Bill B.

I clicked on this site and only see it as another way to take your money. They are offering a "free" book to learn who the owner is. Well, I can tell you it is Jesse Willms according to the bbb (check out bbb.org and search swipeauctions).

Also, there is an article on getting your refund for free at: http://hubpages.com/hub/SwipeAuctions-reviews-refunds-safely

They are trying to charge you $40.00 to learn how to get your money back? Is this just another scam to tell you how to get your money back by charging you money to do it? Careful here folks. Sheesh, the wheel just keeps rolling here.

Swipeauctions.com (AKA Swipebids.com) has a mountain of complaints. Complaints seem to stem from people being charged a $159.00 fee. From what I can see, swipeauctions very recently stated (by the credit card submit button) that they will take $159.00. This is probably due to the massive complaints previously that this was not prominantly announced. Some have provided thumbnails to prove their point.

The main concerns I saw was:

1. Reluctance to give home address. Check out ripoffreport.com and search swipebids and swipe auctions. You will see this has been a concern in the past.

2. This is like a lottery. Under swipeauctions terms of service, they operate out of Alberta, Canada. Alberta has strict lottery laws. Check out Service Alberta for details. As one needs to buy bids to actually bid, are they in essence buying a ticket? If so, the items are in essence being raffled off. If it is perceived this way, then they are operating illegally within Alberta Law.

3. Some say their credit cards claim their swipebids/swipeauctions charge(s) are from Belize and other off shore countries. It this is the case and you have this info on your statement, do the right thing and contact Canada Revenue Agency. There could be tax issues here.

4. Let's do the math. If each bid costs 50 cents and thousands are competing, the actual cost of the item is extremely high. One could argue they are making massive profits. Remember... only one wins... buy how many losers?

I am giving it 1 stars because I am unclear of its legality, the profits are exoribant and the complaints throughout the internet are many.

Also, I am reading lately many people saying their credit cards are being declined when they KNOW they have plenty of credit. I have found when this happens VISA is being more cautious. Usually, this is due to them blacklisting this merchant to save more investigative time. That, in my mind, is a RED FLAG.

Look, if you really want that IPOD, save your money and get it at Best Buy or another respected store. You will be happy you did.