Freebie Policies & FAQs
Looking to learn even more about our fun & friendly giveaways? How about some thrilling rules and policies? Buckle your seat belts, this is going to be exciting.
Q: What’s with all these giveaways all of a sudden?
A: You asked for them. When we polled our readers back in September of 2008, “contests” were heavily requested. Plus, we love being able to reward you guys for your continued support and enthusiasm. Giving away some free stuff now and then is the least we can do.
Q: Where do all these Fab Freebies come from?
A: Our swoonworthy prizes are usually generously donated by the company or individual mentioned in the post. They’re looking to gain a little exposure by doling out free stuff to our lovely readers, and that’s something we can wholeheartedly support.
Q: Who is eligible to win?
A: There’s no purchase necessary to enter any of our freebies, so anyone who can figure out how to comment is eligible to win. Well, except for the two of us, I guess. And we’ll be sure to identify where the prize can be shipped on a case-by-case basis so location may be a factor in some contests while others are wide open to the entire planet. We don’t play that “friends and family members of John and Sherry aren’t eligible” game because, heck, we’d like to think of all of our readers as our friends. And since our giveaways are truly random (see the question below if you don’t believe us) everyone’s on an equal playing field. Gotta love the luck of the draw.
Q: But what if I’ve won a giveaway before on your blog?
A: We do believe in spreading the love to as many people as possible, so all winners are temporarily ineligible to win again for the following three weeks. But by the fourth week you’re back in the hat with everyone else and we certainly hope you’ll come back to enter again. Oh, and if you’re too busy to keep track yourself, we’ve got you covered. If your e-mail address finds its way into a contest too soon, we’ll kindly pluck it out ’til that fourth week rolls around.
Q: How do you select the “random” winner?
A: We use random.org to help us pick all of our winners, so yes – they are truly random. After the contest ends, all of the entered e-mail addresses go into one big Excel spreadsheet. We then use random.org’s Sequence Generator to create a random string of numbers that get copy-and-pasted next to the column of e-mail addresses. A simple sort command shows us which lucky name(s) came out on top.
Q: Why are your winners always random?
A: To be honest, we just can’t bear the thought of having to pick a favorite in a contest where merit is involved. Perhaps we’ll sponsor some independently judged contests in the future, but for now we’re happy to play Switzerland and let a computer pick our winners.
Q: I’ve never won, so what’s the secret to upping my chances?
A: For now, we’re sticking to a strict one-entry-per-email-address system. We delete duplicate entries and, since the winner is notified by email, it’s gotta be a valid address. So if you wanna recruit your friends and family to enter for you, be our guest. Other than that, your best bet for upping your chances is to keep all appendages crossed at all times.
Q: Oh c’mon, can’t I earn bonus entries somehow? What if I mention it on my blog???
A: Sorry folks, but we’re sticking to our guns. While we’re a fan of other blogs who offer bonus entries for promoting their contests elsewhere, we’re simple folk and it just seems a little too complicated for now. Plus, we’re interested in rewarding our current readers, not just giving free stuff to people who pop over for a contest now and again. That being said, we’re totally appreciative any time people blog about happenings at YHL. Our door is always open.
Q: Shouldn’t there be some legal jargon on this page somewhere?
A: There should be, but we’re not lawyers (although Sherry’s mom is). Just for kicks we’ll put on our Law & Order hats and attempt some for your entertainment: Young House Love, as operated by John and Sherry Petersik, reserves the right to execute any contest or giveaway on www.younghouselove.com at their discretion and determine winners as they see fit and as they see fair. Rules, entry guidelines, prizes and eligibility for a contest may be changed at any time and without notice. Prize providers reserve the right to terminate a contest at any time and blog readers will be notified if and why this occurs.
Have a question that wasn’t answered here? Aren’t you thorough. Just shoot us a line at youngsters@younghouselove.com.
