VVVVVV for free - charity Ebay bid

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Jimlad

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There's currently a charity promotion, where if you bid on a pair of socks you get the indie PC game VVVVVV for free on Steam, even if you don't win the auction! The bidding ends in over a week, but get in quick if you don't want to end up as the one with the hot potato on the last day.

All proceeds go to the Child's Play charity. Keys will be sent to bidders when bidding closes.

Blog post:
http://distractionware.com/blog/?p=1501

Ebay link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300491205217
 
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With 7 days left, it seems incredibly likely that you'll be outbid. So if you do shill bid just to get the game, you'll still be bumping up the price on a charity item, I suppose. It's an interesting little ethical situation. The real risk, I suppose, is that someone who's just going for the game won't be outbid.

Edit: This has gotten way the fuck out of hand.
 
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[quote name='Drkirby']I am not going to take the chance, I can't afford $500 for socks.[/QUOTE]

:p I can't afford the $500 either but I took the chance.

Edit Just got outbid, thank god.
 
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I bid. Hopefully I get outbid since my bank is a bit tight right now, but if not ah well I suck in the belt a bit the next few months and I generally donate several hundred to a thousand when we get our taxes back anyways!
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']I bid. Hopefully I get outbid since my bank is a bit tight right now, but if not ah well I suck in the belt a bit the next few months and I generally donate several hundred to a thousand when we get our taxes back anyways![/QUOTE]

ah you must be my saint who took the bullet for me :) I hope you enjoy your socks :p
 
[quote name='Megiddo_CAG']Bid, lets hope I get outbid :0[/QUOTE]

To quote pROvIs
ah you must be my saint who took the bullet for me I hope you enjoy your socks :p
 
I think this is a brilliant idea.
That said... does ebay still let you cancel a bid? I wonder if in the last few seconds there will be a "cancel" at number 1 and someone else will be left with the tab.

Either way... did its job. Helped me rationalize just dropping the 5 on steam and then kicking childsplay a few extra bucks.
 
[quote name='IronZombie']Imagine if I went in there and bumped up the price to like 5,000 haha. Too bad I don't have an ebay account.[/QUOTE]
I don't think you fully understand how ebay bidding works.
 
[quote name='Drkirby']I don't think you fully understand how ebay bidding works.[/QUOTE]
Yes.. I think I do. If no one outbids me I get stuck paying for that. But since this is a charity bid people will keep bidding (at least for the next 7 days) so bumping up the price that much is kind of evil isn't it? Someone will get stuck having to pay for it.
 
[quote name='Drkirby']I don't think you fully understand how ebay bidding works.[/QUOTE]

:lol:

This is a pretty cool idea. I bid and was outbid pretty quickly but I don't feel bad if it bumped up the total amount they'll receive.
 
It's a great idea until the last guy looking for a free copy of VVVVVV refuses to pay for $5000 socks. Too bad you can't leave negative feedback for buyers anymore.
 
[quote name='IronZombie']Yes.. I think I do. If no one outbids me I get stuck paying for that. But since this is a charity bid people will keep bidding (at least for the next 7 days) so bumping up the price that much is kind of evil isn't it? Someone will get stuck having to pay for it.[/QUOTE]


If you bid $5,000 it would only increase the bid by 10 dollars or something.

Ex: If the bid was at $600, you would only increase it to $620 by bidding $5,000. Then if someone bid $640, you would have proxy bid it to $660 becuase your max bid is $5,000.

Technically the only way someone would outbid you, is if they bid $5001 dollars, but that could take a while and you might ultimately end up winning the auction if it doesn't get that high...

Try it though if you want ;)
 
I wonder if when this gets over $1,000 people will still bid as fast or if people will get reluctant. At $480 I felt comfortable, even if I got stuck holding the bill as I said I could think of it as my charity for the year....but when you start getting over $1,000...thats a spicy meatball.
 
chances are someone like Gabe Newell or Ken Levine etc will get wind of this and just bid 10,000 or so the last day. I wouldn't worry too much especially this early.

It makes sense especially for Valve as 10k is cheap for the advertising it would do and really this is a promotion of steam just as much as vvvvvv
 
[quote name='pROvIs']chances are someone like Gabe Newell or Ken Levine etc will get wind of this and just bid 10,000 or so the last day. I wouldn't worry too much especially this early.

It makes sense especially for Valve as 10k is cheap for the advertising it would do and really this is a promotion of steam just as much as vvvvvv[/QUOTE]

That is kind of what I was thinking. Even at that price its safe and chances are someone will step in last minute with a very charitable act....but still even at $1,000 its a bit scary for most people. I mean for a lot of people that is payday right there.

I am also calling it right now, we see VVVVV marked WAY down during holiday sales since the market will have dropped off on this game after this!
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']That is kind of what I was thinking. Even at that price its safe and chances are someone will step in last minute with a very charitable act....but still even at $1,000 its a bit scary for most people. I mean for a lot of people that is payday right there.

I am also calling it right now, we see VVVVV marked WAY down during holiday sales since the market will have dropped off on this game after this![/QUOTE]

I will literally shit my pants though if Mr Kotick gets in on this.

I hope that the market doesn't drop out on the game though. It is a good game and deserves the attention. I doubt everyone who is interested will bid on this or know about it until its too late. This is kind of a word of mouth game anyway so the publicity helps it more than the free copies hurt it. Think about it every major game site will more than likely post this.
 
[quote name='DizoAZ']If you bid $5,000 it would only increase the bid by 10 dollars or something.

Ex: If the bid was at $600, you would only increase it to $620 by bidding $5,000. Then if someone bid $640, you would have proxy bid it to $660 becuase your max bid is $5,000.

Technically the only way someone would outbid you, is if they bid $5001 dollars, but that could take a while and you might ultimately end up winning the auction if it doesn't get that high...

Try it though if you want ;)[/QUOTE]
Hahaha yeah that sounds like a really bad day. I had no idea it just automatically kept bidding for you that's a little strange. But, like I said, I don't have an ebay account so I wouldn't know.
 
$810 for a pair of socks?

[quote name='Jimlad']Three's currently a charity promotion, where if you bid on a pair of socks you get the indie PC game VVVVVV for free on Steam, even if you don't win the auction! The bidding ends in over a week, but get in quick if you don't want to end up as the one with the hot potato on the last day.

Ebay link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300491205217[/QUOTE]
So... when you win the bid, you actually lose?

But then you win again because it's charity! :D

But then your wallet lose. :cry:

Ah my brain is conflicted!
 
Haha nice I bumped it $30 rather than the required $10. I was high bidder for about a minute MAX. Word is spreading fast it seems. ;)
 
[quote name='OldKai']Threw a bid in too at $900, was outbid in 15 seconds. Glad I was overbid.[/QUOTE]

Haha all the action from CAG I was $870-890. :)


They should just end it early right......NOW! And call it a day. :D
 
[quote name='$hady']Haha nice I bumped it $30 rather than the required $10. I was high bidder for about a minute MAX. Word is spreading fast it seems. ;)[/QUOTE]

I made sure to tell my friends, post at gamefaqs and a few other boards too. Hopefully others are doing the same.
 
Well, the clever thing about this is that it actually encourages other people to advertise, in order to minimize the risk of them having to foot the bill!
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']but still even at $1,000 its a bit scary for most people.[/QUOTE]

You don't need to buy it. 1 strike for not paying is nothing. BTW, if you are a chicken you can cancel the bid until 12 hours before the promotion ends, but obviously won't get the game.

I do hope that this promotion generates enough publicity that someone who wants to donate the money will buy it.
 
[quote name='CodeDealer']You don't need to buy it. 1 strike for not paying is nothing. BTW, if you are a chicken you can cancel the bid until 12 hours before the promotion ends, but obviously won't get the game.

I do hope that this promotion generates enough publicity that someone who wants to donate the money will buy it.[/QUOTE]

Canceling your bid or backing out is a dick move. I mean honestly its for charity, to bid to get a free game then back out when you think you are going to actually have to pay charity is really lame.
 
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