Could We Have a Direct Exchanges Forum?

[alwysonvac]

the resort name has to be filled out and chosen from the drop down menu, its the only way the matching system will work. I will see if its possible to add drop downs for say "all marriotts" or "all wyndhams" etc.

If "all" doesn't work, I'm ok with a choice that provides an opt-out of the matching system.
This will still allow my ad to display to those who don't have an active exchange ad.

 

[TUGBrian]

well you can certainly pick some random resort you wouldnt ever get an exchange for or any of the "xyz resorts" we use for testing if you were ok with never actually making a match but just wanted your ad up.

id think adding at least one thing you would really want to trade for would be more beneficial?

 

[PrairieGirl]

does everyone in this thread have an existing direct exchange ad? if not, what is the main reason for not posting one?

I did, but my 2020 Sedona week is already gone and I won't post 2021 until some time next year. Might try it with my Sint Maarten week though!

 

[TUGBrian]

also you can choose an entire region/area as a potential match...even if you werent looking for a specific resort or chain you could list "hawaii" or something you truly would consider an exchange for etc just to get your ad posted.

again there is no obligation to trade your unit, the ads are merely created to make matches and put owners in touch with each other should you have the same interests.

 

[alwysonvac]

well you can certainly pick some random resort you wouldnt ever get an exchange for or any of the "xyz resorts" we use for testing if you were ok with never actually making a match but just wanted your ad up.

id think adding at least one thing you would really want to trade for would be more beneficial?

Thanks I’ll use XYZ-USA as my trading resort for now.
I simply don’t want this particular ad to be associated with any specific resort within the system. I’ll just continue to do the manual search from time to time.

My target audience for my ad is the majority of folks that don’t have an active TUG exchange ad. Hopefully this thread and my ad will also encourage others to add their exchange requests as well.

The various fees that the exchange company charge (Membership level fee, exchange fees, size upgrade fees, retrade fees, extension fees, etc) are getting up there so I believe it’s good to explore other options.

There are several areas that I’m planning to visit in the next three years via RCI/II exchanges so if I can avoid the additional transaction fee while gaining access to more availability by helping a fellow Tugger do the same then it sounds like a win-win to me


Here’s what I created tonight. The ad is pending. The only thing I couldn’t figure out is how to change the dates associated with XYZ. So I had to edit my ad to add a comment to ignore the 2019 dates. Hopefully my ad title will appear once it’s released.

UPDATE: Corrected typo in ad

 

[Sandy VDH]

In that case you are still having to open each ad because the title XYZ - US does not provide any information. If you could add to the drop down the Timeshare Groups (HICV, HGVC, Vistana, Marriott, DVC, etc,) as a choice without a specific resort, then that would help in reviewing the Ads.

So for @alwysonvac Ad it would list Any Vistana and the contents would ready want and HGVC.

I own in Wyndham, HGVC and HICV and might want to trade to a Marriott family (Marriott, Vistana, Hyatt) resort.

Again my major goal is to AVOID exchange fees, and make exchanges to resorts I do not have access to. As I am no longer keeping II, but only have RCI.

 

[TUGBrian]

I sent an email off tonight to see what level of difficulty it would be to add items to the drop down menus for:

"Any Wyndham resort"

or

"Any Marriott Resort" etc etc.


hopefully its something relatively easy to implement and we can do that.

 

[alwysonvac]

My ad was released in the Marketplace. Here’s how it appears.
The ad shows XYZ USA Resort but my Ad Title is in BOLD.
It is posted under Other Exchanges (as indicated in the left hand column).

​

Note: There’s an older ad following mine that is using Interval AC instead of XYZ​

Right now, I have an ongoing RCI search for a 2020 HGVC week with my WorldMark but I may be willing to setup a trade with my Vistana since I currently have more “points” there.

How I search through the Exchange Ads on the Marketplace.
I select “All Exchanges” this will list the ads based on post date (from newest to oldest). I simply review the ads that were updated since the last time I looked. So if I looked in January 2019, I just reviewed the ones with post dates after my last review.

I believe the post date on the TUG Marketplace Ads are updated any time the ad is edited or renewed.

​

 

[alwysonvac]

Additional suggestions for improvements

@TUGBrian

Can we also update the TUG MARKETPLACE MENU?
Can a direct link be added for the Exchange section similar to the “Timeshare Resales” and “Timeshare Rentals”? The others take you to a separate page that clearly shows the various sections.

The current link for “Free Timeshare Exchanges” appears with the other “How to” links. It takes you to an Advice article with a link to the exchange section at the bottom of the article. Can this current link be renamed to “How to Exchange Your Timeshare for free” or something similar to let folks know this is not a Marketplace link?

 

[CalGalTraveler]

I like the idea of direct exchanges. Because these are not rentals and no money changes hands, does this take on the rules of "Distressed Exchanges" i.e. you could exchange something in your points system e.g. Hilton, StarOptions bookings in a better unit or not at your home resort (or even II or RCI exchanges with a guest cert?)

 

[DeniseM]

No - the Distressed posts are only for exchange company exchanges.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[CalGalTraveler]

If it works for exchange company reservations which are much more restrictive, wouldn't such rules work for internal system exchanges if there was another posting forum as suggested in this thread? Especially since no money is changing hands.

 

[DeniseM]

Folks - TUGBrian wants to make the exchanging function in the Marketplace more user friendly, not add another discussion forum. So your best bet is to personally go try out the Marketplace Exchange function, and then post suggestions (as many have done) about how to make it more user friendly.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

Making the existing exchange friendlier sounds fine. It would be nice if it were more private - only open to TUG members so you have a greater likelihood that the person is not a scammer. It also would be good to add the profiles of TUGers so we can get a sense of the exchanger as described earlier.

My question above about internal and external exchanges with no cash changing hands still remains if anyone was to use the existing direct exchange forum.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

As a newbie to exchanges, I am open trying the marketplace forum in the future because there are properties in other systems that I don't see often on II or RCI. However I need to understand step by step how it works.

FYI I just added this thread to my reading list in the hopes that this info will bring me up to speed:

https://www.tugbbs.com/forums/index...ider-direct-exchanges-with-each-other.128531/

 

[heathpack]

Ok I just built an ad which is still pending approval. If it goes live, I’ll post a link here.

It’s my attempt to use the Marketplace to list what I own, what I’m interested in and express a willingness to exchange. Rather than request a specific exchange.

We’ll see how it works....

 

[LJT]

Ok I just built an ad which is still pending approval. If it goes live, I’ll post a link here.

It’s my attempt to use the Marketplace to list what I own, what I’m interested in and express a willingness to exchange. Rather than request a specific exchange.

We’ll see how it works....

This is what I am interested in as well. I have used the marketplace for an exchange with a Tugger that worked wonderfully a few years ago. (Maui for the Big Island). I am very interested in doing it again but also find searching the exchange marketplace a bit tedious!

 

[heathpack]

Here’s the link to my exchange ad. Looks like the formatting got screwed up, but people can get the gist.

http://tug2.com/MarketplaceClassifiedResults.aspx?&ID=213149

 

[TUGBrian]

as mentioned in the past, the direct exchange system should send you email notifications of matches and potential matches (based on both what you put in you are looking for, and based on what other folks input they are looking for).

sadly the recent exchange ad looking for the test resort that doesnt exist is not likely to result in anything useful for you since noone will ever post an ad looking for a fake resort.

you can input individual resorts, or even entire resort areas that you wish to trade for that would result in potential matches with other members, however with putting in a fake resort you will eliminate the majority of the functionality of the direct exchange system (and likely self fulfill the prophecy that it wont work for you)

just looking at your ad, you could have easily created 2 or 3 separate ads in the time you spent writing that long ad, and likely gotten actual results in the future since you would have included both what you had to offer, and what you are looking for.

 

[TUGBrian]

as an example...why not just create a legitimate direct exchange ad offering:

"marrott barony beach club"

or

"marriott mountainside"

and


looking to trade for:

tradewinds cruise club
us west
orlando-disney/etc
europe - scotland
europe - anywhere


etc etc.

 

[heathpack]

as mentioned in the past, the direct exchange system should send you email notifications of matches and potential matches (based on both what you put in you are looking for, and based on what other folks input they are looking for).

sadly the recent exchange ad looking for the test resort that doesnt exist is not likely to result in anything useful for you since noone will ever post an ad looking for a fake resort.

you can input individual resorts, or even entire resort areas that you wish to trade for that would result in potential matches with other members, however with putting in a fake resort you will eliminate the majority of the functionality of the direct exchange system (and likely self fulfill the prophecy that it wont work for you)

Ok, this is the nature of it then. There are lots of TUGgers who are open to exchanging without having a specific unit, Resort, area that they’re interested in this minute. It’s why the Marketplace doesn’t work for this type of exchange and it’s why people ask for something different.

We’ve been around this issue previously. I know you genuinely believe the Marketplace would work for all Exchange possibilities and therefore are not interested in alternatives. It’s your site and that’s your prerogative. But the Marketplace simply doesn’t work for how I (and others) hope to be able to organize private exchanges.

FYI I personally don’t use the Marketplace search function ever. I’m just browsing when I look which means I look at everything available. You may feel that’s “doing it wrong” but it’s how I do it. Same approach in II- I search all available resorts over a huge timeframe and see if anything appeals. I’m not unique in using this approach- we’ve had TUG conversations in the past re SFX vs II trading for example and from that I know lots of people search like me.

If the intention is to drive traffic to the Marketplace, the opposite effec occurs with me, actually. Because the Marketplace only works for one type of searching (a specific request for a specific place for a specific duration), and that type of searching is not how I approach exchanging, the end result is that I uncommonly go into the Marketplace.

So be it. Your forum.

 

[TUGBrian]

and im not arguing your point in that matter...but for your specific ad...you deliberately chose to not input the data that would make it work for you.

that is the part i simply dont understand.

if you dont want to use it, that is perfectly fine...but I dont see the point in going out of your way to ensure that your test will fail and use that as an example of why it doesnt work.

 

[TUGBrian]

The direct exchange system will AUTOMATICALLY notify you of matches, it does not require you to do anything at all once you post your ad.

I believe you are confusing the manual search feature to find for sale/for rent ads...and the automated search mechanism that works specifically for direct exchange ads. perhaps its my fault for not making that clearer.

 

[heathpack]

and im not arguing your point in that matter...but for your specific ad...you deliberately chose to not input the data that would make it work for you.

that is the part i simply dont understand.

Because I, like many people, am not itching for something specific right now. It would depend on the nature of the trade. If someone tells me they have a condo in Moab or Bend and I could bring my dog and mountainbike and pick any week I want in 2020, I’d trade almost anything I have because those are very high value trades to me.

On the other hand, Maui or Scotland or Tradewinds- eh. Nice places that I’d want to go, but I wouldn’t leap on them as readily. I need to organize airfare and consider travel logistics and how much time I’d need to take off work (2 weeks for Europe from the west coast), I’d need to hear what the other person had to offer. Sweet enough offer (in my eyes) and yes Id do those trades too. Just a standard like-for-like trade, I might not. The farther in the future a Europe trip would be, the more likely it would be for me to be able to work the trade.

There’s honestly 500 possible combos of what what might work for me, eachof which carries a slightly different “valuableness” to me, and the current format requires that I specifically state each possible combo in advance. Sometimes that works- I want to go to Sedona over Thanksgiving for example. But mostly for me, that just doesn’t work.

This is not a complaint. It’s just a comment because I know that you truly don’t understand and believe the Marketplace should work for everybody. It just does not.

 

[TUGBrian]

still does not answer the question of why you didnt input the items you list above so that on the off chance someone does have a match, you would be notified. vs now reducing that chance to zero. there is nothing preventing you from entering in this data to allow for potential matches, but you deliberately did not do so.

I am sorry that you do not feel it will work for you despite my best efforts to provide you at least some opportunity to make a match for free. however you are absolutely correct, in this instance with what you have input...the direct exchange system will not work for you. (it certainly could if you changed your ad a bit, but as it stands now it simply will not)