Online Travel Booking and Bidding Agencies - Sky Auction

FYI, I did read some of threads regarding SkyAuction but couldn't find find a satisfactory answer to my questions so I hope y'all don't mind me asking this again if you've already heard it.

1. Is there a catch when you bid on a package? Do you have to attend some kind of seminar where they reel you into some timeshare deal or anything like that?

2. How do they manage to do these auctions and just almost give stuff away? Sometimes I see some real tempting packages for under $200 and I wonder how they make any money.

I live in Hawaii and I'm always looking for deals to go to Europe. I've only been to Italy once and that was with an escorted tour. I'd like to do that again (escorted tour again - still need a lilttle hand holding) and I realize that flights between Europe and U.S. fly out of New York. I already know I have to tack on a RT from HNL to JFK so I don't even know if going with SkyAuction would be a great idea for a newbie like me. But I'm going to keep an eye out and see what kinds of packages they have to offer.

Anyway, if someone can answer my questions above I'd really really appreciate it!!!

I booked a week at a "vacation club" resort in Cancun via skyauction earlier this year. We were given a "welcome orientation" by a timeshare shark and were invited to the free breakfast presentaiton the next day. We politely and firmly declined and they didn't hassle us the rest of our time there. While Skyauction doesn't require attendance at time share sales pitches, many of the resort properites they offer are time shares and you can expect to be approached by a salesperson. In our case a few minutes of listening to the salesperson was worth it for the great deal we got.

One thing to note on skyacution is the "tax and service charges". Often these are around $195 per person. Also keep an eye out for upcharges on certain dates or room types.

Thanks for the inside info on skyauction.

Thanks bryang73. I knew there was some kind of catch to these auction sites. But if they had good timeshares in Rome I'd probably have to think that one over. Thanks again!

I have won numerous items from Skyauction. Before they became well known all there auctions started at $1 (that was great). I won a three day/two night lodging and dinner certificate in Ft. Lauderdale - and yes I had to go to a timeshare presentation. I also won a cruise out of Miami for $400 for two. Lately things have been going for a lot higher than I think they are worth.

They have also started to add more taxes and fees. I would read the auction carefully.

I did find out that you don't have to stay the whole time if you win a 7 day auction. You can ask to book yoru tickets for return travel earlier.

The Hotel RIU for 32 bucks a night + 32 buck fees and taxes. Sounds like a good deal to me. Let me know if anyone has experinence with this or what I should expect? I just hope they don't bump us as we are arriving late. Gonna call the property to tell them that. I would expect a comparable hotel at a three star rating if that is the case. Will push and make a scene since I know the other hotels in the area. Hope this isnt a problem however and they honor their "profit sharing" agreement

I got a hotel room in San Juan, Puerto Rico for $8/night plus taxes, fees, etc. It worked out to $180 for a week's stay. The hotel was decent but slightly over-represented in its descrption compared the reality of it. I think this was more due to the hotel's self promotion than skyauction, though. I had some correspondence with skyauction in conjunction with my booking and they were very good at responding to email inquiries in a timely and professional manner.

You can find a good deal but the Watch for the taxes & fees. They can make what looks like a bargain not be a bargain.

Seems there rarely are great finds on the website when it comes to airfare & hotel packages.

I also would like to hear from other members on similar sites that they use to find last minute bargains to far away lands from the US.

Yes, it looks like they really sock it to you in taxes.

I see some good deals on the site but I am not very flexible in my travel dates. So I usually pass on bidding.

We have bought trips to South Africa, China and Brazil, and a transatlantic cruise through SkyAuction. We have also stayed in hotels for $35-$50 a night, including all fees. The secret to getting a good deal is to search the internet for comparable trips through other sources to determine a reasonable cost, then set your upper limit accordingly. Don't forget to include the fees, which are always spelled out. We have never stayed at one of the "timeshare" deals, but I think they always say in the fine print that a sales presentation is included. Not everything on SkyAuction is a good deal, but there are some real gems if you look carefully. Always be sure to use the autobid feature and don't get carried away by the "auction".

I have found the hotel deals to be excellent. I am staying in South Beach shortly and have booked a hotel that has a $170 rate on their website for $32 +32 taxes amd fees. Also just as a hint..their are many online coupons that take 25 bucks off your first booking with sky auction. I have done better with sky auction on hotels then I could have bidding. I will keep going back.