Pros and Cons of Buying with Disney Direct or Resale

[Emagine]

We were at Disney a month ago and once again drooled over the DVC. We go yearly. Thing is we are more frugal with our money then ever and never ever buy on the spot. So we asked questions and came home to crunch numbers. I have been thinking about it off and on.

I get the whole points and buy where you want to stay. But when it comes down to buying from Disney themselves or a Resale what really matters in the end. That is where I want to know the nitty gritty.

We think of it all the time and thinking of increasing our visits to the World. However, we have not sold ourselves on this one yet for this chunk of mula.

TIA

 

[pinnocchiosdad]

We were at Disney a month ago and once again drooled over the DVC. We go yearly. Thing is we are more frugal with our money then ever and never ever buy on the spot. So we asked questions and came home to crunch numbers. I have been thinking about it off and on.

I get the whole points and buy where you want to stay. But when it comes down to buying from Disney themselves or a Resale what really matters in the end. That is where I want to know the nitty gritty.

We think of it all the time and thinking of increasing our visits to the World. However, we have not sold ourselves on this one yet for this chunk of mula.

TIA

If you take the time and shop for a resale that fits your family, you can save some significant cash. Resales entitle you to everything offered directly from DVC. The only drawback is that DVC offers financing and a resale leaves you to finance on your own (unless of course you are paying cash). Resale also usualy requires closing fees to be paid by the buyer and that will add a few $'s per point. The resale also takes a bit longer to close. if you can live with the above mentioned, I would go resale.

 

[Sandisw]

Unless you have your heart set on one of the resorts, like BLT or VGC, that are not as easy to find via resale, then you probably don't need to spend the extra money to go through Disney.

We did because we wanted the 11 month window to book at BLT and did not want anywhere else to be our home resort.

But, if you have flexibility in terms of where you want to stay, you can get some great deals on the resale market.

It does take longer going this way, but can be a great way to get in to DVC for less.

Right now, Disney seems to be allowing new members to buy in at AKV with only 100 points, at prices that may make buying direct from look more attractive--while still not as cheap as resale, much closer and possibly worth the ease.

Also, with Disney, you do get the points right way (can make reservation in days vs. resale that takes about 2 months--longer if you don't make it through ROFR with the first contract) and can finance easier than going resale.

Good luck!

 

[Crystal_27]

I think that the biggest pros of buying through Disney are that you get immediate access to your points and will usually get two years' worth of points for the price (unless buying a resort in the year that it opens). Also, some resorts (BLT, VGC, Hawaii) will not be on the resale market for several years after they have been opened, so buying direct is your only option. I think the only obvious con in buying direct is the price, in that typically you will pay several thousands of dollars more purchasing direct from Disney.

The pros with buying resale is that it is cheaper and, if you have time to shop around, you can get the use year that you want. The cons are that it takes about 2 months to actually get your points and you might have to settle for a less than ideal contract (i.e., stripped of points, inconvenient use year, too many or few points, etc.), and, if you do find that perfect contract, Disney has the right of first refusal and can purchase the contract from the seller directly, leaving you having to start anew.

Those are all that I can think of right now, but I'm sure that others will have a more comprehensive list. Either way, good luck with your decision.

 

[Peggy Sue]

If you're not looking to return to Disney in the immediate future, I would consider the resale market. You will find lots of invetory for all resorts, excluding BLT's, but even that is starting to show up on the resale sites.

You can also get some great bargains for the resorts that will expire in 2042 ..not sure of your age, or how long you think you will want to vacation at Disney, but the older resorts can be purchased for less $$'s due to the length of time remaining on the contracts.

We initially purchased from Disney. We have added on 4 times, twice through Disney and twice through the resale market ... I wish we had done them all through resale. It was less expensive, and the overall wait time was 6-8 weeks to complete the transaction.

Another beauty of resale is being able to purchase an intial small contract ...something Disney doesn't allow (although I think I just read somewhere that they are allowing new members at AKV for 100 points) Resale doesn't have any minimum requiements, you can purchase the smaller contracts and add on as you have cash available. Smaller contracts are also easier to sell should you ever wish to do so at any point down the road.

We purchased in 1997 ... we have never had one moment of regret and have enjoyed many wonderful, relaxing vacations. We've hosted family reunions and taken friends .. something we never would have been able to afford without DVC.

Good luck with your decision ..

 

[disneynutz]

But when it comes down to buying from Disney themselves or a Resale what really matters in the end.

If you buy from Disney on site, you will probably get a free ice cream cone and maybe some fast passes.

If you buy resale, you will probably save money.

Only you can crunch the numbers and see what makes sense for your family.

Bill

 

[bnk1120]

We bought resale this summer and definitely saved money. We had researched DVC for months and knew we wanted to vacation at Disney at least once, if not twice, a year. The process did take longer than buying direct through Disney, but we were not in a hurry anyway. We wanted to pay cash not finance, so resale was the best way to get the amount of points we wanted at a good price- and it just made sense to save money! We also knew we wanted VWL not one of the resorts currently selling. If you have time and a little patience, resale can really be a "bargain".

 

[Jason@dvcstore]

I get the whole points and buy where you want to stay.

In my opinion you should only buy where you want to stay if you make your reservation more than 7 months in advance. If you are a family that has typically made their reservations less than 7 months in advance I don't recommend buying where you want to stay but buying at the resort that has the overall lowest cost of ownership.

If you need any questions answered by The Timeshare Store, Inc.® let us know.

Jason

 

[RickinPA]

Some people paint with a broad brush when it comes to this topic. Some are emphatic that resells are the way to go and others feel buying direct is the way to go.

I did allot of research before buying. We wanted AKL to be our home resort. We purchase 175 points at $104.00 per point. We also received a $1,400.00 dream dollar discount and a $500.00 gift card. I used my Disney Visa to pay and received another 168 Disney Dollars. The icing on the cake was an additional 175 developer points. With zero closing costs, this was a much better deal than what was available on the resell market in September 2008.

We decided to purchase an additional 50 AKL points for Christmas this year. During our stay this December, I made an appointment to visit with our guide. They were offering an additional on property discount. We were able to purchase 50 points with a December use year. Total purchase price was $4,850.00.(No closing costs) The additional 50 points were available that day and the use year is the same as my original contract. .

If you check the resell market for 50 point contracts, you will see several for $4,400.00. Most will not earn points for over a year and have closing costs between $200.00 and $400.00.

Can you do better with a resell? Can you do better buying direct? The answer to both questions is yes. It depends on what you are looking for.

My hat is off to Jason at the Timeshare Store for not painting with a broad brush and giving an honest answer.

 

[theww228]

We purchased a contract at VWL from DVC by Resale and it went very smooth. I agree with some of the earlier posters that resale usually makes sense for older resorts (OKW, VWL, BWV), but direct might be better for BLT and AKV.

 

[AirGoofy]

Whatever way you go, do not finance your timeshare. If you can't pay cash for it, then you can't afford it. You may up with a feeling of "dread" or regret when your payment is made, and I doubt that is what you want to associate Disney with. We saved several years before we decided to purchase, stopping to vacation at Disney along the way.

Also, we went re-sale through the TimeShare store and they were great. We had to wait longer for ROFR, but we were able to pick the resort and exact number of points we wanted. All the paperwork is done via e-mail and my US mail. If you do decide to finance, they have a financing option (contract with a bank) there or you can pick your own.

 

[mommylo]

I have 5 contracts with 5 resorts, 2 (AKV and BLT) purchased new and 3 (OKW, SSR and WL) purchased via resales. Purchased AKV and got developer points. Purchased BLT and got $16 off/point. I did quite a bit of shopping around for the 3 resale contracts to get the same UY but in the end I was happy with all of my purchases.

 

[Bill K]

I had to buy direct needed the free cruise. But nothing is free...

 

[RickinPA]

I forgot to add one thing. When I first started looking into DVC 15 months ago, resells were selling for more per point than they are today. As the economy tanked, the resell price decreased also.

When we purchased, I really wanted to own at BWV or VWL. But I didn't feel the the discount on a resell was enough to compansate for a contract that ended 15 years earlier than AKL.

DVC'ers decide to purchase for a variety of reasons. My long term reasons for buying DVC was enhanced by purchasing AKL Direct.

You need to decided based on your wants, needs, and budget.

 

[toniosmom]

Whatever way you go, do not finance your timeshare. If you can't pay cash for it, then you can't afford it.

As someone who financed, I cannot say that I regret the decision. I probably could have put more money down and financed less, but with the economy the way it is, I'd rather keep some extra cash in the bank. The fact that the finance charges will extend my break-even point is not a consideration for me. I guess what I'm trying to say is that just because you can't or don't want to fork over a hunk of cash and choose to finance, doesn't make it a bad decision and doesn't mean you can't afford it. Perhaps that is the case in your personal life, but not necessarily everyone elses.

 

[Mtnman44]

Short and Simple:


Direct

Pros: speed, simple, easy financing
Cons: higher price

Resale

Pros: lower price
Cons: process takes more time, some additional risk of problems (sellers drop out, forget paperwork, DVC ROFR, etc)


If you have more money than time, go Direct. If you have more time than money, go Resale.

 

[DizGirl20]

I feel your pain... we took about a year to decide to buy into DVC. We just purchased 160 points at AKV direct with Disney about 2 weeks ago. It was super smooth and fast. We got great incentives (discounted price and double points). I was extremely pleased to have bought direct. We had our first trip booked in less than 48 hours after I picked up the phone (our guide was gracious enough to pull some strings to get us in where we wanted).

That being said, our next goal is to purchase another 160 point contract in about a year or so. Next time we plan to go resale. Hopefully BLT prices will be lower at that point and I will have the patience to wait out the resale process. So that was our decision - direct first, resale later!

Best of Luck!

 

[fers31]

Short and Simple:


Direct

Pros: speed, simple, easy financing
Cons: higher price

Resale

Pros: lower price
Cons: process takes more time, some additional risk of problems (sellers drop out, forget paperwork, DVC ROFR, etc)


If you have more money than time, go Direct. If you have more time than money, go Resale.

Nicely stated.

 

[dreaming4disney]

Some people paint with a broad brush when it comes to this topic. Some are emphatic that resells are the way to go and others feel buying direct is the way to go.

I did allot of research before buying. We wanted AKL to be our home resort. We purchase 175 points at $104.00 per point. We also received a $1,400.00 dream dollar discount and a $500.00 gift card. I used my Disney Visa to pay and received another 168 Disney Dollars. The icing on the cake was an additional 175 developer points. With zero closing costs, this was a much better deal than what was available on the resell market in September 2008.

We decided to purchase an additional 50 AKL points for Christmas this year. During our stay this December, I made an appointment to visit with our guide. They were offering an additional on property discount. We were able to purchase 50 points with a December use year. Total purchase price was $4,850.00.(No closing costs) The additional 50 points were available that day and the use year is the same as my original contract. .

If you check the resell market for 50 point contracts, you will see several for $4,400.00. Most will not earn points for over a year and have closing costs between $200.00 and $400.00.

Can you do better with a resell? Can you do better buying direct? The answer to both questions is yes. It depends on what you are looking for.

My hat is off to Jason at the Timeshare Store for not painting with a broad brush and giving an honest answer.

Can you put the whole purchase of a contract on your Disney Visa to get points or only the deposit??

 

[Sandisw]

Can you put the whole purchase of a contract on your Disney Visa to get points or only the deposit??

You can put as much as you want on the Disney Visa for the reward points. However, to get the 0%, 6 months interest free, there is a limit. The Chase site say $5000.

Last year, I was lucky and got the entire price of my 50 point add on interest free for 6 months (have to pay it off next month), $5200.00 and another $3000 for the deposit on my initial contract.

But, I definitely got all the rewards points.

.