Last Updated December 4th, 2009

By Matthew Fox
 Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................5
How is this Different from Other Swoopo Guides? ...................................................................5
Swoopo Manual is Based on (A LOT) of Research .....................................................................5
You’ll Get Free Updates for Life ...............................................................................................5
How You Should Read the Swoopo Manual .............................................................................6
Important Disclaimer ..................................................................................................................7
What is Swoopo? ........................................................................................................................8
The Rules of Registration.............................................................................................................9
Psst: A Dirty Little Secret..........................................................................................................9
Ready to Get Started?..............................................................................................................9
Look Out for Bid Brother ........................................................................................................10
How Does Swoopo Work? .........................................................................................................11
What Does the Winner Pay? ..................................................................................................11
Is Swoopo Legit? .......................................................................................................................12
Swoopo is an Established Company .......................................................................................12
Swoopo Doesn’t Need to Scam ..............................................................................................12
So Why Do Some Cry Foul? ....................................................................................................13
Stop the Presses ....................................................................................................................13
So If Swoopo Isn’t Gambling, What Is It?................................................................................13
Tour de Swoopo ........................................................................................................................14
The Swoopo Menu.................................................................................................................14
Auction Listings .....................................................................................................................15
Individual Auction Page .........................................................................................................16
Shipping Costs .......................................................................................................................17
BidButler Overview ................................................................................................................17
The Best Tools for the Job .........................................................................................................18
Run Only a Handful of Necessary Computer Applications ......................................................18
Avoid Internet Intensive Programs ........................................................................................18

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 Upgrade your Browser ...........................................................................................................18
A Note about Swoopo’s Website and Lag Times ....................................................................18
Auction Variations Explained .....................................................................................................20
Beginner Auction ...................................................................................................................20
Penny Auction .......................................................................................................................20
Standard Auctions .................................................................................................................20
Nailbiter Auction ...................................................................................................................20
Open Auction ........................................................................................................................20
Closed Auction.......................................................................................................................20
International and Local Auctions............................................................................................21
Other Auction Types ..............................................................................................................21
What Can You Win? ..................................................................................................................22
Some Recent Deals ................................................................................................................23
Buying Bids................................................................................................................................25
BidButler Explained ...................................................................................................................26
What the Heck is a BidButler?................................................................................................26
How the BidButler Really Works ............................................................................................26
Setting up a BidButler ............................................................................................................26
Calculating the Number of Bids..............................................................................................27
Battle of the BidButlers..........................................................................................................28
The Benefit of “Server-Side” Bidding .....................................................................................28
Basic Swoopo Strategy ..............................................................................................................30
The One Second Rule .............................................................................................................30
Start Bidding When Auctions Near Average Selling Price .......................................................30
Bid When an Auction has Little Competition ..........................................................................31
Avoid Bidding against BidButlers ...........................................................................................31
The Five Minute Rule .............................................................................................................31
When to Use “Swoop It Now” ................................................................................................31
Bidding on Closed Auctions....................................................................................................32

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What NOT to Do ........................................................................................................................33
Don’t Forget the Golden Rule ................................................................................................33
The Post-BidButler Battle Bid .................................................................................................34
Don’t Start Bidding Unless You Have Time To Spend on an Auction .......................................34
What’s the Best Time of Day? ...................................................................................................35
Let’s Turn to the Research .....................................................................................................35
Defining the Numbers............................................................................................................35
The Best Days of the Week? ......................................................................................................37
The Best Auction Types? ...........................................................................................................38
The Best Products?....................................................................................................................40
Products Won With BidButler ...................................................................................................42
Average Sale Price Strategy .......................................................................................................44
Advanced Swoopo Strategy .......................................................................................................45
Auction Swooping ..................................................................................................................45
Winning through Intimidation ...............................................................................................45
Use the BidButler Late in an Auction......................................................................................46
Use the BidButler Early in an Auction.....................................................................................47
BidButler Layering: Complicated but Effective .......................................................................47
Anatomy of an Early Winner .....................................................................................................49
Anatomy of a Swoopo Pro .........................................................................................................51
Who are Swoopo Pros? .........................................................................................................51
What are these Pros doing to win auctions nearly every time? ..............................................51
You May have a Leg up on Even the Pros ...............................................................................51
You Won! Now What? ...............................................................................................................53
Swoopers dot org: The Swoopo Strategy Community ................................................................54
Beyond Swoopo Manual: Swoopo Analytics ..............................................................................56
A Few Final Thoughts ................................................................................................................58

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 Introduction
Thanks for purchasing the Swoopo Manual. I’ve worked hard over the past months to create a
product that I think you’ll find extremely helpful in winning big on Swoopo. If you read this
manual carefully and apply these teachings, you’ll be on your way to big savings.

How is this Different from Other Swoopo Guides?

When I first discovered Swoopo, I immediately thought, “I wonder if there’s a good strategy to
winning auctions?”

I searched online and found just a few guides – usually with a few pages of data and no real
advice on how to win. Each time I purchase a new one, I find the story is the same. I’ll open my
wallet and purchase the guide, hoping this time will be different and I’ll find a few nuggets of
great Swoopo info that would help me to win big. And every time, I end up finishing the guide
with no more knowledge than when I started.

“If no one else is going to teach me, I’ll teach myself,” I thought.

Swoopo Manual is Based on (A LOT) of Research

I set out on a quest of epic proportions. I did an analysis on over 30,000 Swoopo auctions over a
period of several months to determine the best time of day to bid, the best days to bid, the
best products to bid on and the best techniques for bidding. What results is the most
comprehensive collection and analysis of Swoopo auction data. But that wasn’t enough…

I also headed to the library and to Amazon and uncovered any book I could find on game
theory. I discovered journal articles and classic books covered with dust that revealed the
origins of the game Swoopo is based upon.

In all, hundreds of hours went into this research. And I compiled it all in the Swoopo Manual. I
know it’s the best guide to winning Swoopo auctions on the market. I think by the end of the
manual, you’ll agree with me.

But ultimately the Swoopo Manual is just that - a guide. It’s a good guide to be sure…but it’s
only a guide. The statistics I provide will change over time. The insiders who get this manual will
start applying the strategies I’ve introduced and they’ll be less effective. Rules will change on
Swoopo and you’ll have to adapt and adjust. So that’s why I’ve decided…

You’ll Get Free Updates for Life

I’ll offer you free updates on the Swoopo Manual for the life of the product. Every time I release
a new update, I’ll share with you the new information. I don’t think it’d be fair to punish you for

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getting in early on the Swoopo Manual. Instead, you should be rewarded. So I’ll send you a new
copy whenever it’s released to the public.

This rule does come with a few common sense exceptions. If I develop additional Swoopo
products (a higher end manual, a beginner’s guide etc) I won’t be able to share these with you.
These would be different products at different prices – it wouldn’t make sense to include them.
I also won’t send you updates when I change designs, or reword sentences. That would be a
waste of my time and yours. But every time I release a major update in new Swoopo content
for this manual, you’ll get an update.

How You Should Read the Swoopo Manual

I know it might be difficult, but I suggest reading the entire Swoopo Manual, regardless of your
skill level. While the first few sections may seem basic to an already active Swoopo bidder, they
will provide a good refresher on exactly how Swoopo works. And it’ll provide context for the
advanced sections that follow.

Thanks for reading…I’ll see you at the end.

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 Important Disclaimer
Here’s the part of the Swoopo Manual where I talk legalese. I would claim that my lawyers
made me do it, but frankly I don’t need to be told twice that the world’s a scary place and we all
need to protect ourselves and our families from being held responsible for things beyond our
control. So here goes…

Any examples of winning are merely illustrations and examples of what you could possibly win
using Swoopo.com and the International equivalents. There is no assurance that you will do as
well. If you rely upon my Swoopo advice, you must also accept the risk that you may not do as
well on Swoopo.

Any and all auction outcomes discussed throughout this manual are not to be considered
average outcomes. There can be no assurance that prior success on Swoopo can be used as an
indication of future success.

Swoopo auctions are based on many factors. I have no way of knowing how well you will do
because I don’t know your knowledge or background. Similarly, I cannot predict the actions of
other participants in any auction you choose to enter on Swoopo.

Swoopo relies on having losers in every auction for the success of their business. Therefore, I do
not and cannot guarantee that you will win every auction you participate in. In fact, I cannot
guarantee you’ll win a single Swoopo auction.

If you rely upon my auction outcomes and advice, you must accept the risk of not doing as well.
You agree that I am not responsible in any capacity for your success or failure using Swoopo
and any related sites.

Neither I nor anyone involved in the creation and release of the Swoopo Manual are related or
affiliated with Swoopo in any way. I am merely a scholar of their business model and a
participant in their auctions.

Finally, all contents of the Swoopo Manual are copyrighted. No version of this or any other
version of the Swoopo Manual may be reprinted or reused without expressed, written consent.

Thanks for bearing with me through that…now on to the good stuff.

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 What is Swoopo?
Swoopo was launched in Germany in 2005 under the name Telebid, so called because they
fielded bids by telephone. Swoopo launched their US based site at Swoopo.com in late 2008,
and they now have websites in Germany, the United Kingdom, Austria, Spain, Canada and the
United States. And Swoopo currently has office locations in Munich, London and California.

Swoopo bills themselves as “entertainment shopping.” And anyone who has spent time
observing Swoopo auctions knows that description is accurate – the experience can be
mesmerizing.

Here’s a look at the Swoopo homepage:

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 The Rules of Registration
Before you go on learning about Swoopo, it’s best to make sure you can register. Here are the
restrictions on registration:

1. You need to be 18 or older

2. You cannot be employed by Swoopo or related to anyone who is
3. You can only register once using your postal address, and may only have one Swoopo
account per household
4. You cannot purchase items on Swoopo with the intent to resell them

Psst: A Dirty Little Secret

Now, I personally follow the rules: I’m over 18, have only one Swoopo account and have no
intention of selling anything I win. But I will tell you a dirty little secret: Many top bidders are
breaking rules #3 and #4 (at least).

I’m not advising you to do the same, and I won’t be held responsible for suspended or deleted
Swoopo accounts if you break the rules and get caught. I just thought you should know…

Ready to Get Started?

So how can you get started? Okay, click here to visit the registration page on Swoopo.

If you’re outside the United States, choose your country and click below to register.

UK Residents

Canada Residents

Germany Residents

Spain Residents

Austria Residents

This may give you a message that requests you to enable your browser’s cookies. Simply hit
“Refresh” and it should load properly. Then, fill out all the registration information on the next
page.

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 Look Out for Bid Brother
Your Swoopo username will be the only thing other Swoopo bidders can use to identify you.
Therefore, I would suggest choosing a unique username that you don’t use for other online
services. This will ensure you’re not identifiable with a quick Google search.

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 How Does Swoopo Work?
Swoopo is an auction site, but the process is very different from traditional auctions. Here is
how a basic Swoopo auction works:

• The auction starts at 12 cents with no reserve (minimum) price

• The auction timer starts at 24 hours and counts down
• Bids cost the bidder 60 cents each
• In a standard auction, each bid increases the price of the item by 2, 6, 12 and 24 cents.
These are marked by a red banner in the top left corner. Penny auctions are also
available.
• Each bid also adds up to 20 seconds to the clock. The time added varies by auction, and
this is noted in a clock symbol on each page.
• When time expires, the last person to bid wins the item

What Does the Winner Pay?

There are three costs you’ll need to pay if you win an item: The item cost, the cost of your bids
and shipping (on physical products only). Most first-time Swoopo bidders aren’t aware they’re
required to pay the final bid price in addition to their cost of bids. So if you bid 15 times and win
a flat-screen television for $125, your costs are:

1. (15 x $.60) = $9 on bids

2. $125 on item
3. $69.90 on shipping

Total: $203.90

You’re required to pay this amount before Swoopo will send you the television. In the Tour de
Swoopo later in this manual, I’ll show you how to locate the shipping costs for every auction
item.

This all seems simple enough, right?

Well, there are plenty of wrinkles in the game to keep things interesting, but before I explain
more, I need to discuss a burning question on many new Swoopo users’ minds.

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 Is Swoopo Legit?
If you do a Google search on Swoopo, you’ll notice many of the top results are articles with
provocative titles such as “Is Swoopo Nothing More Than a Well-Designed Gimmick?” and
“Swoopo: The Crack Cocaine of Auction Sites?” These articles do nothing to prove that Swoopo
is a scam, but they do occasionally direct harsh words at Swoopo and their business model. So
what can we say to those who claim Swoopo is a scam?

Swoopo is an Established Company

First, as you read, Swoopo has been around since 2005. They’re a large company by most
standards (with revenue in the tens of millions) and well established by today’s Internet
standards. And while Swoopo was founded in Germany (which for most English-speakers
reading this manual is a foreign country), they have offices located in the United States and the
United Kingdom as well.

Swoopo Doesn’t Need to Scam

As I said above, Swoopo has three offices worldwide and makes tens of millions of dollars per
year. To use shill bidders, phony software or other means of altering an auction is not only
foolish – but entirely unnecessary. When they launched in the United States, they had tens of
thousands of registered users within months. They also received a hefty amount of venture
capital investment in April of 2009 from August Capital.

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 So Why Do Some Cry Foul?
The reason many folks dislike the Swoopo model is that every auction has winners and losers. It
used to be that if you lost a Swoopo auction, you’d have nothing to show for it – until now. To
offset recent criticism, Swoopo added a “Swoop It Now” option. If you lose an auction, it allows
you to purchase the item at retail price, minus the cost of the bids you’ve used. I’ll talk a little
more in depth about this later on.

For those naysayers who still consider it gambling, here’s why I disagree. The difference when
bidding on Swoopo is that you have control over the outcome of the auction. You choose when
to start bidding, when to stop bidding and how much to bid. And if you are determined to win a
Swoopo auction, I will almost guarantee that you can win every single one.

Stop the Presses

“But wait!” you say. “Didn’t you write a whole disclaimer section in which you said that no
auction outcomes are guaranteed and that bidders are responsible for their own actions on
Swoopo?”

Yes, my rhetorical friend, that is true. And I stand by that disclaimer 100%. That’s why I said
almost guarantee.

And the reason I can almost guarantee victory in any auction is this: If you continue bidding in a
Swoopo auction to an unreasonable level, you will most likely win. Anyone trying to outbid you
would be crazy…even crazier than you!

So If Swoopo Isn’t Gambling, What Is It?

Swoopo is a combination of luck and skill. The best bidders won’t win every time, but they’ll
have a greater chance of winning. The difference between the best bidders and the worst
bidders: the right strategy.

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 Tour de Swoopo
For those new to Swoopo, it helps to visit the site and simply watch auctions take place. You’ll
get an understanding of how the process works simply by observing. Once you’ve done that for
awhile, the following visual tour may help explain what you just saw.

The Swoopo Menu

The Swoopo menu will appear if you place your cursor over the “All Categories” area in the
upper left-hand corner. Listed will be every category currently available on Swoopo. The
number of live auctions currently running is listed in parentheses next to each category.

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 Auction Listings
Once you get registered and logged-in, you’ll see blocks of auctions listed. Each auction has a
product name, an image, the current time, price and high bidder. If the auction is a non-
standard auction, you’ll also see a red banner across the product image. And if it’s a Nailbiter
auction, you’ll see a red hand in the top left corner. Don’t worry; I’ll explain exactly what these
different auctions types mean in a moment.

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 Individual Auction Page
Don’t click “Bid” on an item yet. Instead, click on the product image and you’ll be taken to an
individual auction page. Here’s an example:

Now let’s break down each number:

1. This is the auction type. This particular auction is a “Penny Auction.” Again, this will be
explained more in the next chapter.
2. This button allows you to add this auction to a watch list, which is then accessible in the
“My Swoopo” section. It’s a good idea to add auctions to the watch list if you’re
planning to bid on more than one auction at a time.
3. The clock with the number in it is displaying how much time will be added for each bid.
4. This is the area where you can place BidButler bids. BidButlers are a large and
complicated subject, so I’ve given them a whole chapter later in the manual.
5. This shows the final price of this item in the last Swoopo auction.
6. This is the most recent bidding history of an item. Only the 10 most recent bids are
displayed at a given time.

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 7. The savings section displays a quick calculation of the current auction. If you start
bidding on an auction, it will show the number of bids you’ve placed and your current
savings if you won the auction.

Shipping Costs
Shipping costs aren’t prominently displayed on the auction page. To find how much each item
will cost to ship, scroll down to the very bottom of the page. You’ll see something very similar
to the following:

Swoopo usually estimates a fair shipping cost, ranging from free (for vouchers or cash) to
around $70 for very large items. It’s safe to say Swoopo is not trying to make money on
shipping.

BidButler Overview
If you’ve set BidButlers for an auction, you’ll be able to click on the “BidButler Overview” and
see what price they’re set for and how many bids you’re willing to use. You can also cancel a
BidButler if it’s not yet active by clicking on the red “X.”

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 The Best Tools for the Job
As you may have noticed when visiting the Swoopo site, the auction timer occasionally lags.
Conspiracy theorists aside, this is most likely a result of technology not quite being ready for the
Swoopo auction model.

But there are a few steps you can take to make sure you’ll have the smoothest experience on
Swoopo and not fall victim to losing an auction because of a delayed timer or a faulty
connection.

Run Only a Handful of Necessary Computer Applications

When bidding on Swoopo, try not to have too many computer programs open on your
computer. Especially avoid any that are “resource intensive,” including Photoshop, iTunes and
Windows Media Center. These programs will slow your computer and worsen your Swoopo
experience.

Avoid Internet Intensive Programs

In addition to making sure few programs are running on your own computer, you’ll want to
make sure that no Internet intensive programs are running anywhere in your house. Some
examples include any torrent programs, Xbox Live, Skype or streaming video
programs/websites. These things should be avoided everywhere in your household while you’re
bidding on Swoopo.

Upgrade your Browser

I’ve tested Swoopo on every browser, and the ones that had the least amount of lag time were
Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. I currently use Firefox for Swoopo because Swoopo
Analytics (which was probably included with your purchase of Swoopo Manual) has a “plug-in”
for Firefox that allows you to see incredibly detailed statistics on every auction and every bidder
on Swoopo.

To download Firefox, click here.

A Note about Swoopo’s Website and Lag Times

Sometimes Swoopo users report lag time in the auction clock. It will appear as if the clock has
paused at a specific time (8 seconds, say) and then suddenly it will resume again at a lower time
(like 4 seconds). This lag time is frustrating for users and Swoopo does their best to prevent it.
You can follow the technical recommendations above to help reduce lag time. But
unfortunately, even with the best set-up, lag time will still sometimes occur.

Swoopo has lag issues because they are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with a web
application. They are processing lots of bids and bidders all in real-time. If you compare their

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site to eBay, for instance, you’ll notice they allow you to bid in one simple click. When you do
that, they need to process your bid, calculate the new total and auction time and send this
information to every user within a fraction of a second. It’s very complicated stuff.

You can actually use lag to your advantage, however. In the BidButler section I’ll explain how
this tool is “server side” and using it in your auction strategy will give you the advantage of
having Swoopo on your side when bidding.

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 Auction Variations Explained
There are many different variations on the Standard Swoopo Auction. Some auctions will even
have two simultaneous variants, such as a Nailbiter/Penny auction. Below is an explanation of
exactly how each auction type works.

Beginner Auction
Beginner auctions are only available to Swoopo users who have yet to win an auction on
Swoopo. This means the competition is much less fierce and also less experienced on Beginner
Auctions. Expect plenty of early bids in these auctions due to inexperience.

Penny Auction
In a Penny Auction, the price of the item is increased only one cent for each bid. Penny Auctions
are usually for highly desirable items like TVs, Cameras and Game Consoles. Swoopo makes the
most money on these auctions, but Penny Auction winners typically get a better deal than
Standard Auction winners. Think of Penny Auctions like Swoopo on steroids.

Standard Auctions
As mentioned in “How Does Swoopo Work,” each bid in a standard auction raises the price by
2, 6, 12 or 24 cents. You’ll recognize these by a red banner across the left side of the screen that
lists the bid amount. Even though these up the price at different intervals, you’ll still pay $.60
per bid.

Nailbiter Auction
Nailbiter Auctions prohibit the use of the yet to be explained BidButler. Bids can only be placed
by manually clicking the bid button. Nailbiter Auctions are unpredictable, but they’re a great
way for beginners to get their feet wet on Swoopo because you avoid the confounding and
confusing BidButler. Make sure you have several hours to commit to an auction before jumping
in on a Nailbiter. They require constant attention.

Open Auction
Swoopo sets a limit on the number of auctions you can win in a given month (usually 8
auctions). But on Open Auctions, you can bid regardless of how many other auctions you’ve
won that month.

Closed Auction
Swoopo recently added a closed auction to the mix. This means that at an unknown point,
some auctions will be closed to new bidders. Only those users who have placed at least one bid
can continue to bid. There is a simple thing you can do to make sure you don’t get “locked out”

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of closed auctions you want to participate in. I’ll talk more about this in “Basic Swoopo
Strategy.”

International and Local Auctions

These auctions are pretty self-explanatory. International allows bidders from all Swoopo
countries to participate. You’ll know it’s International by the globe icon at the top right-hand
side of the screen. On the other hand, Local auctions only allow Swoopo bidders from a specific
country to participate. These are shown with the relevant country flag.

Other Auction Types

Swoopo formerly had two other auction types: Fixed Price Auctions and 100% Off Auctions. But
as of this writing, these auction types are no longer offered. The concept of these auctions was
the winner of the auction would pay a set price for the item (in a Fixed Price Auction) or nothing
but their bids (in a 100% Off Auction). Swoopo most likely discontinued these auction formats
because they were confusing for Swoopo bidders and outsiders alike, causing many to wonder
how someone could pay well over retail price for items on Swoopo. (The answer, of course, was
that they were only paying for their bids, not the final auction price).

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 What Can You Win?
Swoopo has many different product categories with live auctions going at all times of the day.
Here are the following category types, with a few example items for each.

• Coffee and Espresso

(Coffee Maker, Espresso Machine)
• Consoles and Video Games
(Nintendo Wii, Playstation 3, Wii Fit)
• House and Garden
(Vacuum, Popcorn Popper, Cordless Drill)
• iPods, MP3 and Audio
(iPods, Zune, Headphones)
• Kids and Games
(Board Game, Toys)
• Laptops and Notebooks
(Apple Macbook, Samsung Netbook)
• Lifestyle
(Toothbrush, Electric Razor)
• Mobiles and Telephones
(iPhone, Cordless Phone, Wireless Adapter)
• PCs and Accessories
(Flash Drive, Keyboard, Mouse)
• Photography and Camcorders
(Flip, DSLR)
• Travel and Navigation
(Tom Tom, GPS)
• TV and Video
(Flat Screen TV, Blu-Ray Disc)
• Vouchers
(Cash, Free Bids)
• Watches and Jewelry
(Watch, Jewelry)

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 Some Recent Deals
A Sony LCD TV for $3.02

Nokia Cell Phone for $12.06

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A Sony digital camera for $10.12

Have I got your attention yet?

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 Buying Bids
I recommend purchasing bids on Swoopo using PayPal. This will protect your credit card
information and also limit the amount of personal information Swoopo knows about you. When
you purchase bids, keep in mind that you don’t want to run out of bids during an auction. The
average Swoopo winner spends $91 to win an auction. If you’re gunning for an expensive item
like a flat-screen television or a high-end laptop, this figure could be even higher.

As you’re starting out, I recommend purchasing at least 75 bids to give Swoopo a fair shot. Just
keep in mind that purchased bids are non-refundable.

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 BidButler Explained
The BidButler is usually the most confusing aspect of Swoopo to the new user. But get this:
BidButlers are used to win over 60% of auctions. So understanding exactly how it works is
important if you’re going to be successful on Swoopo.

What the Heck is a BidButler?

In short, the BidButler is an auto-bidding tool. It allows you to “set it and forget it” (although I
definitely don’t recommend forgetting it). You can use BidButlers to bid for you in a Swoopo
auction if you don’t have the time or inclination to sit and watch every single bid on Swoopo.
That’s not how I recommend you use it, however. The best bidders on Swoopo don’t simply set
up a BidButler and go to bed. Rather, they use the BidButler as a strategy.

How the BidButler Really Works

The BidButler works by randomly casting a new bid on your behalf when the timer is less than
10 seconds. The exact second the BidButler casts its bid varies - it could be with nine seconds
on the timer or it could be at the very last second. But if you have an active BidButler running
on an auction, you won’t have to worry about the timer running out. Your BidButler will bid for
you at some point in the final 10 seconds. This is the power of the BidButler…it keeps other
bidders on their toes not knowing when, or if, you have a BidButler in an auction.

Setting up a BidButler
To set up a BidButler, go to the “Book BidButler” section of the Individual Product Page.

First, you must choose a start price. Your BidButler

will be activated when the current auction reaches
the amount you choose.

Secondly, you must choose an end price for your

BidButler. This end price can be anywhere from
only a few cents above your start price (if you’re
doing a Penny Auction) or as high as you’d like to go. When setting your maximum price, keep
in mind it needs to be at least $1 higher than the current end price. I don’t recommend setting
your BidButler for the highest amount you’re willing to pay and I’ll explain exactly why in the
advanced strategy section of the manual.

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Finally, you must choose the number of bids you’re willing to let the BidButler use. You must
book a minimum of 2 bids for the BidButler to work, and are limited to a maximum of 50.
Typically, decisions should be made on a price-to-price basis, so entering in a max number of
bids is a formality, but it may come in handy in a few instances.

Calculating the Number of Bids

Let’s use a standard 12-cent auction as an example. To determine how many bids you’ll need to
get from your start price to your end price, simply divide the difference between the two by
$0.24. This is the maximum amount of bids that would be necessary to use your BidButler from
the start price to the end price. $0.24 is used because it’s the interval your BidButler would bid
at if it bid every other bid.

Let’s illustrate using real numbers:

Let’s say the current auction price is $8.70 in a

Standard Auction and we want to start bidding
when the auction reaches $10 even. Now let’s say
we want to use the BidButler until the product
reaches $15. Therefore, the maximum amount of
bids required for this BidButler would be:

($15 - $10) / $0.24 = 20.83

So the maximum amount of bids that could possibly be used by this BidButler is 21.

If it were a Penny Auction, the calculation would look like this:

($15 - $10) / $0.02 = 250

So in a penny auction, the maximum number of bids required for this BidButler would be 250
(you can see why Penny Auctions can be dangerous).

Why do I say maximum number of bids? Because you could theoretically have a BidButler
running from $10-$15 and not cast one single bid. This would be possible if single bidders
consistently bid on the item when the timer was greater than 10 seconds and no other
BidButler jumps into the auction.

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You may also have to only bid 3-4 times within your range.
If a single bidder outbids the BidButler and another bidder
jumps in before the BidButler has a chance to cast its bid,
the BidButler saves its bid. The image to the right gives you
an example of this. The bidder Crunch09 has a BidButler
set, but it has only bid once every three or four bids
because single bidders have jumped in out of turn.

Battle of the BidButlers

If you’ve watched Swoopo auctions, you’ve no doubt noticed that sometimes auctions will
make a sudden jump from just a few seconds to five minutes, 10 minutes or more. What’s
happening in these instances is a BidButler Battle. Check the bidding history, and you’ll likely
find a list of two or more BidButlers who casted bids in an instant. This happens when two
BidButlers collide.

If two BidButlers are set for an auction over the same

price range, they’ll battle until one BidButler either runs
out of bids or reaches the dollar amount specified when it
was set. In addition, time will be added to the clock for
each bid cast by the BidButlers. You can see the image on
the right for an example of two BidButlers battling it out.
Crunch09 and Hbb322 both had active
BidButlers…leading to a BidButler Battle.

These can get expensive very quickly, so it’s best to avoid them. I’ll explain BidButler strategy
more in the following chapters, so keep reading to learn how to use this dangerous, yet
powerful tool.

The Benefit of “Server-Side” Bidding

The best Swoopo bidders win almost exclusively using the BidButler. There are many reasons
for this (which I’ll explain more in-depth later on) but one major factor is that the BidButler is
“server-side.” What does that mean?

Swoopo has website code and a website that is hosted on their web servers. When the site
receives an update (let’s say they receive a new bid) they get this information, process it, and
send it back out again to every single user. This typically happens within a fraction of a second.

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With the BidButler, however, you eliminate the first step. Because the BidButler is
automatically casting bids for you at a set interval, it is built right into the Swoopo website code
and is also hosted right on the same web server. So BidButler bids don’t need to be sent over a
wire, they are processed as fast as a computer can think (that’s fast!)

This is the advantage of “server-side” bidding. It eliminates lag time entirely and also eliminates
the timing guesswork involved with bidding. So users who have an effective BidButler strategy
will usually be at a big advantage to the rest of those average Joes.

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 Basic Swoopo Strategy
Learning how to bid on Swoopo is a lot like learning how to take great photographs. There are a
few basic rules you should learn before you get started: Lighting, Composition and the Rule of
Thirds. If you don’t learn these rules, you’ll never know how to be a great photographer. But
once you’ve learned these rules, you can begin to explore beyond their boundaries and even
violate them from time to time.

The same applies to these basic Swoopo rules:

The One Second Rule

If you’re casting single bids, always wait until the timer gets to one second remaining before
you cast your bid. You’ll sometimes find a flurry of other bidders casting their bids at one
second, and that’s okay. Waiting until one second remains is still the best strategy.

The one second rule is an optimal bidding strategy because it allows you to save bids when
others bid sooner. If you consistently wait until one second remains, but other bidders
occasionally bid with 5, 10 or even 15 seconds remaining, you’re using fewer bids than the
competition. The price may increase several times without requiring you to cast a single bid.
And as long as the clock doesn’t dip below one second, you’re not in danger of losing the
auction. Simple, yet important – remember the One Second Rule.

Update: I’ve received reports from Swoopers dot org users that the One Second Rule just isn’t
possible sometimes because server lag makes it too difficult. If you’re experiencing lag on a
regular basis, consider changing the rule to a “Two” or “Three” second rule to make sure your
bids are getting in one time!

Ultimately, this rule isn’t a strategy to win so much as a rule to prevent dumb bidding to help
reduce your spending. Don’t expect to use the One Second Rule and win every auction…it’s not
going to work that way. Keep reading to learn more advanced strategy that is designed to help
you win more auctions.

Start Bidding When Auctions Near Average Selling Price

I realize I’m risking the title of Captain Obvious with this rule, but it bears repeating for bidders
new and old. If a specific item (such as an Apple Macbook) usually sells on Swoopo in a Penny
Auction for $200, don’t start bidding at $5. Instead, wait until $195 to start bidding. This will
decrease your total spend on bids and increase your chances of winning. Now of course, you
need to know the average discount for each category on Swoopo. Don’t worry, I’ve got you
covered! It’s coming in just a moment.

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 Bid When an Auction has Little Competition
Another self-evident rule of thumb is to bid in an auction only when the number of competing
bidders is less than 4-6. To determine the number of active bidders in an auction, you’ll need to
watch the bid history and observe the bid history. After several minutes, you will start to get a
feel for the auction and which bidders are active at a given moment. When you start to see
attrition and the number of active bidders drops to a manageable number, it’s probably time to
join that auction and cast your first bid.

Avoid Bidding against BidButlers

BidButlers can be great…for those who use them correctly. If you’re a single bidder staring
down a BidButler, it’s another story. Do your best to avoid having to face a BidButler. If you see
an auction with an active BidButler, you may want to wait it out and let other single bidders or
perhaps another BidButler duke it out before you jump into the fray.

The Five Minute Rule

The Five Minute Rule is very different from the One Second Rule. The Five Minute Rule states
that you should never start bidding in a Swoopo auction until you’ve been observing it for five
minutes. This is the minimum amount of time it takes to get a feel for who your competition
will be. It can be tempting to turn on your computer, log into Swoopo and discover that the
Nintendo Wii you’ve been lusting after for months is going for $1.50 and has only a handful of
competing bidders. Trust me; you’re better off observing the auction for a few minutes to see
who else is bidding, how often they’re bidding and what strategies they’re using.

When to Use “Swoop It Now”

The “Swoop It Now” feature gives you the opportunity to purchase the item you’re bidding on
for its recommended retail price. You can do this at any time during the auction – or up to an
hour after it ends - and the bids you’ve already used will be discounted from the original price.

There are a few things to keep in mind when using this feature. If you’re using a BidButler and
not all of your bids are used in the auction, they will be re-credited to your account and can’t be
used as a discount on the “Swoop It Now” price. Also, the “Swoop It Now” price can never fall
below $0.00, even if your cost of bids is more than the retail price. Lastly, free bids are not
eligible for a discount off the “Swoop It Now” price. Let’s use a digital camera to illustrate this.
Here’s what you’d pay:

Recommended Retail Price: $500

Bids Placed By You: (40 x $0.60) = $24
Total “Swoop It Now” Cost: $476

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The auction will continue even if you buy the item using “Swoop It Now,” but you’ll no longer
be able to bid in the auction. Swoopo stocks a large quantity of every product, so there’s no
limit on how many bidders can use the feature.

“Swoop It Now” looks like a sweet deal, but I’d caution you to be careful when using it. If you’re
bidding on an item you really want – that you know would be useful in your everyday life – it
would be worth bidding on it using Swoopo. Best case, you could score a flat-screen television
for $25. Worst case, you’ll pay retail price.

But, if the item is something you’re bidding on simply to get it at a bargain, be careful. If you
use the “Swoop It Now” feature just so you won’t lose money on your bids, look at your options
carefully. You could end up paying a higher price through “Swoop It Now,” when you could visit
Amazon.com and buy the same item at a discount.

Bidding on Closed Auctions

Closed auctions can either be a pain in the rear end or a blessing in disguise – it all depends on
your knowledge of Swoopo and following a solid closed auction strategy. As I explained above,
Swoopo will sometimes close an auction to new bidders at a certain point in the auction. If you
haven’t yet cast a bid in a closed auction, you aren’t allowed to start bidding.

To take advantage of Swoopo’s closed auctions and use them to your advantage, use a
technique called the “Placeholder Bid.” Here’s how it works:

Use the 5 Minute Rule and good observation to find auctions that you are interested in bidding
on. You can also examine previous close prices and best times and days.

When you have an auction you are interesting in bidding on, submit one single bid. It’ll cost you
60 cents…but that might come in very handy in the future. Now site back and wait for the
auction competition to diminish. If Swoopo eventually closes that auction, you now have an
advantage for three reasons:

1. You are still able to participate in the auction and there will be no new bidders
2. The competition will be less because they’ll slowly dwindle for that auction
3. You’ve only invested 60 cents in that auction so far… you still have plenty of bids to use
to win the auction.

Now, a note about BidButlers in closed auctions: If you’ve booked a BidButler and the auction
closes before your minimum price is reached, your bids will be credited back to your account if
you haven’t placed any other bids in the auction. Since none of your bids have been placed, you
won’t be able to continue after it closes.

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 What NOT to Do
Before we get into advanced strategies, I’d like to also offer a few important tips about what
NOT to do when bidding on Swoopo. These are just as important as the basic rules
above…violators beware!

Don’t Forget the Golden Rule

There’s only one rule on Swoopo that should never be violated under any circumstances. And
as unbelievable as it may seem, it does get violated on a semi-regular basis on Swoopo. Here’s
the Golden Rule: never pay over retail price for anything on Swoopo.

Now keep in mind, I’m not talking about the cost of bids. I’m only talking about the current
product price. If you find this number getting close to or exceeding the “Worth up to:” price of
an item…bail! You could leave Swoopo right now, go to Amazon and order the same product for
the same price or cheaper.

I knew you might not believe me when I say that some people actually do break the Golden
Rule and bid over retail price. So I came prepared with photographic evidence:

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 The Post-BidButler Battle Bid
Try saying that three times fast: The Post-BidButler Battle Bid, the Post-BidButler Battle Bid, the
Post-BidButler Battle Bid. As I mentioned earlier, if two BidButlers are triggered at the same
time, a BidButler Battle ensues. The cost of the item and the time on the clock both soar. It’s
not unusual to see 10 minutes or more added to the auction clock after a BidButler battle.

A common error I see time and again is a bidder jumping in immediately after the BidButler
Battle with single bids while the auction clock still shows several minutes. This is a stupid
mistake for three reasons:

1. If you’re trying to show strength, you’re fighting

a losing battle. Nothing appears stronger than a
BidButler that just emerged from a BidButler
Battle victorious. Trying to show strength with a
single bid is like standing next to Arnold
Schwarzenegger and flexing. You’re not going to
intimidate anyone.
2. The time is nowhere near one second. You do
remember the One Second Rule, don’t you? If
you wait until the auction clock is much lower, other bidders may do your bidding for
you (no pun intended).
3. One of the two BidButlers prevailed in the BidButler Battle. The odds of the winning
BidButler expiring exactly one bid after the losing BidButler are extremely slim. This
means there is still one active BidButler in the auction. Your single bid won’t be able to
win until that’s no longer the case. Save your bids!

Don’t Start Bidding Unless You Have Time To Spend on an Auction

This rule is for all the busy folks out there. If you know you’ll need to leave your computer after
only a few minutes, don’t start bidding. A typical Swoopo auction can take well over a day.
Now, you don’t need to set aside 24 hours to start bidding. No, most auctions will only be truly
competitive for a few hours. A good rule of thumb to use is never start bidding on an auction
unless you can devote at least two hours to it.

You probably won’t need to pay attention the entire time. A BidButler Battle could give you
much needed bathroom and snack breaks of ten minutes or more. But you don’t want to be
pulled away from an auction after you’ve already invested your hard earned money in bids.

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What’s the Best Time of Day?
The most common question I get about Swoopo is, “What time of day is best to bid?” The
rational answer would be to suggest bidding when no one else is bidding, right? But it’s not that
simple. You see, Swoopo now operates in five different counties: Germany, Austria, Spain, the
UK and the United States. And most of the auctions on these sites are shared across
every site. (You know it’s a global auction if the icon to the right is displayed). So if
you’re bidding on an Apple Macbook in the United States, you could be competing
against someone in Germany or the UK in the exact same auction. So deciding the best time of
day isn’t as simple as bidding late at night. Instead, we need to find a time of day that’s less
popular in all of these countries.

Let’s Turn to the Research

I wanted to get to the bottom of this question, so I’ve done research on over 3,000 auctions
(and counting) and I’m here to present you with exact data on the best times to win Swoopo
auctions. Before I share with you this great research, however, I’d like to explain exactly what
each of these numbers mean.

Defining the Numbers

All the times in this research are given on a 24 hour clock, also known as “military time.” So
1:00 AM is 01:00 and 4:00 PM is 16:00. In addition, all times listed are given in US Pacific Time.
If you live in New York, add three hours to these times. And if you live in London, add eight
hours to each of the times listed.

Savings is calculated by adding the final auction price to the bid amount and comparing that to
the “Worth up to:” amount on a given item. So if an Apple Macbook is sold for $59.08, the
bidder paid $27.15 in bids and the product is worth up to $1,299, the final savings is:

1 – ( ($59.08 + $27.15) / $1,299 ) = 93.4% Savings

“Average Savings” is calculated by simply adding all the savings totals together and then
dividing by the total number of auctions. “Median Savings” is calculated by comparing the
range of savings amounts and selecting the middle amount.

“Won with BidButler” is the percentage of auctions in that timeframe that are won with a
BidButler. And “Bid Costs vs. Item Worth” is the estimated percentage the winner spent in bids
compared to the “Worth up to:” price of the item they won. So someone with a bid cost of $25
on a $1,299 Macbook would have a Bid Cost vs. Item Worth of 1.92%.

Each chart or graph is color coded to help aid with comprehension. Alright…on to the numbers!

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 Hourly % Savings Overall
70.00%
68.00%
66.00%
64.00%
62.00%
60.00%
58.00%
56.00%
54.00%
52.00%
50.00%

Be careful about how you interpret and use this data. Because 20:00 – 23:00 is blue and has a
high savings amount does not mean you should start bidding on every auction at this hour.
Instead, you should most likely start bidding roughly an hour to two hours before the best
times. After all, this chart is illustrating the best time to win, not the best time to start bidding.
That’s an important distinction.

Knowing this information, and viewing the chart, it’s clear to see that the best time to start
bidding is approximately 19:00 – 20:00. This time frame allows you to not only increase the
likelihood your auction will finish at the optimal time, but it has very little overlap with the bad
times of day to win Swoopo auctions (5:00-7:00 and 9:00 – 15:00). And you’ll probably need to
spend approximately 20% of the items total worth in bids to win, leaving you with an average
savings of about 64%. Not too bad!

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 The Best Days of the Week?
So now that you know the best times of day to bid on Swoopo, how about the best days of the
week? These numbers are quite simple and speak for themselves, so let me get out of the way
and allow them to do just that.

Daily Avg. Savings

63.00%
62.50%
62.00%
61.50%
61.00%
Daily Avg. Savings
60.50%
60.00%

As you can see, the best days of the week to bid on Swoopo are Sunday through Wednesday.
Thursday, Friday and Saturday should be avoided at all costs. Fly a kite next Friday and save
your Swoopo bids until Wednesday and BAM, you just improved your average savings…

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 The Best Auction Types?
If you’ll remember from earlier in the manual, there are four distinct auction types:

• 6 Cent Auctions
• 12 Cent Auctions
• 15 Cent Auctions
• 24 Cent Auctions

For each of these auction types, we analyzed not only the savings for each, but also the number
of winners who won their auction using a BidButler. So in the graph below, the blue bar is the
average savings per auction type. The red bar is the percentage of auctions won using a
BidButler for each auction type.

So how do these auctions stack up?

90.00%
80.00%
70.00%
60.00% avg. savings
50.00%
40.00%
% won using
30.00% BidButler
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
6 cent
12 cent
15 cent
24 cent

As you can see from the above data, 6 Cent Auctions usually result in the greatest savings. But
they have two big downsides:

1. They usually require more bids to win

2. They are much harder to win

In the end, your choice of auctions should probably depend on your comfort level with the
BidButler. If you plan on participating in a 6 Cent Auction, you’re going to almost certainly want

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to use the BidButler. But if you would rather cast the bids yourself, then a 12 Cent Auction may
be right for you.

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 The Best Products?
The amount you can save on Swoopo varies wildly depending on the product. It ultimately
comes down to demand; if more people want to win a Nintendo Wii, then the Nintendo Wii will
typically fetch a higher price.

But as always, it’s not that simple. Because Swoopo controls the amount of various products
they release on the site. So if Swoopo determines that Wiis are going for a high price, they can
choose to auction off more Wiis, thereby increasing supply and reducing the average final
auction price. So what does the data show?

Chart Title
Sony VAIO Laptops
Philips LCD TVs
Bossart Watches
LG TVs
Sony Bravia TVs
Samsung TVs
Norton Internet Security 2009
Nikon D90
Canon EOS Rebel
Apple MacBook Pro
Garmin GPS Devices
Apple iPhone
$799 iPhone 3G Gift Card
Acer Laptops
Gaggia Expresso Machine
Xbox 360
KitchenAide 10pc Cookware
Siemens Digital Cordless Phone
Kingston 32 GB Flash
Logitech Wireless Mouse
Sony PSPs
Apple iPod Touch
SpinMasters AirHogs
Wii Fit + Balance Board
Nintendo DSi
Wii Console + Wii Sports
PS3 Slim

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

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The best discounts on Swoopo are usually on high-end electronics such as TV’s and digital
cameras. Why is this?

1. The higher ticket items are usually listed in 6 Cent Auctions (which we’ve already shown
to have greater savings)
2. The Swoopo pros usually roam in these items, and they know how to get items at a
great price
3. The high price tag scares away some new bidders, and others will only throw away a few
bids before realizing it’s difficult to just “get lucky” on a big ticket item
4. Swoopo bids are non-refundable, so some bidders may start bidding in an expensive
auction and then use the rest of their bid counts on lower priced items like wireless
mouse or a flash drive.

So which products offer the greatest discount on Swoopo? The answer is cameras, TV’s and
laptops. Precisely the items you would expect to fetch the highest price.

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Products Won With BidButler
One data point I hadn’t examined in the original Swoopo Manual was which products are
usually won with BidButler. There are very distinctive profiles for different products, after all,
and knowing that winners usually use BidButler to win a TV will help you strategy immensely.

Here’s the breakdown of auctions won using BidButler for each product:

Single item % won by BidButler

Apple iPhone
Xbox 360
Sony Bravia TVs
KitchenAide 10pc Cookware
Sony VAIO Laptops
Philips LCD TVs
Samsung TVs
Siemens Digital Cordless Phone
Acer Laptops
Canon EOS Rebel
$799 iPhone 3G Gift Card
Garmin GPS Devices
Nikon D90
Gaggia Expresso Machine
Sony PSPs
Apple iPod Touch
Apple MacBook Pro
Wii Console + Wii Sports
LG TVs
Nintendo DSi
PS3 Slim
Kingston 32 GB Flash
Wii Fit + Balance Board
Bossart Watches

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

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What’s the conclusion from this chart? Three things:

1. The best savings are usually had on items that also have a high percentage of BidButler
use. This is no accident. You must understand BidButler strategy if you want to win
consistently on Swoopo.
2. Don’t even think about trying to win an iPhone using single bids. That’d be like trying to
dig a hole with a rake.
3. If you’re new to Swoopo and want to start on an auction with single bids, try your hand
with Bossart Watches. They not only offer great product savings, they are won with
single bids nearly 35% of the time (the most of any item).

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 Average Sale Price Strategy
Once you know the average discounts, you are better able to know when to start your bidding.
But average prices include the bids used by a bidder. To get a more specific idea of when to bid,
use the Swoopo Analytics tool to examine recent close prices for that item. You can take the
previous 10 or 15 sold prices and average them together to get a really good idea of when it’ll
sell for that product.

Here’s what the average sale price looks like for the Nintendo Wii:

Nintendo Wii Hourly Win Avg.

$140.00
$120.00
$100.00
$80.00
$60.00
$40.00
$20.00
$0.00
0:00 - 0:59
1:00 - 1:59
2:00 - 2:59
3:00 - 3:59
4:00 - 4:59
5:00 - 5:59
6:00 - 6:59
7:00 - 7:59
8:00 - 8:59
9:00 - 9:59
10:00 - 10:59
11:00 - 11:59
12:00 - 12:59
13:00 - 13:59
14:00 - 14:59
15:00 - 15:59
16:00 - 16:59
17:00 - 17:59
18:00 - 18:59
19:00 - 19:59
20:00 - 20:59
21:00 - 21:00
22:00 - 22:59
23:00 - 23:59

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 Advanced Swoopo Strategy
Now here’s where it gets juicy for the Swoopo veterans. Each of these Swoopo techniques
alone would be worth the price of the Swoopo Manual. Together, they provide an amazing
arsenal of tactics which you can unleash on the Swoopo community. Each one gets
progressively more advanced, so if you’re still not impressed by the third or fourth
strategy…keep reading! I know I’ve got some tricks you’re going to love.

Auction Swooping
Swooping in on an auction and stealing it with only a few bids is not a new concept. EBay
bidders have been “sniping” auctions since the late 90’s. This strategy works a bit differently on
Swoopo, however, because the timer increases with every bid. To successfully pull off this
strategy, here’s what you should do:

1. Consider beginning your swoop during a non-peak time. (See the above statistics for
more information.)
2. Look for an auction that’s low in competition.
3. Perhaps more importantly, wait until you find an auction that’s free of any long running
BidButlers.
4. Winning through Intimidation is really the only way bidders can win Nailbiter auctions
(other than getting lucky, of course). See the next technique for more on Winning
through Intimidation.
5. Now use the One Second Rule.
6. If that doesn’t work, use the One Second Rule again, and again and again.

You may face a BidButler challenge during your swoop attempt. If this happens, don’t panic.
Just continue with the One Second Rule. Because you’re waiting until the very last minute,
you’ll save a lot on bids. Hopefully, you and your fellow single bidders will outlast the BidButler
and you can swoop in at the last minute and win.

Winning through Intimidation

Winning through intimidation is the other single bid technique I’ll introduce in this manual. This
technique is a bit like a beat up old pickup truck: not pretty but sometimes it gets the job done.
Here’s how to accomplish it:

1. Wait until the number of active bidders has thinned to between 4-6 bidders (as per
basic Swoopo Strategy).
2. Now begin bidding.

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 3. Bid early and often. Here’s one time where you can ignore the One Second Rule. Go
ahead and bid immediately after you’re outbid. This will create the appearance of
strength and even recklessness on your behalf, intimidating other bidders to drop out.
4. Continue to bid until you wear down the competition and are crowned the winner.

One of the only ways to get Swoopo bidders to drop out of an auction is to make the auction
seem hopeless. If you show strength in an auction you’ll start to see bidders dropping out. This
technique works very well for Nailbiter auctions, although it could occasionally be used in other
auctions, especially if you are not facing stiff competition from a BidButler.

Use the BidButler Late in an Auction

This is the most consistently predictable technique for winning Swoopo auctions. It usually
works best in Penny Auctions. Typically, you should expect to spend a significant amount of bids
to win, but your overall savings will still be impressive. Here’s how this technique works:

1. Find an auction that is approaching its average/median discount price. For camcorders,
which usually go for a 79% discount, consider jumping in when the auction approaches
82% off.
2. As usual, try to find an auction with few BidButlers and with thinning or thin
competition.
3. Set up your BidButler for the price range necessary to make your total bid spend
approximately 30% of the “Worth up to:” price. So for a $1,299 Apple Macbook, expect
to use about $390. A shocking amount, perhaps, but less so when you consider the likely
return.
4. To protect yourself from BidButler wars, you should consider using the BidButler
Layering technique described later in the “Advanced Swoopo Strategies” section.

The goal of using the BidButler technique late in an auction is to time the point at which other
bidders will naturally drop out of an auction. If you jump into an auction as other bidders’
interest is waning, you’ll increase your chances. Now consider that you’re also using a
BidButler, and the intimidation factor increases further.

Using the BidButler late in an auction is probably the surest way to victory, but it can also be
expensive. Make sure you have the bankroll necessary to execute this move before you get
started.

For more information on how to use the BidButler late in an auction, view the later chapter
titled “Anatomy of a Swoopo Pro.”

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 Use the BidButler Early in an Auction
This technique is risky but also offers the most reward. Using the BidButler early also works
best in Penny Auctions. The worst case scenario for this technique is that you’ll spend 40-60
bids and be forced to wait until later in the auction to jump back in using the above technique
for using a BidButler late in the auction. Best case scenario? You win a flat-screen television for
pennies on the dollar. Here’s how you BidButler early:

1. Find an auction with a clock nearing zero seconds, preferably for the first time.
2. Watch this auction and gauge the competition. Ideally, you’d like to find one that has no
other BidButlers (yet).
3. Set up your BidButler for the price range necessary to make your total bid spend
approximately 2% of the “Worth up to:” price. So for a $1,299 Apple Macbook, expect to
use $26 in bids.
4. To protect yourself from BidButler wars, consider using the BidButler layering technique
described later in the “Advanced Swoopo Strategies” section.

The goal of using the BidButler early in an auction is to try to catch unsuspecting single bidders
off-guard with your BidButler. Typically, single bidders early in an auction are new Swoopo
users who have yet to understand the ineffectiveness of this technique. If these new Swoopers
see your BidButler constantly and consistently bidding, they are likely to be intimidated into
either quitting the auction or at the very least getting distracted as they try to discover how to
beat a BidButler (probably by reading this manual!)

For more information on how to use the BidButler early in an auction, view the next chapter
titled “Anatomy of an Early Winner.”

BidButler Layering: Complicated but Effective

New rules have limited users to setting only one BidButler at a time during each auction –
which has changed many peoples’ strategy. This rule can be an advantage by using the simple
technique of BidButler layering. Here’s how it works:

First, set a “Test BidButler” to use only a handful of bids. For a standard auction, that may be a
span of only a couple dollars. Your first BidButler might look like this:

Bid From: $16

Bid To: $18
Max Number of Bids: 9

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This initial BidButler will do two things. First, it’ll begin to establish you to the other auction
observers and participants as a dominant force in the auction. Second, it’ll allow you to see if
other BidButlers are currently bidding.

If there are other BidButlers active in the auction, it’s likely you’ll lose bids to a BidButler Battle
if other BidButlers are set at the same range – but that’s why it’s good for you to use a small
“Test BidButler.” After you run out of bids, watch the auction closely and jump back in with
another BidButler at a short range when you can see other bidders wearing down.

The other likely scenario is you don’t face another BidButler in the auction. It’s possible you can
win just with your “Test BidButler,” but if not, you can set a new BidButler as soon as your test
expires. Set this one with a high number of maximum bids. This will wear down the single
bidders because they’re intimidated by the size of your BidButler – they’ll be less likely to bid
and you’ll be more likely to win because they’re afraid.

Regardless of the situation, using the BidButler layering technique allows you to have the
appearance of intimidation and inflexibility (that’s good!) with the possibility of choices and
options (also good!) In short: it’s perhaps the most powerful tool available to you on Swoopo.

Keep reading and I’ll explain the techniques used by the Swoopo Pros as well as the early
winners (yes, they’re different).

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 Anatomy of an Early Winner
If you’re bidding on Swoopo with the hope that you’ll use only 20 bids and win a Digital Camera
for a few dollars, it won’t be easy. There are no sure techniques for pulling out a winner this
early in an auction, although using the BidButler early can work.

Early winners are those Swoopo bidders you see getting incredible deals of between 95% and
99% off. There are certain characteristics that early winners hold in common, however, and
they aren’t always the same as standard Swoopo winners. So let’s break down exactly what
those are. First, the best time of day to bid. The following chart represents the number of early
wins over a given time period - the higher the number the better.

Number of Early
Time of Day Wins
00:00 - 01:00 23
01:00 - 02:00 12
02:00 - 03:00 15
03:00 - 04:00 7
04:00 - 05:00 12
05:00 - 06:00 15
06:00 - 07:00 19
07:00 - 08:00 7
08:00 - 09:00 15
09:00 - 10:00 22
10:00 - 11:00 21
11:00 - 12:00 26
12:00 - 13:00 19
13:00 - 14:00 12
14:00 - 15:00 11
15:00 - 16:00 7
16:00 - 17:00 3
17:00 - 18:00 10
18:00 - 19:00 12
19:00 - 20:00 14
20:00 - 21:00 15
21:00 - 22:00 12
22:00 - 23:00 10
23:00 - 24:00 19

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Here are some more statistics on early winners:

• They spend $3.00 in bids, on average.

• They spend approximately 1.6% of the “Worth up to:” price in bids.
• They use a BidButler 64.7% of the time (excluding Nailbiters)

Compared to all Swoopo winners, the early winners compose approximately 10% of the group.
Now let’s study an even more interesting group…the Swoopo Pros.

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 Anatomy of a Swoopo Pro
There is a small army of Swoopers who are maxing out their Swoopo accounts every month.
You did remember that Swoopo limits the amount of times you can win per month, didn’t you?

These guys are the reason why…

This troupe of professional Swoopo bidders marches into an auction and steals it from
unsuspecting “average” Swoopers. They don’t always get the best deals, but their winnings are
still plenty good. And they can do it again, and again and again.

Let me describe to you the dark underbelly of Swoopo: the Swoopo Pro.

Who are Swoopo Pros?

The Swoopo Pro maxes out his Swoopo account every month on expensive electronics. In fact,
Swoopo Pros sometimes have several accounts with slightly different log-ins, helping them to
bypass the auction limits and win even more often.

What are these Pros doing to win auctions nearly every time?
The Swoopo Pros seek out auctions on expensive electronics. If you’ll remember from the data
above, cameras are usually a great deal. (They’d be an even better deal if these guys weren’t
around). A typical auction for a Swoopo Pro would be a penny auction for a Canon Digital
Camera.

The Swoopo Pros jump into these Penny Auctions late in the game, usually when the auction is
at approximately 70% of savings. And they come prepared to spend. The typical Pro will spend
30% of the “Worth up to:” price on bids to nab an item. For an $899 Canon camera, that’s $270.
And they use the BidButler nearly every single time.

Swoopo Pros Studied 115

Average Wins per Pro 31.8
Auctions Won by Pros Using BidButler 90.44%
All Auctions Won Using BidButler 73.65%
A Pro’s Average Savings 67.31%
Average Savings on Swoopo 61.15%

You May have a Leg up on Even the Pros

As far as I can tell, the Pros aren’t yet using the BidButler Layering technique I laid out in the
last section, which either means they are really good at hiding BidButler Layering, or they aren’t
using it (yet).

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You have what it takes to beat a Swoopo pro or even be one yourself. Even if you only want to
win one item as a gift for someone (or yourself) you can compete by knowing the strategies in
the Swoopo Manual and using the Swoopo Analytics tool.

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 You Won! Now What?
When you win a Swoopo auction, you'll need to confirm it with Swoopo. After you win, you will
see a "Confirm your Win" link. Just click here and follow the steps they provide.

Swoopo will take you through the process for payment and ask where you'd like the item
shipped. If you need to leave and come back to finish confirming your win, you can always find
past auction wins in the My Swoopo area.

Your goods will usually arrive within 2-3 weeks. You can check the status of any pending
shipments in the My Swoopo area and you will receive a confirmation of shipment email when
the item is shipped.

Swoopo customer service isn't the most responsive, so expect to test your patience when
contacting them. Swoopo is a fast-growing company and sometimes has difficulty keeping up
with support inquiries.

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 Swoopers dot org: The
Swoopo Strategy Community
Most economists and game theorists agree that the only way bidders can truly have an
advantage against Swoopo is if they have more perfect knowledge. That is, to know how the
other bidders are going to act and choose their strategy accordingly.

You see, Swoopo relies on not allowing other bidders to communicate with one another. That’s
why they have anonymous bidding accounts and no social features. Swoopo doesn’t want you
to communicate with other Swoopo bidders.

When you purchased the Swoopo Manual, you were taken to Swoopers.org. You were also
given a password by email to allow you access to all the premium content available there.

Here’s how access works to Swoopers dot org:

• There’s a general password that protects the entire site from non-owners (to keep out
“all the rest”)
• There’s a specific username and password that’s unique to you and allows you to
comment and reply on the forums.

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In addition to the Swoopo Manual, Swoopers dot org has auction stats that are constantly
updated, a Swoopo bidders “blacklist,” and most importantly - interactive forums.

If you already have a forum account, go to Swoopers dot org now and start interacting with
other members. Ask questions, share your experiences, learn strategy tips from others, and
more.

If you don’t have a Swoopers dot org account yet, that’s okay. You can do so now, and it takes
less than a minute.

Visit Swoopers dot org and click on the “Forum” tab (or
visit http://www.swoopers.org/forum).

Click on "Register" in the upper right-hand side of the

forum and enter in a username and your email
address.

Be sure to create a "username" and a password that

you will easily remember. Also, write your password
down in a safe place where you won't lose it.

That’s it! Now, you can login and interact with other
users – the more participation in the forums, the better knowledge you’ll have to win BIG.

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 Beyond Swoopo Manual:
Swoopo Analytics
That’s it for Swoopo Manual and the strategies top Swoopo pros are using to win big. But I have
one more trick up my sleeve…

A couple months ago, I was contacted by someone named Jason who said he created a piece of
software that was helping him win Swoopo auctions.

Let me be blunt; I didn’t believe Jason when he told me his software would change the Swoopo
game. And you can’t blame me for being skeptical…I get emails all the time about the latest,
greatest Swoopo gizmo and they usually turn out to be utter rubbish. This one seemed just like
the rest – too good to be true.

But Jason didn’t ask me to trust him. Instead, he gave me a test account on his software and let
me start using it to bid on Swoopo.

And what I saw blew my mind…

His product, now called Swoopo Analytics, gave instant, real-time access to nearly every piece
of Swoopo auction data. This was killer inside information that only Swoopo employees had
access to. (Well, until Jason’s software came along at least).

Swoopo Analytics allows you to see:

• Every single bidder in an auction (Swoopo only shows you the last 10)
• The previous sold prices for the item you’re bidding on
• The top bidders in every auction by number of bids placed
• A list of bidders who’ve won on Swoopo before (hint: Avoid the pros!)

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Here’s what a Swoopo auction looks like to bidders using Swoopo Analytics:

It’s difficult for me to explain exactly how cool this tool is without telling you in person, so I did
the next best thing. I shot a video where I walk through a Swoopo auction.

You’ll get to watch over my shoulder as I pull back the curtain on Swoopo and reveal detailed
auction stats in real-time.

• Click here to watch the video

I now NEVER bid on a Swoopo Auction without having my Swoopo Analytics loaded up and
ready to go. It’s a necessarily tool if you want to bid on Swoopo. After all, if you’re not using it,
you’re going to be at a disadvantage because someone in the auction is.

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 A Few Final Thoughts
Make sure to check out and use Swoopo Analytics. It’s so cool, I wish I’d built it myself. And, it
makes the perfect complement to Swoopo Manual. Data + technique = bliss.

Visit Swoopers dot org and interact with other Swoopo bidders. The more sharing and
collaboration in the Swoopers community, the more YOU will win.

Most importantly, have fun. Swoopo can help you score great deals on TVs, iPods, video games
and laptops. Heck, you could even win a Mini Cooper! But in the end, it’s entertainment
shopping – meaning getting great deals and having fun.

As a Swoopo Manual reader, I ask you to try your hardest to do both. 

All the best,

- Matthew Fox

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