Auctions can be activated day or night.
In April 2015, Sedo opened up its marketplace auctions so that anyone could auction a domain name even with a reserve price.
Previously, a domain had to receive an offer that was converted into the starting bid in order to enter the auctions. Being on the Sedo auction page attracts a lot of eyeballs, so it is a popular tool.
These so-called “direct auctions” were an instant hit with sellers as 150 people paid $59 a pop to start a direct auction on the first day. Within a month, several domains sold for nice prices through direct auctions.
Today, Sedo announced that there is no longer an activation delay between placing a direct auction order and the auction starting. This means you can start an auction after business hours and on the weekend.
It costs $59 plus a 15% commission.
Sedo also touted some more sales from direct auctions:
clothing.net €10,000
pizza.gr €7,721
csgo.net €7,600
just.io $7,999
01.biz £4,400
I’ve kept a close eye on Sedo’s marketplace auctions since Sedo started the direct auctions option. It’s clear that most domains don’t sell, but that’s because they are poor domain names. Sellers need to think about what types of domains are liquid.
The examples above should provide clues as to what types of domains to list: short domains and one-word domains in various extensions.
surf599 says
I once tried a Sedo auction and felt horrible when my name did not sell, and feel it nearly impossible to give $59 again. My question to myself is why would anyone list a domain at Sedo, when GoDaddy is free? I have had no luck and much wasted time in both market places, but free to $59 I feel GoDaddy will be the winner, eventually.
Andrew Allemann says
It’s a completely different product. There are relatively few domains on Sedo auctions so they get a lot more exposure.
Andrew Allemann says
…but, again, keep in mind that you need a domain that domain investors will want to buy at your price.
surf599 says
I do understand, and I love all my domain names and waiting for someone to see it my way, and holding for 17 years and it is a tough road, but each site is what it is, and it just needs to be full of buy it now buttons with great products and working on that idea.
surf599 says
OK, I see. Then, my mind wants to go look at the auction and the results and waste so much time trying to find the auction or the results, as both do not have any charisma or something or lame or just on the wrong page or something. I feel an auction should have charisma or some wow to it. I still get my best results on eBay, or my brain is eBay trained.
John says
Marketing 101:
I’ll bet they would make *far* more money every single day by charging only $1 and still accomplish whatever non-monetary goals may lie behind the fee. But $59 + the 15% is ridiculous. There should really be no fee at all, or alternatively perhaps a one time small fee of $5 or so per account. And that is only if there is no other “nonsense” present as well, like *not* requiring any Estibot nonsense to appear or anything like that the way NJ does.
Andrew Allemann says
If it were $1 or free there would be a lot of crappy names up there. It would be flooded. I like the idea behind a $59 fee…if you submit a bunch of names that don’t sell then you’ll stop submitting names.
John says
$59 is ridiculous unless you’re in the infinitesimal minority of people who have nothing but safe “blue chip” domains that might easily sell for big bucks the first time around. Others have an “atypical” portfolio for which it would never be worth it to have to pay anything like $59 to list, even though some of them may sometimes sell for $x,xxx and $xx,xxx and more. NameJet doesn’t charge anything to list as a private seller, but they do evaluate your domains first.
As I have posted in the blogs a little bit recently, I just recently sold two nice long three word .coms for a little over $21,000 total. They might easily have gone for more in an auction. But they might also sit around for years not selling, and they did for a while, partly because I wasn’t that interested in selling them to begin with. But they were part of an “atypical” portfolio, the kind for which it would probably never be worth it to have to pay $59 just to list them. So I would never pay that.
The auction house is already getting its pound of flesh in the commission fee. That kind of listing fee is unacceptable at least to this customer.
steve says
If I recall, a $60 offer was the recipe for counter-offering or sending it to auction. Sending a domain worth over $2 K to auction, with a $60 offer, is too risky and one I’ve never endeavored. I had $60 offers for domains which I declined and did not send to auction – domains that eventually sold for 5 figures.
Perhaps this plan might be good for an ‘estate sale” wherein beneficiaries of a deceased person with a domain portfolio just wish to liquidate the portfolio, obviously selling domains that could be worth $12 K for $120. for example, or in the event of a bankruptcy wherein the person is required to sell “assets” to satisfy creditors, etc
surf599 says
When, I sell my domains in auction, I do not want to sell to an investor. I want to sell to a end user. Investors, would never buy my names. So, are you saying end users do not watch GoDaddy auctions and it is just investors, who are purchasing domains. It is still impossible for me to believe, that someone would go to a name like AfterNic and buy a domain name, I talk to people and they never heard of it or Sedo, but GoDaddy is a name people know. .
Jay says
GoDaddy owns Afternic and they don’t have to type in Afternic to buy a domain. Afternic has the best distribution network which puts your domains in the natural registration path where end users are https://www.afternic.com/domain-reseller-network
Quality Domains+Distribution to end users is the future.
surf599 says
Thank you, for telling me, that. I will get back on the Afternic submit domain names, daily task, once again. I still do good with eBay. DotComSafari
Domo Sapiens says
One problem with Afternic MLS is that the participating registrars can and in fact do set/increase their own listing price for “your’ domain. Overriding whatever price you had entered at Afternic…
Andrew Allemann says
I’m aware of SedoMLS registrars doing that. I don’t believe Afternic DLS permits that.
Domo Sapiens says
Andrew, They do, confirmed by Afternic however it took me 3 calls to get a good response. It appears to me they (MLS participants) are adding at least 15% to our “listing Afternic prices” (even if B.I.N)
I also beleive this issue is not visible under the agreement/T.O.S or at least I couldn’t find it.
Comment from Godaddy rep: “that doesnt sound right”)
Andrew Allemann says
Please email me some examples of partners tacking on to editor (at) domain name wire.com. Last time I talked with Afternic about this they said it wasn’t permitted.
surf599 says
I noticed that someone else, put prices on my domains. I have mine priced out at Sedo and then on my eBay store. One day, I was looking up a Who.is and there is my domain name and they had a price on it at $2200 and I thought “what”?? My prices all start at approx 4K so, I was wondering what they plan to do, if someone buys it, as my names are priced higher, and I DO NOT COME DOWN. I just sit and wait.
TLDnic says
Registrars, incl. who.is, use multiple sources for MLS. Your domain might have an entry with a different MLS operator set by the former domain owner that never got deleted. Check if you can find your domain on Afternic (and possible other MLS operators that you did not set your domain up in) and if so, get in touch with them and ask for the listing to be deleted.
steve says
Every domain I’ve sold via Afternic has been to an end-user. Of course I wasn’t aware of this, as the offer(s) came via broker(s).
The end-users have included conglomerates, and generally, companies with $million(s) or $billion(s) in annual revenues.
I should mention these were NOT high sales — generally 5 figures or high 4 figures
Pretty much the same with Sedo and GoDaddy Premium — over 90% of my sales have been to end-users over the last few years, unlike before the launch of the GTLD(s) when about 50% of my sales were to investors
Domo Sapiens says
Andrew, sent.