Overcoming Boredom

Artistic drawing by Crystal Nadine Harvey (my granddaughter)

DealDash.com Helps Patient Pass Time in Hospital

If you ever have to stay in bed for long periods of time, it does not mean you have to be bored. Perhaps you could help pass the time by shopping on DealDash.com.

That's what happened to screen name StayOnThePorch. He discovered DealDash while recovering from heart surgery.

"For several months, I really did not have anything else to do, so I was cruising the Internet and just happened to find DealDash purely by accident," said StayOnThePorch, who requested that his real name be kept private.

This customer from Maryland has been shopping on DealDash since April 2012, and is already on Level 43.

"There is a saying that "if you cannot run with the big dogs, you should stay on the porch," he said, and that is how he came up with his screen name.

"I do not 'run with the big dogs,'" said StayOnThePorch. "I set reasonable limits, stay within a budget and never overbid."

The primary reason StayOnThePorch started shopping on DealDash is because he appreciates the free shipping and no tax.

While still in the hospital, he won some toy trucks and assorted children's items that he donated for the kids there.

So far, his best win was a LG 50-inch TruSlim 600HZ Plasma TV that retails for $1,199.00.
"I won that TV for only 91 cents and about 10 bids," StayOnThePorch said.

His first win, however, which he got for only one penny, was his most memorable. It was a John Wayne Ultimate Collection, a four DVD set that included 25 movies.

"That went right to my 86-year-old mother who watches Westerns all day long," he said. "When I gave it to my Mom, she sent me home with a fresh homemade apple pie ... the best penny I ever spent!"

StayOnThePorch also won a gas generator last year, which he received just in time before a bad storm.

"We lost electricity for six days, but my gas generator kept the lights on and the beer cold," he said. 

In an effort to minimize his losses, StayOnThePorch only plays for gift cards for his wife of 35-years, two daughters and oodles of extended family members. Mostly, he enjoys shopping on DealDash every day because it helps him to unwind after a busy day of traveling on his job.

"Most of my Christmas shopping is done on DealDash throughout the year, and mostly in gift cards," he said. "It is the gift that nobody takes back ... a gift that everybody is usually happy to receive."

DealDash is the only penny auction site he knows of that sells gift cards at list price (in most cases, except when bids are attached), ships free and gives all the bids back.

StayOnThePorch noticed that DealDash does not yet offer gift cards for Lowes, which he would like to see added to future auctions because he can get some products there that he cannot get at Home Depot.

Although StayOnThePorch said he believes DealDash is the "best penny auction site out there," if he could change anything about DealDash, he would:
1) Eliminate the "tell us about yourself" bio section
2) Give everyone new to penny auctions a free users guide -- Penny Auctions 101  
3) Offer some "blind" auctions (no screen names or avatars are seen during the auction)                                                                 
4) Limit the number of auctions each bidder can bid on at any one time.                                

StayOnThePorch said the bio section takes away from the fun and excitement of the auction because too many customers abuse it by using it to intimidate others, which is unfortunate.

"This just gives people an area to complain, threaten, brag about having a billion bids, being a millionaire or even to advertise," said StayOnThePorch, who actually saw one customer advertise a heating & air conditioning business, including a contact phone number.

Before he ever started bidding on any penny auction site, StayOnThePorch said he did his homework, researched, read everything he could about how each site works and collected tons of data.

"New bidders cannot just jump on any penny auction site and expect to win," he said. "I watched and studied the sites for a long time before I started playing. It is important to know your competition."

StayOnThePorch said if new players want to be successful, he would encourage them to: Watch the auctions for at least 30 days before jumping in, learn the competition by observing how they bid and start out by bidding on low-value items that they would buy, anyway, like gas cards or toys.

All new bidders need to be aware that it can become addictive, but if they play smart and stay within a budget, it can also be a very entertaining and enjoyable experience, he said.

After playing on almost all the (major) penny auction sites available, StayOnThePorch said DealDash is the best overall penny auction site he has found.

"DealDash is user friendly," he said. "It is an honest company with a great support staff. They listen to you and take action to help you with any issues you may have."

Another thing StayOnThePorch especially appreciates about DealDash is that they never "hound" him to buy additional bid packs whenever he calls customer support, unlike some other sites he has tried.

"For my money, DealDash is the best penny auction site out there and has the best support team in the Industry," he said.