What do you lose by buying resale?

[toocherie]

HI all--new member and potential timeshare buyer here. I am a DVC owner (bought direct--I know--bad--but I wanted the right to purchase the California DVC opening soon). Now I am interested in buying a non-Orlando based timeshare to use and trade.

Another thread hit the nail on the head--the amount of information to glean is sometimes overwhelming: red vs. gold. vs. platinum vs. lock-off vs. ???? Anyway, I have noted on a couple of threads some indication that a resale buyer loses some rights (as opposed to purchase from the developer)--can someone elaborate on the various hotel based systems what rights you would lose by buying resale? I'm not planning to jump in right away but would like to understand this aspect as I go forward with my research.

Thanks!

 

[AwayWeGo]

You Don't Lose. You Gain.

The extra perks the timeshare company offers to full-freight customers are nice but generally not considered worth the big bux the timeshare company charges -- i.e., the perks are sizzle, not steak.

Basically, by paying full freight to the timeshare company, you're shelling out $20,000 or so for tangential benefits worth maybe $1,000 (if that).

Buy timeshares resale. Save thousands.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[Dave M]

With Marriott, the current rules prohibit resale buyers from exchanging the annual use of their weeks for Marriott Rewards points, which are points that can be used for hotel stays and other Rewards in Marriott's hotel frequent-stay program. There are no other benefits that Marriott resale buyers miss out on.

And many Marrioitt owners believe trading for points is a bad choice anyway, certainly not worth paying thousands more just to buy directly from Marriott.

 

[DeniseM]

Here is a comparison of the 4 major hotel systems.

With Starwood you lose the right to convert to hotel points when you buy resale, which is a poor value anyway, and certainly not worth the thousands more you pay when you buy from the developer.

Also, when you buy resale, some resorts are in the Starwood internal exchange program (mandatory), and some are not (voluntary), so you want to consider that when buying resale. The ones that are not in the SVN are far cheaper (like 50-90% cheaper) and are still strong exchangers with II.

For more info. see the FAQ at the top of the Starwood Board. Starwood includes the Westin and Sheraton Timeshares as well as Harborside at Atlantis.

My suggestions for buying your first timeshare.

 

[timeos2]

The joy

The biggest thing you lose is seeing the sightly camouflaged look of pure joy on the sales weasels face when you sign the contract and he can taste the filet mignon and feel the leather seats in his Lexus you'd be paying for. If you'd miss that then you'd be better off paying 10's of thouands too much for the exact same product.

If you prefer to keep your money you'll lose nothing, and gain a very large savings, by purchasing whatever timeshare you may desire resale. With that said I find it best to always buy the best (most in demand season), 2 bedroom or larger (if the area offers that at the top resorts - some don't) and at a resort you can drive to if needed and wouldn't mind visiting every year if trades don't work out. Buy it resale and you will most likely have a great ownership experience.

 

[Bill4728]

In this post I outlined what the differences between buying direct vs resale in Wyndham. The biggest thing is with resale you'll save between 2,500% - 5,000% over buying direct. ( hard to believe I know but instead of paying $30,000 - $45,000 for about 300,000 points, you could pay as little as $1,000)

 

[Bonnie_Raitt]

Debt?
Grief?
Collection agencies?
Regret?
Disillusionment?

 

[JudyS]

HI all--new member and potential timeshare buyer here. I am a DVC owner (bought direct--I know--bad--but I wanted the right to purchase the California DVC opening soon). Now I am interested in buying a non-Orlando based timeshare to use and trade.....

Actually, Disney is one of the few (maybe the only) timeshare system where buying from the developer is sometimes a better deal than buying resale. I own 20 timeshares, all purchased resale, but I did try to buy some additional Disney points directly from Disney. (My sales rep wouldn't return my calls -- I guess he wasn't hurting for business at the time! ) In most circumstances, you do save some by buying Disney resale, but not a lot -- maybe 10% or 15%. For some people, that level of savings isn't worth the extra time & hassle.

As for your original question, my impression is that even in those systems where there are perks for buying from the developer, you are usually better off buying resale in that system first, and then offering to buy an additional ownership from the developer if they will give you developer perks for some or all of your resale ownerships, too. I believe that is true in both Wyndham (at least, it used to be), and Starwood.

Bluegreen has perks for buying from the developer, but you can get the same perks by buying through an "authorized reseller" such as Boca Bum, a member here on TUG.

 

[applegirl]

Another reason why buying directly from Marriott is not worth the points thing is that this coming January they are devaluing their points again (done every few years or so). So now you will be getting less for your points but it doesn't sound as if they are going to be offering more points for weeks bought. Not a good deal.

Janna