Happy with our eBay purchase!

A lot of people (like me) come to this forum wondering about the best way to acquire a timeshare. As a complete newcomer, I do not claim to be an expert on timeshare economics or on timeshares purchased on auction sites - I just want to report on my own personal experience in case it will help any other folks out there ...

My parents and I attended a timeshare presentation in Orlando purely to get a free stay in a resort. We declined purchase, but couldn't help being intrigued by the idea of timeshare point ownership. I came home and began researching timeshares online, as was eventually inspired to check out eBay.

We bought a Florida timeshare already converted to RCI points for about a third of the price of the unit being offered to us at the place we stayed. There, they could only promise that our week could be converted into "points"; they could not give us any clue about how many points we might get - there was a vague statement that "Interval International will assign your week a point value later". On eBay listings, you can see upfront how many annual points your purchase will be worth. I chose to bid on a unit with a high number of points + an affordable maintenance fee.

My family's purchase is complete now, and we are able to log into the RCI website and make vacation reservations. I think it's safe to say at this point that our eBay experience was successful. My only complaint is that the transaction took four months to complete. I don't remember it taking so long to get the deed to our home, and this time we were buying the equivalent of a splinter of wood compared to an entire house!

The gentleman we purchased from was very communicative and helpful throughout the process. He readily helped us out when there was a mistake made by the title company in charge of the deed transfer.

In summary, my family is very happy with our timeshare purchase. Although it is advisable to be careful when making real estate deals on auction sites, I would purchase from eBay and Mr. Ochoa again.

Mack F.

mackf4 states, in relevant part: >> .... there was a vague statement that "Interval International will assign your week a point value later".<<

For the record, Interval International does not actually have a point system at all. RCI does, but not II. ---------------------------------------

>> In case anybody is in the market for an honest, trustworthy eBay seller, here is the information for the gentleman my family worked with: Doug Ochoa Ebay Seller handle: dochoa77 [further ad details omitted from reply] <<

FYI, Doug Ochoa and his brother have operated on eBay under several different seller names for quite some time now. I am not impugning their honesty, but you (and/or others) MIGHT be interested to learn that they represent "PostCard Companies". This means that they obtain timeshares for subsequent eBay auction and resale by others whom they represent having gotten people to PAY them (somewhere between $2500-$4500) to just "take the timeshare off their hands". This may result in some good "bargains" in subsequent eBay auctions, since the sellers have actually already made money before the auction even takes place. The money obtained via eBay auction (and in house closing costs collected by the Ochoas) is just more gravy.

I know from your previous posts that you are very new to timesharing. However, before you provide free advertising for the Ochoas and sing their praises here, I think it's relevant to at least know how they actually obtain the timeshare products to resell in the first place. Some folks don't care how / where PostCard Companies obtain their product. Others do (and I'll admit that I'm in the latter group).

ken1193 wrote:

I know from your previous posts that you are very new to timesharing. However, before you provide free advertising for the Ochoas and sing their praises here, I think it's relevant to at least know how they actually obtain timeshare products to resell in the first place. Some folks don't care how / where such PostCard Companies obtain their product. Others do (and I'll admit that I'm in the latter group).

Yep, I'm new to timesharing. I readily admitted to this in the beginning of my post, and said I could only report on my limited personal experience. The fact is, that I had no trouble with my purchase.

Of course, before proceeding with this transaction, I typed "Doug Ochoa" into the RedWeek forum search box and did not find any negative information about him or his company. If I should have been warned against doing business with him, I wasn't. If I should not be endorsing this company, I apologize for my ignorance ... but I have no evidence of dishonesty on the part of my seller, and can only report on my own experience as a buyer.

I don't know anything about "Postcard Companies" ... but I can't help but wonder why anybody would PAY somebody thousands of dollars to take a timeshare off their hands? Can't a person sell a timeshare himself at a heavy loss, or even give it away for free?

I guess I'll find out if I ever try to sell ours.

Mack F.

This will probably start a fire fight, which was not my intention in posting this topic. My only motive was to help others who are curious about whether or not eBay "works" for timeshares, but since I've accidentally slandered someone who treated me well, I feel obligated to provide Mr. Ochoa's rebuttal to accusations made against him.

Here is what he told me in an email:

"We don't solicit sales using postcards to take upfront money from Sellers, we deal directly with brokers all over the U.S. In addition, we buy timeshares from other sellers using our www.sellmeyourtimeshare.com So I don't know where that person is getting their information from. I guess you can't make everyone happy. Especially those who don't have a clue how the resale markets work. We have been in business over 6 years now and understand the negligence of hearsay. Thank you again for your review. We hardly ever read these reviews and let our eBay feedback do the talking for us. You are more than welcome to add this to your review as well."

mackf4 stated, in relevant part: >> Of course, before proceeding with this transaction, I typed "Doug Ochoa" into the RedWeek forum search box and did not find any negative information about him or his company. If I should have been warned against doing business with him, I wasn't. If I should not be endorsing this company, I apologize for my ignorance ... but I have no evidence of dishonesty on the part of my seller, and can only report on my own experience as a buyer.<<

To keep the record accurate and straight here, I VERY clearly stated in my post that I was NOT in any way impugning the honesty of the Ochoas --- not then, not now, neither expressed nor in any way even implied. You (like all of us) are certainly free to choose with whom you do business.

My primary intended point was that these discussion forums certainly are NOT an appropriate avenue in which to provide free advertising for a commercial entity, about which you actually know nothing more than your parents' one, recent eBay purchase experience. Accordingly, I take some exception to your (or anyone) publicly endorsing a commercial entity which represents PostCard Comapanies and about which you really know nothing at all beyond (your parents', not even your own) single recent purchase. If the Ochoas want to come out from behind their assorted business names and advertise their "services" and /or explain exactly where the inventory they sell actually comes from, I submit that it's probably a good idea to let them do so for themselves...

There are many very good deals to be found on Ebay from the postcard companies. I don't nesessarily condone how the postcard companies do business, but most people perusing Ebay just want to find a good deal, however they can get it, and most are not aware of, nor do they care, how the timeshare was acquired. Until/unless postcard companies are outlawed and until/unless they start getting negative feedback on Ebay, then I see no reason not to purchase from them.

Many people that pay the postcard companies to take their timeshare off their hands merely want to be rid of it and all the encumbrances, yearly fees and possible special assesments involved in ownership with many of those people having tried giving away or donating their timeshare with no success.

DOESN'T EBAY HAVE A POLICY AGAINST SELLING TIMESHARES ON THEIR WEBSITE?

debf14 wrote:

DOESN'T EBAY HAVE A POLICY AGAINST SELLING TIMESHARES ON THEIR WEBSITE?

Hardly. There are literally thousands of timeshares routinely offered and sold on eBay, listed under a subsection of Real Estate. Auction listings can be (and are) from private individuals and /or commercial resellers. Assorted "PostCard Companies" are particularly fond of using eBay, since PCC's often have their own mandatory (and generally overpriced) "in house" closing services, which generates still more profit for them. PCC's often don't even care what the listing sells for, since they've already made several thousand dollars before the timeshare ever even appeared as an auction item.

debf14 wrote:

DOESN'T EBAY HAVE A POLICY AGAINST SELLING TIMESHARES ON THEIR WEBSITE?

Timeshares are listed under Real Estate/Timeshares on Ebay. Timeshare auctions have been active on that site for many years.

I thought the Ochoa Brothers sold the weeks on E Bay mostly for one dollar!

Ken....I think the PCC do have some pretty good deals....if they can't sell them for a few thousand, they drop to one dollar....if they can't sell for one dollar with closing, they give free closings.....

So, the deals they get for the buyers are sometimes pretty good....

The problem is the ownes/ sellers.....the ones who don't know about redweek, tug, myresortnetwork.com

They end up paying the PCC the $3999+ to maybe take it off their hands. Was it ever determined that they actually convey title after the mark pays the $3999+? What happens if assessments or maints & taxes come due again?

Why should anyone care about the sellers? The PCC aren't in the business of educating people..they hate TUG & REDWEEK. ..They are there to suck as much as possible out of the sellers......just about the same as the licensed realtors who sold the developers weeks to begin with....business is business....and $$$ comes to those who don't want knowledge used to prevent these superlative profits.

Yep, Jay Jay...good deals...for the buyers who know the best weeks and places, and resorts.