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Where can I sell my timeshare?

When you bought your timeshare you surely were told that you can enjoy, share, exchange, lend, rent, inherit and sell it. That is true!
The problem is most people are neither experienced salesmen nor do they know how and where to start. Here I want to give you some ideas where to offer your Holiday-Ownership, week or points. Selling your timeshare requires effort, a little bit of learning and a good portion of patience. However, combining some of the following recourses and doing some “marketing” should achieve its purpose sooner or later. (Please do not wait until you get a cold call without having taken any initiative, this will not happen and if it does you will probably be scammed.)

Selling at your own Resort

Always start here. Check with your developer or the resort management company to see if either offers a resale program. There are resorts (though very few) offering an internal resale program or the possibility to put an ad on a bulletin board provided. They might even have a newsletter with a “resale section” for their members. But if your managing company or developer can not help you they might know about a resale company where other members sold their timeshare successfully. (If you happen to get information like this, please let us know).

Spending your holiday week at your own resort you may get the chance to talk to other members, they may have friends or relatives interested in purchasing your week, if your offer is good enough. Owning a fixed week you might also find out who owns the weeks just before and after you. Many owners like to upgrade their time and buy more weeks. There is nothing wrong with exchanging experiences in a friendly and courteous way.

Real estate and resale agents

If you purchased your week of timeshare in an area where there are many timeshare resorts there may be local brokers who handle resale. It is always positive to negotiate face to face, but be careful and do not ever pay any money upfront. Ask for references and if you find a “physical” resale agent you have to expect to pay a 10% to 30 % commission after a successful sale. You might look for an agent in your hometown too.

Classifieds

There are many newspapers and classifieds websites offering free advertising for private sales, some charge a small fee for their advertising space while others can be relatively expensive, compare advertising costs with duration of the ads. You should run your ads in the real estate or travel section to attract as many prospects as possible. Also, advertising in local newspapers where your resort is located is worth a try. Here are some examples I personally like:

Segundamano.es is a free classifieds site for the Spanish market. Only in Spanish.
Mercadolibre.com is a free classifieds site for the South American market.
Craigslist.org. Who doesn’t know this one?  Worldwide reach.
Surinenglish.com is the English edition of a popular Spanish newspaper and website distributed for free on the Costa del Sol. Thousands of tourists pick up their copies every Friday.

Auctions

eBay UK Another way to sell your timeshare is through eBay. The auction site is frequented by many people looking for bargains. It is worth to spend some time reading and learning from the instructions of their section “how to sell your timeshare“. You will reach a targeted global market. Alternatively you may place your timeshare up for auction on , ,

Bidshares.com offers online advertising similar to an ad but is an auction site. Publication of the auction is free and you pay only on completion of the auction. You may advertise timeshare for sale, rent or points. Charges are fair and the site is getting busier. Only in English.

Specialized or Industry-related websites or papers

When selling your timeshare of course you want to target people interested in buying or interested in the topic “timesharing” itself. There are many websites inviting you to place an ad to sell your timeshare. You should seriously consider spending a small amount of advertising money here too, but take care that you don’t fall into the trap of a “diabolic angel in disguise”. If you are offered the publication listing for free, you should start thinking….”Where do they make their money?” These are three serious places I like:
RedWeek.com. You must be a member to post ads (money for membership and money for posting), but they also offer Exchange. Mainly US-Market.
Timesharingtoday.com is a magazine and website. You pay a subscription and advertising fee. Only in English and mainly US.

And last but not least…..My Timeshare Week. You can advertise your timeshare in English and it will be translated into German and Spanish to reach the maximum number of people interested in purchasing or renting. The site is in its beginning and yet there are few ads, but we work at it having in mind Henry Ford who said: “Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.”

Would you like to give it a try with us? Check out “provision of services”.