Monday, August 2, 2010

QuiBids or Quick Scam? You Be The Judge

I stumbled upon a site I didn’t know existed or simply had ignored, called QuiBids.com it proclaims itself to be:

QuiBids Penny Auction banner

“a fun and exciting, fast-paced auction website. On QuiBids, you can win all sorts of popular products at amazing low prices,”

That sounds great! exciting! and fun! doesn’t it?  Well that’s what I thought as well.  What I didn’t count on, but should have known was that…

“but you must purchase bids before you can win.

And in order to do that you must,

“choose the Bid Pack you want and fill out your payment information on the right. “  Have no fear, because “QuiBids accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express.”

In the help section it indicates that QuiBids offers 45, 75, 300, 600 and 800 bids.  Here are 3 bids packs that I found on the site:

QuiBids bid packs

Click to learn How does QuiBids work?

QuiBids in progress

Above is a screen capture of a bid in progress for a Nikon D90 12.3 MP DSLR camera and lens.

Keep in mind, lilylee had this bid won with only 1 second left on the clock, but wouldn’t you know it, up pops a bid from willID3 which adds another $.01¢ to the price, which isn’t bad, but if lilylee had it won at less than $10.00 why is the bid still going at $22.33?  Because along with the additional $.01¢ for each bid, a timer is reset with another 0:20 seconds yes, that’s right every time someone else bids another 0:20 seconds is added to the timer.  Ummmm makes you wonder. 

Well, the bidding for the above item is closed and the winner is, Jennyleigh who placed 7 bids @ .60¢ = $4.20 with a final price of only $46.13 – that’s a heck of a bargain on a camera retailing at more than a thousand dollars.  I wish I could have made that deal, but I don’t think I’m ready to take that plunge yet – I need to do more research.  In the meantime, I’ve come across a few reviews that I found interesting, and you may too.

Here’s what a few reviewers had to say regarding QuiBids and how it works:

  • “SCAM SCAM SCAM (mathematical screw-you to the buyers). AVOID!
    It costs $.60 to place a bid, so you think you are getting something cheap but end up spending $30-$40 on just bids and still end up being outbid. You can only bid in small increments (1 to 5 cents). The site is a scam for the bidders and a cash cow for the operators. …SCAM SCAM SCAM…How do you even know that you are being outbid by real people? It could be robot account owned by the website that outbids everyone last second in order to increase the number of bids and the website's total profit…So my advice for this site is WALK AWAY. read entire review
  • Penny Auctions my personal opinion is don’t get involved with them unless you have at least 75% of the retail price of the product you are seeking to purchase.  Another thing is before you get into a website like Quibids.com make sure you READ the terms and conditions and also understand what you are getting yourself into….read more
  • QuiBids & Swoopo, two names I found doing the same thing. It’s genius. Each bid cost 60 cents but each bid only increments the price by a couple cents or maybe a nickle … so think about it. You buy a block of bids, say the minimum of 40, which cost you $24.00. You bid on an item and that bid cost you 60 cents but the item amount only increased a nickel. So if you are bidding on an item that is at $4.00 and it started at zero … there have already been 80 bids placed if each bid increments a nickel. At $4, they have already made $24. Say the item finally sells for $100. At 5 cent bid increments, it took 2000 bids to reach $100 and at 60 cents per bid they just made $1200 on a $100 sale. If the increments are only 2 cents per bid, they made $3000 on a $100 sale. If you won, you pay the winning amount plus all the amount you spent on the bids, plus shipping, so you just spent $124 + shipping.

I don’t know, after watching the bidding on the Nikon D90 – a camera I’d really like to have and to be able to get it for only $43.13,  that would be wonderful!  But the length of time it took for the experienced bidders to close this deal and to see it go to someone who entered the bidding long after the original bidder, makes me wonder if I would stand a chance on QuiBids.com. 

QuiBids

Final thought, at an auction if someone out bids you, you DON’T still have to pay your offered bid; that’s not the case with QuiBids, even if you’re out bid, you’re going to have to pay the money you’ve offered to bid.   The site may appear to offer unbelievably great deals, and it does – at a cost.   Just remember to READ all the terms and conditions, but also be prepared to pay sums of money for something you still may not even get.

 

40 comments:

  1. Hi,

    I found your article interesting and I thought that you might like to trial a brand new penny auction website.

    If you would then just tweet me @JamesRhodri and I will send across some more information.

    Cheers,

    James

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  2. James, thank you for the invite, but I will pass just the same.

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  3. a sure scam, $60.00 in less than 30 minutes. As they tell you to bid close to closing, you have no other choice but to bid thinking with 1 second left you got it....but then someone else bids going higher higher and their goes $60.00 bucks to these smart scamers because ppl like me thought it was backed up by the media calling it a real true site for a bargan. Again the only things for free is a smile from someone to lift up your spirits...that is gold!!

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  4. Hello Anonymous,
    Thanks for your comment. It's good to hear from someone who has actually had experience with Quibids-regrettably you lost money, and rather quickly I might add.

    One of my main issues with Quibids audition is, at a real audition or on eBay, if you're outbid you don't have to still pay what you've bid, but with Quibids win or lose, everyone pays & pays.

    I'm in agreement with you, the only thing "free" is a smile, here's one :) to lift up your spirits!
    Good luck in the future finding deals.
    Thanks for visiting The Ultimate Post, and please come back again - and share.

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  5. If you look at the map on Quibids... there is ALWAYs a bid to keep things going from some spot in Bermuda. Name changes every 10 minutes... but the bids just keep rolling in... this HAS to be a bot! Just watch a bid in action and see for yourself.

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  6. Quibids.com is not a scam. You can actually win really great items at really low prices. But in order to do this you have to have a plan and you have to do your research.

    http://www.quibidstracker.com has the tools you need to research the items you want to bid on. Find out what the avg sale price is as well as how many bids you will need to actually win a specific item.

    QuiBidsTracker.com

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  7. Tim,
    Thank you for your comment - and that URL plug you provided as well.

    Although you may not consider it a scam, the process has the familiar scent of a combination of swindling (to obtain money by deceit), and pimping - (someone who procures customers for whores( in this case merchandise) and lives off the earnings) and doing so at exorbitant rates.

    As you know, here’s the process: It costs .60 cents to bid – every time you bid. So a $1000 item that finally sells for $200 has cost 4000 bids ($200 / 5 cents) times 60 cents per bid = $2400. Now, the winner doesn’t pay the whole $2400. He just pays for his bids. Plus, he’s probably clicked through, about 500 bids, so he’s paying the $200 winning price, plus $300 for the bids (500 at .60 cents each). Now that's a pretty good deal for him, but as for, everyone else bidding on the item they've also paid .60 cents per bid – probably hundreds of bids each on the average – and they got nothing for their bid money – nada, zilch, zippo!

    But isn't that the whole point? To make hundreds even thousands over and over again on the same sold item. What's that called again - for one, it's a hellva a hustle for Quibids.

    So unlike eBay and similar auction sites, where there are winners, but no actual losers (aside from the occasional scam or shoddy merchandise), Quibid.com and the like depend on many losers to make up for the one winner.

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  8. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  9. Huge432,

    Thank you for stopping by The Ultimate Post and sharing that interesting tidbit about there, "ALWAYs a bid to keep things going from some spot in Bermuda. Name changes every 10 minutes."

    Come to think of it, I noticed something similar - did not get what was happening at first, but it became clear rather quickly. I am not suggesting that they are manipulating the odds with staged-bidders, but...

    Please stop by again, and feel free to share your thoughts on the posts you find here.

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  10. I was thinking about going for it thanks for all the info think i'll pass!

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  12. Hello Rose,
    Thanks for stopping by The Ultimate Post. I'm glad the comments were able to assist you in your decision. Do know, I am not by any means trying to take any business away from QuiBids; but thought I'd open a discussion that would arm consumers with enough information to make an informed decision. I didn't and have no intention of waging a war on the auction site -I merely posted the process.

    Rose again, thanks for stopping by, and do visit again.

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  13. Every bid auction site is full of thieves. Look Ebay nobody is safe

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  14. Hello Anonymous,
    Thanks for stopping by The Ultimate Post, and thanks for leaving a comment.
    Unfortunately, anytime the human being is a factor there will always be an element of dishonesty - it's to what degree we allow ourselves to be accepted to it.

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  15. Thanks, came across this post as I was thinking of joining. Now I will pass, don't like scams. Glad I decided to check it out first, I usually jump right in.

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  16. Hello anonymous,
    thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment - and I'm glad this post was able to assist you in making a sound decision. Do stop by again and feel free to browse other post and leave comments if you so choose.
    Have a wonderful week.

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  17. I was looking at this site to confirm if the site was a scam and this information was very useful in determining that it is, also just wanted to mention that as I am looking at the QuiBids page right now it states, "our prices are so low because everyone contributes to the price of the product." Which isnt that saying you bid your basically helping them pay for the products the buy from the manufacturers then in turn giving them to someone else. Just a thought

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  18. Hello Anonymous,
    Thanks for stopping by, funny I've had a few people with the same name as yours, leaving comments. LoL
    I appreciate you taking the time to stop by and leave a comment, and I'm even happier to know that this post has helped you in some way.

    You made a good point, "...isn't that saying your bid basically helps them pay for the products..." that's exactly right, they pay for it once, but bidders pay for it over and over, so the company makes a huge profit reselling one item. You gotta love the nerve of it.

    Again thank you for stopping by and do come back.

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  19. thank's for info other people about this before loose money. help me make a decision

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  20. Hello (April 5, 2011)Anonymous,
    I delighted you stop by to read and posted a comment. I am very glad my post helped you in some way to make a sound decision.

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  21. Thanks for all the info. Now i can say this is for the professional scammers also... It takes one to know one..maybe if you're a good at gambling this might be the site.. or maybe not.. you need to have patience and wait long hrs. to see how it all unfolds,, then you make your move and bid,, if not you will spend a lot of money.. This is actually a gambling site with a different name.

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  22. Hello Anonymous (April 27, 2011) Thank you very much for stopping by and posting your comment. I am delighted that this post is continuing to assist individuals in making sound decisions when it comes to finding a deal, that may not really be a deal.
    I'm incline to agree with you, that it is a gambling-type site with a different name and a different pay-out for those lucky enough to pay & pay & pay to bid until they win, if they win.

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  23. Search "Quibids are Scammers" on facebook and like me please!

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  24. quibids is a total scam. 2 of my friends lost $60 and they are refusing to refund. I went with bidrack.com and "so far" no problems. I think the whole concept is great but some out there can't be trusted.

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  25. Aaron,
    Thank you for your Facebook "like" request - I'm sure anyone stopping by this blog may very well search and like you on Facebook - good luck with that quest.

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  26. Dear (June 10, 2011) Anonymous, it is unfortunate that your friends lost money using Quibids, and it is doubtful they will receive the refund they seek. It's nice that you had a better experience with another site such as, Bidrack.com perhaps after your friends get the sour taste of Quibids out of their mouths, they too will give it a (successful) try.

    Thank you for stopping by and providing a comment - Please feel free to stop by often, and best of luck with the bidding - please remember to do so in moderation.

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  27. Having dealt in issues of consumer protection over many years this is a classic example of a near-perfect scam. Bidding on line in an Ebay auction environment involves a fair amount of protection of the consumer with certain safeguards this legitimate operation puts in place. It's not perfect, but the auction is an actual auction and the final price means somebody's really bought the item.

    Here you are dealing in the dangerous Internet world in a deal that sounds too good to be true. The chance to buy an expensive camera for perhaps 10% of what it would cost in a store.

    Quite frankly you don't even know if the camera is actually in the possession of Quibids. It certainly doesn't need to be. You can be sure computers are fully in control of the bidding. Who's providing these new cameras, or other attractive merchandise and may only receive a fraction of what the products our worth?

    Quibids is always the winner since their computers can fully control the pattern of bidding. It's possible they could set this up and never have any actual merchandise involved. Once the real bidders have given up, the final bid can always be the other bidder who happens to be the computer. It looks to the other bidders, who have followed the action, like Joey.L (actually a fictional name for some computer living in Bermuda or elsewhere) has won the popular item for about 20% of its actual cost. "Lucky" Joey ... except he never sends the money and never gets anything and never complains, and who's the wiser?

    Actually the auction result appears to be great publicity for the wonderful buys one can make if the timing of your bids is just right.

    I'm not saying this is exactly how it all works for every penny auction, but a scam it has to be, and its got to be pulling in the innocent in large numbers who, it would appear, have absolutely no chance in this fixed game.

    By the way, I just visited the bidrack.com site. I don't know what your friend's experience was. but it is clearly a total fraud. If it looks like a rat and runs like a rat, you better believe it's a rat.

    Also don't trust e-mail talking about a good experience at some penny auction. If I was running this scam, I'd be planting plenty of postive comments about my site. And it would sound like real people talking, including spelling mistakes and all of that.

    Buyer beware!

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  28. This is definitely a SCAM! This site popped up while I was on my work's payroll site and I signed up thinking it had something to do with my job. Next thing I know I was charged $60 on my credit card. My credit card company (Citi) won't dispute the charge. If I used any of my other credit cards they would of disputed this charge right away. I learned my lesson of making sure I check what site I am on before signing up for anything and never using Citi Master Card again. DON'T SIGN UP FOR THIS SITE OR USE CITI CREDIT CARDS AS THERE FRAUD PROTECTION DOES NOTHING!!!!!!

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  29. I joined like many of the others and got hooked for the $60. However, after realizing what was happening, I immediately sent a note (with a screen print of my "order") to support@quibids.com and got a refund to my credit card in less than 10 minutes....but you have to catch it fast!

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  30. thanks for the blog chrystal, i knew that quick bids was a scam in the first place. finelly i saw someone that agreas with me!

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  31. Thanks for all the good info when I saw that website my gut instinct said scam check it out so I found your post and read all the comments and I just knew it was too good to be true.

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  32. I am glad I read this review. Now I can avoid being scam Thanks guys

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  33. Use your heads people! This site is nothing more than a slot machine. Their program has ghost bidders that automatically add bids to keep "auctions" open so teh bidding goes up. Remember that for every $100 in bids, Quibids earns $6000 !!! Of course they can afford to give away a few gift cards to make people keep bidding. When a big ticket item like a TV worth $2000 sells for $500, Quibids has made $30,000, yes that is $30K for their $500 payout. Just like i Vegas, if you think you are going to "Win" anything, you are a fool. I look forward to the programing being revealed and the Quibids executives locked up for fraud, as they should be! A perfect example of American Greed run wild!

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  34. Don't fall for this, Quibids is misleading you into thinking its a real auction. And you are NOT paying pennies for something that costs hundreds, don't be stupid and read the fine print! It's all misleading and if you try it you will quickly see you are being scammed. Go to eBay, don't give Quibids your credit card number or you will be orry you did. Be smart!

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  35. What a bunch of whiners!

    How is it a scam if you do not read what you are agreeing too?

    If i go sign a lease on a new car and don't read the mileage overage charges... is it a scam when I find out how much money I owe when returning the leased car?

    Who gives out their credit card information without knowing exactly what they will be charged?

    They do not "trick" you into thinking that you are signing up for is free!

    If it were free you wouldn't need to supply a credit card, what do you think was going to happen?

    Seriously, stop whining and read what you are agreeing too!

    I believe there are scams out there but just because you don't know what you are doing does not make it a scam.

    Grow up.

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    Replies
    1. AnonymousFeb 7, 2012 04:29 PM: Thank you for taking the time to provide your insight regarding QuiBids and for offering your opinion. As your opinion is yours to have, so are those of others, that said, voicing ones opinion does not always or necessarily constitute whining.

      As for growing up, to do so also includes respecting or at least tolerating the opinions of others.

      Delete
  36. Really guys, they CAN and probably DO give out things to users. Users can set up their automatic bidder to keep bidding as long as they want... A computer if you like, as people were saying earlier. It's all in the terms and agreements. So it will look like a computer bidding because it is. Quite likely, another person's money being spent though.

    And sure, they can give out items. They would have to, in order to keep any customers at all. After spending a couple hundred without getting anything, people will just go to ebay or something anyway. So they have to retain some customers.

    But hey. They only need to sell an item for 5% of it's price, to make any money. So they can afford to give away a $2000 tv for $300 if that's what it's bid at. And still make a decent amount of money. It's not so much a SCAM, as a black hole. You will be pouring your money in, but you MUST win the bid, in order to make it worthwhile. Which in a bid of 10 people, there is only a 10% chance of that happening. Since they tell you upright how it works, and the pitfalls, it's not a scam as such. A scam takes money by tricking you into giving it, thinking you will receive something in return. These people tell you upfront how it will be. A bad experience does not make a scam.

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    Replies
    1. thartdFeb 11, 2012 06:24 PM: Thank you for providing a well thought out reply regarding this subject, your insight is really appreciated and allows individuals to look at the situation from a different standpoint. As the post title states, "QuiBids or Quick Scam? You Be The Judge", Individuals must judge for themselves. Again, thank you for your feed back.

      Delete
  37. fuck this shiettttttttt

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    Replies
    1. AnonymousMar 27, 2012 07:46 AM:
      I appreciate you taking the time to offer a comment, however, since you failed to elaborate, readers may take your remark out of context and misinterpret your intent.

      Delete