Your
Walmart/yard sale analogy made me smile. As you say, it doesn't directly relate, but it's an interesting angle.
I'll give you "interesting" but it's not a terribly valid analogy.
With a yard sale, you're getting second-hand goods and it shows. Clothing has been washed and worn by someone else dozens of times, used, abused, etc. It's not brand new off the shelf.
Timeshare resales may as well be brand new off the shelf. There is absolutely no distinction between an AKV contract purchase from DVC and one purchased resale. Same owner's rights...same ending date...same annual dues amounts, etc.
When you buy something from a yard sale, you really aren't getting the same product as a "new" item. With DVC contracts, used and new are identical.
I think that's a great point. There are other, VERY tangible, benefits that Disney could offer to direct sales buyers that would cost them almost nothing. Fast passes, priority room assignment, priority access to dining reservations...a whole HOST of them....which would work better. They'd have a more tangible benefit for MOST users and they woudln't create a negative customer experience for those buying resale.
I don't think Parks and Resorts agrees with the "cost them almost nothing" aspect, which is why we haven't received such benefits.
DVC marketing must compensate P&R for every one of the instant fastpass cards given out at sales presentations.
Counting lockoffs separately, there are over 4000 DVC villa rooms at WDW now. Given the occupancy of those rooms, conservatively we're talking 20,000+ members/friends/family/renters on any given day. Spread over the parks--even with the assumption of some guests not going to the parks--and it's a pretty big population.
Consider the impact on attractions like Soarin, Toy Story Mania and Expedition Everest if you have 2000+ DVC members heading straight for the FastPass machines throughout the morning to redeem their instant FastPasses.
With regard to dining reservations, consider how other guests would be impacted if those 20,000 DVC members were given a head start on booking popular restaurants like LeCellier, Chef Mickey's or Crystal Palace. During particularly busy days (holidays, days when special events are scheduled), members could take the bulk of the dining reservations before others were even permitted to book.
In other words, the theme park operations staff isn't going to allow DVC members to access any special perks which put other guests at a serious disadvantage. They would effectively be telling Passholders, FL residents and even people paying $600 per night for the Poly that they are second-class citizens. That philosophy would clearly show through longer standby times / later FastPass return times at the parks, and reduced ADR availability at the restaurants.
EDIT: I'll add that I also got confirmation yesterday that this resale/perks rumor is false. That said, in theory it made some sense to me because it's something that DVC itself can control rather than relying on complicity from other branches of the company. You could certainly argue that FastPasses and earlier ADR windows are of greater value to members, but those aren't benefits that Parks & Resorts will freely surrender. P&R isn't interested in deifying DVC members above-and-beyond all of their other classes of guests.
If DVC does ever create some distinction between resale and direct, it will either be something that they can completely control (different booking windows, Member Services booking fees for resale buyers, separate cruise inventory, etc.) or it's something that DVC will ultimately have to pay for from their sales budgets. And in the latter case, added sales will be necessary to justify the expense of the perk.