PONTIAC – Penny auction sites may be a dime a dozen on the Internet, but Michigan-based BidDogz.Com bounded into the pack with its own breed of auction site last week. Its slogan: “Where Bidding Doesn’t Bite.”

Founder Michael Falk, who describes himself as a seasoned marketing veteran, said he came up with the idea for BidDogz.Com while talking with customers at other sites.

?I?ve been in business for the past 25 years with our marketing company,? Falk said. ?Two years ago we looked around and asked, ?how do we provide value for people in a fun way?? We came up with our own version of the penny auction.?

But what Falk wants everyone to know is his site is run by real people and funded by him. There is no auto bidding like on other sites. New users receive 10 free bids, known on the site as ?bidz,? just for completing the free registration process. The site requires no commitment from its users and offers opportunities to win items at prices that can be up to 95 percent less than retail. The BidDogz name was selected because dogs are loyal.

?We?re a loyal company too. People are important to us. We?ll be there while they are playing.?

Falk is the founder of Marketing Strategies Group Inc., which has run incentive and other marketing-based promotions for clients across the country. BidDogz is operated by Howling Dog Enterprizes LLC. All prizes are stored at the company?s 28,000-square-foot warehouse in Pontiac. The company employs 17 Michigan residents and plans to increase that number as the business grows.

Falk said all the items up for bid are new. Users will find deals on name brand electronics, sporting goods, housewares, the latest personal technology and gift cards.

BidDogz customers can be rewarded for playing, even without winning an auction through the site?s BidDogz Rewardz Program and its BidDogz Bonuses feature. BidDogz Rewardz allows users to collect points when bids are placed, then redeem those points for merchandise. BidDogz Bonuses are merchandise prizes granted to players just for participating on the site. BidDogz also features ?Puppy Auctions? that help new online auction players learn the functionality of the page in a lower pressure setting.

Items that appeared on the site in the first week included: Oakley sunglasses, Harman Kardon iPod sound docks, Sony digital cameras, Flip HD camcorders, Toshiba LCD TVs, Prada handbags, Garmin GPS devices, DeWalt cordless tools, Keurig gourmet coffee brewers, Breville panini presses, Nike golf bags and Apple iPods.

The BidDogz process is simple. Timed auctions begin with a bid of just one cent, with no reserve. Each subsequent bid then raises the auction price a penny. A winner is declared when the timer expires. Winners pay the final auction price and a small shipping fee via credit card through the safe and secure BidDogz payment interface. ?Bidz? can be purchased in quantities of 25 to 500.

?We want everyone to be part of BidDogz family,? Falk said.

For more information, click on BidDogz.Com

a>>