Advertising on Ebay

[seasider]

Has anybody had any experience of advertising properties on Ebay as I have seen a few being advertised on there

[Sue Dyer]

Hi Seasider and welcome.

There's a few threads on ebay including this one: viewtopic.php?t=219&highlight=ebay

I'm sure we'll get updates with recent experience.

[Hells Bells]

I did this last summer, and got a booking. repeated this year, and got none, but perhaps coincidentally or not, the previous years guests booked the day after the ebay ad went online. Need to be careful how the ad is worded and do a 'buy now' for it.

[Jaydeep]

Hi Seasider

I've tried this a couple of times and got nothing. Although I do know a couple of people who sell a lot of their weeks via ebay. I think you've got to be ultra competitive though.

Regards
Jay

[linda147]

I've tried as well and got nothing - had people watching though which was strange as it was a "buy it now"!

[Hells Bells]

Linda, I had loads watching, perhaps they think you might drop the price.

[Sue Dyer]

Maybe other rental owners looking to see how it went?

My 2 experiences weren't positive but I know others have been. I felt I suffered from the "ebay and we got it cheap" attitude and the place wasn't respected as it was with regular bookings. Maybe just unlucky, I don't know.

[Thomas BC]

As one who has gained a lot from this website and all those who have shared their experiences...I thought I would add my experience of 'advertising' on Ebay.

I use it alot to get more bods in beds during my slow months (Autumn and Winter). I would say I have only had good experiences with my 'ebay guests'. One group, a young family were great, and they had a great time. A few months later they came back to me directly to book another stay. All my other ebay guests have been great. I also think it gets me more exposure to people I might not be reaching with my rental sites ads and my own website. I have had a family book a summer week with me after they saw my auction for a christmas stay. They were just browsing ebay, saw my ad, my link to my website, and thought they would book a summer holiday with me. They never had any intention of buying a Christmas holiday. All that for £1.62, which is what my 'auction-ad' costs for 10 days.

I was very worried about getting the kind of guests Sue D seems to have gotten. So to prevent that from happening, I do not 'auction' stays, but following someone else's advice who also 'auctions' on ebay (I think a couple who have a B&B in Brittany) I auction meals (with the condition they book B&B for three nights), or say the auction/bid price acts as the deposit. That way I am not getting people who are looking for a cheap holiday and get a weeks holiday for a pound. I can honestly say I get the same cross section of people via ebay as I get via say OD or HR!

Interestingly, following what previous posters on this thread have said, I too get loads of 'watchers'. This has puzzled me for the same reason others have already mentioned. But I too decided it was probably other owners like myself watching to see how I do - I realised this when I realised that is what I was doing myself Ok I am slow!!!!

If anyone wants to pm me for my details I will gladly add more to the above and show you my auctions.

Cheers
Thomas

[Normandy Cow]

Hi Thomas!
I agree with you, despite a shaky start (my first ever ebay bidders changed their minds after winning the auction then for no reason left us our only ever negative feedback ) we have had some very good guests via ebay.

I auction meals (with the condition they book B&B for three nights), or say the auction/bid price acts as the deposit.

Be careful - if Ebay catch you they may blacklist you as by doing this, you are paying a lower Final Value Fee than you should be...

[Chianti]

Thomas

I'm confused, I understand that you gave people a 3 day booking when they paid for the auction price of a meal, but what was the end price?

I too found people on Ebay looking for giveaway prices so I'm not keen to do it again. I used to use Ebay a lot, but now find that people want Boot Fair prices.

Chianti

[Thomas BC]

Hi NC
Thanks for the warning. Early on in my use of Ebay I got an email from Ebay, cant remember what was wrong (and cant find that email now), they removed my auction and refunded my fees. All I do remember was they asked me to reword some or other sentence if I wanted to carry on. They were very good and helpful - more so than on the THREE separate occasions when 2 Nigerians and 1 Romanian were trying to scam me out of a camera I was trying to sell I gave up and still have the camera.

[Thomas BC]

Chianti
Apologies for the confusion.

I auction a meal on ebay - which often goes for not much more than a few pounds. To have that meal, they have to come to my B&B and stay and pay for at least three nights B&B.

Other sellers auction one night's worth of accommodation, on the condition the winning bidder stays for at least 3 nights, paying a daily rate for each additional day thereafter. I suppose on the basis that people will not go all the way to the Dordogne for one night (and hoping it will be more than 3). I have seen other auctions where the seller auctions a week holiday, but that is a basic cost - everything else from electricity, water, cleaning, to bedding, linen and towels etc (I suppose anything you can get away with - unlike say the furniture) is then an additional cost.

I hope that makes sense!

[ravetildon]

I have tried a few times and got nothing. Not to say it doesn't work. Jus so far it hasn't for me.

[Richard D]

....They were just browsing ebay, saw my ad, my link to my website, and....

I didn't think that Ebay allowed links to external sites - aren't any external URLs simply removed by their editing system ?

[ravetildon]

No, you can do pretty much anything.