I have a pretty extensive history of mucking about in the online auction space. I picked up my very first DVD player (new) at a steep discount in 1998 via Ubid (or maybe it was Microwarehouse’s auction site). Over the years, I’ve also unloaded a ton of gadgets and more on ebay, originally via my own account and most recently via a real world consignment shop. And yesterday, after seeing a ton of ads and catching the NY Times write up, I gave Swoopo a try.
Swoopo positions themselves as a spend to save, shopping entertainment site. But this ain’t no Mercata. Bidding on the nice looking new inventory runs 60 cents a pop. (Bid units are bought in bulk, with 40 @ $24 being the lowest entrance fee.) Which doesn’t sound like much, but with limited merchandise and numerous competitors you’re going to spend a pretty penny to most likely fail in your quest. Plus, each bid extends the time remaining in an auction by a preset amount of seconds. Resulting in additional bids.
I blew about $30 trying to pick up the nice looking Panasonic Lumix TS1 waterproof digicam last night. The winner ultimately nabbed the camera for about half off, but who knows how much he spent for that honor. And the automated BidButler sniping feature he used takes away the competitive joy. In fact, I wonder if I’m bidding against pros who’ll ultimately resell their bounty. I’m also left with a somewhat dirty feeling using Swoopo, which is more akin to gambling than other auction sites. And, as with Vegas, the house always wins.
