Like most things, there are many perceptions. I'll speak only to the Interval Exchanges and from a hisortrical perspective since there are some apparent changes coming. Most exchanges using DVC are a downtrade and not worth giving up DVC points for. Most of the things that are truly worth trading are not easily had. Anything that's easy is likely to be available much cheaper by renting. It's even possible to buy a different timeshare and trade just for the off years and to do so much cheaper than using DVC. There are special situations where one can do OK trading but it takes work and planning, mostly a full 2 years ahead. I'd recommend anyone who wants to use this approach become extremely well informed. For anyone thinking of buying in, buying to trade a portion of the time is simply a poor economic choice. One would be better off buying less points and looking at other options for the non DVC trips.
