Swagster-Mandy

Why I Use Swagbucks.com

2009-11-12T17:00:00.003-05:00

Hi! My name is Mandy and I want to show you how you can win free stuff like me! Beside sending away for free samples, entering sweepstakes and playing instant win games, I use Swagbucks.com. I first heard about Swagbucks probably about a year ago and thought it was too good to be true. Bloggers were raving about how wonderful Swagbucks.com was and how much they were loving it and I didn't understand what they were gushing about. To me it sounded like a scam.

For a few months I remained skeptical every time another blogger mentioned Swagbucks and I just rolled my eyes at them. Meanwhile, they were all earning digital points and getting free stuff! I became curious after reading about it constantly for a few months on everyone's blogs. They still loved this website even after months after joining. They were getting stuff and loving it. I decided to see what was so amazing about Swagbucks that people would not shut up about it!

What SwagBucks is...

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A search engine that pays you to use it. Here's how:
1. You search
2. You earn Bucks
3. You spend your accumulated Bucks on awesome prizes!

Things you can buy include:
$5 Amazon.com e-giftcards (cost: 450 SwagBucks)
$5 in your Paypal account (700 SB)
iPods and MP3 players (3000-50,000+ SB)
Music and Movie posters (1250-1500 SB)

SO FAR I HAVE WON:
$150 in Amazon gift cards (and enough Bucks to get 6 more- that's another $30 worth of gift cards FREE!)

This is just by searching by myself and using the website regularly in the past few months.

You do not need to pay for anything! Even shipping prizes to you is free! (And shipping from Amazon can be paid with your gift cards)

You win every few hours when you search, usually around 10 bucks per win (but sometimes up to 50). On Fridays it's possible to win much more because that's their big giveaway day!

There are other ways to get yourself some bucks too, the next most popular and easiest way being codes. Simply find the code and enter it in and you've earned yourself at least one more buck!

Find codes at the following places:
Twitter
SwagBucks Blog
Facebook
Toolbar

If you want to sign up, go here and get your first 30 Bucks just for signing up.

Searching Basics

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First of all, the search results that are generated by SwagBucks are powered by Google and Ask.com; you're going to get pretty good results when you are searching.

You don't need to search for anything specific to win a SwagBuck. Here are some guidelines about to help you get started winning by searching:

1. It doesn't matter what you search for. There are no secret words that will get you a Buck!
2. There is no guarantee when you will win a Buck. Winning is random. So for example you can win on your first search or your 20th.
3. Once you win, you will not win again for a few hours. It seems to take about 4-6 hours to win again. (After midnight SwagBucks seems to "reset" and a lot of people report getting a 'midnight buck')
4. If you search for a while and no Bucks are coming in, take a break from SwagBucks and use another search engine like Google.
5. You can win about 3 or 4 times a day if you search in the morning, the afternoon and before you go to bed. Plus any codes or special offers and you could get 50 bucks a day!!

Mega SwagBucks Day: Friday
On Friday's you have a better chance of winning more than one Buck. If you win 3 or more Bucks in one search, that's considered a "Mega" win! I've won 20 and 30 Bucks on Mega SwagBucks day (and also randomly through out the week).

Ready to start? Sign up for SwagBucks and get your first 30 Bucks just for signing up.

Searching Do's and Don'ts

2009-11-11T23:57:00.002-05:00

SwagBucks has a page of Do's and Don'ts that's easy to read. For you convenience, the searching Do's and Dont's here are taken directly from that page:

DO...

Use Swagbucks.com any time you need to search the web
Download the Swagbucks.com toolbar for instant access
Search on Swagbucks.com exactly the way you would on any other search website
Utilize our image, web, news, and comparison shopping feeds

DON'T...

Search the web only to win Swag Bucks
Click on any links that you aren't genuinely interested in

It's a good idea to read everything that SwagBucks provides to help you better understand their rules and all the gritty detail. This blog is a general guideline to help you get started. Get your first 30 Bucks for signing up.

Other Ways to Win - Codes

2009-11-11T23:56:00.004-05:00

Besides searching on SwagBucks.com you can also enter codes. Find the code (they appear usually once daily) and enter it into the box on the homepage when you are logged in. You need to act quickly because codes expire after a certain time or sometimes after a certain number of people have claimed it, like the first 500 people. You earn at the very least 1 Buck per code but they have had codes worth 30 before!

Sometimes there are code hunts and you are given a set of clues to find out what the code is. Most of the time they are very simple and take a minute or two to do. Find out about these hunts in the Blog, on Twitter, Facebook or in the Swidget (check the sidebar of my blog and hit SC).

IMPORTANT: codes are case sensitive!!! Most of the time they have both caps and lowercase in the code for example swAgBuckS. This is usually how you can tell what a code is.
IMPORTANT: you are not allowed to post actual codes for other people to see-- your account will be deactivated! It's nice that you want to share, but it's not allowed!

If you want to sign up, go here and get your first 30 Bucks just for signing up.

The "Swidget"

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The Swidget is a little box that gives you quick access to important SwagBucks info, like the blog, Swag Codes and easy access to the store where you can get prizes with your Bucks. It gets it's name from Swag + widget = Swidget!! It's the easiest way to see if there's a code out. Click on the SC (SwagCodes) button then click Check if there's a Swag Code.

Swidget 1.0great free widgetsWidgetbox

If you see "There is no Swag Code available. Try again later" there is no code on the Swidget. If you see anything else, that means there's a code! Either there will be a word like "swAgbuCkS" (which is the code) or a clue to help you find the code. Remember the code is case sensitive. Enter it exactly as you see or you won't get it!
If it's a clue to a code, usually it is pretty simple to find. Check the blog, Facebook or Twitter.

Get your own Swidget and let people see how many bucks you have earned!

If you want to sign up, go here and get your first 30 Bucks just for signing up.

The Toolbar

2009-11-11T23:54:00.002-05:00

Another helpful way to use Swagbucks is downloading the Toolbar. It's got a lot of features that are simple to use and it's basically a summary of the Swagbucks website without going to their website.
One of the features that is especially helpful when there are codes out is the message indicator. Almost every time there is a message, it contains a code or a hint for a code. This is helpful because you don't have to constantly check Swagbucks or a Swidget; it alerts you while you are browsing (a yellow star appears on the envelope).

The next feature that I like is the SB News tab. There, you can see the latest updates from the blog and Swagbucks' Twitter. The chances of there being a code in each entry of the blog or Tweet is not as high as the messages, but it saves you from having to check both of those sites to see if there are any updates.

Similarly, the Social Media tab has quick links to their Facebook fan page, Twitter and Flickr .

Lastly, More is a shortcut directly to any rules or frequently asked questions about the site.

UPDATE: With the launch of the new version of SwagBucks comes a new bonus if you have the toolbar installed: one Buck a day just for having the toolbar installed and being logged in! Easiest Buck ever.

Get the toolbar.
Not Signed up yet? Get started with 30 Bucks.

Other Ways to Win - Polls

2009-11-11T23:50:00.002-05:00

A way to earn SwagBucks is to vote and submit ideas for the daily Swagbuck polls. Voting gets you one easy Buck! Anyone can look and vote at the polls for fun as another way to interact with other Swaggernauts. The questions (and options) are user generated, so if you think of a good question, send an email to pollideas@swagbucks.com. If they use your poll, you get rewarded!

The Money Maker - Referrals

2009-11-11T11:56:00.007-05:00

The simplest way to earn Swagbucks is to have people you invite sign up. These are called referrals and the best part about them is whatever they earn, you earn too!

To be honest, this is why my website is in existence! I want you to see that Swagbucks is not a scam and sign up (hopefully using my referral!)

There's no such thing as a free lunch, so here are the limitations: You will in the same amount they do whenever they earn Bucks by searching. You will win up to 1000 Bucks from a referral. So, if you get a friend to sign up that's great, but they need to search and win for you to win too; if they get Bucks for finding a code, no dice for you.

Your link will look like mine:

http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/MandyPants610

but with your user name at the end. This is something to think about when signing up!

Other Ways to Win - No Obligation Special Offers

2009-11-11T11:51:00.007-05:00

No Obligation Special Offers (NOSO) is another way for you to get another Buck everyday. Go to the "NOSO" link on the left side of the Swagbucks homepage and hit the Start Earning button. Just click thru each offer, hitting 'no thanks' or 'Skip' until you've seen all the offers and you are automatically credited at least a Buck! You can get these Bucks once a day.
EASY!

Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner

2009-11-09T16:35:00.009-05:00

OLD SWAGBUCKS:
New Swagbucks:

2009-11-09T16:20:00.001-05:00

My Craigslist Experience - General Selling Tips

2009-11-09T16:15:00.008-05:00

If you don't already know, Craigslist.org is a great site; it's a huge virtual bulletin board where you post your for-sale ads. You can sell just about anything people are willing to buy. I myself have sold a whole lotta stuff for hundreds of dollars without spending a cent (like you used to do in the olden days by posting ads in the classifieds). I've been using Craigslist to sell for about 6 months and my experience with has been very positive.

If you are still leery about Craigslist, either buying or selling, here are some tips to help you get started.

General Selling - Posting your Ad

1. Be as detailed as you can! Think about what you'd want to know if YOU were buying this object:
-what is the condition? how does it run? any damage?
-how big is it? (include as many measurements as you can)

If possible, include at least one picture of what you are selling. You can add up to 4 pictures; I usually take a bunch of pictures then crop them down so buyers see just the object (and not the other junk in my garage)

Don't forget to add contact info. You have the option when people view your ad for them to see an anonymous email address as your contact info-- that is, they will not be able to see your personal email account until and if you reply to them. This is what I do- it just makes me feel a little safer!

PRICE: take a minute and look around Craigslist for the same thing you are selling to get an idea of the general price range. Think about the condition of yours and adjust accordingly, up or down.

That's it! Sometimes it takes a little while to get any hits on what you are selling and some items go like hotcakes! Most of the messages I get from potential buyers are exactly this message: "Is this still available?" It's annoying but I answer every one (that isn't spam) because they could be the one to hand me cash for the stuff I don't want!

Craigslist Tips for Buying

2009-11-09T16:00:00.002-05:00

If you're looking for something to get off of Craigslist, it's a very cheap place to look. Tips for a successful transaction and not getting ripped off:

1. Follow your gut. If something seems shady in the ad or with the seller once you establish contact, remember you ALWAYS have the right to walk away, at any time.
2. Safety first. Bring along a friend to pick up the goods or meet the seller in a public place during the day if possible. Again, use common sense!
3. Assume there is no return policy and check to make sure what they are offering you is what they promised. Don't be afraid to ask questions and check it out. Plug it in, turn it on, look at all sides, open it up, sit on it- check to make sure it works how it's supposed to BEFORE you hand over your cash! Once you let go of the cash it's a lot harder to negotiate if you find fault with what you just bought.
4. Negotiate! You don't HAVE to buy anything for the listed price. Usually there is some room to negotiate -- even if it's exactly what you wanted, you can usually save yourself some cash if you are polite about it. For example: "This rocking chair is great... I know it's listed at $25 but can I give you $20 for it?" Try it out, the worst they can say is no!

Craigslist Best Practices and Time Savers

2009-11-09T15:59:00.002-05:00

Once an item you have listed for sale has been sold, delete the ad as soon as possible. Do not edit the post to say "Item Gone" since this just wastes everyone's time.

Try not to email a seller simply to ask if the item is already taken. If possible, skip this time consuming step and combine asking if it's there with your contact info or a date you would like to gather the item. I've gotten this email too many times to count and most of the time I never get a reply! That equals a lot of wasted time on my end and nothing sold.

Contacting buyers or sellers thru email takes time! Your email could go directly to their spam box; maybe they only check email once a day. If a phone number is provided, it is generally the method the seller wishes for you to contact them.