Before we disappear - Last thoughts - What's your bid experience?

[£1 MEGADROP1]

Well, it certainly is the end of an era! I stumbled across pricedrop in 2003 and my first purchase that day was a set of Peter Allis golf clubs for a £1......I was hooked! I quickly worked out via the website what items were going for a £1 and it all snowballed from there. I was in as soon as the auction started and as £1megadrop said in his post all the usual 2 or 3 names would appear everytime and mine was always there! Golf clubs, mountain bikes, TV's, Jewellery, luggage sets.....it was crazy what they sold for £1. It was so easy to bag the £1 items at the start, I let a few people know what items would go for £1, they were all amazed how I knew! I wouldn't spill the secret to how I knew though!

Megadrops on Price, Bid bullets (then also renamed megadrops) on bid, they paid for many a holiday I lost count on how many times I was banned from buying. To start with the presenters used to ask people to email in with how many megadrops you got, they wanted to know! then latterly it was limited to 1 a week! I would receive phonecalls from the call centre asking how I was so successful..............like I was going to tell them! Fast with my fingers was my reply! I always got round them banning me.

My best £1 item, a 54g solid gold gents curb chain which I still have and worth a bit even at todays scrap prices!
My best (non £1) purchased item, the acer aspire 13.3 inch laptop I am currently typing on which I paid £199 for during Bids birthday promo a few years back, great machine.

I stopped counting how many Megadrops I purchased but it was well over 1000. Looking back I was greedy but when I knew how the system worked, I think most would do the same!

And the secret to Megadrops, each item they sold had a 7 digit item number and the normal products they would sell went in sequence, so for example in the early days they had around 8 items per hour and you would have 7 items with item numbers in sequence(say 4414551, 4414552, 4414553 etc) but 1 item in there would have a totally different item number (say 2389021), that was the megadrop, guaranteed without fail.

Latterly they changed it, they wouldn't list the megadrop item on the website but it was now in the sequence of product numbers so you just looked at the other items, see what number was missing from the sequence then changed the number of an item from one listed to the missing number and hey presto a hidden item would appear
So thanks Bid & Price for the good old early years...................... R.I.P

Nice to see you back Zippy and an very interesting post

How long roughly did they use the random number in the sequence for?

How did you know what product number was missing in the sequence? didn't each product have its own random fixed number or did the same product have a different number each time it was for sale?

 

[£1 MEGADROP1]

Brilliant Mega, wasn't too long for me, I could have read more :mysmilie_59:

Glad you enjoyed it Mommabear, thanks

 

[zippy]

Nice to see you back Zippy and an very interesting post

How long roughly did they use the random number in the sequence for?

How did you know what product number was missing in the sequence? didn't each product have its own random fixed number or did the same product have a different number each time it was for sale?

They used the random number for a good few years, it was really easy at the start when their website was pretty basic and the items were listed with the item number beside them, the megadrop items stood out like a sore thumb!

When they changed it, you got the product number within the link of that item, so if you clicked on an item in the listings and it was say 1112222 then the next item you clicked on had the product number 1112224, the one in between was missing. I would then just change the last digit and hit enter and the missing item would appear and that was the megadrop.

Also, if you noticed, for quite some time recently, you could never see the £1 megadrop items in the previous auctions. Again, I could see the winners list by changing the item number within the previous action to the megadrop item product number

Was happy to help you out (and a couple of others) with many items over the earlier years :wink:

 

[Paul_s]

I would hazard a guess it will be someone from Mason's fanpage, some of them have been saying they're going to come on here and cause trouble after possibly being whipped into a frenzy by you know who. The irony of such behaviour is clearly lost on them.

But of course anyone can come on here and speak their mind, unlike over there as you have to go through Madina's strict vetting procedure. Only the finest arse kissers are selected for her exceptionally egotistical and increasingly pointless love in.

But whatever they say, or we say, it's not going to change anything. Sit-Up has finally been Shut-Up, it's over.

Gollum and Goddess need to accept that it's back to mucking out the stables for them as, very soon, nobody will be in the least bit interested in what either of them have to say, much like we'll have very little to talk about too.

They, and this forum, will be as relevant as the 2013 Christmas Radio Times.

I think the Mike Mason fans need to get over themselves. I'm thankful he's no longer on television. I wonder if his goddess is playing a looping VCR tape of when Mike was discussing the telescope/junior Mason/Goddess in the stars? :mysmilie_47: Talk about living the dream. They're in denial.

 

[Wirral70]

I think the Mike Mason fans need to get over themselves. I'm thankful he's no longer on television. I wonder if his goddess is playing a looping VCR tape of when Mike was discussing the telescope/junior Mason/Goddess in the stars? :mysmilie_47: Talk about living the dream. They're in denial.

Listen Paul if it makes them feel better by saying that we are all horrible and we had it in for them for no reason then fine. Maybe some things that have been said have been over the top but nothing, absolutely nothing that has been said, is anywhere near as over the top as the absolute bullshit that man has spewed this last few years. I can't even be arsed listing it, there's too much.

But it won't get Gollum his job back. He's finished, for now anyway, and their delusional reactions suggest to me that both he and his missus know it.

It's just a crying shame that so many innocent people have to suffer. But that will be everyone else's fault too, nothing to do with us guvnor :mysmilie_59:

 

[Paul_s]

Listen Paul if it makes them feel better by saying that we are all horrible and we had it in for them for no reason then fine. Maybe some things that have been said have been over the top but nothing, absolutely nothing that has been said, is anywhere near as over the top as the absolute bullshit that man has spewed this last few years. I can't even be arsed listing it, there's too much.

But it won't get Gollum his job back. He's finished, for now anyway, and their delusional reactions suggest to me that both he and his missus know it.

It's just a crying shame that so many innocent people have to suffer. But that will be everyone else's fault too, nothing to do with us guvnor :mysmilie_59:

:mysmilie_14: You're right! There is too much bullshit to list - you'd need a telescope to see where it ends...

I am somewhat intrigued to know what will occur once the Easter break is gone... where will they all end up I wonder (Mason, Jaxx, Simon, Schlock, Russell in particular) :mysmilie_11:

 

[Wirral70]

:mysmilie_14: You're right! There is too much bullshit to list - you'd need a telescope to see where it ends...

I am somewhat intrigued to know what will occur once the Easter break is gone... where will they all end up I wonder (Mason, Jaxx, Simon, Schlock, Russell in particular) :mysmilie_11:

I could see Neil, Schlokco, Caroline and perhaps even Sally popping up on the jewellery channels.

But I have no idea what Peter Simon or Mason will do, I think it's fair to say they've kind of pigeon holed themselves. They are a very acquired taste.

 

[DaveC]

Great post! I will miss playing "Not Only Roulette". Whilst watching any non-shopping commercial TV channel, when the adverts came on I would quickly switch to Bid & Price-drop to see if Peter Simon was presenting. If he was I would see how many seconds went by before he uttered the legendary words ..."not only". A couple of years back I contacted Sit-up with some recommendations .... one was that Peter should be retrained by one of the few respectable presenters. I neither received a reply and nothing changed. Not only will I miss P.S. for the way he hardly ever finished a sentence but how he used the biggest of his "acting skills" to show mock surprise about some feature of an item. As for his introductory monologues .... yuck!

 

[DaveC]

I am trying to recall the value for money items I have bought over the years. I always checked out the prices available on Amazon etc and factored in the P&P and ordered via the website to avoid the cost of the phone call. Also if you didn't buy off a live 'auction' you could often find the same item at a reduced price on the webpage where the remainders were sold off. I bought a fantastic Vivitar x60 Camera, a Pentax X-5 with loads of accessories for a good price (this item was too expensive for effective TV sale). I only bought a few items off the programmes like the bales of Restmor Egyptian cotton towels which are excellent. My worst buy was a Ben Sherman waffle dressing gown.

 

[£1 MEGADROP1]

£1 Megadrop, I read out your post to my mum in his voice as I always do when people "do a Peter". Unfortunately your post was so long that I fear I can no longer speak in my own voice and have permanently adopted his bizarre way of speaking. I may need treatment, not only from my doctor, in the larger of the surgeries in my area. But he won't be open until Tuesday and I will have to speak like this all weekend!

Seriously though, great post. I never watched the golden age of Bid and only watched the last few years so never knew the good times you all speak of. Have we seen the last of the presenters? I will be checking all the other channels in case they appear!

Are you back to normal now Muttley? I noticed a little slip back into Peter Style with your post about the larger of the Rossa Benini bags but other than that you seem ok.

 

[Wirral70]

Are you back to normal now Muttley? I noticed a little slip back into Peter Style with your post about the larger of the Rossa Benini bags but other than that you seem ok.

This is a serious question, what will happen with their in house brand names now?

I know they weren't exactly Gucci but they must have had quite a lot of people who were loyal to certain brand names.

 

[Docswife]

I could see Neil, Schlokco, Caroline and perhaps even Sally popping up on the jewellery channels.

But I have no idea what Peter Simon or Mason will do, I think it's fair to say they've kind of pigeon holed themselves. They are a very acquired taste.

Exactly. They have an end -of-the-pier 40yr old act. Mikes MIL broomstick jokes......they weren't funny first time round. I can't imagine where they'll find employment. It will be interesting to see.

 

[Wirral70]

Exactly. They have an end -of-the-pier 40yr old act. Mikes MIL broomstick jokes......they weren't funny first time round. I can't imagine where they'll find employment. It will be interesting to see.

Perhaps he should become a house husband. He has all the cleaning products and tools dosen't he?

In fact maybe there's a business opportunity here?

 

[Muttley]

Are you back to normal now Muttley? I noticed a little slip back into Peter Style with your post about the larger of the Rossa Benini bags but other than that you seem ok.

Nearly back to normal Mega, just the occasional relapse not only today but yestetdaey as well. Oops I've gone again...

 

[steveh31]

If anyone has Virgin Media channel 700 is very similar to a Bid tv demonstration

 

[wearecity]

Never bought from them, tempted a couple of times, particularly with boxer short packs and towels, because they were cheap with them.

I started to watch the channel when it went to the price drop style, I was never a fan of the up auctions.

I stopped watching it, when they started to do Ideal World type presentations with products, rather than just selling items one after another after another.

I did notice the last few times I watched them, that they were selling a lot of stuff you could fine in places such as Poundstrecher and even Poundland, so I guess it's not a surprise.

My favourite presenter was Peter Simon and I'm sure if he wants, he will be snapped up by another channel and we will see him presenting. I would say, he was the strongest asset Bid TV had, he just seemed to appeal to viewers, with his camp personality and over the top noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo and is that right, when an item dropped in price.