Buyer beware: fraudulent ebay seller

[DVC QUEEN]

Good news everyone! eBay took my report seriously because not only did they want the transaction outside of eBay, my DVC rep sent me a letter that the contract I had from this person didn't exist. Now sure how long it will last but for now, eBay has removed ALL his listings, including the cards....

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

Oof, I’m glad I saw this, I was tempted on those ebay listings but got cold feet when I couldn’t find any reference to him or his title company or reviews anywhere. I assume it was the same person I was seeing, although their (closed) auction is still showing up on ebay. A 200 point SSR contract fully loaded that effectively sold for $30 per point. I’m glad I concluded it was too good to be true.

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

There's been a lot of discussion over on TUG about a particular eBay seller that has actively defrauded a number of resale buyers of various timeshares. They list a number of high-value timeshares, not just DVC. If you want to know the particulars, you can read about them here:
https://tugbbs.com/forums/threads/travel4you5-ebay-seller-a-k-a-national-resort-title-et-al.349560/

You can buy timeshares on eBay. I've done so twice, and it was easy both times. But, you do need to do a lot of due diligence in vetting a seller. Some things to watch out for:

• The seller insists you can only use their closing company.
• The seller only takes forms of payment that are hard to reverse.
• They have no eBay feedback, or they have high feedback but mostly as a buyer or seller of many low-value items. (The seller in the thread above churned a high feedback by selling and buying trading cards.)
• They will not supply a complete copy of the deed, an estoppel, or other document proving they have possession of what they are selling.

None of these are necessarily guarantees that the seller is fraudulent (except perhaps churning feedback): A few of them are also typical hallmarks of a "postcard company," and those are often willing and able to transfer the timeshare. I bought one of mine that way.

So if you are relatively new to the world of timeshare, make a point of sticking to the well-known brokers. There are some "too good to be true" deals out there with some of the more fly-by-night sellers, and they usually aren't true!

@Brian Noble, What are your thoughts on the bankruptcy sales for DVC that seem to be popping up on ebay lately? They often have unpaid mortgages that have to be satisfied and back dues/late fees, but even with that, the price per pointso listed are spectacular (and I’ve been able to go on the Orange County website to confirm the deeds are legit). Is there a downside/risk to these?

 

[Brian Noble]

Got me. That's not something I've looked into. I think the main message is that (a) you need to know what you are doing and (b) you need to apply that knowledge to the prospective sale.

If you feel good about (a), it's just a matter of doing (b).

The higher the all-in price, the more confident you have to be about (a) and the more work you have to be willing to do for (b). For a couple hundred dollars? Worth rolling the dice. For five figures? I'd want to be careful.

 

[Glass Pro]

I won 2 bids on eBay for a timeshares from a seller with a user name Travel4you5. I called eBay to make sure that the customer was legit and that I was supposed to follow directions and contact them to purchase the item which is unusual for eBay. Usually you have to go through PayPal the representative at EBay told me that was correct but I had to contact them directly. They requested my personal email and had National Resort Title LLC, 1779 Newport Hwy, Sevierville TN 37876 , The title company sent me a contract and a credit card form, and I paid one with a credit card and one with a check. Then I could never get in contact with the seller or the title company. I called over 40 times but never a call back. When I would get a email back it would tell me another step in the process and it will take more time. Finally after 3 months I started to do more research and found out that multiple people are having the same problem. Listed there was Sevier County sheriffs office who I contacted and found out this company has a file already and I was told over 50 people have been deceived and most of the time this company tries to wait it out and not pay them their money back. I filed multiple complaints one with the MO attorney general office and received a response from the company saying they already credited my credit card and that they were sending a check for the one I had written a check for. I did receive a check but they have yet to credit the card back like they said they had done.

 

[intamin]

I won 2 bids on eBay for a timeshares from a seller with a user name Travel4you5. I called eBay to make sure that the customer was legit and that I was supposed to follow directions and contact them to purchase the item which is unusual for eBay. Usually you have to go through PayPal the representative at EBay told me that was correct but I had to contact them directly. They requested my personal email and had National Resort Title LLC, 1779 Newport Hwy, Sevierville TN 37876 , The title company sent me a contract and a credit card form, and I paid one with a credit card and one with a check. Then I could never get in contact with the seller or the title company. I called over 40 times but never a call back. When I would get a email back it would tell me another step in the process and it will take more time. Finally after 3 months I started to do more research and found out that multiple people are having the same problem. Listed there was Sevier County sheriffs office who I contacted and found out this company has a file already and I was told over 50 people have been deceived and most of the time this company tries to wait it out and not pay them their money back. I filed multiple complaints one with the MO attorney general office and received a response from the company saying they already credited my credit card and that they were sending a check for the one I had written a check for. I did receive a check but they have yet to credit the card back like they said they had done.

Yeahhh I don't know enough about all the legalities regarding timeshare law to trust myself to purchase pretty from anywhere except for Disney.. but I'd be extremely skeptical buying a timeshare off of ebay. I order a T-shirt off ebay and I'm still worried if it's going to show up or not. Sorry this happened to you, best of luck trying to get the credit back!

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

Yeahhh I don't know enough about all the legalities regarding timeshare law to trust myself to purchase pretty from anywhere except for Disney.. but I'd be extremely skeptical buying a timeshare off of ebay. I order a T-shirt off ebay and I'm still worried if it's going to show up or not. Sorry this happened to you, best of luck trying to get the credit back!

Non dvc timeshares are fine to buy off eBay but that’s mostly because your are talking about much smaller sums of money so your risk of ruin. Is much less. Also reputable eBay timeshare resellers exist just like reputable dvc brokers exist. I’ve purchased three Wyndham resale contracts to use at Bonnet Creek off eBay with no problems.

 

[intamin]

Non dvc timeshares are fine to buy off eBay but that’s mostly because your are talking about much smaller sums of money so your risk of ruin. Is much less. Also reputable eBay timeshare resellers exist just like reputable dvc brokers exist. I’ve purchased three Wyndham resale contracts to use at Bonnet Creek off eBay with no problems.

I’m sure it’s fine, but it’s more of a personal comfort level sort of thing where I don’t trust myself LOL

 

[Sandisw]

I’m sure it’s fine, but it’s more of a personal comfort level sort of thing where I don’t trust myself LOL

I’m with you. Even if I decided to ever buy resale again, it wlll be via a broker.

 

[Huskerpaul]

I have purchased five weeks in Marriott Vacation Club and WorldMark via ebay with no problems.

But, I would never buy DVC on ebay. I have watched listings for three well know ebay sellers for over a year and have never seen them offer a DVC contract. If you see DVC on ebay it is very likely a scam IMHO.

 

[DVC QUEEN]

I won 2 bids on eBay for a timeshares from a seller with a user name Travel4you5. I called eBay to make sure that the customer was legit and that I was supposed to follow directions and contact them to purchase the item which is unusual for eBay. Usually you have to go through PayPal the representative at EBay told me that was correct but I had to contact them directly. They requested my personal email and had National Resort Title LLC, 1779 Newport Hwy, Sevierville TN 37876 , The title company sent me a contract and a credit card form, and I paid one with a credit card and one with a check. Then I could never get in contact with the seller or the title company. I called over 40 times but never a call back. When I would get a email back it would tell me another step in the process and it will take more time. Finally after 3 months I started to do more research and found out that multiple people are having the same problem. Listed there was Sevier County sheriffs office who I contacted and found out this company has a file already and I was told over 50 people have been deceived and most of the time this company tries to wait it out and not pay them their money back. I filed multiple complaints one with the MO attorney general office and received a response from the company saying they already credited my credit card and that they were sending a check for the one I had written a check for. I did receive a check but they have yet to credit the card back like they said they had done.

Did you file a report with the Sevier County Sheriff's office? That is where we all have cases. We are discussing it on TUGBBS