Why do I keep getting the question How much is it going to cost?

Hi ,

I have just recently started listing my holiday home on airbnb. I have had 11 inquiries so far and the first question each one has asked is how much is it going to cost? I am confused. When you click on a listing the cost is clearly given so why are they asking this? Are they looking for a discount? What am I missing? I did have one woman ask if she could book it outside of airbnb so she didn’t have to pay the airbnb charges. I have replied to each one explaining the pricing but it most cases I got no reply. I have priced the apartment so that it is a little less than similar properties nearby so that I can build up reviews.

Has anyone else had similar queries. It is starting to get a bit annoying

Thanks

Emma

I get that alot too. People just don’t seem to read. I usually tell them to go on the site and find out for themselves and explain to them the price they see isn’t the amount I get at the end (which is true).

Emma, sorry you are having this issue. I have found every single time they do this, they are simply looking for you to offer some insane discount. These kinds of guests should you give in are the worst IMO. Being nickeled and dimed over something you have thought very clearly about what it is worth can make for a bad start to the arrangement. Airbnb is very intuitive. If they found your place, it’s usually because they put in some dates and number of guests. So, the price came up. So what’s to ask?

Pretty soon you’ll have guests, and if not, you might find that you may have to temporarily price a bit more competitively until you have more reviews. This is a much better way to do it, than having to bargain with people over your hospitality :smile:

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It’s typically because people aren’t typing in their dates into the calendar so the total price is not showing on their screen. Tell them to enter the desired dates and presto the total fee will appear.

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They are new users and don’t read.

just bloody lazy. usually time wasters!

I have always wondered this too. I wouldn’t be wasting my time emailing someone to find out the cost if I could just click on a quote. That makes no sense, because there’s no telling how long it will take someone to get back to you. I think many are just looking for a discount. But if I was very interested in a property, I would rather pick up the phone and contact Air instead of waiting on an email reply and the property getting booked by someone else.

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