Timeshare Travel Information

There are 5,425 timeshare resorts worldwide. 1,590 are in the United States. 3 million North Americans own timeshares around the world. Two hundred ten thousand (210,000) buy a timeshare each year. At any given time there are literally thousands of time share for sale ads posted on bulletin boards and forums.

Most time share for sale are by developers, real estate professionals, and multi national companies. But many timeshare for sale are individual owners looking to trade up. Buying from an individual gives the savvy buyer a chance to snag cheap timeshare vacation properties. This is particularly true of eBay Time Share Sales.

How to buy a timeshare?

Timesharing is the practice of owning fractional use of vacation accommodations, usually resorts. Other terms for timeshare are "fractional ownership", "vacation ownership", "holiday ownership", and "interval ownership".

The benefit of this arrangement is obvious. A buyer pays only a fraction of the vacation homes annualized value and maintenance costs. Each timeshare owner gets more luxury, more comfort, for less than a comparable hotel stay.

A one-time purchase price plus an annual maintenance fee and you own a vacation forever, or for a predetermined number of years, depending upon the purchase agreement of the timeshare.

"Owning a timeshare in the traditional sense means a condominium/villa/house/hotel unit, etc. is subdivided into 52 separate units of time (52 weeks in 1 year), and usually sold to a maximum of 51 owners (leaving one week each year closed down for annual renovations and/or maintenance). Each owner owns 1/51 of the unit. A share represents one vacation week. An owner buys ownership rights and privileges of the share(s) (weeks) that they purchased."

Why Own a Timeshare?

1. If you like to return to favorite vacation spots; a timeshare standardizes your vacation experience. You know what to expect. There are no surprises. You have a week when you want it. There's no "Will we get a reservation?" angst. 
2. You lock in tomorrow's vacations at today's prices.
3. Flexibility - exchange and trade (with limitations), or rent.
4. Timeshare accommodations generally offer more room (comfort) and amenities than most hotels; i,e fully furnished and a kitchen, or kitchenete.

It's important to point out that a time share for sale is like buying a car or a house. Simply put, let the buyer beware. To get the most satisfaction from your purchase you must exercise due diligence.

Furthermore, honest timeshare owners will tell you that timesharing is generally not considered a financial investment. What you're buying is convenience, lifestyle, and a standardized vacation experience at your favorite resort, year after year.

Information You Should Know Before You Buy!

1. Will I have deeded ownership or right-to-use ownership (lease)?
2. What days will I be able to stay at my timeshare-and is this a fixed or floating week?
3. If the resort uses a floating-week program, how long in advance can I make my reservation?
4. What are the annual maintenance fees and taxes?
5. Are there any special assessments pending against the resort?
6. Does the timeshare resort belong to an exchange program such as RCI or Interval International?
7. Can I "bank" my week if I'm unable to use it during my assigned week?
8. Can I read a copy of the Covenants, Codes and Restrictions before I decide to buy?
9. How will the closing paperwork and deed transfer be handled?

If you're considering a time share for sale, take advantage of the wealth of free information online, before you buy. Two good online sources of timeshare information are:

1. Timeshare User's Group (Tug)
2. Timeshare News Beat

For more information about time share for sale check out Timeshare Condominiums for the Beginner at Amazon.

If you're at the stage in life where you appreciate the simple luxury of visiting a pleasant vacation spot often, then a timeshare may be your solution. 

With over 200,000 time share for sale every year, there is enough variety to satisfy anyone.

Ebay Time Share Sales

Buying a time share on eBay is the same as buying a time share anywhere else. The advantage to buying on eBay is you get far more information about the seller.

Each transaction on eBay qualifies for feedback and once it’s entered, it cannot be changed. Do your homework! Read the sellers feedback.

This is an excellent way to know if your seller is honest. And it is the big advantage of buying on eBay! If a seller has little or no feedback; or has recently changed their eBay ID; don't deal with them.

There are many eBayers who sell timeshare with good track records. Since all they do is sell time share only, they have long feedback records.

Read the entire description. Determine, if the picture shown, is the picture of the time share sale. If you aren't 100% sure, ask.

Carefully read the description of the properties condition so that you are not disappointed. Determine the property's location. For example, Is the time share sale beach FRONT, or beach VIEW? Not sure? Contact the seller! If they seriously want to sell time share they'll be glad you called.

Read the terms of service. Each seller on eBay is allowed to have their own terms. You should know: when, where, and how much is the closing? What's the method of payment? Does the bid price include an annual maintenace fee?

Speaking of bidding, many eBay time share sales will be "buy it now." "Buy it now" is just what it says. There's no auction bidding. It's a straight forward buy time share. The person wanting to sell timeshare lists a price. You can contact the seller via eBay's in system email to negotiate.

If you've never bought a time share for sale, there are points in the process peculiar to time share only sales. You might want to get hold of "Timeshare Vacations For Dummies."

Ask the seller lots of questions. If anything about your buy time share process is unclear or seems unreasonable, ask! Because once you place a bid, or you click on the "buy it now" button, it's a binding contract.

Get all your information, everything you think you might want to know upfront. If you feel unsure, don't buy. When considering whether or not to buy time share, be patient, there are a lot of properties out there!

Open a Paypal account. This is the safest way to send and receive money on the web. When paying with paypal, you are also protected if a seller fails to perform any part of their end of the deal.

Beware if sellers accept only cash or instant money transfers. There's no way to trace your money and it could be a potential for a big problem, like disappearing money and no time share.

Be cautious if a seller contacts you outside of eBay to complete a sale. Again, within the procedure and structure established by eBay, you're protected should a problem develop. This is an added bonus, over an above other online sites who sell time share.

If you prefer to bid on a time share sales auction. Do not forget it's an auction! Some bidders get so caught up in the bidding they forget about saving money. Great deals at time share sales auctions go to them who keep their wits about them.

So, having done your homework what are you waiting for? There's a great deal on your vacation condo with your name on it! In the words of the 'Cable Guy'; "Git er' done!"