Varying Service Fees being charged for identical properties & rates

[Amy792]

Has anyone discovered their listing is being charged more in service fees than that of a neighbor for same exact rental dates?

I was doing some pricing research to see what my neighbors are charging, so did a specific search for my condo building (zoomed in on location). Noticed my neigbor in my condo building with same floorplan as me (# rooms & baths, end unit,  same floor, etc...) was charging just $2 more per night than me, but his total price was less than mine. Clicked on his listing and then mine to see price breakdown for each of our units and found the service fee on my listing is about $50 more than his! 

I called Airbnb to inquire and was told there is an algorithm applied and the rates can vary from 11-15%? How can this even be legal? Airbnb is SO against any form of discrimination, but I feel this is a discriminating practice!

Thoughts appreciated!

Amy

[Ben551]

@Alon1 you don’t get to page 1 based on popularity and good reviews alone... I got there without either of those things, there are 28 primary factors. It’s about what a listing provides overall and how it is marketed. Hell, I didn’t even have superhost before I made it to page 1. By the way, SEO no longer gives a flying fig if you have a superhost tag lol.

if you have a higher search result placement you will get higher occupancy, therefore higher annual revenue. This is your reward. More income. So it is entirely fair to pay higher service fees for that reward, which by the way are not even a scratch on that extra revenue you would earn...

[Alon1]

@Ben551 

Thanks again....

in other threads I have at least noted that not being SH doesn't seem to affect my listing placement in London.

A general search of 80,000 listings ensures that trying to find my listing is like the proverbial needle in the haystack. 

It's only when narrowing down search to the area or postcode that my listings become prominent. The use of the map is the most concise as all the Guests confirm. (I ask everyone how they found my listings).

In sum virtually all my bookings for the past few years  have been limited to those searching

in my area, and it feels like being on an island within London.