I'm still a hardcore Never Riviera, and I'll admit I'm surprised that resale contracts are going for so much. I still can't understand why anyone would want to buy them for anything more than a very steep discount. I've recently had the pleasure of using my points at 3 different resorts, and just booked a trip to Aulani. I would be limitlessly frustrated if I were limited to a single resort, especially if I weren't *always* able to book more than 7 months out. Those Riviera resale restrictions are cancer. I imagine that many buyers, once they fully digest the implications of those restrictions, and after the newness of having those points wears off, will feel some regret and frustration at being limited to a single location year-after-year, for decades.
See above. I imagine for many (not all, of course), that ignorance is a contributing factor, and they do not quite fully understand the implications of the restrictions. But as they talk about their membership with other owners, and realize the massive limitation that has been imposed on them, they'll start to feel some pretty severe resentment.
You know, I actually might. Now knowing that resale costs aren't as depressed as many (including me) thought, the direct-buy doesn't seem to have been so risky. OTOH, I don't have any particular affinity for Riviera or its location, so would have (actually did) used that money to buy more points at my home resort. I still have enough direct/pre-RR points to qualify for an occasional RR stay anyway.
This another too-often overlooked punishment for RR resale buyers. They are limited to one resort for literally decades. Over that time, how often do you think they'll run into booking restrictions and can't get what they want? Seriously, RR resale restrictions are just sickeningly evil the more you delve into their implications.
And all this in addition to the imbalance/unfairness to owners of the rest of the resorts. The fact that OG14 post-RR resale owners do not get access to the RR, but RR owners get access to their resorts is grounds for a lawsuit, in my opinion.