Always like to go with the "original"

[3girlsfun]

I am not a huge generic grocery buyer. (Only if it is canned items, noodles or something do I normally buy a Walmart brand of something.) This is just to give you a bit of background.

So, when I am looking at purchasing into DVC, my first instinct is to go with buying direct, but the prices are so much better at TSS.

I talked with my guide about this, and I have read many threads about this.

I keep hearing people talk about, doing what is best for yourself when it comes to buying direct versus buying resale. I guess I am having a hard time understanding what that means exactly. Is the end result really the same?

 

[Sandisw]

Yes, the product is exactly the same whether you buy resale or direct. We started out with a small 50 point contract via resale. When I went to add on, my guide treated me as though I had been his client for years. He knew that I had just become a member via the resale route (I told him).

To me, the biggest reasons to go through Disney are:

1. You want to become a member quickly as you have a trip planned and hope to use DVC. Either you are fast approaching your 11 month mark, or are trying for a hard to get reservation and have heard that new buyers who go through Disney have guides who seem to be able to come up with hard to get reservations to close the sale.

2. You want a resort that is newer and the contracts available for resale really aren't that much lower in price and not really exactly what you want (like BLT or VGC).

3. You want to be able to use your Disney Visa to earn reward points as well as take 6 months to pay with 0% interest.

4. You need Disney financing and know it is easier to to that if you go direct--not impossible resale but different.

5. You are a member and are adding on only a small amount of points making the price difference between direct and resale small enough to make it worth it to close quickly.

Other than that, resale is a great way to go if what you want is readily available.

What you are buying is a true DVC contract so in the end, you will own exactly the same thing that can be bought through Disney. Matter of fact, even the membership card you will get from buying resale will list you as a member from the date the original contract was bought!!!

Good luck!

 

[godalejunior]

Bought resale six weeks ago and saved about $5000 and couldn't be happier. I am treated no different than if I bought direct...

And I bought VGC...so the deals are out there...

 

[Dean]

I am not a huge generic grocery buyer. (Only if it is canned items, noodles or something do I normally buy a Walmart brand of something.) This is just to give you a bit of background.

So, when I am looking at purchasing into DVC, my first instinct is to go with buying direct, but the prices are so much better at TSS.

I talked with my guide about this, and I have read many threads about this.

I keep hearing people talk about, doing what is best for yourself when it comes to buying direct versus buying resale. I guess I am having a hard time understanding what that means exactly. Is the end result really the same?

Currently the product is the same other than the new options through DVC and the new resorts that are not esp available resale. I'd only look to buy retail if you wanted BLT, VGC or HI OR if you wanted the smaller buy in option AND the price difference were not that great. That may change in the future but if so, it's likely those who already own would be grandfathered in.

 

[disneynutz]

Buying through Disney and buying resale is not the same.

If you buy through Disney at the Preview Center, you get some lemonade, a cookie, maybe some Fast Passes, extra paperwork and a ice cream cone. They used to give you a DVC tote bag, but we didn't get one with our last direct purchase, so I don't know if they still give them out.

Bill

 

[DizGirl20]

I have the same shopping "habits" as you, but just wanted to share our experience:

We bought direct in Dec 09 - AKV @ $94/point
We are in the process of closing on a resale - AKV @ $75/point
Current price at AKV if we wanted to add on today is $108/point

So ultimately we are saving $33/point. Thus 100 points = $3300 savings!

I am glad we went direct for our initial buy-in, but now all add-ons will be resale!

 

[dvcterry]

As Bill stated above, buying direct we did get the cookies and lemonade and the children watched some Disney cartoons and colored...I think my husband went off to the cookie and cartoon room and came back when it was time to sign and get the welcome hug when we became members.

 

[3girlsfun]

The length of the contract would also essentially be the same, bc they end at the same time? Am I correct in saying this? (Dependent upon which resort you buy into...)

Bill---I think I could get some lemonade and cookies to have at the house, and a tote bag, yea, not going to win me over with that! LOL! Thank you for your candid posting, it made me smile!

 

[TisBit]

You can liken it to buying a used car or buying new. Yes, you will get a better deal if you buy resale, but there are some things to think about. The best contracts in resale can go very fast and there is some level of disappointment if you don't get the contract you found. Many contracts on the resale market are "stripped" and don't have points coming for a bit, etc. There is the issue of ROFR if it is a really good deal and your sale may fall through.

Buying direct, you can usually get the current UY points, so it is somewhat "loaded", there is a certain ease to the process, it won't fall through because someone changed their mind, etc. As mentioned, if you want the resorts that are new on the market you won't find as good of deals on the resale market. If you need to finance, the rates are better through Disney and I believe the closing costs are cheaper as well. there is also something to be said that if you don't know a lot about DVC, going direct you can have a guide assigned to you to answer all your questions, etc.

There are pro's and con's to both. Some people would just assume buy direct and pay a little more for the convenience, some would rather do leg work and try to find a deal and be patient if it doesn't go through.

 

[ToddyLu]

DH and I bought direct and financed the purchase other than the down payment. I had been reading the DIS DVC forum for a while and knew we would be great members for DVC. I guess I was an emotional buyer because ther was no dought as to if but when. So when we got our AKV points direct last year for $93 point--we purchased. We looked around briefly for outside financing and I think the cheapest DH could find was around 8%. Disney at 10.75% preferred wasn't that much different and so easy. No way were we going to use a HELOC. Our cash/savings is tied up in investments at this point which means it doesn't come out without some sort of penalty. So we financed and haven't looked back. We got exactly what we wanted, the UY, the number of points, and the 2 SV studios at AKV we wanted to seal the deal. Purchased on Satuday, got papers on Tuesday, notorized on Wednesday and mailed back to Disney Thursday. On Disney's desk Friday. We go to DIsney every year and that isn't going to change. It is a luxury and what I wanted so I got it---at 40, it was my once in a lifetime purchase..no Rolex, Lexus or boat for me, just plain ole DVC.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

The length of the contract would also essentially be the same, bc they end at the same time? Am I correct in saying this? (Dependent upon which resort you buy into...)

Bill---I think I could get some lemonade and cookies to have at the house, and a tote bag, yea, not going to win me over with that! LOL! Thank you for your candid posting, it made me smile!

Yes, length of contract is the same whether you buy direct or resale with one exception. The one resort to with a difference is OKW. An extension was offered on the end date to existing owners. You will find more contracts on the resale market with the original end date as many people did not chose to extend. If you bought that resort direct you would receive the extended date. That is the only resort at this time with that distinction.

 

[Dean]

You can liken it to buying a used car or buying new. Yes, you will get a better deal if you buy resale, but there are some things to think about. The best contracts in resale can go very fast and there is some level of disappointment if you don't get the contract you found. Many contracts on the resale market are "stripped" and don't have points coming for a bit, etc. There is the issue of ROFR if it is a really good deal and your sale may fall through.

Buying direct, you can usually get the current UY points, so it is somewhat "loaded", there is a certain ease to the process, it won't fall through because someone changed their mind, etc. As mentioned, if you want the resorts that are new on the market you won't find as good of deals on the resale market. If you need to finance, the rates are better through Disney and I believe the closing costs are cheaper as well. there is also something to be said that if you don't know a lot about DVC, going direct you can have a guide assigned to you to answer all your questions, etc.

There are pro's and con's to both. Some people would just assume buy direct and pay a little more for the convenience, some would rather do leg work and try to find a deal and be patient if it doesn't go through.

More like buying the same used car from a dealer vs a private individual. You might get a few one time extras from the dealer (last years points, financing, prorated dues) but in the end, you own the same used car. You might be more likely to find the used car you want or find it more easily from the dealer and it's likely to be less hassle but for a higher price. With timeshares, they're all used after day 1. Some give you extra ongoing perks/options if you buy from the developer but with DVC, there's no difference once you're a member.

 

[JimMIA]

You can liken it to buying a used car or buying new. Yes, you will get a better deal if you buy resale, but there are some things to think about. The best contracts in resale can go very fast and there is some level of disappointment if you don't get the contract you found. Many contracts on the resale market are "stripped" and don't have points coming for a bit, etc. There is the issue of ROFR if it is a really good deal and your sale may fall through.

If you buy a contract you are disappointed with, whose fault is that?

Hopefully a buyer would think about all aspects of a purchase (as OP is) whether they are buying direct or resale. Can you imagine the "disappointment" when people discover the DIS and find out they paid $4-5,000 too much because they purchased from Disney?

 

[JimMIA]

3. You want to be able to use your Disney Visa to earn reward points as well as take 6 months to pay with 0% interest.

This is a good idea if you decide to purchase direct for legitmate reasons. It's a workable tool in buying direct, not a reason to buy direct, IMHO

For the 0% interest feature to be a legitimate reason to buy direct, you'd have to think that approach was going to save you more than you would save on the purchase price buying resale. That's not very likely in most situations.

 

[Sandisw]

This is a good idea if you decide to purchase direct for legitmate reasons. It's a workable tool in buying direct, not a reason to buy direct, IMHO

For the 0% interest feature to be a legitimate reason to buy direct, you'd have to think that approach was going to save you more than you would save on the purchase price buying resale. That's not very likely in most situations.

I didn't say that all those reasons would save you money over resale, I simply meant that they were reasons to choose Disney. And, IMO, what you may define as a legitimate reason may not necessarily be the same as someone else.

Last year, I was able to add on 50 more BLT points in June, instead of having to wait until December, because of the Disney Visa. Even if I could have found a resale contract with exactly the same terms for less, I would have gone through Disney simply because of the delayed payment.

DVC is bought by so many for so many different reasons with so many different mindsets that there really is no one way to classify things. For some, the bottom line is cost but for others (like me) it was not.

In the end, whether you buy a contract via resale or direct, you still become a DVC member.

 

[JimMIA]

Sure, for 50 points the differences in price are less dramatic and other considerations may outweigh the math. But minimal contracts are special cases and the math will be very different on the much more common larger contracts.

For 200 points (still not a large DVC purchase), the story is very different. If a buyer was purchasing 200 OKW points, for example, they'd save $5,000 or more buying resale. They'd be pretty hard-pressed to make that up with 0% interest for six months.

 

[Sandisw]

Sure, for 50 points the differences in price are less dramatic and other considerations may outweigh the math. But minimal contracts are special cases and the math will be very different on the much more common larger contracts.

For 200 points (still not a large DVC purchase), the story is very different. If a buyer was purchasing 200 OKW points, for example, they'd save $5,000 or more buying resale. They'd be pretty hard-pressed to make that up with 0% interest for six months.

Yes, if you are looking at this from a financial standpoint, then I do agree with you that you can save money going resale and that there is no way to offset that saving in many cases because you got 6 months interest free.

But I guess we are talking about two different things. My post was strictly about reasons why someone might choose to go direct through Disney--not reasons that make direct cheaper than resale.

If someone wants to buy now, but won't have the money for 6 months, they can achieve that going direct through Disney by using the Visa. They can not do that going resale.

Will it cost them more? Sure, but that doesn't eliminate it as a reason to buy from Disney. Some may think it is not a good reason but a reason none the less.

 

[Dean]

Yes, if you are looking at this from a financial standpoint, then I do agree with you that you can save money going resale and that there is no way to offset that saving in many cases because you got 6 months interest free.

But I guess we are talking about two different things. My post was strictly about reasons why someone might choose to go direct through Disney--not reasons that make direct cheaper than resale.

If someone wants to buy now, but won't have the money for 6 months, they can achieve that going direct through Disney by using the Visa. They can not do that going resale.

Will it cost them more? Sure, but that doesn't eliminate it as a reason to buy from Disney. Some may think it is not a good reason but a reason none the less.

To me we're talking reasons to buy DVC directly and reasons not to. Finances has to be part of that equation, otherwise, just go pay cash for what you want at a DVC resort and be done with it. There certainly are legit reasons to buy direct, these include variables compared to resale such as the cost, financing options, any specials, contract size, home resort, etc. One might add to that the ability to get access to points quickly and/or to get that specific reservation you might not get from resale. It's certainly possible to finance resale though, there are a number of options to do so, most of which still give you the option to deduct the interest.

 

[3girlsfun]

This is all such great info. Thank you everyone for the replies. I think there is a comfort level in buying direct, and knowing that all my questions are answered and such. Is this same in buying resale?

Also, once your purchase resale, what happen? I mean, how long before you become a DVC member and you are in the system?

 

[Dean]

This is all such great info. Thank you everyone for the replies. I think there is a comfort level in buying direct, and knowing that all my questions are answered and such. Is this same in buying resale?

Also, once your purchase resale, what happen? I mean, how long before you become a DVC member and you are in the system?

Hold on the "all questions answered" as a reason for retail. That is most certainly not the case on a consistent basis. You'll get more and better info here. Just spend enough time figuring out what's what then you'll be able to decide what's best for YOU.