Do DVCers dislike RCI traders?

[scubalover]

Let's clear something up on trading with RCI. First a person who buys on Ebay an RCI location for $5.00 will never been able to trade into DVC because they own a less valueable property.RCI and DVC have agreed that only the high ended properties can exchange into DVC. Also a guest can not book further in advance then a DVC member. Also remember that the only time a non DVC can exchange into DVC is when a member exchanges out through DVC. The points owned through DVC are not exchange out, DVC will rent those villas out. In talking with member servies after booking a trip through RCI, I was told that exchanges are up over II. She said that they were up over 65% over last year. One of the reasons is that even though Marriott in Aruba a member can exchange into, members never got the exchange. RCI and DVC are working very close together to get members the exchanges that they want.

 

[Dean]

Let's clear something up on trading with RCI. First a person who buys on Ebay an RCI location for $5.00 will never been able to trade into DVC because they own a less valueable property.RCI and DVC have agreed that only the high ended properties can exchange into DVC. Also a guest can not book further in advance then a DVC member. Also remember that the only time a non DVC can exchange into DVC is when a member exchanges out through DVC. The points owned through DVC are not exchange out, DVC will rent those villas out. In talking with member servies after booking a trip through RCI, I was told that exchanges are up over II. She said that they were up over 65% over last year. One of the reasons is that even though Marriott in Aruba a member can exchange into, members never got the exchange. RCI and DVC are working very close together to get members the exchanges that they want.

Not necessarily so. With timeshares up front cost (either way) often doesn't translate to trading power, or lack of. There is certainly more risk involved if the measure of risk is being successful trading in to DVC, but the potential reward and savings is dramatic and well worth it for many situation including for many that haven't chosen to go that route. For most options you can get for essentially closing costs only, I'd agree with you but it's not always true even then. However, there are a number of ways that have a guaranteed real potential of getting DVC through RCI. One is to join RCI points, at least for a non Orlando resort. Another is to buy BG points and deposit high demand weeks/properties. Same is true of anything that trades with RCI, has high demand resorts and allows you to pick the resort/week deposited. Unfortunately that leaves out Wyndham, on of the better values overall for other options. $1500 (inc closing) for Bluegreen points will get you access to essentially any unit deposited if you plan appropriately, yearly fees about $500 a year with free RCI membership. Then there's the exchange fee and $95 extra DVC fee to add on. The same or just over will get you an RCI points account with no trade power issues (if non Orlando) at about $450-700 a year total including RCI membership.

I'm not sure that DVC can set the trade power but rather than RCI has elected to look at DVC separately from the rest of Orlando and assign it the trade power commensurate with it's demand due to the on property location and resort quality. I don't believe there's any conspiracy between RCI and DVC to keep out people from lower demand locations/weeks simply to be exclusive other than the limitations of their trade power model.

Certainly one can only trade in when someone trades out or IF DVC deposits time they own. Still given 3% plus members trading (recent history), that's quite a number of units in RCI. I've seen as many as 200 units at any given time and do not recall a time when there have been less than 100 units total (weeks vs points), since things got geared up. That includes quite a few of early Dec, Summer, 4th of July, Xmas week, Easter and Thanksgiving weeks. If they're up, which we won't really know for sure for a year when the audit is complete, that's even more units. I'd take info given out by a CM on an exchange call with a large grain of salt.

For me as an RCI weeks and RCI points member along with being a DVC member, the increased deposits and ability to trade up in unit size are large plusses for me.

I think this is a pretty transparent "why are you suckers paying 20x more than you have to?" thread, but I would still be curious which viable traders you're able to acquire for that price -- might recommend to my TS owning relatives who used to be able to trade in via II, but now cannot (although I suppose DVC could switch back to II at some point).

Maybe. To me it's absolutely no different than buying SSR or OKW to stay at a different DVC resort, well, other than the usually much cheaper up front and yearly costs. Plus being factual of what you can do, what you can potentially save and what your investment limits are is not inappropriate unless you make it personal.

 

[gkrykewy]

$1500 (inc closing) for Bluegreen points will get you access to essentially any unit deposited if you plan appropriately, yearly fees about $500 a year with free RCI membership. Then there's the exchange fee and $95 extra DVC fee to add on. The same or just over will get you an RCI points account with no trade power issues (if non Orlando) at about $450-700 a year total including RCI membership.

Thank you for the thorough explanation! So under the above examples specifically, which types of DVC accommodations can you typically trade for? A week in a studio, 1BR, 2BR?

 

[bwvBound]

Let's clear something up on trading with RCI. First a person who buys on Ebay an RCI location for $5.00 will never been able to trade into DVC because they own a less valueable property. RCI and DVC have agreed that only the high ended properties can exchange into DVC.

A low resale price does not automatically translate to an undesirable property in poor repair. It simply reminds us that there are fewer folks looking to buy timeshare than those trying to sell. The timeshare resale market is ripe with values.

Also a guest can not book further in advance then a DVC member.

True for DVC home-resort reservations but not true when booking DVC non-home-resort reservations. Similar to missy2217's comments in post #4, I own SSR and can book BWV 10 months out through RCI but must wait until 7 months out to book same reservation through DVC. I've been successful booking at/near the 10 month window for at least 6 exchanges. To a great extent, I consider my DVC points as a "back-up strategy" in case the exchange request fails.

 

[Sammie]

I don't understand how trading in and out works well enough to dislike any of it and I certainly would not hold it against the person that can do it.

DVC itself does enough to irritate me without worrying about traders.

Enjoy your trip.

 

[Dean]

Thank you for the thorough explanation! So under the above examples specifically, which types of DVC accommodations can you typically trade for? A week in a studio, 1BR, 2BR?

As noted, it's subject to what's traded out. Any such plan will work better for off season than the highest times though recently, traditionally difficult times have been routinely available. I currently have 2 1 BR unit booked the same week at Kidani for early Oct, one is Savannah and the other standard. I also have a 1 BR unit at OKW FOR thanksgiving. Total cost about $500 per week including the exchange fee and extra $95 fee that DVC charges exchangers. I've seen a ton of 2 BR units on the weeks side including Xmas, Thanksgiving, early Dec and even for the specific weeks I already have booked that I saw at VWL. We're actually only going to use the exchanges for a long weekend for each and every one of them and getting it this way makes the costs reasonable to do so. If I used my owned points and only reserved the nights we plan to stay, it'd cost me almost 450 points for the trips mentioned and I'd still lose part of a day on all 3 units. For the full weeks, just under 650 points total.

As a rule, the majority of the exchanges I've seen have been 1 BR and a fair amount of studios. But as I said, I've seen plenty of 2 BR units for great weeks and at the smaller and higher demand resorts, not just at OKW or SSR. The 2 BR do seem to have been less available lately than earlier. I have seen 2 OKW GV in the points side. But even it you trade a 2 BR for a 1 BR, you're usually better off given the value most of us place on DVC. What I've searched with and seen the most with is actually a 1 BR Bluegreen unit. I use the above information as examples of what can be done if you know what you're doing and position yourself correctly. Still, as noted, there is more risk involved and simply buying RCI to trade to DVC is a gamble. OTOH, for one looking at an occasional DVC stay plus trading out regularly, there is little gamble compared to simply buying DVC. Plus the 2 are not exclusive. IMO, a small DVC contract combined with various other components of timesharing can be a great approach.

I find that every time I add something totally different to my portfolio, I have more and better options than I did before. Overall each option has it's best uses whether it be Bluegreen, Marriott, DVC, RCI weeks, RCI points or II. I haven't added Wyndham but I have investigated it somewhat, there are many others.

 

[skoi]

Not to hijack the thread, but how can you check trading power within RCI? We're waiting on closing on another timeshare contract, with the plan to use it to trade out through RCI or II in the not-so-distant future. Do we have to deposit weeks, or can we just check when we get our RCI membership?

To the OP- no problem here with RCI trade ins. I'm actually hoping my sister will be able to trade in via RCI in September 2010 when we all go down for oldest daughter's grad trip. One of the reasons we bought another timeshare was to trade into other resorts ourselves in the future. Good luck getting what you want. We love all the resorts, and would be happy at any of them.

 

[Dean]

Not to hijack the thread, but how can you check trading power within RCI? We're waiting on closing on another timeshare contract, with the plan to use it to trade out through RCI or II in the not-so-distant future. Do we have to deposit weeks, or can we just check when we get our RCI membership?

Both II and RCI keep their trade formulas a secret. You can get some of the info. One of the best ways is to investigate trade power is to find out what others are able to get with similar units at the same resort. One also needs to investigate the best weeks and resorts if a points system or floating week system. The best way to maximize trading power is to find out the best week to deposit and where applicable, the best resort. Then make sure you secure the best week you can and deposit as early as feasible. IF you have to pay dues early to get that done, do so. TUG is the best general place to get this type of info but there are others, esp for some type of ownerships. What resort and weeks are you buying?

 

[krmlaw]

I actually lucked out grabbing a 3 bedroom in Myrtle Beach during the summer on ebay. Paid closing of $295 (I did half of the closing too). Bought it for $.99. Yes, $.99. I really lucked out in grabbing this. MF at $670, so thats not too bad.

It pulls all the disney weeks, which is great. SO Im super excited. I didnt see any disney weeks with my II trader (a different unit), so Im glad I have this one now.

Actually, we have 4 TS, and out of the 4, the myrtle beach one is the only one that sees disney. Looks like im never going to sell that one!

And no ... Id never mention how little we spent to anyone else, but wanted an honest opinion here ...

 

[Dean]

I actually lucked out grabbing a 3 bedroom in Myrtle Beach during the summer on ebay. Paid closing of $295 (I did half of the closing too). Bought it for $.99. Yes, $.99. I really lucked out in grabbing this. MF at $670, so thats not too bad.

It pulls all the disney weeks, which is great. SO Im super excited. I didnt see any disney weeks with my II trader (a different unit), so Im glad I have this one now.

Actually, we have 4 TS, and out of the 4, the myrtle beach one is the only one that sees disney. Looks like im never going to sell that one!

And no ... Id never mention how little we spent to anyone else, but wanted an honest opinion here ...

Congratulations, nice pick up for a summer unit.

 

[skoi]

Both II and RCI keep their trade formulas a secret. You can get some of the info. One of the best ways is to investigate trade power is to find out what others are able to get with similar units at the same resort. One also needs to investigate the best weeks and resorts if a points system or floating week system. The best way to maximize trading power is to find out the best week to deposit and where applicable, the best resort. Then make sure you secure the best week you can and deposit as early as feasible. IF you have to pay dues early to get that done, do so. TUG is the best general place to get this type of info but there are others, esp for some type of ownerships. What resort and weeks are you buying?

We bought Bluegreen- and are waiting for the closing, etc. We're planning on using it for Bluegreen resorts for the first few trips, alternating with Disney. After that, we'll be planning to trade every once in a while. So the trick is to book the right place at the right time and hope it will be in demand with RCI. I'm guessing there are some tried and true choices such as the beach in summer, trading power depending on the resort, but that would be better than Hershey PA in winter. There are a few resorts in Egypt and Morocco that trade through both RCI and II our 10 year old really wants to go to, so hopefully someday we'll be able to work that out some day.

 

[Dean]

We bought Bluegreen- and are waiting for the closing, etc. We're planning on using it for Bluegreen resorts for the first few trips, alternating with Disney. After that, we'll be planning to trade every once in a while. So the trick is to book the right place at the right time and hope it will be in demand with RCI. I'm guessing there are some tried and true choices such as the beach in summer, trading power depending on the resort, but that would be better than Hershey PA in winter. There are a few resorts in Egypt and Morocco that trade through both RCI and II our 10 year old really wants to go to, so hopefully someday we'll be able to work that out some day.

There is some info out there so far but it generally is peak weeks during prime times at top resorts. One thing to know about BG is while they don't limit the weeks you deposit, they do limit the units that are deposited. Rather than going into detail here and boring the non BG people, you may want to email me directly at deandal@bigfoot.com and I can give you a few suggestions about do's and don'ts. I love BG for exchanging but like Marriott or anything else, there are the haves and have nots and you need to know how to approach it for a given goal.

 

[skoi]

Thanks Dean- you're always an invaluable source of info.

 

[gkrykewy]

Thanks Dean- you're always an invaluable source of info.

Honestly, he should charge for it

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

RCI owners trading in is the reason we can trade out. It'd be great if you owned that week in Europe I was hoping to get next year.

 

[ldo]

I deposited my top rated (Gold Crown), 3 BR 4th of July HHI beach week with RCI to request a summer 2 BR DVC resort. I would expect that many RCI trades are similar to mine. I also know that many on other boards have said that they can't "pull" DVC with their RCI traders--so, you do need a strong trader, but right now, you can buy strong weeks on ebay for under $1K---there are many "Deals" right now b/c people are in trouble and dumping TS to get out from under the annual fees. However, many of those "Deals" have skyrocketing maintenance fees compared to DVCs and have issues with foreclosure and nonpayment of annual fees--and if you want to resale that TS--you are going to get that same low price you paid, or even worse, not be able to sell it at all.
And, yes, there are still many benefits to owning DVC. The ability to book what and when you want---I am waiting to trade into DVC and we really want certain DVCs, but know we might have to take whatever is offered to us. With my points, I could book that summer week pretty much wherever I wanted. Elaine

 

[littlestar]

I actually lucked out grabbing a 3 bedroom in Myrtle Beach during the summer on ebay. Paid closing of $295 (I did half of the closing too). Bought it for $.99. Yes, $.99. I really lucked out in grabbing this. MF at $670, so thats not too bad.

It pulls all the disney weeks, which is great. SO Im super excited. I didnt see any disney weeks with my II trader (a different unit), so Im glad I have this one now.

Actually, we have 4 TS, and out of the 4, the myrtle beach one is the only one that sees disney. Looks like im never going to sell that one!

And no ... Id never mention how little we spent to anyone else, but wanted an honest opinion here ...

That's a good price for summer at Myrtle Beach. Heck, if you can trade it for DVC, more power to you. The maintenance fees alone on a 2 bedroom DVC unit will be more than that (not to the mention the upfront cost of buying the DVC points). Sounds like you're playing it smart with your money as long as it's a well-managed resort you wouldn't mind using, too, if DVC leaves RCI in the coming years.

I'm in the opposite boat now - I'm unloading one of our timeshare weeks and have decided to only keep 155 DVC points and two EOY lock off timeshares - one with Marriott and the other a dual affiliated 4th of July week in the mountains. Our dual affiliated resort gives me access to RCI's last call cash deals. I'm finding more and more that I like staying at whichever resort in Orlando has been updated recently or is brand new. And it definitely doesn't have to be DVC.

 

[Dean]

I deposited my top rated (Gold Crown), 3 BR 4th of July HHI beach week with RCI to request a summer 2 BR DVC resort. I would expect that many RCI trades are similar to mine. I also know that many on other boards have said that they can't "pull" DVC with their RCI traders--so, you do need a strong trader, but right now, you can buy strong weeks on ebay for under $1K---there are many "Deals" right now b/c people are in trouble and dumping TS to get out from under the annual fees. However, many of those "Deals" have skyrocketing maintenance fees compared to DVCs and have issues with foreclosure and nonpayment of annual fees--and if you want to resale that TS--you are going to get that same low price you paid, or even worse, not be able to sell it at all.
And, yes, there are still many benefits to owning DVC. The ability to book what and when you want---I am waiting to trade into DVC and we really want certain DVCs, but know we might have to take whatever is offered to us. With my points, I could book that summer week pretty much wherever I wanted. Elaine

Are you seeing the 130 or so deposits currently there? I've seen quite a number of BWV, VWL, AKV and BCV units for summer though they have come and gone for the most part. Maybe you started too late or possibly you have a resort quality issue, not uncommon for HHI in RCI as the RCI resorts there are not stellar. Ignoring the Marriott's that trade in RCI, there are no top notch timeshares in RCI for HHI and only a handful of good ones. No doubt it's a gamble but it is a gamble with a large payoff for many. As a rule DVC dues are about 150% of a very comparable non disney timeshare and 200-300% of many that will trade in to DVC, comparing a week to a week. For example, the dues attributable to my trader are around $400, if I only owned enough BG points for this trade alone, they'd be more, in the $600 range but it also includes an RCI weeks account.

 

[ldo]

yes, I can see everything. I am waiting for summer 2010.

 

[Lisa P.]

What actually irked me about RCI traders was that they have access to our resorts before we do.

The RCI trader only has access to weeks because a DVC member had access to it first and their points were used to deposit a week for their exchange.

To be honest, I think there are some here that are not especially happy to see people trade in. You'll usually see some reason associated but the bottom line is that I believe some are elitist when it comes to DVC and quite a bit more than would actually say so.

ITA!

i have gotten our TS off ebay for literally pennies, and did the closings myself, so Im pretty proud that we havent spent alot of money on TS

Remember that exchangers have no assurance of future exchanges, are rarely able to get larger units in popular seasons and are much more limited in lengths of stay. There's a trade-off. We prefer to save and trade in too but you may want to consider discussing your excitement more on a general timeshare owners forum rather than bringing it into the home camp. Just a thought.