Wl Villas - On Ebay?

[DISLOVE]

I am looking at possibly buying a 5 night stay at the Wilderness Lodge Villas on EBAY. Has anyone ever done this? We love the WL and it looks like a great deal... a power seller with 100% positive feedback.

Should we do this??

 

[CarolMN]

You'd probably do better using the DIS DVC Rent/Trade Forum. From what I've seen, those who use the DIS DVC Rent/Trade Forum get by cheaper than those who buy on ebay.

Is the ebay listing for specific dates that work for you? If not, any dates you want are subject to availability. If you rent via the DIS DVC Rent/Trade Forum, you probably wouldn't have to send any $$ until after you had a confirmed reservation. Will the ebay seller allow you to back out of your purchase if the dates you want aren't available? Availability for the rest of 2005 is very limited at all of the DVC resorts. You may not be able to get your choice of dates, resort or room size.

No matter which way you go, be sure to read the sticky threads at the top of the Rent/Trade Forum. They have some very good information/cautions for anyone who plans to rent a reservation directly from a DVC member.

Best wishes -

 

[smraynor]

Is there anything you can't buy on EBAY????? This is the beauty of Capitalism!

 

[DISLOVE]

Well, the auction ends in about 30 minutes but I have gotten no response from the seller. She requires that you check dates before bidding (for obvious reasons) but has not answered my 3 emails. That might be an omon but I REALLY wanted to do this. We could NEVER afford the villas without a deal like this. And the WL is my favorite, I was so looking forward to trying out the Villas.

SIGH...

I'll check out the rent dvc area here on this dis... Thanks for the advice!

 

[Lori-n-NY]

I went to ebay and found the auction you were looking at and you could get it cheaper from a person on DIS in the DVC rent section. The hardest part about making a reservation for anything thru the end of the year is limited availability. You may find that three of the five nights are ok but have to witlist for the other two.
The auction on ebay was asking $780. The points needed for 5 nights in Oct, Nov, Dec are 12 per night X 5 nights equals 60 points. When most people rent points they go for $10 each. So that reservation would cost $600. If I had points left to use I would rent to you but I'm out of points and have borrowed a few from next year already....boo hoo.

You should definitely go and read some on the rent trade boards.
If you have any questions give a yell.
Lori

 

[CarolMN]

Well, the auction ends in about 30 minutes but I have gotten no response from the seller. She requires that you check dates before bidding (for obvious reasons) but has not answered my 3 emails. That might be an omon but I REALLY wanted to do this. We could NEVER afford the villas without a deal like this. And the WL is my favorite, I was so looking forward to trying out the Villas.

SIGH...

I'll check out the rent dvc area here on this dis... Thanks for the advice!

Doesn't sound to me like the ebay seller is very experienced with renting out DVC.

First of all, the only way to check availability is to call Member Services. MS is not open on weekends (Saturday or Sunday) or most Holidays. Even if MS is open on Labor Day (today), it doesn't open until 9 Eastern - which is after the auction ends. If a seller is requiring bidders to check dates, why would she/he end the auction right after 2 or 3 days during which the potential buyers can't meet the requirement - seems like that would be "shooting yourself in the foot!" Isn't the last day when most people actually bid?

Maybe the seller has not replied to your emails because MS is closed and he/she can't tell if your dates are available or not.

Second, even if the dates, resort and room type are available when the seller checks, they might not be when he/she calls for the actual reservations. Then what? Are you obligated to pick another time when a room is available?

Good luck with your research over on the Rent/Trade Forum.

Best wishes -

 

[Chiliman]

I have gotten lodging on ebay 3 times - twice at BWV from the same person and once at BCV. I just recently used the disboards for our trip in 3 weeks and we are staying at BWV for $10/pt ($600 for 5 nights). While I had very good ebay experiences, it is definitely cheaper to use the disboards! We could never afford to stay at resorts like Boardwalk or Beach Club if we weren't able to rent from DVC members!

 

[Gillian]

It does seem silly for the seller to end the auction early on a monday morning, but he/she has certainly been selling a lot of DVC vacations, at least 7 on ebay in the past year. If you look at the feedback replies, the often mention DISNEY (in caps like that), I assume to get potential buyers to notice.

As I diser I know this is not the least expensive way, but as a potential ebay buyer I'd feel pretty comfortable with this seller.

 

[CharlesTD]

Wow 13.00 a point on E bay is a steal. Ours usually go for between 15-18 a point on e bay big difference though is that we always book a hard time to get and then auction off the ressie not just points. We will do Easter or Pres week etc.

 

[5infam]

Wow 13.00 a point on E bay is a steal. Ours usually go for between 15-18 a point on e bay big difference though is that we always book a hard time to get and then auction off the ressie not just points. We will do Easter or Pres week etc.

Just curious when you do this, I am assuming you use your 11 month booking window. How far in advance of the reservation dates do you post on E Bay?

 

[mikesmom]

If they are auctioning points for October, November or December and the reservation is not already made, it is virtually useless. Look around the DVC and Rent/trade Boards. The odds of getting a reservation in any of those months at this late date is practically zero. They are pretty much sold out with long waiting lists for most dates.