Trade Me accommodation auctions can now be created from your BookIt account! On Monday the 6th of September Trade Me will launch accommodation auctions with a difference: travellers will be aware of the dates that are available before they bid and operators won’t need to worry about taking bookings or payments manually.

To participate in this, you don’t even need a Trade Me membership as you are now able to create these Trade Me auctions through BookIt.

How will the auctions work?
BookIt accommodation operators will be able to load and manage Trade Me auctions through their BookIt account directly. Travellers who win auctions will use Travelbug to redeem their auction and make a booking for the value of their winning bid.

What does this mean for you?
This gives you a chance to run auctions for need periods, high-demand periods, interesting packages or anything else and let the system do the work. BookIt will relist for you until the number of auctions you’ve specified has run out. You don’t need to worry about taking payments, sending confirmation emails, or invoicing as Travelbug will take care of all this for you. What’s more, you’ll be able to report on the auctions you’ve run, the number of nights they’ve returned, and the revenue they’ve generated.
How much does it cost?
The fee for these auctions is 10% of the cost of sale. This includes credit card fees, gallery and bold title features on Trade Me, and all photos. The fees and payments will be processed automatically by Travelbug in the usual manner. There are no other costs at all, only the 10% commission processed by Travelbug.
When can you start?
You can start loading auctions through your BookIt account from today but these auctions will not appear on Trade Me until we launch the Travel category on the 6th of September.
Rules for auctions
  • There are no ‘subject to availability’ periods for BookIt-generated auctions. Whatever travel period you specify in the auction must be made available for booking by the winner of the auction.
  • Auction winners have 24 hours to secure their booking through Travelbug.
Tips for auctions
  • Try $1 reserve auctions. They will draw visitors to all of your listings and attract a lot of bids for the $1 reserve auctions.
  • Be creative. Auctions that are a little bit different are more popular and will grab attention.
  • Try multi-night auctions and auctions for specific nights.
  • Make sure your listing has as much information as possible. Better descriptions attract more bids and fewer questions.
  • Load great photos.
  • Try low buy-now prices for nights that you really need to fill with lots of inventory behind them. These can create ongoing interest in your property and generate buzz.
Have fun loading auctions and if you need any help please contact us on 0508 BOOKIT or email support@bookit.co.nz.