SFX as a trading power indicator???

e.bram · Aug 12, 2006

How good is SFX as an indicator of trading power in RCI andII? In ther words if SFX accepts your TS it's probably a good trader. If they give you a bonus week, it's a TIGER trader. And if they won't take it ia DOG.

JT62 · Aug 12, 2006

e.bram said:
How good is SFX as an indicator of trading power in RCI andII? In ther words if SFX accepts your TS it's probably a good trader. If they give you a bonus week, it's a TIGER trader. And if they won't take it ia DOG.

I have been told that Aquamarine Villas (July and August check ins) are good traders. SFX doesn't accept them. The same for Capri By The Sea....SFX doesn't accept, and I believe that a summer week there is a good trader.

So I don't know.

Realistially, my "poor" traders (AM Villas not summer weeks and Capri by the Sea in fall and spring) have gotten me every trade I have ever wanted. That's all that matters to me. Of course, the trades I wanted are probably easy, too, but again, I'm happy.

JT

DeniseM · Aug 12, 2006

With SFX, I don't think getting a bonus weeks is really tied to the exchange value of your deposit - it's more related to how early you deposit.

bellesgirl · Aug 13, 2006

DeniseM said:
With SFX, I don't think getting a bonus weeks is really tied to the exchange value of your deposit - it's more related to how early you deposit.

The bonuses are usually given during a promotion period, but whether SFX gives you a 2 for 1 or a 3 for 1 bonus is tied to the value. Or they may not give you a bonus at all. SFX also reevaluates the weeks and times it will accept quite regularily. I have some very strong weeks that SFX used to take and have now decided not to take. They are still tigers with RCI.

philemer · Aug 13, 2006

e.bram said:
How good is SFX as an indicator of trading power in RCI andII? In ther words if SFX accepts your TS it's probably a good trader. If they give you a bonus week, it's a TIGER trader. And if they won't take it ia DOG.

Not much of a relationship. For instance, I have two great traders and SFX will only take one of them, a week #7 in ski country. The other one is a Standard resort, summer week, on the Gulf coast. SFX says it has no demand for the Gulf coast. RCI's customers sure love it though.

Phil

BocaBum99 · Aug 13, 2006

Weeks exchange is pretty much pot luck depending on the business model of the exchange company and their secret formula for creating trading power. Since each of them have different business models and various captive audiences, trading power varies drastically between them.

None of them do that good a job at matching real supply and demand for a resort location. Points do slightly better, but they have their own flaws as well.

The converse question is actually more illuminating. That is: Which exchange company is most representative of the real supply and demand for a location? The real supply and demand is best represented by the average rental rates in the area for equivalent accommodations.

Judy · Aug 13, 2006

If SFX won't take your resort at all, it doesn't mean anything about trading power. It probably means that your resort doesn't have enough ammenities to be awarded a Five Star or Gold Crown and that SFX doesn't consider it a top quality resort.
My strongest trader is a standard resort. SFX wouldn't even consider taking it.

funtime · Aug 13, 2006

SFX took my week but apparently considers it a weak trader

I gave SFX my one bed week 27 at Dolphin's Cove in Anaheim. They must consider it a weak trader because I can't seem to get anything worthwhile with it. I have had several email requests in. The last was for Southern California in the fall and nothing! It has been very frustrating. Funtime
PS - too bad they don't take the Aquamarine. I think September is a great time to go to the beach in Southern California and I would have been happy for the trade.

DeniseM · Aug 13, 2006

I still have one of my Westin Ka'anapali weeks deposited with SFX that I haven't been able to use yet - ouch!

I tried to get a Kauai exchange for over a year with it, and then ended up having to rent when I didn't get anything, and I just put in a request in for the San Diego area for next June. I sure hope I get something! - The week expires the end of June and I would hate to lose it! :bawl:

As a teacher, I'm tied into the school year, and I know that makes it a lot tougher, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

jjking42 · Aug 14, 2006

i have had good luck with sfx but my Best trader in rci they will not take.

So it all depends on where there members want to go and what you own. If you want to trade with sfx than get a sfx trader if you want to trade with rci than buy very high demand regardless of quality rating

If you want to trade with ii than get very high quality with high season.

or buy something you want to actually use 50% of the time

e.bram · Aug 14, 2006

If SFX only takes high quality high demand TSes, then a strategy for a good trader would be SFX acceptance regardless of the trading company you choose. They are the only trading company that gives you an idea of a resorts tradabilty upfront.

TravelSFO · Aug 14, 2006

funtime said:
I gave SFX my one bed week 27 at Dolphin's Cove in Anaheim. They must consider it a weak trader because I can't seem to get anything worthwhile with it. I have had several email requests in. The last was for Southern California in the fall and nothing! It has been very frustrating. Funtime
PS - too bad they don't take the Aquamarine. I think September is a great time to go to the beach in Southern California and I would have been happy for the trade.

Funtime,

Just personal opinion, but I think your experience is more about availability than trading power. It's quite possible that SFX just didn't have anything available for the timeframe/location you requested. Remember, SFX operates on a much smaller scale than RCI or II.

TravelSFO · Aug 14, 2006

DeniseM said:
I still have one of my Westin Ka'anapali weeks deposited with SFX that I haven't been able to use yet - ouch! I tried to get a Kauai exchange for over a year with it, and then ended up having to rent when I didn't get anything, and I just put in a request in for the San Diego area for next June. I sure hope I get something! - The week expires the end of June and I would hate to lose it! As a teacher, I'm tied into the school year, and I know that makes it a lot tougher, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

SFX will extend the expiration of your week another year if you deposit another week with them. (Not much help if they can't get you the week you want, I know ...)

Mimi · Aug 14, 2006

SFX

I no longer deposit Kona Coast II with SFX. In the late 1990's the personal service was exceptional. More recent experience involved emails and waiting many long months for a trade. Just before I had to pay to extend my deposit, I expanded my search and got a trade to Sedona. The following year, I got the same Sedona trade with my standard Mount Amanzi unit in South Africa.

"Roger" · Aug 14, 2006

e.bram said:
.... They are the only trading company that gives you an idea of a resorts tradabilty upfront.

ahhhhh.... what about any of the points networks.

e.bram · Aug 14, 2006

Roger:
The points systems call the May and October weeks the same as the July and August weeks. You could have enough points and want a July week and only get September because the developer and rentals glomed up the prime weeks.
You never hear of any posters bragging about using the SFX system to upgrade a blue off season week for a prime summer 5* week. With RCI and II you hear many posts of members who manipulate those systems in that manner. SFX won't take blue or white or even pink weeks. l

DeniseM · Aug 14, 2006

TravelSFO said:
SFX will extend the expiration of your week another year if you deposit another week with them. (Not much help if they can't get you the week you want, I know ...)

I don't have anything available to deposit for 2007 that SFX would take. I am going to try for a San Diego area exchange and if I don't get it I will just wave good bye to the week. :wave:

I can't really think of another area in CA to add, because this is a vacation for me, my mom, and 2 hyper kids, and we need to keep the kids really busy, so San Diego, with all it's attractions would be perfect. (We just did Disneyland with them this year.) Plus my mom is on a tight budget so we need to stay close to home (and she won't let me pay for everything.)

philemer · Aug 14, 2006

e.bram said:
They are the only trading company that gives you an idea of a resorts tradabilty upfront.

Not so. RCI will be glad to give you an indication of how well your week will trade. Just write them at feedback@rci.com with TUG in the Subject line and ask away. I asked them about the trading power of two of my weeks and they said I would have no problem pulling anything in Hawaii-which was what I was asking about. No company can guarantee you an exchange.

Phil

e.bram · Aug 14, 2006

Roger:

The point system mixes the prime with the pink, and the inland with the waterfront so they all have the same points. One might be have enough points for prime oceanfront and get pink inland because the developer has allocated those weeks for himself for his unsold or reposeses points, which he can rent for a nice profit leaving the pink inland for thr points owners.
I have never seen a boast on this board where someone traded a blue or white week for a prime red week with SFX. On the other hand we read many times wher posters have bragged they "used" the RCI or II system to upgrade a off season low VEP resort for a prime 5* TS. This must say something of the fairness of the SFX trades and the resistance to manipulation of it's system.
If they don't accept the crummy offseason weeks none of their traders will get stuck with them as a result of a lopsided trade. No such boasting from SFX clients.

Dani · Aug 14, 2006

e.bram said:
If they don't accept the crummy offseason weeks none of their traders will get stuck with them as a result of a lopsided trade. No such boasting from SFX clients.

They absolutely do accept crummy off-season weeks. I know because I used to own at a resort where they offered and continue to offer me bonus weeks for weeks that would trade poorly elsewhere. What they do offer or should offer is trades into other quality resorts. That has absolutely nothing to do with trade power and you will not get very far if you try to measure what is a strong trader with RCI and II by what SFX is willing to take.

Judy · Aug 15, 2006

jjking42 said:
If you want to trade with ii than get very high quality with high season.

I disagree. I own three II affiliated resorts. My lower rated two consistently out-trade my highest rated, week 7, ski area resort. While my very high quality /high season resort can get me other very high quality resorts, it cannot get medium to low quality resorts. There are so few very high quality resorts in the system that my lowly standard timeshare always pulls more resorts in more areas.

"Roger" · Aug 15, 2006

With regard to the original question posed in this thread as to whether acceptance by SFX is an reliable indicator of trading power...

Almost everyone who responded within this thread and a similar one on Timeshare Forums has noted problems with using it as a reliable indicator. I might add that we are hearing constantlly how RCI Points "OVERPOINTS" Orlando resorts (that these resorts should be given the lowest of low ratings because of ease of access), yet SFX lists a number of these very same resorts on its web page as potential destinations when using SFX. So, if these resorts should be low in trading power, then just because a resort is within the SFX system is not a reliable indicator of worth in terms of trading power.
Those reading this thread should be aware that SFX also rates deposits in terms of trading power and that determines who gets what in the case of an overabundance of requests for a single location or a single resort. How the deposits stack against each other within the system is keep secret from depositors (until you start asking why your deposit isn't getting filled).
Is there any system that tells you up front what your trading power is. Worldmark, Fairfield, Disney, Bluegreen, and ... yes, RCI Points. While people might question the trading power given to certain resorts within these systems, that doesn't change the fact that buyers are told what the worth of their resort is.

Finally, I don't want anything in the above to indicate that I have any problem with SFX. Many TUGGERs have had great success with using them and I hope that they continue to have success. Others have had less success. I think the lesson to be learned from this is there is no single, best trading company or system for all comers, all parties. People need to learn which system will work best for their own situation. One of the strengths of TUG is sharing the necessary information so that everyone can find what suits themselves best. Trying to argue that one company is best for all parties is counterproductive and leads to disappointment.

JMHO

e.bram · Aug 15, 2006

Roger:

Points owners have to be deluding themselves when theyaccept that an inland resort is worth as an oceanfront or a May weeks is worth a July week. It,s like whwn a store offers a product at a good sale price, but it is never in stock.

Judy · Aug 17, 2006

Roger said:
Is there any system that tells you up front what your trading power is. Worldmark, Fairfield, Disney, Bluegreen, and ... yes, RCI Points.

and Dial an Exchange (DAE)

"Roger" · Aug 17, 2006

I am not that familiar with DAE, but I am not sure that they do tell you your trading power.

My understanding is that you can chose any unit in their inventory with any deposit (thus, much like SFX, there is the appearance that all deposits have the same same trading power). But, if they have to search for a unit (or wait for an appropriate deposit to meet your request), when they do get a unit, it goes to whomever had the strongest deposit (trading power). If this is how it works (I am am more than willing to be corrected), then you are not told what your trading power is up front.

SFX as a trading power indicator???

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