# Is it really possible to sell Marriott Timeshares on eBay?



## roveer (Dec 12, 2014)

I'm trying to help my mother sell 2 Marriott Timeshares.  It's probably an often played out situatation these days where my father passed away in 2012 and she no longer has a use for them.  Her kids (me being one of them), do not really have the desire or funds to go to Aruba or using them at any of their other locations either.

So her friend who had similar timeshares ended up giving them back to Marriott because they were unable to continue paying the maintenance fees.  But this was basically a default and I have heard that it's pretty messy and involves leans and possible damage to your credit.  Not really a route that we want to take.

I contacted a timeshare buying service and was told that they could offer "listing" services and they also offer "disposal" services whereby they will take it off your hands.

So we have been getting used to the concept that her (2) 28k investments are worth 0.

I look on eBay and see listings very similar to what she has and when I look at completed listings I do see that some are selling around 5,000.

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge of whether this is a viable way to sell these?  It seems pretty straight forward and for buyers one heck of a deal.  I wonder what Marriott is quoting the people who go to their presentation in Aruba?  28k? 25k?  And the same product can be had on eBay for 5k + the cost of the next years maintenance fee.  Seems like one heck of a deal.

So I'm interested in any information you may be able to provide.

From what I can see looking at the listings I have determined the following:

Seems like eBay listings sell for around 5k
Buyer is responsible for paying 2015 maintenance fees (around 1.5k)
Seller will pay all Marriott fees for the transfer
Seller will pay all fees for transferring the deed

So if I see this right. for 2 weeks my math says the following:

1.  Using disposal company: net proceeds = $0

2.  Selling on eBay:  (2) one week aruba timeshares, Gold week, ocean view
     would be roughly: 

$10,000   (5k each) + roughly 
 +3,000   buyer paid maintenance fees (on 2 sales)
--------
$13,000  - 10% ebay auction fee (might be different on high dollar items)
  -1,300
--------
$11,700 - fees to Marriott + other fees, attorny, deed transfer so lets say 2,000 bucks
  -2,000     
--------
 $9,700  proceed.  

Is this even a possibility?  Sure seems better than giving these to a disposal company.

So fire away and let me know if I'm dreaming on if I should just get on this and set up an eBay auction.  

Thanks,

Roveer


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## tschwa2 (Dec 12, 2014)

You can contact Marriott direct to see if they have a buy back offer or will broker a sale for you.  You would probably make more that way.  For US properties these ways work well.  I'm not sure how it works when they have to deal with Aruba laws.

If that doesn't work I would try redweek.com before ebay.  Price about $1000-$2000 more than ebay prices per unit.  That way you have some wiggle room for offers if needed and you can come down if you need to.  You can advertise on TUG as well.

There shouldn't be a need for a disposal company when a timeshare has any worth let alone one that is worth at least $5000.


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## Jason245 (Dec 12, 2014)

roveer said:


> I'm trying to help my mother sell 2 Marriott Timeshares.  It's probably an often played out situatation these days where my father passed away in 2012 and she no longer has a use for them.  Her kids (me being one of them), do not really have the desire or funds to go to Aruba or using them at any of their other locations either.
> 
> So her friend who had similar timeshares ended up giving them back to Marriott because they were unable to continue paying the maintenance fees.  But this was basically a default and I have heard that it's pretty messy and involves leans and possible damage to your credit.  Not really a route that we want to take.
> 
> ...



The first question to ask yourself is: How much work are you willing to put into the transaction?

If I were in your shoes I would:

1. Consider the initial "investment" a sunk cost.
2. If I needed/wanted a tax deduction and thought It would be quick possibly try to donate the timeshare to a charity.
3. If I needed the extra cash, I would try to list it as cheaply as possible with an agent for about 5-10% less than whatever it is selling on EBAY for regularly  (maybe here on tug) to see if there are any takers. 
4. If it doesn't sell while listed here, list it with an agent for the price listed above.
5. Give it away on TUGG (list it as a free givaway). 
6. Call resort and ask about a deedback (tell them you will pay nothing, but it will be easier on them then option 7 below which you will take and they will still be in the same place, only it will cost them more).
7. assuming she doesn't have any real assets for the HOA to go after assuming she is at the point in her life where she won't be financing a car or getting a mortgage (As one of my aged relatives always likes to say "I don't even buy green bananas anymore"), take the credit hit and let them forclose.


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## MommaBear (Dec 12, 2014)

You have already overcome the two biggest timeshare resale hurdles. The first is to realize the value of your mother's property is significantly devalued. The second is that a lot of the resale people are not very ethical or effective in actually selling units.

Some Marriott properties are actually buying back units, depending on where your mother owns.

For $15  you can become a member here and use the free listing services in the Marketplace. You can also see what other's are listing comparable  properties for.

If you look at EBay you will be able to see what comparable properties sell for. I have no experience selling, just buying.


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## Seaport104 (Dec 12, 2014)

tschwa2 said:


> There shouldn't be a need for a disposal company when a timeshare has any worth let alone one that is worth at least $5000.



Completely agree- Definitely DO NOT pay a disposal company. There's no need to for a Marriott Aruba (even gold weeks). The market is depressed but you don't need to pay anyone $ before a sale is completed.


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## roveer (Dec 12, 2014)

Seaport104 said:


> Completely agree- Definitely DO NOT pay a disposal company. There's no need to for a Marriott Aruba (even gold weeks). The market is depressed but you don't need to pay anyone $ before a sale is completed.



To be fair when I spoke with the people at the timeshare resale/disposal company they were very careful in their language.  I would not call it deceptive, but when you read between the lines you get the real story.  Some folks might just believe the story and let them take it.  As a matter of fact when I explained it to my mother (who is 77) her response was "call them and let them know they can have it", so it's easy to see how overwhelming it can be for some people.

They did tell me it had a value of between 5,000-7,000.  They did tell me that they list (I believe for a fee of 1,600) and will assist in the sale.  Then they told me that they have a glut of units and they are not selling.  This is where most people just give up because they are facing paying their maint fees in January.  That's basically when they turn your over to their disposal department and you start all over again.  What they tell you is that they will help you dispose of it.  They won't charge you anything to do it and you will receive a benefit in that you can rent weeks from one of their programs at a large discount.  They told me they take these disposals and sell them to on-lines vacation clubs (he mentioned expedia) who will rent the weeks at a discount (not even covering the maintenance fees), with a stipulation that you must attend the Marriott presentation.  As a result Marriott gives them something back to help make up any loss.  This must be a super low margin proposition.

Concerning reselling to Marriott - it was looked into and they have a 400+ unit waiting list with no promises.  When I enquired about ROFR (Right of Refusal), they told me that Marriott was only buying back platinum properties.  

I did sign up on Redweek and will continue to look into the on-line resources including this message board.

Right now I have to determine whether it makes sense to have her pay the 2015 fees to stay current with Marriott which will then give ample time to properly market and sell the units.  Apparently so many people are having a hard time paying the fees they are basically desperate to get out from under the whole thing (especially at the end of the year when the fees are due in January).  My mother is not in that situation but based on the information she was receiving she was ready to walk away until I started my Timeshare education.  Her friend let 4 different timeshares (including Aruba), go by defaulting on the maintenance fees.  All because they did not have the ability to do the research and determine that there were alternatives.  I feel badly for them.

Thanks for the responses.  Hopefully I can recover some of her outlay.  It seems an absolute shame that many are just giving them back or giving them to a disposal company because they can't/won't put in the effort to pass them along to someone else who could really use them.  That's where I come in.

Roveer


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## saabman (Dec 12, 2014)

roveer said:


> Concerning reselling to Marriott - it was looked into and they have a 400+ unit waiting list with no promises.  When I enquired about ROFR (Right of Refusal), they told me that Marriott was only buying back platinum properties.



Marriott is buying back timeshares that are to their advantage regardless of color. Recently bought back a gold 2BR at Myrtle Beach from my bro.


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## tschwa2 (Dec 12, 2014)

Marriott changes what they will buy back and what they will broker regularly.  Even if they said no 2 months ago, I would try them again and perhaps every 2 months until you have it sold elsewhere.


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## Ron98GT (Dec 12, 2014)

Read some of the older Marriott posts regarding their buy-back programs.  From what I remember, they have  two programs.  The first is where they actually buy the unit back, if they want it.  The second is where they help you sell it, and keep a percentage of the proceeds.  Since it is Aruba, although Gold, if it were me, I'd pay the 2015 MF and then try selling thru Marriott.

If someone buys it, they get free 2015 MF's, a 2015 week, and I assume a 2014 week that no one has used. Was the 2014 deposited? Don't lose that week if it hasn't been used.

As some else has stated, you could join TUG for $15 and attempt to sell it on the TUG Market Place.  Worse comes to worse, you could even give it away in the Bargain Basement with the buyer paying all the closing fees/cost (what a deal), but I can't see an Aruba week coming to that.  Have faith & hang in there, but don't foreclose & don't go thru a resale company.


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## Saintsfanfl (Dec 12, 2014)

Ron98GT said:


> Read some of the older Marriott posts regarding their buy-back programs.  From what I remember, they have  two programs.  The first is where they actually buy the unit back, if they want it.  The second is where they help you sell it, and keep a percentage of the proceeds.  Since it is Aruba, although Gold, if it were me, I'd pay the 2015 MF and then try selling thru Marriott.
> 
> If someone buys it, *they get free 2015 MF's, a 2015 week*, and I assume a 2014 week that no one has used. Was the 2014 deposited? *Don't lose that week if it hasn't been used*.
> 
> As some else has stated, you could join TUG for $15 and attempt to sell it on the TUG Market Place.  Worse comes to worse, you could even give it away in the Bargain Basement with the buyer paying all the closing fees/cost (what a deal), but I can't see an Aruba week coming to that.  Have faith & hang in there.



Just a side note but Marriott (as the broker) will not give a resale buyer free usage and the seller cannot set the terms or the price. The only thing the seller can dictate is what year usage begins. If the seller pays the 2015 maintenance fee and then seller and buyer agree that usage begins in 2015, Marriott resales will force the buyer to pay back the 2015 fee as part of the proceeds. I could possibly be wrong but I don't think this can be negotiated.

How can the 2014 week can be used if it wasn't already? The Gold season is over. There is no way to make a 2014 reservation.

No matter what the OP's best option is Marriott resale. The net proceeds on their list price is probably way higher than anything they can get on their own, especially ebay. Perhaps the list is too long to make the sale quickly and that could be a factor but you never know until you ask.


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## ronparise (Dec 12, 2014)

I have sold Marriott Timeshares on ebay.   A Fairways Villa and a Lakeshore Reserve, also a Grand Chateau.  

Marriott exercised their right of first refusal on the Grand Chateau

EZPZ


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## Ron98GT (Dec 12, 2014)

Bummer regarding buyer not getting any prior 2015 usage. Good that seller gets 2015 MF's back. Forgot this is Plat/high season in Aruba, I'm in Hawaii. Agree that having Marriott sell it would be the easiest & probably net the highest.

I've meet people down at the barbecue grills that would have bought it. 



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## SueDonJ (Dec 12, 2014)

I agree with everyone who says that Marriott Resales Operations should be the first step for anyone selling a Marriott timeshare.  For the last few years they've been steadily accepting Weeks from owners (whether to convey them to the Destination Club Trust, or to act as broker between a new buyer and the owner.)  There are no guarantees whether they'll accept any certain weeks or the price they'll offer, but in most cases we're finding that if they do accept/offer then they're coming in higher than what's available on the external resale market.  If your mom's Weeks are current in fees then it's not a messy or financially-risky process at all.

Details and contact information are here:  MVC Resales Operations - "Sell Weeks"

If that first step doesn't pan out, definitely look into eBay, Redweek, TUG classifieds, etc ...  You mention "Aruba" - if your mom's Weeks are at either of the Aruba resorts you can also check out the owners' "Vacation Club of Aruba Cooperative Association" website - I believe they accept resale/rental listings for both Aruba Surf Club and Ocean Club.  A resale/disposal company should be your LAST resort, if it's even a consideration.

Just a minor detail:  it sounds like you're surprised at the depressed resale prices you've found because of how the Marriott-direct pricing compares.  It's reasonable to be surprised - we all had that one moment sometime over the years when we realized that timeshares don't hold the developer's price values.  But Marriott no longer sells Weeks unless they're combined with a DC Points purchase, so the comparison you're making is pretty much more useless now than it ever has been.

Good luck!  I hope Marriott Resales Operations works for your mom and you.  

_Note thread is being moved to the TUG Marriott forum._


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## roveer (Dec 12, 2014)

SueDonJ said:


> Just a minor detail:  it sounds like you're surprised at the depressed resale prices you've found because of how the Marriott-direct pricing compares.  It's reasonable to be surprised - we all had that one moment sometime over the years when we realized that timeshares don't hold the developer's price values.  But Marriott no longer sells Weeks unless they're combined with a DC Points purchase, so the comparison you're making is pretty much more useless now than it ever has been.



I personally am not surprised at all.  I warned my parents when they bought these timeshares that they would not hold value.  A few years back I did extensive research on DVC (we go frequently) and after I was able to strip away the excitement determined that it was just better to rent.  This was part of my financial evaluation to determine that I should NOT buy a timeshare:






We have rented DVC on no less than 5 occasions and will continue to do so.  It just made fiscal sense to do so and this is DVC we are talking about which is fairing much better than many other timeshares out there today.  I'm a financial oriented guy.  It's all in the numbers for me.  I can remove all the emotion from a decision like this and be perfectly comfortable with my decisions based on the numbers alone.  Of course some people would refer to that as a "stick in the mud", but that's how I roll.  My mother told me today that had they not bought these timeshares they never would have gone.  Well, 60+k later and they had some really expensive Aruba vacations.  She did say they enjoyed every one of them so you have to associate a value to that but 60K+ could have done a lot more travel had the emotion of "ownership" been left out.

I'm definitely going to look into the Marriott buy back route.  At this point I'm looking for the path of least resistance and will accept amounts based on difficulty and uncertainty.  I'm keeping this process right where it belongs.  A business transaction.

Roveer


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## Fasttr (Dec 12, 2014)

roveer said:


> I'm definitely going to look into the Marriott buy back route.



I believe that since the Aruba properties are RTU (Right To Use) properties, MVC cannot buy them back and stuff them into the Trust, so its unlikely they will do a straight buy back.  I'm guessing for Aruba properties, you would have to go the "have them re-sell it for you" route.


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