[DarrenHull]

The Intelligent Bid – Auction Site



The Intelligent Bid is a new auction site, listing auctions in several categories including brand new AV products. Users buy bids and then place them on their chosen auctions. Each bid increases the auction's final sale price and end time by a fixed amount. The auction ends when the timer runs out, and the winning bidder then pays the final price and postage of the item, which should be delivered within 12 working days. Auctions normally end below the retail value of the listed item. We hope you choose to bid with theintelligentbid.com

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I’m planning to replace my CRT TV with a Sony KDL 40V3000U. Whilst I was looking for prices I came across this auction website. Does anyone have any experience with websites like this – is it worth trying or would I be better buying the TV elsewhere? As the site are offering free bids when you sign up I think it might be worth a shot.

[Nuwidol]

It can't be can it? Laptops selling for 14p that 'ended' 03 January 2009?

[Ian J]

There are loads of these tinpot auction sites all hoping to try and break Ebay's monopoly and all failing miserably

[Bald Monkey]

Does seem a little hopeless..

[TheRoverdog]

The typo on the home page:

There are not any acution yet!

Does not scream quality!!

[marty2005]

You got your link wrong. Take out the avforums part.

It's probably a con as the Sony BDP-S350 Blu-ray DVD Player supposedly sold for £24.48 and you can not even get any info on the buyer, just the name.

Looks like they've after your bank details when you create an account.

You have to pay to bid as well.

[TheRoverdog]

Originally Posted by marty2005

You got your link wrong. Take out the avforums part.

yeah you need to delete the avforum bit in the web-bar, I wouldn't get to excited though Marty, but it's worth a look for a giggle... .. I mean that home page has superb entertainment value, Ebay must be cacking it!

[marty2005]

If you win a bid on Ebay you are obliged to pay for it.

If you win a bid on Ebay and the seller didn't get any more bids is the seller also oblidged to sell you the item for the winning bid?

I won a bid for a motorcycle on Ebay ages ago then got an email from the seller to say that he'd changed his mind.

Just wondered how this new site is going to work although it's not real. I wouldn't be fooled, it reminds me of the auction crews that come to Great Yarmouth in the Summer, they rent out some premises, fleece everyone then they've gone.

In fact the bidders are in the crowd and have been exposed in the local newspapers.

I went to one for a laugh, they sell stuff dead cheap BUT you never see them working before you buy. I've seen people buy camcorders, digital cameras, laptops etc.

You see people walking away with black bin-liners crammed with boxes that contain non-working items and probably bricks.

[Woodsie]

Rip off, stay away guys, same as telebid.

You buy the bids and then try to win the item.
So you bid and if the clock gets to 0 then you win.
The company always makes a fortune as there can be hundreds of bids per auction.

Steer way clear.

[Badger0-0]

They are not a con.
Well, Swoopo certainly isn't.
There was a kid on BBC news this morning who had won a brand new mini for the princely sum of £27, I think it was

But I wouldn't recommend using them, as for every winner, there are loads of losers. I was chasing a Nikon D90 for very little money, but ended up placing £180 worth of bids. I gave up in the end as I'd been bidding for hours

That said, the items invariably do end up with a considerable saving.
But you do have to be willing to lose substantial amounts of money most times, which negates everything unless you get really lucky, I guess.

The article on the Beeb was asking if it was a form of gambling.
I personally think it is.

[marty2005]

Like you said the bidding goes sky high and yet on the home page they are telling you the Sony S350 Bluray player went for £24.48.

I wonder if what they have is brand new or faulty.

Then they'll probably be further hidden fees to pay.

[Badger0-0]

Like you said the bidding goes sky high and yet on the home page they are telling you the Sony S350 Bluray player went for £24.48.

The 24.28 will be the price the winner paid, so no con there

But if it's a 1P auction, that means 2428 bids at 40p a throw (on swoopo) which equals about £975
That's how the site makes it's money.

Then again, I've seen a £680 camera go for around £2.80.
I'll let you do the sums, but suffice to say, they lost a fortune on that one.
Swings and roundabouts etc.

The stuff is brand new and 100% kosher.

[CRZombie]

Originally Posted by Badger0-0

They are not a con.
Well, Swoopo certainly isn't.
There was a kid on BBC news this morning who had won a brand new mini for the princely sum of £27, I think it was

But I wouldn't recommend using them, as for every winner, there are loads of losers. I was chasing a Nikon D90 for very little money, but ended up placing £180 worth of bids. I gave up in the end as I'd been bidding for hours

That said, the items invariably do end up with a considerable saving.
But you do have to be willing to lose substantial amounts of money most times, which negates everything unless you get really lucky, I guess.

The article on the Beeb was asking if it was a form of gambling.
I personally think it is.

I used swoopo - they gave me a handful of free bids and £20 credit towards won items and ending up getting mario kart for the wii at round about £6inc delivery
Used my own pennies for that, save the £20 for another day or a better win!

Arrived and everything, couldn't believe my lucky

[tmurphy]

The BBC ran a report on these "Penny Auction" sites just before Christmas...

BBC NEWS | Business | Penny web auctions under scrutiny

Tony

[Badger0-0]

That was the report I was referring to mate

Although IIRC, that report says it's not gambling, it absolutely is

[fondie]

Avoid these type of sites like the plague.

This blog post explains the process much better than I could:

Coding Horror: Profitable Until Deemed Illegal

[Pleiades]

Originally Posted by fondie

Avoid these type of sites like the plague.

This blog post explains the process much better than I could:

Coding Horror: Profitable Until Deemed Illegal

Excellent site, thx 4 the heads-up!

[insomniak123]

check my post here - i just "won" (bought) a PS3 on swoopo for £108

It is really simple. In my opinion it's not a con. It works like a real auction, a proper one, not like eBay would have you believe, in which everyone who wants the item gets a fair chance to bid on it (usually 10-15 seconds). Think of the 40p bid price as the auctioneers commission - and usual auction rules apply, don't bid too early, don't exceed a pre-planned budget, and have a bidding strategy, and you'll be fine

saved myself nearly £200 tonight

[Badger0-0]

Originally Posted by insomniak123

check my post here - i just "won" (bought) a PS3 on swoopo for £108

It is really simple. In my opinion it's not a con. It works like a real auction, a proper one, not like eBay would have you believe, in which everyone who wants the item gets a fair chance to bid on it (usually 10-15 seconds). Think of the 40p bid price as the auctioneers commission - and usual auction rules apply, don't bid too early, don't exceed a pre-planned budget, and have a bidding strategy, and you'll be fine

saved myself nearly £200 tonight

Which backs up what I said, in that you can win and get lucky

Although I tried your strategy and lost big time

Way it goes, but it's not a con, imo

[simonoaks]

Originally Posted by Ian J

There are loads of these tinpot auction sites all hoping to try and break Ebay's monopoly and all failing miserably

true, and this one isn't even that good, however there are 4 or 5 large respectable alternatives to ebay, one of them has no fakes, unlike ebay which is riddled with them.

[sdb123]

Swoopo is not a proper auction site at all, it is the equivalent of gambling for goods....pure and simple.

[insomniak123]

Originally Posted by sdb123

Swoopo is not a proper auction site at all, it is the equivalent of gambling for goods....pure and simple.

actually it is a proper auction site. If you went to a proper auction and even though you acknowledged your intention to bid, the auctioneer said "nope, sorry, this egg timer has run out, your bid was too late, this guy gets it" (a la eBay) you'd be quite rightly unhappy.

Swoopo is the closest thing to an Auction you can get online. it just so happens that you can't usually fit thousands of people into an auction; with Swoopo you can

[toddy28]

thought i would check it out look likes the site is closed it says

auctions paused !!!!!!!!!!!