Reputable ebay resellers

Myrddin12 · Jun 30, 2014

Hi. Been looking at all of the amazing info you have here as my husband and I have been considering a Sheraton Vistana Villages timeshare, but no way we were paying those costs. There are quite a few on ebay that fit what we are interested in, but I don't know how to best tell you is reputable.

Are there any sellers that TUG members recommend? Or any to steer clear of?

Thanks so much!

csxjohn · Jun 30, 2014

Welcome to TUG!

Start with this thread.

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=56

If you find a unit you're interested in enter the eBay seller's name in the search function on the blue bar near the top of this page.

If you don't find what you're looking for, start a thread and ask about specific sellers.

Passepartout · Jun 30, 2014

And/or just look for those with substantial positive reviews. I wouldn't buy from a private owner selling his own TS with no experience. That said, those eBay resellers get their inventory from people who are tired of their TSs and pay these outfits to sell for them-or 'donate for a cause' type outfits trying to make a few bucks on something they have nothing in. They are kind of bottom-fishers too. Listings are often inaccurate, so get an estoppel letter on any you seriously consider.

Not trying to frighten you about resales, they are definitely the way to go, but just be careful of what you are buying. Even at $1, some TSs are overpriced.

Jim

VegasBella · Jun 30, 2014

Its a good idea to google the seller too

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vacationtime1 · Jun 30, 2014

Your best protection -- with any seller -- is having an independent escrow company do the closing. Unfortunately, most of the large eBay sellers won't allow it; they either do the escrow internally or have a nominally separate (but controlled) company as escrow agent. The problem is that once you pay, you have zero control.

So do some research on your prospective seller using the "Search" function, ask us specific questions, and if you have any doubts whatsoever about the seller and the seller will not let you pick the escrow agent, take your business elsewhere.

csxjohn · Jun 30, 2014

vacationtime1 said:
... and the seller will not let you pick the escrow agent, take your business elsewhere.

I don't agree with this part of the post. If you use a seller with a good rep then I don't see a problem with using their closing company. I've recently bought 3 units on eBay and have had no problems with the closing companies.

vacationtime1 · Jun 30, 2014

csxjohn said:
I don't agree with this part of the post. If you use a seller with a good rep then I don't see a problem with using their closing company. I've recently bought 3 units on eBay and have had no problems with the closing companies.

Actually, we do agree.

What I wrote was that if you have any doubts whatsoever about the seller and the seller will not let you pick the escrow agent, take your business elsewhere. Some of the mass eBay sellers with captive closing companies do have good reputations.

csxjohn · Jun 30, 2014

vacationtime1 said:
Actually, we do agree.

What I wrote was that if you have any doubts whatsoever about the seller and the seller will not let you pick the escrow agent, take your business elsewhere. Some of the mass eBay sellers with captive closing companies do have good reputations.

Yes we do, I read that part of your post wrong.

K2Quick · Jun 30, 2014

Passepartout said:
I wouldn't buy from a private owner selling his own TS with no experience.

Those have actually been my best experiences. They've always let me pick the escrow and closing services.

My one word of advice to anybody looking to buy from a large reseller on ebay is to ignore the ebay feeback scores and search on tug instead. Some of the sellers with the worst reputations here have 97% or better feedback on ebay.

Myrddin12 · Jun 30, 2014

THanks

csxjohn said:
Welcome to TUG!

Start with this thread.

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=56

This is a great thread I hadn't found! Been browsing and it has been very helpful. Thanks!

DeniseM · Jun 30, 2014

You should also review the TUG ADVICE PAGE - linked in the red bar at the top of the page - there is a wealth of info. there about buying resale.

uscav8r · Jun 30, 2014

K2Quick said:
Those have actually been my best experiences. They've always let me pick the escrow and closing services...

I, too, thought this was a no brainer due to the supposed flexibility in choosing the handling entity, but found out "it depends."

I recently saw an eBay listing from a private seller and figured I could negotiate the closing/escrow companies. But in our discussions, he wanted some kind if kickback because the PCC company he picked for closing (though not for selling) promises him a discount for more properties he sold (he had 5 or 6 he was trying to sell).

Long story short, I opted not to make an offer. Another Tugger won the auction and had other issues with the seller, mostly due to the seller's lack of experience/knowledge/whatever.

If the seller is a knowledgeable Tugger, then I think the transfer would go smoothly. If it is just some guy off the street, who knows.

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csxjohn · Jul 1, 2014

uscav8r said:
I, too, thought this was a no brainer due to the supposed flexibility in choosing the handling entity, but found out "it depends."

I recently saw an eBay listing from a private seller and figured I could negotiate the closing/escrow companies. But in our discussions, he wanted some kind if kickback because the PCC company he picked for closing (though not for selling) promises him a discount for more properties he sold (he had 5 or 6 he was trying to sell).

Long story short, I opted not to make an offer. Another Tugger won the auction and had other issues with the seller, mostly due to the seller's lack of experience/knowledge/whatever.

If the seller is a knowledgeable Tugger, then I think the transfer would go smoothly. If it is just some guy off the street, who knows.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I just bought from a private seller and they wanted to use a closing company that I have seen people here on TUG use but they had some problem or other and found an attorney that handles transfers and he is a former GM of the property.

So other than a 2 week delay in getting my info to the proper closing company everything is going smoothly so far.

I think if you are going to buy from a private seller on eBay either you or the seller needs to have some idea of how to proceed. If neither of you have a clue you're asking for aggravation.

csxjohn · Jul 2, 2014

One day after the above post I received confirmation that everything is settled. It took just over a month using Caldwell & Payne P.A.

Seaport104 · Jul 2, 2014

Sumday Vacations sells on Ebay and have a website where you can purchase resales

http://www.sumdayvacations.com/

They are as reputable and solid as they come.

CO skier · Jul 2, 2014

Myrddin12 said:
Hi. Been looking at all of the amazing info you have here as my husband and I have been considering a Sheraton Vistana Villages timeshare, but no way we were paying those costs. There are quite a few on ebay that fit what we are interested in, but I don't know how to best tell you is reputable.

With many large resorts such as Sheraton Vistana Villages, it is all about location, location, location within the resort.

Most people seem to prefer the St. Augustine phase as SVV.

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=158346

That is one thing to consider about EBay auctions. It is sometimes difficult to determine what phase is being offered. If you have a preference, this might make it worth the slightly higher cost to use a broker who can supply exactly the phase you desire.

If the phase at SVV does not matter to you, here is a good looking deal where the seller lists the phase as Amelia:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sheraton-Vi...21444607434?pt=Timeshares&hash=item4ad79775ca

Make sure you know what you are bidding on, and confirm what you are getting, if you win.

As for EBay sellers to avoid, RedWeek4Less and wwptshares are two to avoid.

jtbrighten · Jul 6, 2014

Passepartout said:
And/or just look for those with substantial positive reviews. I wouldn't buy from a private owner selling his own TS with no experience. That said, those eBay resellers get their inventory from people who are tired of their TSs and pay these outfits to sell for them-or 'donate for a cause' type outfits trying to make a few bucks on something they have nothing in. They are kind of bottom-fishers too. Listings are often inaccurate, so get an estoppel letter on any you seriously consider.

Not trying to frighten you about resales, they are definitely the way to go, but just be careful of what you are buying. Even at $1, some TSs are overpriced.

Jim

I purchased on eBay from a company with positive reviews and it worked out great for me. I second the getting the estoppel letter because the eBay listing I won was inaccurate. Thankfully, it was in my favor as it was listed as Low Red season, but in actuality it was a high red float. I did lots of research on this forum. It can save you a ton of cash. What would have normally cost me in the thousands ended up costing me about 100 bucks. Many listing companies throw in free closing, free usage in the year of purchase, etc.

TimeToRun · Jul 6, 2014

I was just looking at an eBay listing of their's. It was the first time I have searched any and am in the browsing stage. Thanks for the heads up!

advocoach · Jul 15, 2014

I second the estoppel letter and even calling resort to confirm.

The Ebay listing I just purchased last night led a newbie ,like myself, to believe the unit was in the newest division on the resort. After asking a question about the purchase on TUG, a member pointed out the unit number didn't seem right for that certain division. I requested the estoppel did have the same info as the listing so I called the resort. I then found out even though the description is accurate, technically is wasn't classified in the same way and the unit was located in an older unit.

For our family it didn't really matter, but to someone looking for a specific unit or location it would have made all the difference in the world. I did tons of research about this resort, but yet I had no clue about the unit numbers because I've never been there. Tuggers once again saved the day so we were totally informed before we continued.

Saintsfanfl · Jul 15, 2014

Myrddin12 said:
Or any to steer clear of?

Any company associated with David MacMillan. It will be tough to find his name anywhere but I usually name him in the threads where he belongs. Eventually it is going to be very difficult for me to find his association with his never ending creation of new entities where he is "legally" absent. His M.O. is using young females to be the legal owners. His businesses have gotten in plenty of trouble but nothing yet to land an actual person in jail. Hopefully this scumbag eventually goes to prison but it's unlikely because even though they may take thousands and have plenty of unhappy customers they do make some attempts to unload or transfer to viking ships.

Reputable ebay resellers

Myrddin12

csxjohn

TUG Review Crew: Expert

Passepartout

TUG Review Crew: Veteran

VegasBella

vacationtime1

TUG Review Crew: Veteran

csxjohn

TUG Review Crew: Expert

vacationtime1

TUG Review Crew: Veteran

csxjohn

TUG Review Crew: Expert

K2Quick

Myrddin12

DeniseM

uscav8r

TUG Review Crew: Expert

csxjohn

TUG Review Crew: Expert

csxjohn

TUG Review Crew: Expert

Seaport104

TUG Review Crew

CO skier

jtbrighten

TimeToRun

advocoach

Saintsfanfl