Like Bobby Fischer sacrificing his queen to win the Game of the Century, or Bruce Lee pummeling opponents with a combination of minimal movement and extreme speed, you win QuiBids auctions with shrewdness, by laying down the right bids at the right time for the right item.
Yes in the QuiBids equation, even something as simple as choosing the right bid works as a variable. You’ve got two types to choose from —Real Bids and Voucher Bids— and using one instead of the other can mean the difference in saving money or just breaking even.
So let’s take a minute to understand each type’s properties before discussing when to use Real Bids and when to use Voucher Bids.
The easiest way to distinguish Real Bids from Voucher Bids is to ask, “Did I buy these?” Real Bids come exclusively in Bid Packs (the starter Bid Pack costs $60 USD and comes with 100 bids), which can only be purchased at the Bid Store. Real Bids are fully refundable, so long as you don’t use them in an auction, or let them sit for a whole year.
Please note that Real Bids lose a few properties if you don’t use them a year after purchase (don’t worry — we send you an email notification two weeks before this happens), and that they do expire completely after three years. For more information about that, head over to the QuiBids FAQ.
Voucher Bids are a little more complicated, but just because there are so many different ways to accumulate them! We’ve detailed those a little further down in this post, so for now we’ll explain Voucher Bids’ properties.
Since Voucher Bids are won at auction (most commonly), and never directly purchased, they aren’t eligible for a refund, nor can they be used toward Buy Now. They also expire at a specific time, which you can monitor in your Bid Credit History.
When to use one and when to use the other
Now that we know their properties, we can logically incorporate Voucher Bids and Real Bids into our respective QuiBids strategies. Let’s go ahead and outline a few scenarios where you’d want to use one in place of the other.
The crowded auction
Let’s say one of QuiBids’ more popular items has caught your eye: an iPad or a big-screen TV, for instance. It’s probably going to draw a lot of interest, which means a lot of competition, which means your odds of winning the auction will naturally decrease. Let’s also assume that said iPad or TV is something that you simply can’t live without. You’ve set your sights and now you’re going after it, no matter the cost.
This is the kind of scenario (high-risk, high-reward) where you’ll be much better served by using Real Bids. With increased interest in the auction, you’re going to have to fight off a bunch of other bidders, and some of them may have deeper pockets than you do. If you’re willing to go the distance bidding, you’d better have the Buy Now option on the back of your mind, as it’s a safeguard against spending too much money not to win the auction. And since Voucher Bids undercut your Buy Now price, we’d advise you to hold on to them for another day.
When the stakes are low
What’s this? A $25-ish product with an attached Gameplay may go un-bid on? Might as well commit a few bids to winning it since you’ll collect some when you play that Game, am I right?
Low-stakes, low-rewards auctions like these are perfect for Voucher Bids. Since there’s a low likelihood that you’ll want to commit a lot of time, energy, and money toward winning them, you might as well use a more temporary, less valuable bid. Voucher Bids will expire sooner, and since you didn’t spend any money acquiring them anyway, you might as well sling them around after lower-value items. Users win thousands of auctions on QuiBids every single day, the bulk of them being for items that cost less than $50.
Think you’ve found a diamond in the rough? Maybe an Xbox bundle worth near $400 that’s just 15 seconds away from being claimed for less than $5?
Well heck, get in on the action! If nobody else is too interested (maybe because it’s early in the morning, or everybody’s already got an Xbox, or whatever) then you might as well toss a couple Voucher Bids at it, right? You may not be extremely likely to win, but you’ve also not committed many bids to the item. Of course, if you decide you really do want to win it and interest increases, you can always switch to Real Bids if somebody else decides they want it too.
As we promised earlier in the post, here are a few easy ways to pick up Voucher Bids.
1. Follow QuiBids’ social media accounts
We give away free Voucher Bids (sometimes 50 at a time!) every day on our Facebook and Twitter accounts. It’s as easy as a quick signup and a retweet!
We also have seasonal promotions on other platforms, but you can read more about that at our company blog.
2. Play QuiBids Games!
Win an auction that came with a Gameplay? Head over to QuiBids Games and earn more Voucher Bids. It’s as fun and easy as a couple spins on the Deal Wheel.
3. Refer Your Friends
Most people say friendship is priceless. We say your friends are worth 25 Voucher Bids a pop. Just kidding! But really.
4. QuiBids Badges
If you haven’t been checking up on your My Badges page, you should definitely start doing that, because you might have won free bids without even realizing it! Head there to claim Voucher Bids earned for unlocking badges, and see what you need to do to unlock more.
5. Hybrid Auctions
If you’re interested in nabbing Voucher Bids the old-fashioned way, then here’s an unauthorized but nonetheless useful tutorial about how to win Gameplay Auctions and auctions for Voucher Bids so that you’ll never have to spend another cent on Real Bids. Happy bidding!
