I'm a big time eBay person, but I'm really not convinced that eBay is worth the expenditure for holiday rentals. Whenever I've seen a similar property to ours up "for sale" I've been amazed at how cheaply it has gone for. What with the final value fees, I don't think we'll be trying it.
Has anyone had any success using eBay to sell their empty periods?
eBay?
Would you trust someone who was a successful bidder to rent your holiday property? I'am personally, very cautious about using ebay and only do business with members who have a high rating and good feedback percentage.
Even so, people can actually BUY good feedback which really does destroy what ebay is all about. I have heard from owners who have successfully rented their holiday on ebay, but I would be very careful.
Darren
Even so, people can actually BUY good feedback which really does destroy what ebay is all about. I have heard from owners who have successfully rented their holiday on ebay, but I would be very careful.
Darren
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DivineMrsM
- Posts: 155
- Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2004 2:16 pm
- Location: The Dordogne and London
I only listed my cottage twice on ebay and did it as a "Buy it Now" - I was just starting out, it was out of season and they were getting a bargain and obviously snapped it up. It didn't work out though, I kind of feel that it may have been the "I got it cheap, I don't have to treat it with respect" attitude - or maybe I was just unlucky. 
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DivineMrsM
- Posts: 155
- Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2004 2:16 pm
- Location: The Dordogne and London
Sorry if you've answered this in the other thread where I asked you (!), but how did you find the fees in relation to how much you charged? It strikes me as being too spenny...
Lynne
for Metropolitan Retreat in London https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/6712284
and
Le Cheval Blanc in France https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/6714302
for Metropolitan Retreat in London https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/6712284
and
Le Cheval Blanc in France https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/6714302
sorry I missed that query. I didn't really give the fees much thought. I was starting off on the rental ladder and really just wanted to get the property shown off. (I know how to do that properly now thanks to experience and the forum )
I was amazed by how many hits I got on my site from ebay, I've no way of knowing if any of them actually booked at any other time though. Some people are nervous of ebay and auctions so they may have wanted to go through the usual channels. I think I said I have my cottage on my "Me" page and it still generates a few hits.
) I was amazed by how many hits I got on my site from ebay, I've no way of knowing if any of them actually booked at any other time though. Some people are nervous of ebay and auctions so they may have wanted to go through the usual channels. I think I said I have my cottage on my "Me" page and it still generates a few hits.
Hi I had my first season in 2004 and was fully booked apart from 3 weeks. Most bookings were down to Ebay. I did discount the holiday quite heavily as I wanted to get people in as I knew this would pay off in the future. Three of my guests rebooked for the full price for next year in the week they got home.
The great thing about Ebay is the amount of hits you can get to your site and people who did not book on an aution did come back to me at a later date. It can pay off and I had no trouble with any of the guests who were totally charming one and all.
I did wise up during the process though and rather than pay a large listing fee for a buy it now price or set a reserve price I advertised either for
1. Per night (ie £40 a night with a minimum of 7 nights in the terms)
2. A percentage of the total holiday cost ie You are bidding to pay £20 to reserve a free week of your choice. The full price was always visible in the text so as not to mislead people.
This meant that the listing paypal and final value fees were quite low and made it a cost effective way to advertise.
Some auctions did not receive any bids of course but plenty of people asked questions and on some occasions went on to book at a later date.
It can work out if you can add an extra like a baby sitting service or similar then it might stand out from the rest of the crowd.
I will be advertising again every few weeks from January onwards. I am not listed on any site that charges to advertise my villa now (unless a free trial) as I found Ebay much more succesful.
The great thing about Ebay is the amount of hits you can get to your site and people who did not book on an aution did come back to me at a later date. It can pay off and I had no trouble with any of the guests who were totally charming one and all.
I did wise up during the process though and rather than pay a large listing fee for a buy it now price or set a reserve price I advertised either for
1. Per night (ie £40 a night with a minimum of 7 nights in the terms)
2. A percentage of the total holiday cost ie You are bidding to pay £20 to reserve a free week of your choice. The full price was always visible in the text so as not to mislead people.
This meant that the listing paypal and final value fees were quite low and made it a cost effective way to advertise.
Some auctions did not receive any bids of course but plenty of people asked questions and on some occasions went on to book at a later date.
It can work out if you can add an extra like a baby sitting service or similar then it might stand out from the rest of the crowd.
I will be advertising again every few weeks from January onwards. I am not listed on any site that charges to advertise my villa now (unless a free trial) as I found Ebay much more succesful.
Always Learning
Welcome to the forum, Hanorah! 
That's a very interesting strategy - no conventional web advertising and almost fully booked.
I think what would put me off ebaying my property is: how do you know who you are getting? With an enquiry from a rental listing site you build up a relationship and get to know your renters a little before they come. With ebay isn't it just pot luck? Did you have any 'bad guests'?
That's a very interesting strategy - no conventional web advertising and almost fully booked.
I think what would put me off ebaying my property is: how do you know who you are getting? With an enquiry from a rental listing site you build up a relationship and get to know your renters a little before they come. With ebay isn't it just pot luck? Did you have any 'bad guests'?
Paolo
Lay My Hat
Lay My Hat
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Paul Carmel
- Posts: 3836
- Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2004 12:25 pm
- Location: Palma Mallorca & Greece
- Contact:
Hi so far so good. I do have a contract and booking form that I ask them to fill in before the holiday is confirmed. If they did not fill these in I would cancel the holiday and refund the money. My inlaws are also the managers as they live over there so can keep a close eye on things for me.
Our villa is off the beaten track in Turkey in a very uncommercialised area and it seems to appeal to families with children between 10 and 14 for some reason. Nearly all our guests were married with 2 children. I also offer a personalised itinery for all guests free of charge and help with booking flights or finding our information etc so do build up a very close relationship as well.
My father in law is also the chaffeur and my mother in law the cleaner/baby sitter etc so they would alert us to any problems if they occurred. I guess we have been lucky so far but it probably is because it appeals to a certain type of guest I suppose. I also worked as a rep for a year so was aware of the usual gripes etc and have a very detailed website so that they are aware of what they are getting before they go. I am sure we will have problems with some guests eventually but will keep my fingers crossed for the moment.
I am also listed on google and yahoo and lots of other search engines so people find the site on their own as well. It has worked for me so far. I am not against paying for listings but did this last year and only got one booking despite being on about 4 different sites. Without Ebay I would not have had the amount of bookings in 2004 and repeats for 2005 that I have had so far.
If you do want to try listing on Ebay try and deal with people who have a goodfeeback score if possible and try and keep the listing price as low as poss by using the methods in my previous email to keep your costs to a minimum.
www.villahanorah.co.uk
Our villa is off the beaten track in Turkey in a very uncommercialised area and it seems to appeal to families with children between 10 and 14 for some reason. Nearly all our guests were married with 2 children. I also offer a personalised itinery for all guests free of charge and help with booking flights or finding our information etc so do build up a very close relationship as well.
My father in law is also the chaffeur and my mother in law the cleaner/baby sitter etc so they would alert us to any problems if they occurred. I guess we have been lucky so far but it probably is because it appeals to a certain type of guest I suppose. I also worked as a rep for a year so was aware of the usual gripes etc and have a very detailed website so that they are aware of what they are getting before they go. I am sure we will have problems with some guests eventually but will keep my fingers crossed for the moment.
I am also listed on google and yahoo and lots of other search engines so people find the site on their own as well. It has worked for me so far. I am not against paying for listings but did this last year and only got one booking despite being on about 4 different sites. Without Ebay I would not have had the amount of bookings in 2004 and repeats for 2005 that I have had so far.
If you do want to try listing on Ebay try and deal with people who have a goodfeeback score if possible and try and keep the listing price as low as poss by using the methods in my previous email to keep your costs to a minimum.
www.villahanorah.co.uk
Always Learning
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DivineMrsM
- Posts: 155
- Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2004 2:16 pm
- Location: The Dordogne and London
That's very interesting indeed Hanorah. Can I be cheeky and ask if you have a copy of one of your listings so that we can see how you do it? It's the final value fees that have put me off in the past so your method sounds very promising.
I'm not sure I understand the "don't know who you're getting" worries that people have when it comes to selling on eBay
. Do you get more information on your potential guests when selling by internet in any other way? I would have thought that most people bidding on a holiday via eBay would ask questions of the seller before hand, thereby establishing a personal contact. Of course, personal contact would also follow at the close of the auction in the way that Hanorah describes.
I usually have plenty of email/telephone correspondence with our guests in the run up to their bookings, but there are always a few that I barely hear from at all outside of the necessary. For all I know they could easily be nightmare guests.
I'm not sure I understand the "don't know who you're getting" worries that people have when it comes to selling on eBay
. Do you get more information on your potential guests when selling by internet in any other way? I would have thought that most people bidding on a holiday via eBay would ask questions of the seller before hand, thereby establishing a personal contact. Of course, personal contact would also follow at the close of the auction in the way that Hanorah describes.I usually have plenty of email/telephone correspondence with our guests in the run up to their bookings, but there are always a few that I barely hear from at all outside of the necessary. For all I know they could easily be nightmare guests.
Lynne
for Metropolitan Retreat in London https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/6712284
and
Le Cheval Blanc in France https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/6714302
for Metropolitan Retreat in London https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/6712284
and
Le Cheval Blanc in France https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/6714302
Hi this is a link for my most recent auction
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... RK:MESO:IT
I sold one week on the auction and another 2 week booking offsite from someone who had seen the auction but did not want to bid on it via Ebay.
Hope it helps
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... RK:MESO:IT
I sold one week on the auction and another 2 week booking offsite from someone who had seen the auction but did not want to bid on it via Ebay.
Hope it helps
Always Learning
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DivineMrsM
- Posts: 155
- Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2004 2:16 pm
- Location: The Dordogne and London
That's a really good idea! I like the way you are selling a tiny deposit coupled with the interest free payment plan.
With such a low deposit (on eBay) though, have you had people pull out or mess you around?
With such a low deposit (on eBay) though, have you had people pull out or mess you around?
Lynne
for Metropolitan Retreat in London https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/6712284
and
Le Cheval Blanc in France https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/6714302
for Metropolitan Retreat in London https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/6712284
and
Le Cheval Blanc in France https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/6714302
Not so far. It is just a ploy to get their interest really and then you can really sell the holiday via email. If people are willing to pay just £10 it means they normally consider it as much as if it was £100 for a deposit. They also know that if they decide not to go ahead then they have not lost much. They also worry too about the seller in the same way so I then need to convince them that I am trustworthy too hopefully via my website and correspondence that this is a holiday they definetly want.
The two people who booked off of this auction have already set up their standing orders which can make a villa holiday more affordable for our target audience (normally those with children who like the home comforts of a villa rather than hotel). I get them to pay into a online savings account that I set up especially as I did not want to give my bank details out for security reasons. It is also a standing order rather than direct debit which is easy for them to set up through their bank or online. I also move the money every month to my bank account as soon as it goes in. With this method there is no charge for credit card bookings for example or bounced cheques and the money is cleared and paid in full before they go.
We also sell Kenwood stuff as well on Ebay and have not had a problem so far with any of our buyers. People are generally very decent although I have heard other sellers complaining about time wasters. Try and get them to bid on the auction if possible as if they mess you around at a later day you can always give neg feedback but be careful as they could give it to you as well.
I will not advertise on Ebay until early Jan now as it is completely dead over November and December due to Christmas. After Christmas a few people start thinking about there summer holidays so I have found Jan and Feb a good time to advertise. When I am really trying to push interest or sell late bookings I pay an extra £13 on the listing fee so that it shows on the first page of the villa section throughout the auction.
The two people who booked off of this auction have already set up their standing orders which can make a villa holiday more affordable for our target audience (normally those with children who like the home comforts of a villa rather than hotel). I get them to pay into a online savings account that I set up especially as I did not want to give my bank details out for security reasons. It is also a standing order rather than direct debit which is easy for them to set up through their bank or online. I also move the money every month to my bank account as soon as it goes in. With this method there is no charge for credit card bookings for example or bounced cheques and the money is cleared and paid in full before they go.
We also sell Kenwood stuff as well on Ebay and have not had a problem so far with any of our buyers. People are generally very decent although I have heard other sellers complaining about time wasters. Try and get them to bid on the auction if possible as if they mess you around at a later day you can always give neg feedback but be careful as they could give it to you as well.
I will not advertise on Ebay until early Jan now as it is completely dead over November and December due to Christmas. After Christmas a few people start thinking about there summer holidays so I have found Jan and Feb a good time to advertise. When I am really trying to push interest or sell late bookings I pay an extra £13 on the listing fee so that it shows on the first page of the villa section throughout the auction.
Always Learning