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Re: Advice on purchasing a resale (by R P.):

Many people buy resale ..... that's the only way to go since when you sign on the dotted line from developer your purchase has already lost value .... a LOT of value 50% to 90% ..... the reason developer bought timeshares are so expensive is the overhead involved and in this economy ALL timeshares have lost value greatly even the highend Marriots, Westins, 4 Seasons, Hiltons etc.

If you're purchasing from Ebay, be sure to notice the seller's positve/negative ratings. If you buy from a positive rated seller, then you should be okay.

The vast majority of resale timeshare buyers get the same benefits as someone that bought from the developer, other than a few high end resorts that may offer some expensive incentives to buy from them ..... it's not worth it.

Before buying any timeshare be aware of the ongoing rising yearly maintenance fees and possible special assessments ..... also, the only reason (in m opinion) to buy a timeshare in this economy is if you want a certain resort, in a certain season, in a certain area of the resort (ie: summer oceanfront , winter ski-in, ski-out etc)

Also, buying to exchange is a risky business ..... it's easier to BUY a timeshare than to SELL a timeshare ..... thousands of weeks can't even be given away in this economy (low season, low demand) and exchanging takes pre-planning (up to a year or more for popular exchanges) and you have to have a strong trader to even get those a year in advance.

Before you buy any timeshare, please educate yourself on all aspects of timeshare ownership and what that involves. Also, you might consider renting first to see if timeshare ownership is for you.