As I have searched the internet for IT jobs, I came across a job ad "Graphic / Web designer". The name of the company that advertised the job is called Swoopo. So I visited there site to check on what is there company about. I found out that it is an auction site. Out of curiosity, I forgot about the job, browsed through their site and researched about Swoopo.
What caught my eye was what the people won:
- Nintendo DS lite for only 13,60 € (original price is 149,00 €)
- Sony PlayStation 3 80 GB for only 28,30 € (original price is 399,00 €) and LASTLY
- Acer Aspire 6920G-814G32BN 16" Notebook for only 42,80 € ??? (original price is 1.200 €)
I was beginning to think that Swoopo is a scam. I was doubtful about Swoopo. Swoopo's auction were TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE. Most of the sites I have visited and the people commenting say that Swoopo is a scam and just "Stay Away". But still I am not convinced with what the people say even though I was already doubtful. I don't know why but maybe because I might regret and miss a very good opportunity.
I visited Swoopo's site again and noticed something that convinced me that there business is real. There is a TÜV seal on the upper right side of the site (which means Swoopo is legal). Swoopo is legit. And so I decided to try Swoopo.
I read first the how-tos and it works like this (from Swoopo's USA site):
Every day we sell brand new top-name products at incredibly low prices in auctions that start at just 15c with no reserve. Take a look at the items we're currently auctioning, and if one takes your fancy, why not buy some bids? They're only $0.75 each. With each bid placed, the price of the item increases by 15c. When you bid, we also reset the counter back up to a maximum of 20 seconds - to give someone else the chance to bid too if they're interested. If no-one else bids and the counter reaches zero, congratulations: you've won yourself a bargain on Swoopo! .
The bid price depends on the country you are joining. I live in Germany and the bid cost 0,50 Euros. I bought the lowest "BidPack" price which cost 10 Euros. So this means I can bid 20 times. I joined a DS Lite Auction, placed 7 bids but did not won because of a BidButler. BidButler is an option where it automatically places bids for you when the counter goes down to the last seconds. It is like a "bot" to do bids for you. Knowing this, I concluded that it is really impossible to win with just 20 bids. I joined a laptop auction but I ran out of bids. After an hour, the laptop auction that I joined ended (this time won buy a manual click not a BidButler).
What are your thoughts?
I see it as Gambling rather than Auctioning. Why? I am betting therefore I am gambling.
Is Swoopo a Scam?
I can't answer this directly since for me, it is a Scam and Not a scam in another way. It is a Scam for me since the labelling of Swoopo as an "Auction site" is very misleading. They should have used Online Gambling instead. It is not a scam in a way that it is legally allowed in the US, Germany (TÜV seal as proof), UK, Spain and Austria. Or maybe the system is just really well-designed, very clever.
What happened to your 10 Euros?
Lost. Charged to experience...
Have you experienced bidding at Swoopo? Did anybody actually won and claimed the price? Can you give me some proof of the winning(s)?
What are your thoughts?
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