Hints and Strategies

SmartBid is a game of strategy where you can play smart and win BIG! We wanted to pass along some hints that will help you get started and discover your own winning strategy. Be sure to read our blog or follow us on twitter and facebook to get more inside scoop. Also you can check out one of our very successful bidder's tips here at Tips to win on SmartBid!

Start in our Beginner's Auction

If we can stress one single piece of advice to our new members, start in our beginner's auction. You can play for FREE with your sign-up bonus here and have fun learning the game in these auctions.
As a newbie, you have great chance of winning here by competing with players who are at your same skill level. Hone in your strategy with easier competition first. Then take advantage of our intermediate auctions, which are open to bidders who have won less than 10 auctions. We have great prizes here, and this is a great place to learn the ropes and perfect your strategy before you move up to take on the big shots in regular auction!
As a beginner, get your feet wet with our "Early Bids Back" auctions (look for the shield with a $ icon). You can place bids during the early phase of the auction, and get all of your early bids back if you do not win*. By doing this, you can get a better picture of the auction winner's strategy.

Bid Early

Bid early and save - bid at half the price typically at $0.75 in the beginning compared to closing bid cost $1.50. As soon as 50% or more bids are placed, closing bid cost is turned on.
Early bidders get precise hints about where the current Lowest Unique bid is. The hint range in the beginning is typically within 5 cents and it grows higher as the auction progresses. Hence, you have much higher chance of finding the lowest unique with very little cost in the beginning compared to the end.
By bidding early and bidding often, you are always in the know how the game is progressing and where the lowest unique could be. You can also block off multiple unique bids so that it becomes harder for the competition to knock you off from the lowest unique bidder.

Use Hints Strategically

Every time you bid - We will you give you a hint where the current Lowest Unique is. The hint usually starts from 5 cents and increases as more bids are placed. Keep a track of the hints while you are bidding as this can help you in placing bids in the right range.
Use the multiple bid control in association with the hints. Multiple Bid control allows you to place multiple bids between two set prices at one time, which effectively covers every amount between them. When used strategically with the hint ranges, this can be incredibly helpful in finding the lowest unique. Please note that when using a serial bid, you will be charged a fee-per-bid for each amount within your selected range.
Constantly monitoring your bid status is extremely important. Keep an eye on the bid board to see the current status of your bids. We also send you live email update when you are no longer the lowest unique bidder and when the auction is closing soon.
We will also send out an e-mail when the auction will be closing soon. This is typically when there is approximately 50% of the bids remaining, although we vary this slightly with each auction. For bigger auctions, we will send you another "Last Call" email when there are approximately 25% bid remain.

Visit Winner's page

Visit Winner's page to see how many bids winners usually place on certain items.
Check out previous closed auctions for the product you are bidding on to see how the bids were placed over different prices. Decide where historically the winning prices are and place your bids accordingly.

Hints and Strategies

Best of luck from SmartBid team - Play Smart and Win BIG!