The point of this guide is to keep consumers informed about buying and selling pluses and pitfalls, when doing so on Ebay.  The market for re-sale timeshare is huge and at any one time Ebay sellers offer at least 100 + options for buying a timeshare.  There are many, many, different types of timeshare and timeshare systems so it is important that you know what you are buying and the reasons for it.  Below I have listed a few of the different options for timeshare consumers, these are the most popular, so, this guide should be helpful to many people.

I would like to firstly inform all the readers of this Guide that, yes, I do work for a timeshare re-sale company. I would like to let everyone know, that as a re-sale company we offer almost every kind of timeshare option in every country and every resort, and for that reason we do not lean towards anything in particular. What you will get from us, is an honest opinion built upon statistics and feedback and for certain resorts, first hand experience.

The Fixed Week Option

For most consumers, the fixed week option is the more useful. With Schools Holidays being a concern for most families, nothing bust a fixed week will do. The benefit of a fixed week is the guarentee that you will have accommodation ready and waiting for you every year, with no messing about. An example would be that Mr & Mrs Smith have children, they a need to sleep 6 people in August every year. The most viable option for them would be to buy an August week. School Holiday week are mostly the last two weeks in July until the last week of August, these are 29-35. The most popular weeks are numbered 30-34.  Mr & Mrs Smith's accommodation problem is now solved for many,many, years.  For other times of year this can also be suitable as every consumer has differing needs.

In short, if you need a particular time of year, each and every year, BUY A FIXED WEEK!

The Floating Week Option

For consumers that have unpredictable holidaying patterns the floating week options is more suitable. Please keep in mind that floating weeks can still offer school holiday weeks in some resorts. More and more resorts are now offering a floating system in the place of fixed weeks. Resorts that offer a floating system usually have different banding for their floating weeks. A great example of this is the well-known Marriott brand.

Marriott offer more than one type of floating week. If you require an August School Holiday week, you will need to purchase a Platinum Floating week. If you require Half Term weeks, the Gold Holiday option would be suitable. If you require a period in between the school holidays and half terms, then a Gold or Silver floating option would be better.

Many resorts that offer the floating week option simply refer to them as Floating Peak Season, Floating High Season, Floating Mid Season or Floating Low Season. Others may refer to them as Floating Red, Floating White and Floating Blue.  Each resort can be different so it is important to understand what you are buying, as some resorts may call these floating weeks something completly different such as Sunterra's Cromer Country Club that offers Floating Shoulder, which, kind of offers mid/high weeks but would always be sold as a Mid Season week.

The Points Option

The ever increasing demand for flexibility, pushes the demand for points systems  higher and higher. Most of the more respected and larger developers offer a points system of some sort.

Club La Costa Points are sold in great numbers are are banded by the amount of points you own. 1501 Points with Club La Cost is the most popular amount as this is not the lowest amount of points on offer and is within the 'affordable' bracket for most owners. The idea is that each resort on offer has a different points value which increases and decreases depending upon the time of year you visit, the size of accommodation you require. If one resort will cost you 1000 points for two weeks, then you will have 501 left to use on another resort. Resort/Developer Prices are very high, the resale market would usually suggest between £3-£5 per point. There is a transfer fee of £1.50 per points to be paid, so please keep this in mind when buying.

Sunterra Points are also sold in large numbers and work in a very similar way to Club La Costa Points. When selling Sunterra Points, owners must contact sunterra and convert thier points into fixed or floating week inventory at one of their many resort, they can then sell their weeks.

RCI Points are one of the most effective and affordable system available on the market today. This system offers Points in exchange for the use of your weeks each year. By converting (Ceding) into RCI Points you can change a fixed week or floating week into Points. This is a cheap option and will not change the ownership status of your weeks. In short, you still own them.

The amount of Points offered by RCI for your weeks varies depending upon the Quality of your resort, the better it is the more points you will get. The Size of your accommodation, the bigger, the more points you will get. The time of year you own, School Holiday weeks usually get a higher points value, in Tenerife for example, the Points value for Christmas/New Year weeks is usually the same as August School holidays.

I could go on and on and on with various different types of timeshare options, if you require help with another type of system, then please run it by me, I will help if I can.

Tips for Buyers

When buying a timeshare, just make sure you are going to be able to use it. If you see a really cheap week available and think you want to buy it, get a professional to check it out. An honest seller will not object to a professional company checking for outstanding management fees and finance. Spending a few hundred pounds could save you thousands.  Also check the management fees for each resort, the on-going cost of owning a timeshare is the management fees so it is important to get them at the right level. generally, the higher the management fee, the more amenities a resort offers.  When being offered a floating week, make sure that what the seller is telling you is in fact the truth. A Floating High Season week will not get you an August School Holiday week in many resorts, if the seller tells you they can, check with the resort!!

Tips for Sellers

My advice to sellers is to check the market rates for selling, it is very easy to undersell and over price your timeshare.  Always use an OTE member company. The OTE is the Organisation for Timeshare in Europe and are the governing body for timeshare in Europe.

WARNING TO SELLERS !!!!

There are many companies in Spain that are offering sellers the opportunity to sell their timeshare through them. They advise owners that they have agreed a sale for them and that they will require approx. £500 in legal fees from the owner. The owner then pays for the service only to be told soon afterwards that the deal has fallen through and that they will keep your money until they have a new buyer, you will never have a buyer!!!

When dealing with OTE companies such as us, you will be offered an option to register you timeshare for sale free of charge, there are optional advertising fees should you feel you need them. The service we offer is unique, when we sell your timeshare, you get the advertising costs refunded back to you, on-top of the purchase price.

I hope that many readers find this Guide to be both honest and helpful, if you require help with anything relating to timeshare matters, then please feel fee to contact me. My name is David James, our Ebay shop is The Travel & Leisure Group managed by Tlasauctions.