to be everyone's best friend. So you can't mix really competition and try to keep everyone being lame and talking about hobbies.  If they want everything equal and perfect, then the next step going to be where everyone is simply a number.  139459837 just won the ipad. BORING.   If you aren't going to let us be who we are, then make us a number (ooh but then i call dibs on 8675309). Don't make Gollum (who we all know Gollum, (not necessarily MyPreciouS) freaks the poopies out of me - that voice!) say something  from the DD people. Gollum doesn't give a poop about your hobbies and interests. Period. Gollum is never going to say, "oh look how sweet, this person loves taking walks on the beach!"  

Yes, censor violent threats and inappropriateness like any normal site.  However, if you do find something that is out of line that you must override  and remove it, don't put  your little deal dash message, like the player is actually supporting the statement. What's that called again? You know, when you make it look like someone is supporting something, but it is actually misleading? I seriously can't think of that word. Someone help me. My point -  isn't that what some lawsuits are based on? (no, no dd lawsuit. i'm just making a point).  Two potential scenarios:

Some innocent naive and not so worldly player stumbles upon DealDash.  They see all the friendly people with nice hobbies and wonderful personalities. Everyone just loves unicorns and flowers and the world is perfect.  Then they see MyPreciouS join the game and at first they are shocked at the site of Gollum (they have never ever heard of LOTR) but then they see the UserName and think, "oh well, maybe it's someone really dear to the player...you know, their precious little cousin." You know like Benjamin Button who was born an old person.  And then their assumption is further supported by the fact that Gollum's About Me says that Gollum really encourages you to share something about  yourself like your hobbies and dreams. And Naive DD player is sold on this Benjamin Button-esque precious little person playing deal dash. Later Naive player sees that same Gollum face in a trilogy they hadn't known about and thinks it is so sweet that little cousin is a star in these movies. So the movies must be all rainbows and butterflies. So they rent them. Probably on VHS is they can find someone to change it over for them, because they only have a VCR. AND THEN THEIR ENTIRE WORLD IS SHATTERED WHEN THE REALIZATION COMES THAT THIS CREATURE IS GOLLUM, AND HE IS NOT NICE AND SWEET AND OLD BUT IS RUTHLESS AND SUPER CREEPY. AND THE WORLD SMACKS THIS NAIVE USER IN THE FACE AND RUINS THE OPTIMISTIC NAIVE PERFECT WORLD THEY HAVE LIVED IN. AND THEY JOIN THE REST OF US IN A NOT SO GREAT WORLD FULLY JADED WITH NO HOPE AND BECOME SO WITHDRAWN, DESPONDENT AND DEPRESSED THAT THEIR FAMILY SUES DD FOR EMOTIONAL DISTRESS.

2nd scenario: (again maybe not the most realistic but i am making another point).  Everyone looks up to this one guy in their neighborhood. He says stuff like oh i play dealdash. that's why i have this awesome fold up ping pong table and you don't. (or that's why i paid triple for my ikea lamp and you didn't). He says yeah i'm user - kingoftheneighborhood. So all the neighbors go home and join deal dash too. And they see that their pal kingoftheneighborhood loves the site SO much that he even posts things for dd, encouraging people to open up and share their hobbies on dealdash. So Mr. King must truly believe in this site if he offers so much support of it. So the neighbors throw down some cash and lose their money on DD. And now they hate Mr. King for misleading them so maliciously, acting like a mouthpiece for DD. And Mr, King is just like "what? I didn't write that on my About Me!! I wrote " I am King of my neighborhood and I will checkmate you every time because i am KING and you are merely a pawn (he must play chess too)." But somehow it got censored and he got a message put up that he didn't approve. And now he lost all social stature in the neighborhood and he has to move and start over and he is bitter. So he sues DD for defamation (i'm no lawyer) or false representation(?) i don't know the right term.  (where do i come up with this stuff? it's friday...my apologies). Doesn't everything these days end up in a lawsuit?

Alright maybe  that is extreme. But i am making a point to show how misleading it is to have Gollum sound so nice and sweet and want to know about your hopes and dreams and wishes. 

Most respectfully,
MyPreciouS

P.S. I was just looking way back in your blog for the name of the DD'er that was busted for your link, and came across the bit where you mentioned about, and then wondered whether you ever explained to us, just what a "Woo girl" is? Are you one? Just thought someone should have asked...

DD411 - Woo girls. 
Now there is one thing that is common among every bar where college girls and bachelorette parties (and others) frequent. Any city and it is the same story. Actually it potentially can happen in any bar, at any time. But it is way more frequent in bars where bachelorette parties go and college girls. It's usually not at the local pub down the street where it's chill and low key. That is not where you find Woo girls. I have nothing against girls AT all. I just don't like Woo girls.

Woo girls are the ones who travel in a pack (that's why the bachelorette party is usually a big part of this), and are celebrating something by drinking heavily - a birthday, a marraige, a new job, the fact that it is the weekend - whatever the reason, they are all fired up. And inevitably at some point in the night, they will order like 20 shots of something apple green, get in a circle, hold up their shot glass, and then all go "Woooooooooooooo!" at the top of their lungs and take the green shot. It is always extremely loud, and the prep takes up way too much of the bartender's time because they always miscount and realize they need 5 more so EVERYONE has one (god forbid someone misses out).  Then they can't just quietly cheers and clink glasses and take the shot. They must scream together at the top of their lungs, and it is usually some version of the word "Woo." These are Woo girls.  90% of the time, i know i will probably not get along with a Woo girl. We just don't seem to be on the same page. I apologize if you are a Woo girl and i have offended you. Not everyone has this aversion. There are way more Woo girls than there are people who don't like Woo girls, so clearly i am in the minority (which is nothing new to me). Woo girls have fun and enjoy it. So i guess it is not really a judgement i am passing on them. It is more of a fact. Some girls are Woo girls and some aren't. I happen to get a headache when i hear incessant Woo girl clans throughout a nice evening out.   It drives me crazy. I'm usually the one giving them the disapproving look. 

Thanks for the reminder MyPreciouS....i'm sure i just offended someone just now, but that's is nothing new either. 



If you actually made it to the bottom on this post, you are my hero. Hope you make it down here to receive my praise. 


Monday, September 19, 2011

DealDash411: TIps, Hints, Strategies and General Commentary: Someone help me out here

So normally i try to post one major thing every day or two, because i'm convinced that some day i will wake up and run dry. And have nothing to say.  But this one caught my eye. So don't forget to read the post before this one from this morning because i can't let any humor go to waste.


Am i on crazy pills again? Ok, DealDash is making me feel really really dumb right now. I feel like i must be missing something yet again.....I just saw this up for auction later today:

Ok. let's gloss over the fact that they use really funny descriptive words to sell their items on DealDash. It's not just an Ikea Floor Lamp, it's a "beautiful" Ikea floor lamp. You know they did that with a vacuum cleaner...the "popular" Hoover or something. I was going to comment because i thought it was super funny, but i was feeling like i might be too hard on dealDash sometimes. But now that i see "beautiful" i can't let it slide.

But!!! That's not my point. Here is my point:

So i'm not an ikea junkie, but let's face it - they have some great bargain goods. So i check out the store quite often, especially when i need a $15 end table (which by the way, you can really use for anything - step stool, tv dinner tray, coffee table, bedside table, kiddie desk, bench seats - they are really functional for $15 buck and come in lots of colors). So i have seen this lamp. And i just really had to see what IKEA sells it for....yep $19 buckaroos. So why does DealDash say it retails at $62? Well, the highest retail price i can see  online was $39 at amazon. That's a hefty mark up, but still affordable i guess. (tangent - did anyone else know that ikea is also a wholesaler? Meaning you can find their products on all kinds of sites at a higher retail? I thought that was retail 101 - don't sell stuff on your website dirt cheap while your retailers sell it at double the price. Unless it is one of those affiliate programs or something....but lesson here - buy ikea from ikea. seriously. I don't even know what to think about this. If it still bugs me, you'll hear about it over on wikiwikiworld.wordpress.com. You know this goes hand in hand with my IHOP pancake debacle). 
So maybe somewhere, someone saw  $62 lamp in retail sales out there on the web or in a store, thus justifying DealDash's claimed retail price. Technically, if they saw it out there for $62, they can claim that as the actual retail. But really, its a $19.99 floor lamp.

Which brings me back to my initial confusion - why on earth would you have a Ikea Lamp on DealDash and then jack up the price? Of all things, you can check Ikea stores/web/catalog super fast to find a real price. Sometimes it's harder with Hamilton Beach or whatever wholesale products that retail varies. But Ikea is way too easy to go right to the source and be shocked by price difference.  At least you can create a variable of doubt with other products. But not Ikea...most of america is furnished with ikea these days. We all know the prices. Don't push your luck. Anyone who does BIN on that lamp deserves to pay $62 bucks for it. The rest of us could have bought 3 for $62 and put beautiful lamps all over our houses. 

So, am i missing something here? Someone tell me if i am completely missing the logic here. I'm really hope it isn't what i think it is. 


Oooohhh i just thought of awesome wikiwikiworld blog. Ok it kind of has to do with DealDash but it is more wordly, so i'll put a link here and then you have to go over there and read it. When i write it.  It's about perception...basically the whole type of perception that drives sites like DealDash...i know, it sounds deep. It might be. 


fyi, i've had it with proper capitalization. No, not Capitolism. Capitalization. words like dealdash, ikea, ipad, ipod can officially be in caps or in lower case based on my whims. Or based on when my left pinky hits the Shift Key on time or not. 

DealDash411 Tips, Hints, Strategy and General Commentary: To Dash or Not to Dash?

I'm having another vacuum cleaner moment. I'm sitting at the computer this morning waiting for my ipod to charge up so i can go for a bike ride. God forbid i go without my ipod. I still have an old school ipod...which feels and looks like a brick compared to the new ones they have. I've seen that little guy up on dealDash and that thing is a fraction of this brick i carry around and call an ipod. Now technically, this isn't really mine. I had bought it for my mom because she kept saying, "I want an Ipod. I really want an Ipod" every two seconds so i figured, she really wants an Ipod. So for her birthday i took the not so subtle hint and got her an ipod. So she is unwrapping the gift and pulls out the little ipod box that it comes in and gets this confused look on her face...and says, "What is this?" And i said "mom, it's an ipod." And she says, "Oh, ok." My mom apparently had never actually seen an ipod before, so she didn't actually know she was receiving one right then. It was quite hysterical. I mean this was not subtle-gift- hint dropping. This was blatant "I want an ipod" for days and days. If i didn't get the ipod, i would really be some kind of moron. But then she didn't even know exactly what it was and what it looked like. God love her.

Anyway, she has now realized she has an ipod and wants me to show her how to use it. Now my mom is a super smart lady. She knows alot about alot of things. But not about the world of Apple products and more complex electronics.

We are at her computer looking at itunes. She wants an ipod because she wants to listen to the University lectures. I told her you could put music on it too. She said she wouldn't even know what to put on it. Ok, so we are getting lectures. I show her how to get to the store and download what she wants (these are free thank god). She is with me this far. Then we get to the part where you have your itunes library, and then you have your ipod library. I might as well have started speaking in Chinese. I think if she wanted to, she could have figured it out. But i think she was already over having an ipod.

We took a break. Part 1 lesson turned out to be showing her what an ipod looked like. Part 2 was supposed to  be how to get stuff and put it on your ipod, but we never seemed to get through that. In the end, after her ipod sat there  untouched for a few months, i made an executive decision and told her i was just going to use her ipod ( i was the only person in the world who didn't have one at that point. ooh ooh i had the original shuffle...the bigger one, not that mini one they have now. Somehow it disappeared. My friend who is a dingbat kept trying to convince me that he found it and he would produce the little remote control that goes with the mac desktops. Or at least they did like 8 years ago. I don't know how many times i had to tell him that was not my shuffle...) So i tell my mom i'll just "borrow" her ipod until she decides she is ready to try using it. It's been at least a few  years now. I'm not even sure she remembers that it is hers.  Oh well, we tried.

My long-winded point is that I have a pretty darn old ipod, in comparison to what they have out there now.  And it is taking forever to charge right now. So i consider...is this something i should go for on DealDash? It is the age old question that our ancestors were faced with constantly: Get it on a penny auction? or just buy it a lower retail price somewhere else?

I could try to go for it, but technically i don't NEED an ipod. I just WANT a new ipod. But i want alot of things. Like people to read my blogs. And I don't always get what i want.  Most people call this a no-brainer - perfect time to DD for it. I call it a dilemma. I don't actually have money to play around with on DealDash and hope to get a deal or BIN.  Nor do i have the patience any more. That may seem odd because i have the patience to watch DD, but that is different. I am doing lots of other things at the same time.  I think if i could, i would re-register with the UserName IOnlyWantTheIpod and a sidekick About me, saying how the only thing i've ever wanted in this world was an ipod. I wonder who would be mean enough to bid against me....

Ok I think my mom's old school Ipod is charged up enough to head out.
Thanks  mom.

And hey you can say mean things about me, but not my mom. I'll beat  you up. That's my moms.
--purposely pluralized, thank you very much--

Sunday, September 18, 2011

DealDash411 Tips, Hints, Strategies: Holy Mackeral!

A $255 Toaster? Does this mean our little toaster from the DealDash Past is sitting in some back warehouse all sad and dejected? Like the lamp from IKEA and the old Mop? Ugh that would break my heart. But how can he compete with a $255 toaster? At least he has a few friends to hang out with. I miss him. If he showed back up on an auction, i would buy it just so he wouldn't feel so bad. Yes i have issues.

But the real question is why do you need a $255 Toaster? At that point can't you call it a regular oven? I don't cook stuff, so i am in the dark about how one would make a pizza.  I heat up my frozen pizzas in the regular over all the time. So it has a rotisserie feature...wouldn't it be cheaper just to go buy that Ron Popeil Chicken Rotisserie thinger on an  infomercial because it comes with free stuff? It's cheaper than $255.

There must be something more magical about this particular toaster. Hopefully the price isn't jacked up just because Wolfie lent his name to it.  But i'm still not understanding at what point your regular oven just won't cut it any more. Or are these for people who just don't have ovens at all? hmmm...i use my oven like a toaster all the time, so i guess if i had no oven i would get a toaster oven.  I always think of a toaster as the kind  you put the bread in and it pops up when ready. That is a genius invention. Practical, fast, perfection every time, affordable and quite durable. Just don't stick a knife in it. That's good stuff.

So the only reason i can come up with is that you need this oven is that  you don't have an oven at all, right? I guess real ovens are expensive. Mine is from 1979 (I'm pretty sure) and it doesn't really work all that well, but it works enough. But you can get one of those oven/range things for close to the same price as this mini toaster. and then you can make soup and pasta and hot beverages too.  Go find a Sears Outlet store and you'll get a great deal.

So I'm not sure what is so necessary about this pricey Toaster Oven, but i bet someone out there wants this thing soooo badly....

Saturday, September 17, 2011

DealDash411 Tips, Hints, Strategies: Holy Mackeral!

Yeah that was pretty dumb play on words, but check out the Mac computer that is still..going. This one might be close to setting a new record...and 266 people who bid on it. I had to bust out a calculator for that one. I like words not numbers. This one computer is going to make that whole "frenzy" seem like a wonderful idea! Although, looking back, it wasn't that bad. I think the worst is now to come when everyone got their 1000s of bids back...I am soooo tempted to hop-on to that mac computer right now, just to be super annoying. But i won't. I just have the strongest urge to wreak havoc right now....

krypto is in for that mac, and he must be very confident because he just battled for the little thumb drive. Maybe he wants it for his  new mac...he stole it out from under gholmes2011 who had been using Intimidation Tactics to attempt to scare people away. It worked on the amazon card he got, but he must have been handing out high-fives because all of a sudden he lost the thumb drive. Although he probably will just buy it now.

Now, I would like to claim responsibility on a few things that have happened. I know, realistically, no one has found this blog so it probably isn't true. But i don't care. I'm claiming 2 things today:
1) IHOP card went for $0.07 because people realized you can't order eggs there.
2) i saw a mixmaster username going for the KitchenAid mixer. So it is probably a DJ or something, but i prefer to think it is 1/2 my Superhero Strategy, just not executed to its max potential. It's easy to just create my world than wait for people to join it. I guess.

OHH gholmes2011 must be bitter....he has now hopped-on to the mac. However, he could be coming back to it too, but krypto is in it and i think he is pissed at krypto for taking his little thumb drive. And he is going for the Home Depot Card with the same tactics. He better not take his eye off of those auctions for a second.  This dude may be Out-Of Control...

Friday, September 16, 2011

DealDash411 Tips, Hints, Strategies, and Commentary: Escape The Madness

Well the madness is over...anyone know how they handled the auctions that went past the "get bids back" moment? That would be interesting if now their bids started to count in the middle of the auction.....

let me know if you know!

Thursday, September 15, 2011

DealDash411: Yep, it's still happening....

So i got some sleep and thought maybe the DealDash confusion of yesterday may become clearer. It did. It's clearly exactly what i thought it was.   So let's say you decide this is the greatest event that has ever occurred, because you are a newbie. Right now you can get 400 bids for 192 buckaroos. So you throw down $192 bucks because you can use an absurd amount of bids and get them back.

But look at these auction prices!!! To win is taking WAAAAAY more than 400 bids! So you throw down another $192 bucks to get more bids and then again...and pretty soon you just spent $600 on bids (remember, you could have just bought an ipad....) because you aren't going to win anything good unless  you have 1000x of bids right now! So DealDash just filled up the bank, and then everyone is going to get their bids back and have 1000s to then use for the next few weeks...jacking up auction prices...

It is quite brilliant on their part. And they are creating a frenzy, getting a bunch of new people hooked...drummerboy you are sooo right - whomever came up with this one just got one big bonus. DealDash - hold on to that golden employee.

So i almost got in the mix on this because i was like "why the heck not." But when the prices are getting so high for a laptop or tablet, i realized, i'm still going to have to pay out $300 for one of these items. Which, yes, could be an amazing deal. But even if it is, i still don't have $300 to be dropping on luxury items right now...so i have to opt out yet again, because though it is a deal, I don't have the cash to drop on anything that price right now. I need the .20 auction wins, not the $200 auction wins.

So anyway, drummerboy  you made a comment which was kind of genius in itself...shouldn't there be a government run penny auction? i mean seriously. If the government just opened a penny auction site, we may not have any more debt. I mean really....

side note - i do not truly believe that the government could operate a successful PA site. Somehow, there would be too much overhead because everyone would need a government owned vehicle, and they would have to have paid commission boards to make decisions on what items are up for auction, and then they would pay 10000s of dollars to send census/survey people out to see what everyone thinks.  Then someone would protest because they would create an injustice or discriminatory element, like having a tablet on the auction site is discrimination against people who don't have fingers. And then they would have to modify and it would be dumb. And i'm sure somehow it would get corrupted or bribes would be passed along and it would all go to poop.

But let's just say the government could somehow pull this off....the government could auction off awesome stuff...
- free meter parking for a year
- tax vouchers
- carpool lane stickers
- free car registration for 1 year
- GET OUT OF JURY DUTY FREE CARD!
- gas cards
- get out of parking ticket free voucher
- state parking passes
-property tax voucher
- no sales tax for 1 month
- and of course they would throw in some ipads and laptop computers and pfchang's gift cards to keep it interesting.

So i know there is no way this could work, because the mean people out there who like to ruin everything for the rest of us would find a way to hack in and fix the results, wreak havoc on the system, make counterfeit items and basically ruin anything potentially good for us. i hate the ruiners. Ruiners are stupid.

On another note i'm going to give you an example of why our school systems are ridiculous most of the time. But you'll have to go to It's a wiki wiki world for this one...

ooh drummerboy you just won...doing some early christmas shoppping?

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

DealDash411 Tips, Hints, Strategy and Random Commentary: Is it really only Wednesday??

Geez....it's been one of those weeks where tomorrow should be friday and it just isn't! Because being on crazy pills is the only way i could explain what i just saw. Yep, on DealDash....i saw that Quirkle game at 8 bucks, and some silver bars (everyone is all about the gold and silver now. thanks bidwealth). And then i saw what i am now naming THE FIREFLY PHENOMENON. That's when there are so many bids and auctions happening that there are just flashes and blinks all over the screen like fireflies (is a lightening bug the same thing?).  It's almost like my eyes are all messed up.
Now i wasn't paying that much attention to the top of the screen, and so my first thought was, " oh what did they just put bids up at 99% discount or something?" So i scrolled back to the top and OMG it was crazier than i thought!

So, either they got an earful from the regulars about that super top secret email they sent out to Newbies, and now they are trying to redeem themselves (thanks ladyk!) with this frenzy they have created, or what. I don't really get this free bids thing.

But then....it occured to me...is this actually the most genius idea ever??? Because it reminds me of what i didn't care for on Happy BidDay - those happy aucitons you play with reward bids or something. I didn't like them because everyone went nuts and yeah you got somethign at an 80% discount, but you still paid alot of money for it! So if you can bid without risk, but you  at least have to own the bids, then you put money into the dealdash site (cha-ching for them).  Then you bid like mad on everything because you will get them all back. But, because they are free bids you go crazy and auction prices skyrocket. So in then end....DealDash scores because everyone is just driving up the prices on each auction....so though you'll get your bids back, if you win you are paying alot more than you would for the auction price, and hoarding those bids for later when everyone will jack up the prices more! But to bid with your "free bids" you still had to buy them...so you still put your cash into DealDash....(love that! it just happened. it wasn't planned).

I'm a bit tired and confused on what day it is, so i'm not sure if i clearly expressed myself above. And i can't tell if i am right about this being genius on DealDash's part or just super annoying to everyone. I could be missing the point completely right now and i just don't know. Why isn't it Friday yet?

I'll go pound a redbull, wait an hour or so and then reassess this post and the entire situation.

Or I'll just sit back and watch the fireflies...

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

DealDash411 Tips, Hints, Strategies, and Commentary: The Resurfacing

Well it looks like some of the wise old players have decided to try Deal Dash again...We've got OKKAMS updating all their electronics, Ratpack is back for a laptop, and our pal ProtoProtoss is scoring some bid packs. Dawnof1 is up on the winner board with LadyK and Abbygirl. And kelleyinthesky is on the board, and we already know drummerboy is on the loose again. It's like a reunion!  It's been hard keeping track of all the Newbies but seeing names I know had been getting scarce! It's nice to see some people back.

Monday, September 12, 2011

DealDash 411: Pony3116 vs WatchMe

These two are Ego-maniacs! Bidding right after each other trying to prove some sort of point. This is definitely an ego battle now. Who is going to give up first....that's the game they are playing. For an external hard drive.....Let's see who wins. Then we will know which player is tougher and cooler than the other.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

DealDash411: TIps, Hints, Strategies, and Commentary: Interesting Twist

So, I am following tagvillage now and their penny auctions. The links are on the side of this blog.
So check this out:

ALERT ALERT: We are making some MAJOR CHANGES to the items Bazaar. We plan to implement these changes over the next 24 hours.

Changes coming to Items Bazaar:
1. No new bidders during last 5 minutes
      (if you did not bid before the last 5 minutes, you cannot bid during the last 5 minutes)
2. No items cancel, last bidder wins, even if we don't hit 0.10 Target Price
Items Bazaar will be paused until these changes are implemented.


So the Bazaar is their PA section. So what do we think about this No NEW Bidders during the last 5 minutes rule?? This will prevent all the hop-ons, silentstalkers and generally frustrating players re-think their strategies. I think it is a very promising change. No Hop-ons! Isn't this what everyone spends 90% of their time grumbling about?? Is that why alot of people have left Deal Dash? Because people are just out of control?

I will be following this pretty closely to see what the heck this does to the auctions...could be a GREAT thing.  Check out TagVillage411. It's like DealDash 411, but about Tag Village. I'm hooked. Check out the site too if you want.

And, if you like what i have to say but think i get off topic a bit too much on this blog, then you should go to my OTHER blog, where i can talk about anything and i do. Same style. All good stuff. Tell your friends if you want.  Because It's A Wiki Wiki World. Don't you want to know why i named my other blog that? Go see for yourself. It has to do with transportation, vomit, and a moment of stupidity on my part.

DealDash411 Tips, Hints, Strategies and Commentary: IHOP


I need to say a few things about IHOP. That's International House of Pancakes for anyone who wasn't sure. Now I'm not anti-IHOP but IHOP is one of those places that you really need to consider what you are ordering for breakfast. I have only eaten breakfast there. And i completely blew it.

I woke up one morning jonesing (craving for non-slangers) for some really good bacon. Now I guess i could have gone to the market and got some and made it myself, but Deal Dash doesn't have a good pan on their  site yet. I can only toast things, make breakfast sammies, eat pizza or dice things. So that was not an option. Whole Foods has amazing bacon in their breakfast food bar. i trekked up there (it's not close - that's how good their bacon is), and THEY WERE OUT. They said more would be ready in about 30 minutes. I was too amped up on having bacon that i couldn't wait. After an under the breathe remark about how on earth they could not have enough bacon ready at the breakfast bar, I stalked out (this was rude. I apologize to any of the staff. I must have just been really low on nitrates and not thinking straight).

Anyway, I get in the car to seek out bacon and I see the IHOP sign in the distance. It was like a beacon. (hahahaha get it? I crack myself up). I think last time i had IHOP i was a kid and ordered the smiley face chocolate chip pancake. But they have breakfast - so they must have bacon. So i turned in.

Then it all went south. I started making a series of mistakes that put me deep in a hole. I don't blame IHOP. I blame myself. I did this to myself.

I scan the menu and I start seeing that the IHOP menu has the calories added to it. I like being in the dark when i pig out. But when i saw that the bacon, eggs, and pancakes i was going to order was close to 1000 calories, I panicked a little. And then I panic ordered. (I seem to panic order alot. You are at the table, everyone else has ordered and now they are all staring at you. And the waiter it standing, pen poised staring at you. The pressure!! I usually panic and blurt something out. 9 times out of 10 i don't like what i end up getting. For a further description of Panic Ordering Disorder, click here to go to Wiki Wiki World and read it.

Here is what i panic ordered: An attempt at health food.  Suddenly i was looking at their "light" menu section and i said "i'll take the egg beaters scrambled, the turkey bacon, and 1 pancake." Before i could come to my senses, that waitress was gone. Now, I'm not a health nut, but i'm also trying to look like Proto. I'm pretty darn far away.  Back to the story.

My plate arrives like 5 minutes later, of course making you wonder if all this was pre-cooked, and i have the two limpest, saddest pieces of turkey bacon i have ever seen. They kind of looked like bologna. There was nothing crispy about them at all. At the far end of the plate was scrambled yellow stuff. The few times i have had egg beaters they weren't bad at all. But these were slimy and tasted like a mix between plastic and paper. Not even ketchup was going to save these eggs. I couldn't eat them. And my sad little wimpy turkey bacon looked like a neglected step-kid while bacon got all the glory. I managed to get one piece down. Then I had a few bites of pancake and just felt ill. $10 later i was out the door.

Lessons learned:
1) You don't go to IHOP for healthy breakfast. Just know that going in. It's not gonna happen. Don't try to minimize the damage. Just eat.

2) It's not called IHOE, or International House of Eggs. So don't get the eggs. It's just not their thing.

3) Get PANCAKES. Duh. It really is a no-brainer. It is House of PANCAKES. Go with what they specialize in. Get the pancakes with the fruit and whipped cream or chocolate chips. They couldn't be sending a clearer message with their name. I just tried to make IHOP something it is not, when they clearly claim PANCAKES. This is my fault, not theirs. Get PANCAKES.

4) If you have a great source of bacon, stick with it. I should have waited out the 15  minutes and gotten the good bacon. I was acting like a spoiled brat.

Next time i'm getting the kid's smiley face chocolate chip pancakes.

gettogether - you won the gift card. This is sound advice.

Happy Sunday Everyone.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

DealDash411 Tips, Hints, Strategies and Pizza: Saturday Morning Games

First, just in case you were worried, I just bought my DealDash Tag back:


TagVillage.com

Come and get it!

Meanwhile, the 5 in 1 Griddle is turning out to be an ego battle! Time-hoarding, egos and  some Newbies. We have eaglefan dead set on getting this, and she wants to grill stuff! No bid buddy, just bidding right on top of each other with blake562123.

But, do they know that it looks like several people are silentstalking? Rickman has been all over dealdash this early morning, and he was watching this one. We've got drdavepdx with a bid buddy set keeping eaglefan on her toes.  drdavepdx is "Doctor Dave - Educator." Reminds me of "Doogie Howser - M.D." He was a boy genius who graduated medical school before he was 16. It was a trivia question i just got in a game.  This show was great because they fully bypassed the fact that no one in their right mind wants a 16 year old as head doctor - i don't care how genius he is. If he can't drive a car yet, then I'm waiting until he is 17. Then I'm going to type some lesson i learned on my computer journal.

Anyway, eaglefan is still fiercely defending her griddle...she strong-arming and using intimidation tactics but people still have an eye on this one.

Ok now if someone enters the arena with the name GriddlerForLife, they may go all out for this auction.

More updates to come on this lovely Saturday morning. In the COMMENTS section.




Friday, September 9, 2011

DealDash411 Tips, Hints, and Strategies: Tagvillage

So the key search words "Dealdash" and "Deal Dash" are being traded back and forth like mad on Tagvillage.com.
Check it out:  Tagvillage.com

So i guess you can buy key search words. So of course I checked on Deal Dash immediately. Interesting site...it's like swap auctions, and then they have the equivalent of a penny auction for different items and also for popular tags. I think i like it. I don't think big players have hit this site quite yet, though the prices are getting up there. Like "Facebook" was close to $1000 bucks!
This TagVillage may be the most genius PA type of site....These guys are making the dough and not having to ship that much stuff out....wow.

You need a referral to get to the site:
You can use mine if you like me. Or even if you don't like me. I like you.
Tagvillage.com

check me out:





of course i had to buy DealDash. Duh.

ok no one call me out...i don't know how legit this website is or what. time will tell. But it is a cool concept. And i own DealDash na na na na na.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

DealDash 411: Hints, Tips, Strategies and Commentary - The Newest PA Strategy

I can say it all with one picture....but then of course i'll talk about it.


This just made my millenium. (Anyone place a similar quote? "make my millenium?" i know i lose people so fast...)

Right?? Drummerboy getting the Drum set? Duh!! It's like a no brainer! No one should have even  bid against him!  I mean tycobb22 you would think would go for some baseball gear, maybe a t-ball set or something, but when you see drummerboy going for a drum set? Obviously he needs it! Drummerboy can brag because he's got the goods to back it all up.

So i'm thinking i've just come up with a new strategy.....

Strategy #9: The SuperHero & SideKick Strategy (also known as OWN IT)

So we have seen our share of intimidation tactics, pushy names, and people trying to strong- arm others. But i think the subtlety of the OWN IT strategy can be more powerful than all of these. To use this strategy, you must really really think of what item is your #1 most wanted item and you must plan in advance, BEFORE you sign up and pick a Username.  You can't change your UserName, so assess the situation carefully.

Let's take our drummerboy scenario. When you see drummerboy, going for a drum set, you really do have to sit back and evaluate the situation and think "this guy might be really serious. I mean his name is drummerboy." Now we know drummerboy is a big drummerman who knows how to play PAs so you really should step aside anyway, but let's come up with some similar scenarios you could use to get the edge. It's the Targeted Username Superhero, and the About Me SideKick.

So, let's say you that all you have ever wanted in your life is the LeapFrog Leap Pad. (i would have gone with Leap Frog Lilly Pad, but maybe they were worried that might sound "girlie." I'm sure they had 10,000 focus groups to figure that one out when really is it that big a deal? It's a stinking lilly pad!).

So in the OWN IT strategy, you should choose a Targeted Superhero Username and About Me SideKick. Think Batman and Robin here. You know Batman is going to make a statement and Robin is going to hang out in the side car ready to yell POW! when Batman gets his groove on.

So, if you are dying to own a Leap Frog Leap Pad, you need to come up with a Targeted Username that let's people know what you are playing for.
Potential Targeted Username examples:
GimmeetheLeapFrog
LeapFrogorBust
willdieforLeapFrog
LeapFrogobsessed

Are you catching my drift here? If you are hanging out on Deal Dash and you see a cool Leap Frog item coming up, and  you think, "Hey maybe i'll go for that. The kids will love it, or i'll just flip it." So you start bidding. And then suddenly you realize that a user with the name willdieforLeapFrog has set a bid buddy against you, you might take them more seriously on this auction. If they were going for a hand bag or something it probably isn't going to matter. But if you are bidding for the Leap Frog Leap Pad and you see this username, i think you may reconsider how badly you really want the darn Leap Pad, because do you think you really want it as badly as someone who made that their UserName? And then if you follow with an "About Me" SideKick stating that you are obsessed with anything Leap Frog and would rather go broke than see anyone else win the Leap Pad, you may further your position of being completely obseessed and crazy, and you may have a better shot at getting your Leap Pad and turning away potential competition.

Another Example:
If you saw that the movie "The Help" is up for auction and you are absolutely dying to own this movie, maybe before you sign up you should consider your username. Maybe target the username with something like:
MustwinTHEHELP
IwillwinTHEHELP
TheHELPismine

you get the drift...is it really worth bidding against someone who based their UserName off a specific item?? I know I don't need to duke it out for the movie "The Help" with someone who has a UserName of TheHelpismine. And then if i saw an About Me saying "I absolutely must own the movie "The Help" and i will over pay for it to makes sure i get it. It is all i have ever wanted in the world" i think most normal people would step down and think if someone needs the movie that badly, it must be some sort of medical condition, so maybe we should let it go.

But don't think your THE HELP username is going to help you win the Gangster Dvd Series, no no no...i think you will get trampled.

So if you feel like you must have a Presto Pizzazz Pizza Oven, consider using the OWN IT strategy and pick a Targeted UserName backed up by your trusty About Me Sidekick.

So now i am on the look out for some awesome usernames like:

IonlyeatatPFChangs
SubwayEatFresh
LegoManiac (remember zack the lego maniac?)
IneedaRoomba
GinzuforLife
NeedKatyPerryNailPolish
ExternalHardDriveJunkie



i just took a bow.

Deal Dash411 Hints, Tips, Strategies and Commentary: September Morn

September morn
Do you remember
How we danced that night away
Two lovers playing scenes
From some romantic play
September morning
Still can make me feel that way....

Oh DealDash, can't you see how close we really are?

Why is it that i can remember song lyrics and movie quotes like some kind of photographic memory person, but i can't remember a doctor's appt for the life of me? Oh well. 

DealDash has a bunch of new stuff up for September! And i want to talk about it all! But can't right this moment, unfortunately. We have new products to talk about, new players to talk about, old players to talk about, and Penny Auction Ultimatum part 3 to discuss.

i want to encourage some more participation here peeps - ask me stuff you want to know so i can make up awesome answers. Ask me about how to pronounce deal dash player's names and stuff....