SmartShare

What SmartShare does

SmartShare is a privately held, founder-operated timeshare resale marketplace headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, founded in 2001 by Marc Talley with partner Bill Stephan and Office Administrator Rachelle Hewett. The company operates exclusively in the secondary market, facilitating the buying, selling, and renting of timeshare intervals between individual consumers — primarily owners seeking to exit ownership due to lifestyle changes, financial pressure, or foreclosure, and buyers looking for vacation access at 50–98% below developer prices. Its core product is a web-based inventory marketplace (smartshare.com) supplemented by toll-free phone sales, with a specialization in WorldMark by Wyndham contracts (several hundred sold annually) and an exclusive money-back guarantee on those transactions.

The platform carries no proprietary technology differentiation: it is a traditional marketplace listing with basic search, a Wish List feature, and a Free Market Survey tool, supported by PayPal payment processing and educational content under a 'Timeshare 101' hub. SmartShare bundles RCI and Interval International exchange memberships with every property, providing access to more than 5,000 affiliated resorts globally — this partner-driven distribution is the company's principal source of buyer value rather than any in-house tech stack. The business model is transaction-fee-based, capturing commissions on sales and rentals plus closing ($260–$500), transfer ($75–$17,758 depending on resort), and escrow ($260–$750) fees per transaction; pricing is quote-based given the unique nature of each interval.

Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer through SEO, a referral program, educational content, and phone-based closing, with no intermediaries or marketplace listings. All transactions are handled internally from listing through ownership transfer. The firm is licensed by the State of Washington — reportedly the first such license for an exclusively secondary-market timeshare company — which provides incremental credibility in a market known for resale fraud. The company has no external funding, no patents, no regulatory actions, and no M&A history, and has remained a micro operation of 1–10 employees throughout its operating history.

Name

SmartShare

Legal name

SmartShare

Website

https://smartshare.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SmartShare is a Bellevue, Washington-based, founder-operated timeshare resale marketplace founded in 2001. It facilitates buying, selling, and renting of timeshare intervals on the secondary market between individual consumers, specializing in WorldMark by Wyndham contracts and bundling RCI/Interval International exchange memberships with each transaction.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Timeshare Resale Services

NAICS

Used Merchandise Retailers (459510)

akta.pro primary industry

Managed Consignment & Authentication-led Resale (CRAFAGAN)

Keywords

• Timeshare resale
• Vacation ownership transfer
• Timeshare marketplace
• Secondary market timeshares
• Vacation property rentals

Headquarters

HQ city

Bellevue

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Timeshare Sales Commission: Company earns revenue by facilitating timeshare sales on the secondary market, charging transaction fees including closing costs ($260-$500 for non-deeded, $350 for deeded weeks), transfer fees ($75-$500+ depending on resort), and escrow fees.
2. Timeshare Rental Commission: Company also facilitates timeshare rentals, earning fees on rental transactions. Some rental fees can be applied toward purchase prices.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SmartShare operates an online timeshare resale marketplace that lists inventory from individual owners seeking to exit their timeshares and connects them with buyers, with prices set 50-98% below developer prices. The company handles the full transaction lifecycle including listing, paperwork, escrow, and ownership transfers, and also facilitates short-term timeshare rentals that can be applied toward future purchases. It specializes in WorldMark by Wyndham contracts (offering a money-back guarantee on those) while also covering RCI, Interval International, Vacation Internationale, and Club Wyndham resale inventory.

Product overview

SmartShare operates a timeshare resale marketplace platform focused exclusively on the secondary market. The core offering is the Timeshare Resale Marketplace (https://www.smartshare.com/BuyATimeshare), which connects buyers and sellers of timeshare properties. The platform specializes in WorldMark by Wyndham contracts with a money-back guarantee, while also offering RCI Weeks & RCI Points programs and Interval International Resorts for exchange-enabled properties. Supporting the marketplace are rental listings, a Free Market Survey tool, SmartShare Wish List for desired properties, and educational resources including Timeshare 101 content. The platform integrates with RCI and Interval International exchange networks, providing access to over 5,000 resorts worldwide. SmartShare also operates a referral program for customer acquisition.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Timeshare Resale Marketplace Online marketplace where individual timeshare owners list resale inventory (deeded weeks, right-to-use, or memberships) for buyers to purchase at 50-98% below developer prices; SmartShare handles listing, paperwork, escrow, and ownership transfers end-to-end.
• Timeshare Rentals Short-term timeshare rental listings allowing travelers to rent resort weeks or units (typically $200-$2,100+) without ownership commitment; rental fees can sometimes be applied toward a future purchase.
• WorldMark by Wyndham Listings Specialized resale inventory of WorldMark by Wyndham timeshare contracts, with several hundred sold annually; the only SmartShare inventory covered by a money-back guarantee.
• RCI Weeks & RCI Points Programs Resale listings tied to RCI exchange systems, allowing owners to trade interval weeks or use points currency at over 4,800 RCI-affiliated resorts worldwide.
• Interval International Resorts Resale listings for timeshare properties affiliated with Interval International's exchange network, offering access to 2,000+ luxury timeshare destinations globally.
• Vacation Internationale Properties Resale listings for Vacation Internationale timeshare properties, a multi-resort vacation ownership program.
• Club Wyndham Listings Timeshare resale inventory for Club Wyndham vacation ownership properties.

Quantifiable outcome

• Buyers save 50-98% compared to original/developer prices
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and primary.

• RCI (Resort Condominiums International)coreTechnology or IntegrationRCI is the largest timeshare exchange company globally, providing SmartShare customers access to thousands of resorts worldwide. All properties sold include RCI exchange membership, enabling owners to trade weeks/points for vacations globally.
• Interval InternationalcoreTechnology or IntegrationInterval International is a major timeshare exchange company with over 2000 luxury vacation destinations. SmartShare properties include II membership, providing additional exchange options beyond RCI.
• WorldMark by WyndhamprimaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecialization partnership where SmartShare sells several hundred WorldMark Premier Contracts annually. SmartShare offers a Money-Back Guarantee exclusively on WorldMark contracts, the only timeshare with this guarantee offered by the company.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• RCI: RCI is the world's largest timeshare exchange company and a core partner of SmartShare (all properties include RCI membership). While not a direct competitor, RCI shapes the value proposition of SmartShare's offerings and could potentially expand into resale services.
• Interval International: Interval International is a major timeshare exchange company and SmartShare partner. It complements RCI in SmartShare's bundled offering and could expand into brokerage or resale services as a competitive threat.
• Wyndham Destinations: Wyndham Destinations is the parent of WorldMark by Wyndham, the brand SmartShare specializes in selling. As a broad incumbent in vacation ownership, Wyndham is both a supplier of inventory and a potential competitive threat through its own exit/resale programs.
• Disney Vacation Club: Disney Vacation Club is a major timeshare developer with active resale market activity. While not a partner of SmartShare, its high-demand resale listings and member exit programs represent both an inventory source and a competitive benchmark.
• Marriott Vacations Worldwide: Marriott Vacations Worldwide is one of the largest timeshare developers whose inventory appears on SmartShare's resale listings. As a broad incumbent, its developer activity and exit-program strategies directly influence SmartShare's addressable inventory pool.
• Hilton Grand Vacations: Hilton Grand Vacations is a major timeshare developer whose resale inventory SmartShare facilitates. As a broad incumbent, its development activity and brand strength impact the supply of high-quality timeshares available for resale.

Direct peers

• Timeshare Users Group (TUG): TUG is a timeshare owner community with a robust resale and rental classifieds marketplace. It competes with SmartShare for seller listings and buyer traffic, but with a community-driven model rather than broker-assisted sales.
• Sell My Timeshare NOW: Sell My Timeshare NOW is a timeshare resale broker and advertising platform that facilitates secondary-market sales. It directly competes with SmartShare in the timeshare resale transaction flow, offering similar seller marketing and buyer matching services.
• RedWeek: RedWeek is the largest online marketplace for timeshare rentals and resales, directly competing with SmartShare in connecting timeshare owners with buyers and renters. Both operate in the secondary-market timeshare space serving similar consumer segments.
• Vacation Internationale: Vacation Internationale is a multi-resort vacation ownership program for which SmartShare explicitly lists resale inventory. It operates an owner transfer/exit process that overlaps with SmartShare's resale services for this specific brand.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/smartsharegroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SmartShare