This has been an interesting discussion... We've been every year floating weeks owners at a Sedona property since 1995 and RCI members since 1993. I remember the days of "red, white and blue" weeks. We used to get awesome exchanges back in the day i.e. trading the studio portion for a 2BR in Kauai. Then things changed to TPU's. After that, couldn't get anything in Hawaii unless I combined deposits over a couple years. I don't know how the other posters here get TPU's in the 50s, 60s, and beyond. The best we've ever gotten was 19 and 21 for studio and 1BR respectively. Have asked at owners meetings about it and response was "Sedona is getting overbuilt."
HUH??? When I hear overbuilt I think of Vegas--overbuilt, Orlando--overbuilt, even Mexico--overbuilt. These places have literally thousands and thousands of units. Sedona doesn't have anywhere near that volume, so to me based on the OP's logic of supply and demand, with less availability, we should have huge trading power, you know like back in the day when I had to pick up the phone to talk to someone about an exchange, and when I asked "WOW, how can I get a 2BR, IN HAWAII, with a studio when they told me at purchase a studio trades for a studio, and you could trade down but not up, and they're response was "It's because you own in such a high demand area."
Another thing I've noticed with RCI is when searching for a specific week to match my trading power, it's nowhere to be found on the exchange platform but for a mere $1200-$1500 they'll be happy to "rent" the SAME week to me!!!!
No, I don't spacebank years in advance, if I'm going to drop 2-3K on prepaid MFs in hopes of a better exchange that I "might" get, then I'd rather just go to direct owners website like VRBO. As it is, with higher membership fees, exchange fees, combine deposit fees, platinum fees (to get the "better" exchanges, wink, wink, which I refuse to pay, BTW) on top of MFs, RCI can no longer compete with private rentals. I agree with other posters, that it makes more sense to just buy a bargain basement week where you like to go, and go with that. Our membership with RCI runs out in a few months, and I'm done with them. Even just using them for rentals or last call doesn't make sense when you factor in the membership fee is the cost of a nights rent someplace.