Sky Auction?

[hsmamato2]

Can anyone give advice/info on Sky auction? I've looked at some of their deals, but most don't seem all that cheap....am I missing something?
Also,I see 'vacation certificates' offerd for 249.00 how do those work? Has anyone here used this site successfully? I'd love any and all feedback!

 

[bearzabout]

I have purchased and used about 75 Skyauction vacation certificates over the years and love them. They have changed my life.

I usually wait for a sale and pay less than the $249 price. Two years ago, I bought 8 at $149/certificate - the lowest price ever. I have snapped up many at $199 and have seldom paid more than that. They go on sale a few times a year for different amounts - $149, $179, $199, $219, $229 or $249. It is impossible to know what sales will come up or what the lowest price will be. Prices have been creeping up the last 1.5 years.

Only get them if you can travel off season and don't mind a one bedroom unit. Bigger units are rarely listed in inventory except for the very slowest seasons.

Inventory changes all the time and it is possible that a unit may not be available for the specific weeks you want. Check todays inventory at resortcerts.com to give yourself an idea what timeshares show up in which months.

Make sure to read reviews on the resorts and unit sizes so you have a better idea of what you are getting into. Some resorts are much nicer than others. Some one bedroom units can be very small without some amenities like full kitchens, balconies, spa tubs, etc.

I love using the certificates for Orlando, Vegas, Sedona, Williamsburg, Outer Banks, Myrtle Beach, Durango and Pagosa Springs.

Reservations cannot be cancelled or changed so keep this in mind. The more timeshares in a certain area, the better the chance of having excess inventory show up out of season.

It has become a bit harder to get good units recently. If I can't get the week and resort I want using the certificates, I book a specific week at a specific resort using Skyauction when they have a sale and only charge $199 in fees for a week instead of their normal $299. My winnng bid is usually $1, so the week costs me $220 ($1 bid plus $199 taxes plus $20 processing charge).

If I strike out with Skyauction, I have found some great deals by using Ebay.

Let me know if you have any more questions.

 

[cornflake]

I've used them - not as frequently as the above poster! So I'm not as experienced but just to let you know other people do too - and loved it. I also watched the auctions and found one I wanted and got a week at a resort in Maine for < $300 total. Got a few smaller things as well.

Some things aren't that cheap, some stuff you can find good deals. Just pay attention to the fees listed (the resort I got the fees were like $249 and the tax was a few bucks an the auction I won was literally for a dollar or two) and keep track and you can get really good deals. They've been around for a long time, too, first time I used them was yeeears ago.

 

[hsmamato2]

hmm- thanks for input- I wil look closer at some of the listings- how do the certificates work? you buy it, then use it whenever? or does it have to be used by a certain time? is it like putting $249.00 on a prepaid card,and then using that to reserve? I think I'm confused

 

[DawnM]

I have a whole write up on how to use it if you PM me your email address.

I am heading out the door so can't write a lot at the moment.

Basically you buy a "certificate" for $149-$249 and book on ResortCerts.com if you want to go to that site and see what you might get if you were to purchase one.

Then go to TripAdvisor.com to get the reviews before booking. I can tell you NOT to stay at Westgate Main Gate Resort. That was the only place I really will never go back to. There is one more, but I will have to look it up, but it wasn't nearly as bad as Westgate.

We always get 2 bedroom units.

We have used them exclusively for our Disney trips for the past 7 years. It allows us to go more often.

Dawn

 

[kiki02]

Ahhh, would love to know this too. Where do we start!=? thanks in advance.

I have a whole write up on how to use it if you PM me your email address.

I am heading out the door so can't write a lot at the moment.

Basically you buy a "certificate" for $149-$249 and book on ResortCerts.com if you want to go to that site and see what you might get if you were to purchase one.

Then go to TripAdvisor.com to get the reviews before booking. I can tell you NOT to stay at Westgate Main Gate Resort. That was the only place I really will never go back to. There is one more, but I will have to look it up, but it wasn't nearly as bad as Westgate.

We always get 2 bedroom units.

We have used them exclusively for our Disney trips for the past 7 years. It allows us to go more often.

Dawn

 

[DawnM]

PM me your email. It is on a Word doc.

 

[bearzabout]

Before you buy a vacation certificate, go to resortcerts.com and choose the United States, then Florida then Orlando and you can look at which timeshares are available currently for the next 12 months. Look up reviews on Tripadvisor on each resort to rule out the bad ones (some Timeshares are terrible).

Inventory is not as good as it has been over the last 12 years. High gas prices may change this as the year progresses. You do prepay for the certificate so if you can't find a unit you like during the weeks you are available, you cannot get a refund.

Since inventory at better timeshares is not very good this year, I think booking a specific size unit at a specific resort through the main Skyauction site is a better bet for most people. Just be very careful of the fees - especially extra costs for booking certain weeks or larger units. It may cost a bit more than using a vacation certificate, but could save you from worrying or accepting a poorly rated timeshare or smaller room because it is the only thing available.

 

[cornflake]

I have not done the certificate thing so I dunno about how it works. However, the resort I booked was a timeshare (in a resort hotel, it also operated as a hotel hotel). Basically Skyauction sells off a lot of travel agent and other industry surplus.

I booked the specific resort for a week, it was listed as an auction, with a specific type of room, and had different available periods listed. If you won, you could book whatever you chose from among them.

That's the only thing I've done is those auctions, for a flight or hotel or whatever, where you bid on the thing and there are, in the auction listing, the available dates you can choose from if you win.

 

[hsmamato2]

wow- how could I have not noticed this all these years? so it looks like a straight up auction purchase tells me exactly what I'd get,while a certificate means watching the resort cert site for what I want to use it on,once I buy it. sort of like prepaying-
thanks!