Gift Cards at Prices So Good It Could Be an Early Christmas
Deals can be found at Addison man's online auction site
By ELLEN GOLDBERG
Updated 12:02 PM CDT, Wed, Dec 2, 2009
Dinner never tasted so good for Rockwall resident Chad Johnson, thanks to an online auction site.
He enjoyed a $50 meal at Red Lobster for only $6.50.
“It was well worth the $6.50,” Johnson said.
The 26 year-old scored the dining deal online at Dfwbid.com. The online auction site sells $25, $50, even $100 gift cards for pennies on the dollar.
While people compare the Web site to eBay, Dfwbid.com's founder, Sanj Raj, said there are fundamental differences between the two.
Raj, an Addison resident, buys the gift cards from retail stores at full price and then puts them up for auction online. He charges $2.99 to bid on a gift card.
The more people who join an auction, the more money he makes -- but the less chance you have of winning the gift card.
“At the end of the day, it is an auction site. They place a bid as to how much they want to purchase a gift card for,” Raj said. “It’s perfectly legal.”
When retailer Target was asked what the company thought of someone reselling its gift cards online, spokeswoman Sara Moore said customers should be aware that the auction fees aren't charged by Target.
“Our primary concern is that our guests understand if there are any fees associated with purchasing gift cards from Dfwbid.com, those fees are not being charged or required by Target," she said.
Raj also charges $4.99 to ship the gift cards.
In addition to the cost of his bid, Johnson’s $50 gift card cost him a total of $14.50.
Raj said more than 1,600 people have been willing to pay such prices so far.
Johnson said he "definitely" recommends the service.
“Right now, you can get you some good gift cards," he said.
First Published: Dec 1, 2009 9:48 PM CDT
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