It all depends on how you look at it. Whether you’re looking from an industry perspective or a consumer perspective, the timeshare industry can look very different depending on your point of view.

Reading Diamond Resorts’ second quarter financial report, it’s clear that their IPO last month is having an impact on how they present their message. From an industry perspective, it’s a very rosy picture with all the leading indicators. Total revenue, sales, tours generated, and price have increased, which is a consistent theme among big brand timeshare developers this reporting season.

The growth figures are impressive, but must be seen in light of the recent acquisitions this year. Still, a 43 percent rise in total revenue is more than just pocket change at a time when the global economy is reeling.

Long live tourism! And the discretionary spending it brings.

But from a consumer perspective, there are standard critical points that need to be checked and have been a point of emphasis for years in this industry.

Diamond reported that its average transaction price rose nearly 30 percent to just over $16,000. Good news for the developer, bad news for the consumer. His reasoning? Due to the sale of larger point packages and higher sales to new customers rather than existing owners.

So let me see if I have this clear. Their sales increased because owners need to buy more points (whose Monopoly monetary value is arbitrarily determined by the developer) and because they can get away with new customers who don’t know the difference like existing owners.

Nice… for the developer. For the consumer, not so much.

But this does not mean that the product is not worth it. The value of any product is determined by those who are willing to pay for it, and to be fair, its average price is about $4,000 less than the industry-wide average price range across the board. But there are better ways to shop than this.

Especially when you look at your sales and marketing expenses, the amount of overhead that was used to generate that sale in the first place. Diamond says it’s 50.7 percent of the full price, and they cheered because it’s down from 57 percent at this point last year. Which means that of that $16,000 price tag, $8,000 will pay the bills, which is your money.

Owners often wonder why timeshare prices on the resale market seem low, but this is the main reason. Think in terms of car sales: Buying new cars covers marketing and commissions, and used cars go for significantly less on the resale market. Same with timeshare.

Again, this is not a blow to the developer, it’s just that there is a better way to buy timeshare than through the developer. And that’s online through sites like buyatimeshare.com. I saw a Diamond Resorts Cypress Pointe Grande Villas in Orlando right now for $7,000, but people need to know the option exists, and many don’t until they’re exposed to the product.

The good news for consumers is that Diamond only closes about 13 percent of its tour customers, meaning 87 percent leave the resort without buying on the spot. Research supported by the American Resort Development Association not only shows that 32 percent of all timeshare sales are made through the resale channel (up from 17 percent in 2010), but that the number of people attending sales presentations has decreased. This would indicate that those buyers, once they have toured, are looking for other purchasing channels than through the “just for today” atmosphere created at the resort.

Once again, the more awareness created about the savings by buying timeshares on the resale market, the better.