"Swoopo is like a raffle. One person get a brand-new item at a bargain, while everyone else gets nothing. Here's how it works: Swoopo purchases and provides the merchandise, then sells bids to you at $0.75 each. Each bid increases the price of the item by $0.15. Unlike eBay auctions which end at a set time, each bid extends the auction's end time, so there is no last-second "sniping". The auction could end in the next 10 seconds or not for another 10 hours; there's no way to know.

Here's an example: take a $1000 MSRP HDTV (which Swoopo paid $750 for wholesale). After 1,000 bids at $0.75 each, Swoopo has made back what they paid for the TV. The current bid amount, however, is $1000 * $0.15, or only $150. Who wouldn't think a brand-new $1000 HDTV for $150 is a great bargain? Bidding will continue higher in most auctions, ensuring Swoopo of a profit. One person gets a bargain (double that $150 amount - $300 is still a bargain to the sole winner, while Swoopo now takes in $1,500 in bids), while the rest of the people get nothing for the bids they spent $0.75 each on.

Assuming Swoopo has no automated bidders driving the price higher, it's a "fair" system. The more you bid, the more you spend, but the more likely you are to win.

Swoopo even auctions bids, where you spend $0.75 per bid to get free bids, so there may be ways to take advantage of the site: perhaps buy free bids, use them to overpower other bidders and buy items relatively cheaply, then turn them around on eBay for a profit.

Just be aware of the rules before you play the game. The most likely outcome is that you'll get nothing for your money."