Registrar gives your aftermarket domain great exposure through Premium Listings.
One of the most effective ways to sell domain names to end users is to market to them at the exact moment they’re searching for a domain name. That’s why NameMedia’s partnership with GoDaddy to display “premium domains” during the searching/registration process is so successful.
But few people know that GoDaddy gives everyone the opportunity to list their domains in the “premium domains” section of its web site.
To get added to the premium domains section, you need to sign up for a “Premium Listing“.
You can only do this for domain names registered at GoDaddy and they must be .com, .net, or .org. You must price them at less than $5,000 and also set a commission rate your willing to pay. The higher your commission, the more exposure GoDaddy provides (i.e., the higher it shows in the list).
The minimum commission is 32%, and the maximum is 60%. Rather than scoff at the high commission, I’d look at the price as what you want to take home, not worrying about how much the broker gets. So if you want to take home $1,000 and set the commission at 50%, you need to list the domain for $2,000.
To show you how powerful this is, consider that every time someone searches for a domain you own, they could get a message that the domain is available for purchase. They can then add it to their cart, checkout, and get the domain instantly. Here’s an example I just created for AtlantaBodyShop.com:
Of course, your domain will also show up in the “Premium” domain box if it is related to the customer’s search but not an exact fit.
DomainTweeter says
Thanks for posting Andrew – I’ve been using TDNAM for years and wasn’t aware of this.
Walter says
FYI – You can do the same thing at Domains.com only they do not charge any commissions
Domain Investor says
Andrew, thanks for posting this info.
I realize all that matters is the “net”.
But, don’t you think 40, 50 to 60% commission is similar to usury?
That is rediculous.
I guess it is the cause of – charge what the market will bare.
Andrew Allemann says
GoDaddy has a sales channel with lots of value, and can charge accordingly.
Lee H. says
@Domain Investor I’ve seen Premium Domains work extremely well, especially for expired domain buyers. Sometimes its even the previous owner who buys back the same domain. That said, end users are the most common buyers of premium domains, so getting a higher rate to compensate for the commission isn’t as difficult.
I don’t see a need to set it above 32% as direct hits are most commonly the ones that get sold. Also, GD has a department handling calls and helping you sell your domains, so it’s not a bad deal really.
Jamie says
Andrew, is the payout still 30 days? I know if you sold a domain on TDNAM, you (seller) wouldn’t get paid for approx 30 days from Godaddy for the sale.
Lee H. says
Yes, its about 30 days, but depends on when the domain is sold. They will send you a check. Also, be sure to keep your account info up to date if you list, because if you don’t have a payment profile set they will use that.
Domain Investor says
Can you list it at Godaddy at 32% commission and also at NameMedia at 20%?
Or, is there an exclusive clause?
Andrew Allemann says
Like Lee said, be sure to take your domain off other platforms ASAP if you sell.
Lee H. says
I don’t believe there to be an exclusive clause; however, keep in mind that the domain is transferred automatically by GoDaddy. So if you were to sell it elsewhere and then thru Premium Domains it would be removed from the account automatically.
Robert Haastrup-Timmi says
Thanks for letting us know about this in great detail Andrew!
We really need a daily mechanism that provides more liquidity, rather than cronyism auctions.
Sorry if that sounds somewhat cynical, but that is what we mostly have at the moment. I’m not at all bothered to pay 32% to 50% commission if it means domains will sell quicker, then that’s really wicked!!
Gene says
I use and like GoDaddy, and really don’t have an issue with how steep their commissions are for this service. But I must say that I’ve stumbled on these ‘premium domain’ listings many times: and never once was i even tempted to buy one; although I’m sure that some people are.
Domain Investor says
“and never once was i even tempted to buy one; although I’m sure that some people are.”
Are you the type of domain owner that is willing to buy premium domains?
The majority of domainers are not premium buyers. Domainers wants to buy low, sell high.
It is endusers that are willing to pay premium pricing.
Nessan says
why is the time limit for selling domains on godaddy?
Andrew Allemann says
You can automatically renew, so it’s effectively unlimited.
Jamie says
It appears some of the info in your article have changed Andrew.
It appears you can now list up to $99,999 and not the $5K it was before.
Commission is 30% and doesn’t appear to be 32%-60%
Andrew Allemann says
@ Jamie – that’s correct. Before Adam Dicker left they removed the $5k cap and changed the commission; both good things.