Original Message:
Re: A fee just to look on Red Week decreases the number of potential renters (by KC):
I agree completely with lancec13 comments above. Contrary to an earlier (incorrect) statement, there is NO cost to BROWSE the RedWeek listings. For owners seeking to sell or rent out a timeshare, the $18.99 RedWeek membership fee required to RESPOND to listings discourages (and essentially eliminates) scammers, spammers, "tire kickers" and robo responses. Those annoying entities simply won't "pay to play" and I am happy to avoid ALL of those types of contacts. With RedWeek's $18.99 membership requirement, the only inquiries that reach me are generally knowledgeable and sincere people, usually already well aware of fair market rates and ready to do business --- I like that. I must also note that whenever placing an ad on RedWeek, I have usually wrapped up that rental very promptly, so I do not believe that the "pay to play" requirement reduces the pool of GENUINE potential renters for people advertising on RedWeek. Personal experience simply tells me otherwise.
For the reasons stated above, when I occasionally rent out a timeshare week that I own, I always use RedWeek to advertise . When, on occasion, I'm looking to rent a week from someone else, I also use RedWeek. In both instances, experience has demonstrated to me that the participants on both ends of a RedWeek transaction are usually well informed and honest and trustworthy and "up front" --- and I am grateful to be spared wasting time dealing with scammers, spammers, tire kickers, bottom feeders, "phishers", or assorted incoherent robo replies.
Anyone can list and / or look on Craigslist for zero --- and get that same "value" as a result. If RedWeek's $18.99 membership fee is truly a "show stopper" for a FULL YEAR of direct (and unlimited) access to advertised travel vacations, then perhaps week long vacations should not really be under consideration at all in the first place, as lancec13 has already observed above.