Travel auctions are when people bid for deals not unlike bidding for merchandise.Travel auctions are when people bid for deals not unlike bidding for merchandise.As with anything, a person has to be careful to find the most appropriate and will need to read the fine print to know exactly what they are getting. In the travel auctions arena, there are three major players.Ebay, where travel is one of many types of merchandise they sell.SkyAuction and LuxuryLink. Travel is all they sell. Luxurylink deals with luxury travel auctions and SkyAuction deals a step below. Ex. "A seven-night Western Caribbean cruise on Norweigan Cruise lines sold for $449 per person on SkyAuction, compared to $737 through other sellers." What does "deal" mean?Because of the higher profit margin built into it's normal prices, the biggest discounts would normally be for ritzy vacations.Ex. "A three night stay at Miami's Hotel St. Augustine are sold on LuxuryLink for $352 elsewhere for $219-$259." Do your research.Like anything else, a person should do their research. How much does it cost through regular channels?For cruises, Cruisecompete.com will gather numerous quotes.If it's only for a hotel stay, check with the hotel directly. Examine the packageMake sure you want all the extras before bidding.Know the seller"SkyAuction and LuxuryLink are travel agents that negotiate deals directly with hotels and airlines. At Ebay, the seller might be a resort,a travel agent,or some guy in a basement. The only outfitsallowed to sell flights,cruises,and vacation packages on Ebay arecompanies registered in it's SquareTrade program. (Non-licensed users are limited auctioning items such as vouchers and gift certificates.""Even with SquaredTrade, however,Ebay's message boards are filled with fraud complaints. Read up,because some people lie.Verify the company is indeed a SquareTrade member at SquareTrade.com" Become a detectiveMake sure the information about the company you are dealing with is listed and after a couple of searches should help you find them.If they can't be found,think again about dealing with the company.Make sure the people you are dealing withTake Paypal.They allow a person to use a credit card or checking account without sharing either number with the seller. Read the fine-print!Expect that there may be blackout dates and penalties for changes(or no changes allowed.) Watch out for those fees!"LuxuryLink charges $20 for every purchase and there are sometimes additional fees. At one Honduras resort, a 10% service charge is assessed at checkout. SkyAuction tacks on $32 per night at hotels and $195 per week on many condos." Whenever a person is dealing with something like this they should ask questions.Always ask questions!When do you ask them? Specifically, if the dates you want aren't available. It could be a difficult task though. Although LuxuryLink lists a toll-free number on it's website they refuse to confirm availability. SkyAuction only gives out it's number to customers after they've won an auction. According to their CEO Michael Hering, "If we had to do customer service by telephone for every prospective bidder, we wouldn't be able to operate." Ebay customers can click on "ask seller" to send e-mails.If you have little or no flexibility and can't confirm dates,pass on it. Make sure you observeA few auctions before jumping into one.Be ready for a rush of bids at the wire. "The last half-hour is when 50% of bids come in." according to Hering. Wait!these sites allow customers to make certain types of purchase immediately BUT these types of bidding is rarely good.Ex."One package with breakfast and lodging for two at the Nine Zero hotel in Boston for $249(plus taxes and it's $20 handling fee at the same time, the hotel posted a $239 promotional rate for lodging only(no breakfast,but no handling fee either.)" Watch out for these types of travel auctions. Vouchers,discount coupons,reward points and frequent-flier milesThese are usually prohibited by many travel companies, except for Ebay which rarely stops sales of such products, but it has revealed seller's identities in the past."I've gotten registered mail from Starwood warning me that they'd shut my account down." one user who was ousted by Ebay for selling Starwood vouchers. Keep an eye on your bidIf you're outbid, it's time to make a decision, decide in advance or determine and stick to the max you will spend when dealing with these types of travel auctions.Be careful of the bait and switch"After winning a Cancun lodging package at SkyAuction, Erik Staley,of Carlsbad, California,discovered that what he bought was different than what had been listed. SkyAuction was actually selling a room in the Oasis Cancun,not the Grand Oasis advertised-they're both parts of the same resort but guest at the former have smaller rooms and less amenities. Staly got a full refund."*Quotes form Budgettravel.com* I was just informed by a customer who "won" a auction with Sky Auction that they go through a 3rd party supplier to see if a portion of travel is available before they can do anything. This means they are not the ones who actually owns the travel someone else does so PLEASE! be aware of this!!!
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