BUYING CHEAP HOLIDAYS ON EBAY....SCAMS

IF YOU FIND THIS GUIDE HELPFUL, PLEASE VOTE BELOW, SO I KNOW I'M NOT WASTING MY TIME! THANKS.

BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN BIDDING ON A CHEAP HOLIDAY ON EBAY. MANY ARE GENUINELY GOOD DEALS, AND PEOPLE ARE SELLING THEIR TICKETS FOR A GOOD REASON. HOWEVER, MANY ARE SCAMS.

THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE SELLING SCRATCH-CARD STYLE CLAIM NUMBERS WHICH YOU GET FROM THOSE ANNOYING FREE SCRATCHCARDS IN MAGAZINES. YOU HAVE TO CALL A 090.. NUMBER, CHARGED AT 1.50 PER MINUTE, AND PROBABLY HAVE WON NOTHING BUT A PEN OR A KEY-RING. PEOPLE ARE BIDDING HIGH AMOUNTS ON THESE ITEMS, AS THEY BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE BUYING A GENUINE ALL-INCLUSIVE HOLIDAY. DO NOT BID ON THESE ITEMS, THEY ARE ALWAYS SCAMS. YOUCAN SPOT THESE ITEMS, AS THEY WILL NOT HAVE SPECIFIC DETAILS ABOUT THE HOLIDAY (DEPARTURE/RETURN DATES ETC.) ASK THE SELLER IF IN DOUBT.

THERE ARE ALSO MANY AUCTIONS, IN WHICH YOU SEEM TO BE GETTING A GREAT DEAL, BUT IF YOU READ THE SMALL PRINT IT SAYS SOMETHING LIKE:

"you are bidding to reserve a holiday at our destination. the price of your stay is an extra 63 per person per night." OR "you are bidding on a promotional pen and a free brochure of our available villas".

ENSURE YOU READ THE SMALL PRINT THOROUGHLY BEFORE BIDDING ON ANY HOLIDAY.

ALSO THERE ARE MANY TICKETS FOR SALE WHEN THE AUCTION END DATE IS AFTER OR EXTREMELY CLOSE TO THE DATE OF TRAVEL. BE VERY CAREFUL HERE, AS A LOT OF THE TIME, THERE IS NOT TIME LEFT TO POST THE TICKETS, SO YOU MAY HAVE TO COLLECT THEM. ALSO REMEMBER THAT YOU NEED TO CHANGE THEM INTO YOUR NAME, MAKE SURE YOUR PASSPORT IS VALID, TAKE OUT HOLIDAY INSURANCE, AND HAVE THE APPROPRIATE VACCINATIONS. ALL THESE THINGS COULD TAKE QUITE SOME TIME, AND COULD STOP YOU FROM TRAVELLING IF NOT DONE.

BUYING A LAST MINUTE TICKET, IS A BIT LIKE BUYING A CHEAP LAST MINUTE HOLIDAY FROM THE TRAVEL AGENT, BUT WHEN YOU BUY FROM AN AGENT, THEY WILL REQUIRE YOU TO HAVE A VALID PASSPORT, SELL YOU INSURANCE, AND OF COURSE, THE TICKETS WILL ALREADY BE IN YOUR NAME.

EVEN IF THE TICKETS END 7 DAYS BEFORE DEPARTURE, IT IS NOT WORTH TAKING THE RISK, AS DUE TO POSTAL DELAYS, YOU MAY NOT RECIEVE THEM IN TIME.

IF YOU WANT TO BUY TICKETS FROM EBAY, I WOULD ADVISE YOU TO ONLY BUY TICKETS THAT HAVE OVER 4 WEEKS LEFT BEFORE DEPARTURE. THIS GIVES TIME FOR DELIVERY, AND ALSO TIME TO VALIDATE YOUR PASSPORT (IF ITS NOT VALID), VISIT THE DOCTOR FOR VACCINATIONS (IF REQUIRED) AND TO BUY INSURANCE.

YOU SHOULD ALSO NOTE THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT ON THE TICKET BEFORE BUYING, AS IF YOU WOULD BE FLYING FROM A DISTANT AIRPORT, YOU WILL NEED TO ARRANGE FOR TRANSPORT TO GET THERE (IF YOU DONT HAVE YOUR OWN), AND IF USING PRIVATE HIRE, THIS COULD BE EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE.

FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU LIVE IN THE NORTH, (SHEFFIELD, MANCHESTER, LEEDS. LIVERPOOL ETC.) AND THE FLIGHT LEAVES FROM A LONDON AIRPORT, YOU NEED TO CONSIDER THE FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS. I'M NOT SURE JUST HOW MUCH A PRIVATE HIRE JOURNEY FROM SHEFFIELD TO LONDON WOULD COST, BUT FROM SHEFFIELD TO MANCHESTER AIRPORT (A ONE HOUR DRIVE) COSTS BETWEEN 70-120. YOU SHOULD ALSO CONSIDER THE TIME IT WILL TAKE TO ARRIVE AT THE AIRPORT, AS YOU NEED TO CHECK IN 2 HOURS BEFORE DEPARTURE.

THE ADMINISTRATION CHARGES FOR CHANGING THE TICKETS INTO YOUR NAME ARE ALSO QUITE HIGH, USUALLY COSTING AROUND 65 PER PERSON. MANY SELLERS WILL OFFER TO PAY THESE FOR YOU, WHICH IS A BONUS, BUT IF NOT, THIS WILL ADD QUITE A LOT TO THE FINAL COST OF YOUR HOLIDAY.

BEFORE BIDDING ON OR BUYING ANY HOLIDAY FROM EBAY, PLEASE CONSIDER ALL THE ABOVE FACTS, AND PLEASE BE CAREFUL.