Raffle Pro Tips?

[Exilium]

Hello, since i'm new around here, I was wondering if there were any pro tips to higher your chances of winning an Ultrasabers legendary raffle? Also how often do they hold these raffles? Thanks for all the help!

[shade_1313]

Enter more often?  That's about it, although fortune still rules the awarding of prizes.  There's no other way to get better odds.

As for how often, that's entirely up to US, and likely depends a lot on how busy they are.  Since I started buying sabers, a year ago, they had no raffles at all until the spring, but they've held two spring and two summer in that time.

[Vivectius]

Raffles are held 4~6 times a year, depending on how busy US is at the time.

Tips:

1) Enter the raffle.  I know that's obvious, but people have complained in the past about not winning when they haven't entered.

2) Multiple entries can win.  There have been several cases of people entering twice in the same raffle and winning two prizes.  So, if the minimum entry purchase is $500 (that's just used as an example, the actual required purchase may vary) and you have $1000 order, split it into two orders for a better chance of winning.

3) Make sure you follow the raffle rules for your purchase(s).  Usually this means meeting the minimum purchase requirements and remembering to put someone to the effect of "Raffle entry. Forum name: Vivectius" in the comments section to make sure your order counts as an entry.

4) Nothing else matters.  Previous purchases, previous wins, number of forum posts, your date of birth, day of the year, position of Mars in relation to Neptune, blade color selected, etc., none of that matters.  It's all a random drawing. I've been lucky enough to win a prize in both raffles I've entered, a 4th prize in my first raffle, with my very first purchase, and a 1st prize in the second raffle I entered (in which I entered twice, but only won one prize).

5) US usually, but not always, gives away more prizes than the initial announcement.  So if they say they're giving away 50 sabers, don't be surprised if they give away 60 instead (numbers are used as an example only, actual amount of sabers will vary).  They're just that awesome of a company.

6) You may not win. People have been known to throw a whiny cry fest because they spent money and entered and didn't win. Please don't be one of those people.  Not everyone who enters is going to win.

One more note, if you enter the raffle, your prize is going to ship with your order.  That means your order won't ship until after the prize drawing is done, in case you win. So if you order on the first day of the raffle, you won't get your order until the raffle is over, which is usually at least a couple of weeks.

Lastly, you have to decide when to purchase.  By that I mean US does a number of different promotions thought the year in addition to the raffle.  They do free Initiate giveaways as well as free grab bag giveaways (two separate promotions). So you have to decide if you want a guaranteed Initate or grab bag (depending on which promotion is going on) or a chance to win an even better saber in a raffle, knowing that you may not get anything at all. Personally, unless I happen to be buying for a present at the time one of the giveaways is going on, I wait for the raffle. If I had the money, I'd enter every raffle.

[Lord Canterbury]

Great answer Viv, point for you taking time on that one.

Honestly, to piggy back off Vivectius, like he said - it's a Raffle.  Plain & simple.

Other than entering more than once, there's nothing you can do to increase your odds other than hope Lady Luck exists and buy her a dozen roses just before the Raffle ends.

So I just suggest holding out on any purchase above $250 until a Raffle comes up.

If I did have a "pro tip" for everyone as somebody who has been lucky enough to go 4 for 4 in my Raffle entries (in order:  1st, 2nd, 4th & 3rd;  I guess I'm due for an Emerald or Grand Prize now! ) it would be this:

If you win, regardless of what shows up as your prize, be gracious, recognize the generosity of Ultrasabers giving away typically now 100+ FREE lightsabers and thank them by posting pics of your Entry & Prize saber in the Winners Gallery.

I know that sounds obvious, but it amazes me how many people DON'T do that.

Even worse, I won't go into much detail because it wouldn't be appropriate, but one individual once won an AWESOME 1st place prize and offered to sell it fairly cheap on the Forum so they could buy something else because "it wasn't what they were hoping for".  Trust me when I say this was a prize that at the time, some people may have considered, for at least a second or two anyway, cutting off half their left pinky finger to get as a FREE prize.

Not cool.   

To be clear - not suggesting I think YOU would do that.

Just food for thought for anyone reading.

US doesn't have to give away 100+ sabers EVER, but they do it a lot and that's just one of a million reasons why we love them & they're the best.   

So always post pics as a Thank You.

[Vivectius]

Point back for you Lord C for that excellent point.

When I won my first raffle prize, 4th place random grab bag saber, I squealed like a 13 year old girl at a Justin Beiber concert.  It was a stunt saber.  Random hilt, random blade color, no sound, no other cool stuff.  I didn't care.  First it was free, second it was a free Ultra Saber, and third it was free.  It turned out to be a Sentinel LE in Consular Green.  Not a color I would have picked, certainly.  Probably not a hilt I would have picked, at least for a while.  But, I discovered that I really liked the Sentinel hilt. A lot. So, in addition to it being free, I discovered I liked a hilt I probably wouldn't have tried.

Second free saber I got from US was a Dominix v3 in Consular Green as a random grab bag giveaway. I discovered that I really, really like the Dominix v3 hilt. Even more than the Sentinel.  So again, free saber in a hilt I probably wouldn't have picked, but which gave me the chance to discover another hilt design I really like. Not a raffle prize, but there's a reason I included it.

Third free saber from US was a 1st place raffle prize.  Archon v3.1, 2 channel Emerald (B + G), Obsidian v4, with recharge port, set to Consular Green.  Once again, not a saber I would have picked. And to be honest, I don't particularly care for it for dueling.  I cannot get a comfortable upper grip.  So, I'm planning an emitter swap, and probably a different pommel, and I still got an Emerald/Obsidian saber for free.  And I don't care that I don't particularly like the hilt, because I can, and will, make it into something I do like, and it was free. Also it came with a recharge port which was not listed as one of the options included in the prize, but which they threw in anyway.  That's an extra $75 option added on.  For free. Which is great since I always get a recharge port on my sound sabers.

I presume you see the common theme in all of this.  Yes, that's right, all of the above sabers came with a Green blade... I'm going to switch the Emerald to a Blue color, but still, it arrived Green. Someone in the US assembly team has decided I have to have Green sabers.  Except my purchsed ones are all Red, Orange, or Pink.... If my next one is also Green, then I'm calling conspiracy on the whole "random" color thing.  They're out to get me I tell you.    

[scifidude79]

Well, an Archon set to green by default is probably a no brainer. 

All I can offer besides the wonderful stuff that LC and Vivectius said, is to expand a bit on a point Vivectius made.  That is to be gracious if you enter and don't win.  Sure, an "Awe shucks, I didn't win" is OK, but don't be all complainy about it.  People won't like that and you'll lose some cool points within the community.  You certainly won't be alone in entering and not winning.  One thing about raffles is that they're huge surges in sales and forum account creations.  You'll see lots of people you've never seen before, many of which you won't see again until it's raffle time again.  They all want a piece of the action too.  So, hundreds of entries, few winners.  But, that's how raffles go.  I've been here for three raffles so far, I entered one due to limited funds during the other two.  I didn't win, but I gave a congratulations to those who did.  Plus, seeing those who did win post what they won makes you want to try again. 

And, if you enter and don't win, at least you got some cool stuff.  My three sabers I ordered during the first Summer raffle are some of my favorites.  So, it's not like I wasted money or anything.

[Darth Acervus]

Well said all( shade_1313, Vivectius,  Lord Canterbury & scifidude79)
 
Couple of things I would like to add.

1) These raffles are tremendous fun. I have only entered 1 & didn't win, but the build up to the draw was amazing.
The raffle thread was full of anticipation, banter & general high spirits. Much checking of emails & the raffle thread just added to the experience(if you've entered one you'll know what I mean).

2) Don't make an order that you otherwise wouldn't have made in hope of winning. When all said & done a raffle is a gamble. Remember the old adage "Dont gamble with something you can't afford to lose".
Of course you wont have actually lost anything in this case You will have gained a fantastic new Ultrasaber(or Ultrsaber's).

Happy days  

[KraytDragonPearl]

Raffles are definitely a lot of fun.

I ended up entering a raffle on my second saber purchase, I purchased a BH Phantasm V4 and a BR Dark Initiate V2 for my son.  I waited and waited and waited for the raffle time to end and when all was said and done...I ended up winning a VA Manticore w/Obsidian V3.  Talk about totally freaking out.  My wife was even super excited about it.  I don't see any of "The Other Guys" putting on programs like this.  They don't have to do this and we all get super excited when it happens.  I believe they enjoy having the raffles for us as much as we love having raffles happen.  Im hoping the next raffle occurs when they release the news of Ahsoka Tano's saber release.  Super Excited!!!

[Exilium]

Ok! Thank you Shad, Viv, Lord c, and rest! I appreciate the insight. To be honest I can't even rationalize complaining or selling even a lower tier US win...let alone a first prize win. You gotta post pics and say think you....they don't have to do a raffle ya know. But thanks again all for the tips! U think there's gonna be one around Christmas? Dude an Ahsoka saber would be bomb. Everyone loves the joy of winning!

[Vivectius]

Well, last year there were no winter raffles, due to the new Star Wars movie, and the fact the US was out of stock on at least 60%, if not more of all the hilts they offer.  Of course, later on we found out they are also supplying hilts to Disney parks for Star Wars experiences, so that didn't help either.  However, the year before that there were two winter raffles.  If I had to guess, and it is only a guess, I'd say one before and one after Christmas.

[Exilium]

Well, last year there were no winter raffles, due to the new Star Wars movie, and the fact the US was out of stock on at least 60%, if not more of all the hilts they offer.  Of course, later on we found out they are also supplying hilts to Disney parks for Star Wars experiences, so that didn't help either.  However, the year before that there were two winter raffles.  If I had to guess, and it is only a guess, I'd say one before and one after Christmas.

I feel, TFA was a huge deal!

[Darth Acervus]

I feel, TFA was a huge deal!

I feel, that TFA was hit & miss at best. Of course it's a matter of individual opinion!

Raffles however are a huge deal!