Name: Bidcactus
Rating: 7/10
Email support: Yes
Phone support: Yes
Livechat: Yes, automated
Cost per bid: $0.60
Bid Increment: $0.01
Operating times: 24/7
Shipping/Handling: Worldwide
Autobid: Yes
Losing Bids Credited: No
Description:
Bidcactus launched the last year (early 2009).
Bids are worth $0.75.
This is one of several “auction” sites that attracts customers with penny auctions on brand new electronics and gift cards from major stores.
Bid Cactus runs only eight auctions at a time. There is no reserve on any auction and they are set to run for various times. To win a customer must be the last bidder on an item when the clock runs out. The challenge is that each bid on an auction will add up to 30 more seconds on the clock. So basically, everyone else needs to lose interest or run out of bids (bids are acquired in packs of 25 to 300) Auctions are timed to run out at peak internet use times.
The catch is that each bid cost 75 cents. For instance if a Olympus Digital Camera goes for 59 cents, that means that there were 59 bids at 75 cents each which means that bid cactus collected $44.25 in bids from various customers and charged 59cents plus shipping. Sounds like the customer still gets a good deal doesn’t it? A Sony Vaio Notebook went for $20.70, so they collect $1552.50 in bid fees. So you can see how Bid Cactus makes money. It is very important to remember that several people bid on both of these items, and some of the customers that bid walk away with nothing.
If this sounds like a scam, well plenty of people agree with you. However this is actually gambling. It doesn’t matter how much you bid, because each bid rises by a set increment (1 cent). All that matters is that you get the last bid. This competition is very addicting. I have observed bids go over the value of a gift card, which obviously means that people are just out of control. There is forum chatter that implies that these auctions are rigged by the website, but I believe that underestimates the lure of this game of chance. Gambling is very addictive, especially quasi-skill based games. I say quasi-skill, because most of the normal strategy used in an online auction is missing here.
There are several other auction sites like this. Bid Rodeo is one. One difference between BidCactus and this other sites is that there is no bid assistant. Other sites allow you to use an automated system that will preset a price that you would pay and the number of bids that you want cast.
Overall, this is a pretty crazy way to get a “great” deal. It might work for you but it will probably use up a lot of time and money in the process. They can’t really force you to bid in these auctions. The rules are pretty clear so if you want to take a chance you can play.
Detailed Rating:
Overall, Bidcactus is a nice website. They aren’t scammers and deliver.
Strengths:
- great traffic, loads of auctions
- established business that is known to deliver
- no issues with delivery, broken goods, shipping fees
Weaknesses:
- the auction ending can be long and boring
- lack of transparency (archives, bid2win, and so on)
- products: they almost only auction bids and vouchers…
- chances to win something worth it
BidCactus offers users a wide variety of penny auction items, along with top-tier customer support. BidCactus’ telephone support is an industry leading support service.
Customer Feedback: 6/10
They is really a lot of feedback about Bidcactus on the web. Most of the people speaking about Bidcactus are extremely negative. Some think that only resellers with strategies and a lot of cash can make profit. Their system doesn’t protect the casual visitor. Anyway, it’s much better than Beezid.
Auction Ending: 3/10
All penny auction website hae something in common. When you watch their homepage for the first time you have that disturbing feeling that auctions are never ending. (link when do auction end)
Products: 4/10
They are auctionning a lot more items than most sites. Most auction websites rely on electronics and high tech products as well as a lot of bid packs and vouchers.
What is Bidcactus auctionning?
Feel free to check our comparative study on how the most popular penny auction sites manage their auctions.
Ease of use: 8/10
Bidcactus got a nice website which is really easy to use. Most of their auction modes are clear. A retail price on the homepage bids who be priceless.
Auction modes: 3/10
Very limited and not really thrilling. Classic and very boring.
Prices: 5/10
Too high when compared to the chances to actually win something worth it. At least they are quite transparent on their margins and how much costs a win.
Chances to win: 4/10
Most people will tell you that they are never winning anything on Bidcactus. Their margins are too big and the chances to win too low. At least they are honest on real cost, bidding principles and so on. They are hiding a lot of data (not displaying all their archives unlike the contested Swoopo)
Feel free to check our studies on Average Price Cost and Bids 2 Win for an Ipod and a PS3 (more coming soon) We compare the very best penny auction sites for those products.
Statistics:
We datamined Bidcactus, you can consult our statistics section for free.
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