Timeshare Deals - Where Are the Best Timeshare Vacation Deals?

If you are familiar with timesharing, you already know that developer's prices for timeshares tend to be through the roof. But there are definitely deals available. So if you've been wondering where the best timeshare deals are, we'll take a look at some of your options here for buying timeshare resales. Timeshare resales are definitely the best way to get a timeshare vacation deal.

While occasionally you will find owners advertising their timeshares in the real estate section of your local paper, if you really want to get the best price, online is the best place to start your search. Of course, if you do want to keep an eye on your newspaper, that might be a good way to find a timeshare another owner needs to get rid of because they can't afford it anymore. Even if it isn't a property that you want, you might be able to sell it yourself online and take that cash and put it towards the resort you really like!

But assuming that's too much hassle, let's take a look at where to find the timeshare deals online. Here's a few of my favorite places to scout for bargains.

Ebay

I've picked up one timeshare on Ebay already and I'm always on the lookout for another deal. I bought a Royal Holiday Club timeshare for $100 plus closing costs and transfer fees. After adding up everything, I paid a total of $800 for a timeshare membership that includes resorts located in lots of urban locales such as New York City, San Diego, London and Paris. The original owner probably paid twenty or even thirty thousand dollars for this timeshare, but I picked it up for a song.

So it definitely pays to shop Ebay if you know what you are looking for. Just make sure you add up the winning bid amount plus the other costs involved to make sure that you are truly getting a good deal. I've seen some auctions that didn't look so hot after you added in closing costs, transfer fees and the maintenance fee. Beware of any supplemental charges. This occasionally happens at resorts that suffer some weather damage - such as hurricanes, etc.

CraigsList

While I think the sellers on Ebay have a better understanding of the timeshare resale market than Craigslist sellers do, that's primarily because Ebay sellers tend to actually be real estate companies. If you see a timeshare listing on Craigslist though, it is likely the owner selling their timeshare directly. Now often, the initial asking price is overinflated, but if you keep track of the listings that interest you, it can be worthwhile getting in touch with the seller a month or so down the line and see if they are ready to accept reality yet. If they are, then you might be able to avoid any heavy closing costs for the sale by either doing the due diligence yourself or searching for a closing company that won't charge you an arm and a leg.

Timeshare Owners forums

Have a particular brand of timeshare you are interested in buying? Use your Google search skills to find an owners forum, message board or mailing list for your favorite brand of timeshare. There are forums for Worldmark owners and forums for Hyatt owners and message boards for DIsney Vacation Club owners. So search around. Also there are general timeshare message boards too, such as the TUG forum (Timeshare Users Group). Most timeshare forums will have a Buy/Sell section on the boards so owners can trade or sell to each other. It's a good place to find a really nice timeshare that may never wind up on Ebay.