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Ebay Rentals

irishgrl73

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I am looking to rent a time share and was wondering how safe it is to rent on E Bay? Is there anything I should know about handling a rental through E bay?
 

davidvel

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Carlsbad Inn
Not always, but very often these rentals are of II exchanges. Look for "guest certificate will be provided." If so, they are violating II's rules and you are at risk of losing the reservation if II finds it (which they have.)

That being said I've done it before and enjoyed a great week at MOC for about half the going rental market.

As with any e-bay purchase, due your due diligence.
 

Tank

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Always a little risk factor involved, both ways , but most of us are just looking to rent our places out and get paid for it, or looking for the right vacation to go on.

TUG and Redweek rentals have information on us all that can help cut out fraud .

If someone does something shady here, they will sure be called out on it. Good Luck !
 

theo

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Not always, but very often these rentals are of II exchanges. Look for "guest certificate will be provided." If so, they are violating II's rules and you are at risk of losing the reservation if II finds it (which they have.)

That being said I've done it before and enjoyed a great week at MOC for about half the going rental market.

As with any e-bay purchase, do your due diligence.

Would this not be equally true with RCI exchanges as well as II exchanges? Neither exchange company allows their members to rent out obtained exchanges, although we all know that it's done all the time, albeit at some risk to both parties involved in the prohibited transaction.

That aside, due diligence is required for any rental, regardless of the site on which it might be advertised.
 

irishgrl73

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Ok so I emailed the owner and asked: What kind of Proof do you offer that the Trip is in your Name? Do you offer a Guest Certificate?

This is the response I got:

I can send you a screenshot of my email confirmation. Please note that I will be removing the confirmation number for security purposes. I will change the reservation to the name of the buyer and will send confirmation once I receive payment. The buyer can then call the resort to confirm that the reservation is i their name. I use a standard rental agreement to protect the buyer as well as myself. He did send me a copy of Rental agreement when I requested it?

Does this sound like normal protocol?
 

gmarine

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Specifically ask if the week for rent is a week owned by the seller and not a timeshare exchange via II or RCI.
 

theo

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Ok so I emailed the owner and asked: What kind of Proof do you offer that the Trip is in your Name? Do you offer a Guest Certificate?

This is the response I got:

I can send you a screenshot of my email confirmation. Please note that I will be removing the confirmation number for security purposes. I will change the reservation to the name of the buyer and will send confirmation once I receive payment. The buyer can then call the resort to confirm that the reservation is i their name. I use a standard rental agreement to protect the buyer as well as myself. He did send me a copy of Rental agreement when I requested it?

Does this sound like normal protocol?

gmarine's suggestion directly above in post #6 is a very good one, since neither the questions you asked nor the reply you received clealrly and specifically address whether the week being offered for rent is one that is actually owned by the advertiser, or perhaps instead merely obtained via exchange with II or RCI.

If it's the latter, then the rental is being conducted against the clearly stated (i.e., written) terms and conditions of membership of either / both exchange company, something which may or may not be of concern to you or give you pause.

Rental agreement execution and pre-payment are otherwise certainly normal and appropriate procedures, but you would be wise to first obtain clarification and verification regarding whether this is actually an owned week or one obtained via RCI or II exchange and now being improperly rented out.
 
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vacationtime1

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gmarine and theo are correct, but the email reservation confirmation will probably answer your question of whether the week is actually owned by your prospective renter or not.

If the confirmation email is from Starwood, Marriott, etc. and addressed to the person from whom you would be renting, it is an owned week. If the confirmation is from Interval or RCI, it is an exchanged week.

Because the prospective renter says he will change the name on the reservation to you, it is probably an owned week (otherwise he would instead say that your name would show on a guest certificate).
 

DeniseM

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mjkkb2

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gmarine and theo are correct, but the email reservation confirmation will probably answer your question of whether the week is actually owned by your prospective renter or not.

If the confirmation email is from Starwood, Marriott, etc. and addressed to the person from whom you would be renting, it is an owned week. If the confirmation is from Interval or RCI, it is an exchanged week.......

Not necessarily true. If they are a Marriott rewards member then they could link the exchange to their mr account and it would show up as any other hotel reservation that would generate a confirmation email. I have done it each time I exchanged my week or an AC.
Not sure how other chains work...

I Agree with your other points.
 
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am1

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I used ebay for 6-7 years but in the end the fees became too much. 9% added up very quickly and increased the price I could offer. Some people even though we has been doing business for a few years kept wanting to use ebay even if it meant their price was 9% higher then it could have been.

Now I am using other avenues likes redweek and craigslist which do not get as much inquiries but there is no 2-3 thousand dollar bill at the end the month.
 

montygz

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I am looking to rent a time share and was wondering how safe it is to rent on E Bay? Is there anything I should know about handling a rental through E bay?
I have rented from ebay more than 20 times with great success.

Here are some of the pros from the standpoint of a renter:

1. You can check the feedback of the person renting -- many have a lot of feedback.
2. Many renters have been doing it for years and are doing it as a business.
3. Good supply for some locations.
4. Price is usually the most affordable.
5. You can use Paypal every time.
6. You can check the sales history of resort so you don't fall for some of the "moonshot" listings.

Some of the cons:
Limited selection to popular resorts and places -- rarely do you find more obscure resorts.
Reservations usually are not as far in advance. If you want to plan your vacation a year out you won't find much on ebay.
 
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