@Andy315
Agreed in principle, but even steeper: guest charged 0%, host X% (algorithmic). Notice I wrote "charged", not "pays" b/c:
As an end consumer, I simply don't want to "waste" brain processing power trying to track down all of the charged costs because my goal is to make an educated purchase without needing a spreadsheet.
I desperately desire Andy's suggestion, that the itemizing of ALL costs/fees is between AirBnB & Hosts, behind closed doors, and that when consumers select: 1) dates & 2) number of occupants, that the ONLY prices listed are TOTALs/nights and TOTALs, "out the door", yes, including tax please!
ZOOM!! Fast, no surprise, no remorse, no questions, no concerns, no wondering!
That change would elevate AirBnB to my go-to App, placing TripAdvisor in far distant second place...
@Jd23
First, I am in complete agreement w/ your sentiment about: anyone involved in a transaction with AirBnB should not be complaining about "fairness"; it's a worthless term, whereas "agreement" is the correct idea. IOW, "I agreed to pay" -- end of story, as the itemized parts of the transaction were negotiated openly. Second, you likely agree with "our" sentiment about transparency being of utmost importance.)
So to combine the two, into a summary, w/ JD's analogy of shopping for eggs:
"...I walk into Whole Foods (short hyperventilation about the cost of $1/egg), and confidently assume that each & every vender negotiated (thus agreed to) all the "service fees", "cleaning fees" in order to have shelf space at WF; therefore, my choice between Free Range, Organicly Fed, Fertile, or simply Grade A is straightforward (and "fair!" since no one is forcing me to shop there!)
The medium for exchange, U$D, is clearly marked as a TOTAL/dozen (as well as "per egg"!), and it doesn't change by the time I pay.
AirBnB: Please consider NOT itemizing fees, ("cleaning, "servicing", /fueling/transport).
Taxes: obvious
Note about cleaning fees: for those who want to clean up after themselves, offer a big ole check box "No cleaning fee: When I check out, the property will be in equal to or better condition than when I checked in".
Just like the damage deposit/holding the card, cleaning would be included in that po$t-exchange agreement.