Use Online Auctions for your Florida Vacations!!

Tips and Reviews for using online auctions & travel auction web sites.

The introduction of online auctions for your Florida vacations have provided a great benefit to you and me. How? Well, they give us great buying power and even offer the capabilities to sell your stuff.

Travel auction web sites offer us the ability to name our price when booking a hotel, car, hotel, or package. You can absolutely get fabulous deals.

We use online auctions to buy stuff, sell old stuff, and price shop when traveling to Florida!

This page was set up to provide you a list of tips you should know before using online auction sites like eBay, Priceline, or whichever sites are your favorites. We also have given some reviews on some our favorite auction sites.

So, away we go...

Let me start off by stating that using online auctions is easy. If you can point, click, and read, then you should have no problem. Sure, you need to do a few things to get used to it, but who doesn't when learning something new.

For example, I bought and sold the majority of my textbooks on half.com. I would tell people of the great deals I would get and the money I received when selling. They figured it too hard to type in some information and click a button to get more money or save more money.

So, don't be those people.
Follow some simple guidelines and you'll be on your way to saving money on all your travel needs!!

Here is our tips for using online auctions...

• Understand how auctions work: Search around, read descriptions, get familiar with the site. Yes, you bid for the price you want to pay, but you want to understand the overall outlook of auctions.
  
  
• Do your homework: If there is a seller, check them out. eBay for instance, provides feedback of each seller. Know the descriptions, sellers terms, etc...
  Read everything.
  For travel auction web sites, read their terms, policies, and conditions. A quick read through can help you in the long run if a problem were to arise.
  
  
• Establish a top price and stick to it: I have seen people overpay for an item before because of the excitement. We use travel auctions to bid lower than the other sites are offering and many times get a great deal. Just bid wisely.
  
  
• Get contact information: Know how/who to get in touch with if you have a question or concern.
  
  
• Use credit cards or paypal if you can: These options are more secure and provide you more protection. Paypal is really easy to sign up for. I even have a debit card that I can use for my Paypal account. It is vital if you decide to sell your stuff at online auctions.
  
  
• Find out about delivery, refunds, warranties, and returns: This is a must. You can find all of this information in descriptions or a link at the bottom that says terms & conditions.
• Know that accepting a bid is a binding contract. There might be ways to get out of a bid, but it isn't recommended to bid then back out. Be sure you know what/why you're bidding.
  
  
• If you're wary of your personal information, make sure you read the privacy policies.
  
  
• Also, know if additional fees, taxes, etc. apply.

Listed here are our two favorite sites for online auctions...

1. eBay!
If you haven't heard of eBay, then where have you been? Just kidding. We use eBay for buying, selling, and comparing. Many times you'll find items much cheaper and it is fun and pleasurable dealing with the various sellers.

eBay is a platform that allows regular Joe's like you and me the opportunity to buy anything and I mean anything at great prices. It also allows you to sell your stuff or even start a part time business.

We did this and got rid of items we had laying around and actually made some money to finance other ventures. It is a great way for you to make some extra spending money for your trip. Don't be worried, it is very easy and quite fun to do...
You will want to have a digital camera to take pictures. Then, you write a simple description, name your starting price, provide your terms and shipping policy (usps is our choice), and let er rip!!

This site isn't about selling on eBay, so we suggest you get familiar with their selling criteria and tips on their site. Just know that you can get rid of your stuff if you want to raise a few extra bucks.

Just register (it's FREE) to buy and sell from the home page. This takes only a couple of minutes. Feel your way around. Bid on some low price items you want and enjoy. You can find all your beach items, travel items, and other travel needs on eBay- they even have timeshares, listings, and all things travel.

As for security, eBay is very safe and will assist you immediately if a problem arises. As long as you follow the tips above, you will be ok.

2. Priceline:
Priceline is a great source for travel. It is a bit different when it comes to naming your price. They actually allow you to put in your bid, then go out and offer that price to the airlines/hotels/car rental companies. These companies then have the option to accept or decline your bid.

Priceline provides fast results and is quite easy to use. You will probably find the best deals on cars, hotels, and packages.
We suggest you search the other sites we mention first, then go to priceline and bid lower (15-20%).

Again, be sure to read their terms and conditions...
-For instance, they have a limit as to how many times you can bid on a particular item.
-They don't offer frequent flyer points.
-You must be 21 to check into a hotel.
-There are restrictions you should pay attention to.
-You do have to tell them your travel dates, destination, price you're wanting to pay, and credit card information.
-There are no refunds once your price is accepted!

We believe with a little due diligence, you will be fine with priceline. We have used priceline before with success, so we feel confident in recommending them, if you do your homework before bidding.

Final Note:We will continue to research and review the different sites. We have always had good experiences with online auctions, especially the two above.

If you follow these tips and suggestions, then online auctions are awesome for finding deals for all your travel needs. If you have any questions, let us know.

If you want to do more research or need to find something on the web or our site, the try a search!!

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