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While many people still go through traditional method of buying timeshares (i.e., through timeshare brokers or real estate companies), the trend to buy timeshares online is catching up.

We hear many horror stories about people being scammed into buying timeshares which do not exist or sometimes are not up to the quality that they were promised or even in the wrong location. And these stories cannot be ignored because the number of people that have been cheated is unusually high and increasing by the day. And imagine yourself sitting in a presentation given by timeshare companies to prospective buyers. It is a traumatic experience as you will be subjected to sit for many hours and pressure selling techniques of the timeshare companies. They won't let you go unless and until you give some sign of commitment or sign some papers.

All these happenings lead to the emergence of internet auction sites for timeshares. Now the buyers have freedom from those unscrupulous sellers who adopt illegal techniques to sell their timeshares. Popular auction sites allow users to buy and sell timeshares through their website. These sites charge absolutely no upfront fee either to put your timeshare on sale or to bid on timeshare sales. They only charge after the bid is successful. When bidding on a timeshare, few points have to be kept in mind. Try to establish communication with the seller as soon as possible and know whether the seller is responding well to your queries or not. If yes, how soon and whether he is giving you the complete information or not. Internet auctions are also not fool proof against scammers and frauds, so beware of them. The above practice would eliminate few of the possibilities of you being trapped in some kind of scam. But it doesn't mean at the same time that if the seller is not responding he may not be a genuine seller. Some people are not good at written communication. In that case, making a phone call to inquire about the timeshare unit is not a bad idea.

One more important point to remember while bidding on timeshare auctions is to do your homework in advance by finding out complete information about the property. The details would include name and location of the property, number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms, Exchange Company's name that seller's resort deals with, the date by which the property is ready to use, annual maintenance fee of the resort, and sizes of bedrooms and is there any assessment this year?

Also do research about the selling price of similar units sold recently in that location. Do not worry whether you lose nor be in a hurry, there may be a better property in waiting for you. Also, it is not a bad idea if you determine the mode of payment beforehand by contacting the owner. Although there are many methods of payment available a seller may have a specific preference. Be watchful if the owner is not responding to this question.

The auction websites also provide seller ratings, feedbacks and transaction history. This very important to you as you may not want go to a seller with bad ratings or feedback. Also, if you miss a bid by a whisker, say $10, don't be discouraged. You may contact the seller that you are ready to buy the unit just in case if the winning bidder retracts his bid. It happens! Even if it doesn't happen, you may get another unit if seller has multiple units. But never agree to pay over your bid price which defeats the purpose of an auction which provides an open platform for fair and reasonable bargaining but within the jurisdiction of the system adhering to the rules and regulations.