You just published your first listing on Lendmates. You uploaded the item, set a price, wrote something in the description. And then you wait. One day, two days, a week — and no requests come.
It's not bad luck. In most cases there are precise reasons why a listing doesn't take off, and they're almost always the same ones. After analyzing listings on the platform, we've identified the five most common mistakes among first-time lenders. They're simple mistakes, often invisible to those making them, and — above all — all fixable in less than thirty minutes.
💡 The good news: 80% of listings that don't receive requests in the first two weeks "unlock" after a single optimization. Often fixing just one of the five points below is enough.
Mistake #1 — Photos That Don't Sell the Item
This is mistake number one, without question. Photos are the first point of contact between you and a potential borrower — they come before the title, description, even the price. A borrower decides in two seconds whether to keep looking at your listing or move to the next. That decision is based almost entirely on the cover image.
Photos that don't work all have the same signature: cluttered background, artificial yellow light that kills detail, item photographed from a distance or at an angle, a single shot with no detail. The result is a listing that looks thrown together in a hurry, which communicates — even involuntarily — little care for the item.
You don't need photography equipment. Three adjustments are enough: natural light (move the item near a window), neutral background (a white wall, a clean wooden floor) and at least 4 different angles, including relevant details like labels, serial numbers, included accessories.
💚 Practical tip: the best photo is the frontal shot, with the item filling at least 70% of the frame, on a light background, taken near a window during daylight. That should be your cover photo. Read our complete guide on photographing rental items for more.
Mistake #2 — Mispriced Item
The second most common mistake has two opposite faces: some set too high a price thinking they're valuing the item, others set it too low thinking it will attract more requests. Both are wrong.
A price that's too high drives borrowers away — especially at the start, when the listing has no reviews yet to justify a premium. A price that's too low, meanwhile, can generate distrust: if a drone rents at €5/day when the market average is €35, borrowers wonder why, and often don't book.
The correct starting point is the 1–2% rule: the optimal daily price is between 1% and 2% of the item's current purchase value. A €500 bike should be between €5 and €10/day. A €1,500 camera between €15 and €30. This isn't a rigid limit — it varies with local demand, seasonality and item rarity — but it's the right starting point.
| Item value | Price/day (minimum) | Price/day (optimal) | Price/day (premium) |
|---|---|---|---|
| €100–300 | €2–4 | €5–8 | €10–15 |
| €300–700 | €5–8 | €10–18 | €20–28 |
| €700–1,500 | €10–15 | €18–30 | €32–45 |
| €1,500–3,000 | €18–25 | €30–50 | €55–80 |
| Over €3,000 | €30+ | €50–90 | €100+ |
Mistake #3 — Vague or Incomplete Description
The description is where a listing wins or loses the borrower's trust. Yet most new lenders treat it as an optional field to fill in quickly: "Bike in great condition. Works well." Full stop.
This type of description doesn't answer the questions the borrower has before booking: What exact model is it? When was it purchased? Are there scratches or dents? What's included? Where do we meet for pickup?
A good description answers all these questions before the borrower has to ask them in chat. It reduces friction, builds trust and — concretely — increases the conversion rate from views to bookings. Listings with complete descriptions receive on average 40% more requests than those with minimal descriptions.
Mistake #4 — Slow Response to Requests
Peer-to-peer rental is a market where speed matters as much as offer quality. When a borrower sends a request, in most cases they're evaluating two or three similar listings simultaneously. The lender who responds first — and positively — has a huge advantage.
Responding within an hour doesn't mean being glued to your phone. It means enabling push notifications on the Lendmates app and reserving a moment — even just five minutes — to check requests morning and evening.
⚡ Peer-to-peer platforms reward responsive lenders with better placement in search results. A fast response improves not just the single rental — it improves the visibility of your entire profile.
Mistake #5 — Not Updating Availability
This mistake often surfaces after a few weeks, when the listing seems to be working but requests start to dwindle. The cause? The availability calendar isn't up to date.
A borrower who sees your listing and finds open dates sends a request. If that date is actually unavailable — because you already rented to someone else, because you need the item, or simply because you forgot to update — a double-booking situation is created or, worse, a last-minute cancellation.
The solution is simple: establish a weekly five-minute routine to check and update the calendar. If the item is for personal use and you use it irregularly, better to set availability for specific weeks rather than leave the entire calendar open and hope you'll remember exceptions.
💚 Use automatic blocking: if you know that on a certain day the item isn't available, block it on the calendar as soon as you know — don't wait until just before a request comes. An accurate calendar is one of the strongest signals a borrower reads when evaluating a lender.
The Action Plan: What to Do Today
If you already have an active listing, here's the practical checklist to complete in half an hour:
- Photos: do you have at least 4 photos? Does the cover show the item in natural light on a neutral background? If not, retake them now.
- Price: compare with the 1–2% rule on the current market value. Is it in range? If too high or too low, adjust it.
- Description: does it answer the four questions (model/year/condition, accessories included, limitations, pickup info)? Add what's missing.
- Notifications: do you have push notifications enabled on the app? Enable them if not.
- Calendar: is it updated for the next four weeks? Block dates when the item isn't available.
"I published the listing and for two weeks nothing. I changed just the photos and description one Saturday afternoon. By Monday morning I already had three requests."