Bidshares and other auction sites

[Dolly-VA Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Dolly-VA]

Hey there, I actually posted before, but it was the day the postings disappeared... So, anyway, on to my question(s)...

Has anyone bought anything, whether a resale or a rental through bidshares or ebay or any other auction site out there? How was the overall experience? I just noticed skyauctions (another thread here) and will look at that more closely soon (do they really rent weeks for only $1 or is this just the tip of the monetary iceberg OR *gasp* do these weeks include a mandatory spiel session?) Are these all legitimate? Are there any I should stay away from? I'm very nervous about placing a bid, but have seen a couple rentals that would be perfect for my family this summer as well as a resale that interests me. Still, the paranoia...

ALSO, I'm seriously looking at purchasing a resale at Parkway International, an Orlando area resort. It's a 2 bdrm, with yearly maintenance at $500 and during a week that is perfect for my family to use (during August) if we don't trade it. Anyone have any information on this resort? Is this is a good trading time? Is this yearly fee decent or too much? It's with II, does that matter?

Thank you all for doing all that you are on this website, informing the uninformed! You're awesome!

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

You can get some good deals on Ebay. I bought some from there when I first started buying. If you do not know you can end up paying to much as I did for my Orlando unit. I can not commit on the Orlando resort that you want to purchase but I will say that some of the best ones in Orlando are IMO Orange Lake, Vistana, Summer Bay, Marriott's and of coarse the Disney properties. I am not sure what you are looking to pay but look in the classifeds here. You can also Post on this site here what you are looking to buy.

[Guest Close Quarterbore]

If you are looking at the bigger reorts, I would look at renting and trying the place for a year before you buy... rentals are so darned cheap and that way you will not be stuck with a property that you later regret.

My father ownes at Vistina and it is a great place and my Wife and I stayed at Orange Lake a couple years back and it is also a great place...

Just look at the rental market as I think you might be able to rent weeks for about what your maintance fees would be to own...

Now that is just crazy!

Try the links on the right (Timeshare Rentals) and you may be surprised how cheap the rent is sometimes... I know I am!

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

Hello Dolly, I remember you posting before. Parkway is not one of the top resorts in Orlando, but it is nice enough and in a good location. It seems to me that the maintenance fees were higher than that though, so I suggest rechecking that. August is not the highest demand season but it is still within the peak demand time- but I would avoid the very edge-week 34. We usually tell people not to buy in Orlando because you can trade in easily enough and the annual fees are too high. If the fee is, in fact, $ 500 it would be on the lower end for Orlando fees. The only reason I would buy there would be to resell the week at a profit-so I wouldn't pay much and hope to sell quickly for more. My guess is that you could find such a week for $ 3,000- $ 4,000 if you looked hard enough.

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

Recently, Bidshares went to free listings from what I've heard.

[aliikai2 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close aliikai2]

It has been free now

to sell or rent for a while. And it appears that the listings and traffic are increasing. I rented a couple there in the last month, with no final fee. fwiw, Greg

Bidshares has always been free to list. You pay a $50 fee if you sell.

[Dolly-VA Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Dolly-VA]

Thank you! It is a relief to know that I can feel pretty safe about going through bidshares/ebay/and a few others mentioned (I will look into them.) The suggestion to rent for a year actually sounds like an excellent idea. The idea of committing to a purchase, unseen, has my husband looking at me like I've a screw loose (I'm usually the pessimistic one about leaping into anything.) Now, if I rent weeks, will I have the same accommodations? Service? Etc.? Is it a good indication of what the various resorts are like for owners? I'm liking the idea of shopping around.

One of the main reasons I'm interested in timeshares is the perceived comfort in knowing that if I decide to go somewhere completely new with my family (someplace not in the US for example) that we will not have to worry about working our way through the local system in order to have a good vacation. (Been there, done that, it was great fun and an adventure before kids, after...no thanks!) I would really like to try a Mexican all-inclusive...

[Dolly-VA Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Dolly-VA]

Okay, here's an example of something I found in Skyauctions right now that looks interesting to me: http://www.skyauction.com/action/offer/1137767 but as I scrolled down the list I found this one: http://www.skyauction.com/action/offer/1138690 which is basically the same exact auction repeated. What is the likelihood if I bid on this and won I would actually get a week I could use? (And though it says nothing of attending a "tour" would I be expected to?) Sorry to bug you all again...

[Guest Close Quarterbore]

You should be treated the same as a renter as if you were an owner. Renting will let you see how well they keep the place up, what is on the resort and the area, and what parts of the resort may be more desireable to own if you do decide to buy.

I really doubt I will buy another timeshare without either solid recommendations or a trial run first!

[Guest Close Quarterbore]

Okay, here's an example of something I found in Skyauctions right now that looks interesting to me: http://www.skyauction.com/action/offer/1137767 but as I scrolled down the list I found this one: http://www.skyauction.com/action/offer/1138690 which is basically the same exact auction repeated. What is the likelihood if I bid on this and won I would actually get a week I could use? (And though it says nothing of attending a "tour" would I be expected to?) Sorry to bug you all again...

You would need to ask the seller...

One word of caution, if you do go to a resort and attend a sales pitch leave the checkbook at home as well as all the credit cards... OR, give me the $15,000 or so and I will buy you the same unit off ebay for about $5000 (or less) for you and keep the $10,000 you would be throwing away! I have confidence you know this and that was the resaon you ask but I sat in on the Orange Lake sales pitch and they tried every trick in the book to convince me their $13,000 offer was better then the $4,000 weeks on ebay. I was just there to see their tactics as there was no way I was going to buy

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

Setting the record straight,Bidshares is free. From their website: "We do not assess any fees at auction end and we do not handle the final transaction or the exchange of money. The site is absolutely free. "

[Dolly-VA Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Dolly-VA]

Honestly, I have a real fear of being a salespitch target. Not because I think I'm gullible, but because it makes me moody and upset. I dread buying new cars. Homes. Refinancing mortgages. Appliances! Anything where someone is trying to convince me to buy <whatever.> I find nothing fun about shopping and high pressure sales... Other than that, I'm all for it!

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

Perhaps a good idea for a buy in Orlando would be an EOY (every other year) or ETY (every third year). I noticed that Parkway has such ownership as I just saw an ETY on EBAY (not summer tho). The thing about these reduced ownerships is that the resale pricing is usually even lower than 1/2 or 1/3 of annual ownership. Here is a summer week I saw at another unrated resort with about the same fees: http://cgi.ebay.com/2BR-LOCK-ORLANDO...QQcmdZViewItem
I can't speak for the quality of the resort tho.

[blr666 Member Find all posts View Profile Close blr666]

There's also the $195 per week addition to that, plus the amount of the bid.

[Bustyboy Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Bustyboy]

Hi,
This is my first post. I purchased an Easter week unit at The Parkway International resort at auction through bid 4 assets. I have been twice and am very happy with it. I also just traded it for a week at The Harborside at Atlantis with II.
It is only 1 mile from Disneys main gate.
I can E-mail you pics if you would like. Grounds are well maintained. Staff is friendly.
Units are clean. Family oriented. Small resort! Next to Vacation Village at Parkway.
The units are big, 2 twin beds and a king. Pullout sofa.
The pool is nice. The best units are in buildings A, D and C, all pool views.
I only paid what it would cost for a weeks rental. M&T are 542.00 year.
Also, I have traded twice to top resorts through II and have had great trades.
Hope this helps.
Tammy