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GoDaddy to roll out Radar to all Investor app users

by — Expired Domains 0 Comments

Feature makes it easier to find good domains that are about to be sold.

Screenshot of GoDaddy Radar feature in investor app shows auctions ending soon

The Radar feature will be available for all app users next week.

Next week, GoDaddy will roll out its new Radar feature to all Investor app users.

Radar is essentially a last-minute board for GoDaddy Auctions. The feature shows all GoDaddy auctions with at least one bid that end in the next four hours. It can be sorted by time, bids, age, traffic, and price. Auctions with two or more bids have a fire symbol.

While you can see last-minute auctions on the GoDaddy Auctions website, the user interface and on-the-go capabilities make Radar more useful. I found myself bidding on multiple last-minute auctions this week while I had spare time, such as waiting in the car to pick my kid up. If enough people use Radar, it will make it harder to buy good domains without facing competing bidders.

To access Radar, look for the Radar icon in the upper left-hand corner of the Investor app’s dashboard.

Expired Domains (part two) – DNW Podcast #365

by — Podcasts 1 Comment

Expired domain tips and tricks, part 2.

Graphic with the words Expired Domains part 2 with Bill Sweetman

This is the second podcast in a series about expired domains. Last week, Bill Sweetman of Name Ninja explained how to monitor domains and place backorders. This week, we dig into auction bidding strategy and mechanics, and what to do after you win a domain. There are some great tips here for domain investors. Enjoy the show!

Sponsor: Dan.com API Partnership Program

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:53 — 18.3MB) | Embed

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Subscribe via Apple Podcasts to listen to the Domain Name Wire podcast on your iPhone or iPad, or click play above or download to begin listening. (Listen to previous podcasts here.)

Expired Domains (part one) – DNW Podcast #364

by — Podcasts 1 Comment

Expired domain tips and tricks, part 1.

Graphic with an icon of a stopwatch and the words "DNW Podcast #364 expired domains with Bill Sweetman"

Many domain investors acquire much of their inventory from expired domain services. This week kicks off a two-part series about expired domains with Bill Sweetman of Name Ninja. On today’s show, Bill explains what to look out for when monitoring expired domains and when and where to place backorders. It’s a great discussion for both end users and domain investors. (I also created a list of which services auction off each registrars’ domains.)

Sponsor: Backorder domains at Sav.com

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:02 — 20.9MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Email | RSS

Subscribe via Apple Podcasts to listen to the Domain Name Wire podcast on your iPhone or iPad, or click play above or download to begin listening. (Listen to previous podcasts here.)

Buying an expiring domain? Might want to check this

by — Expired Domains 3 Comments

The domain could already be subject to a UDRP.

logo for Solverde Casinos with a green background and image of a sun

A domain investor bought an expired domain that Solverde had already filed a UDRP against. The casino company won, and the domain buyer is suing to retain the domain.

Domain investors review a lot of data before buying expiring domain names. The more expensive the domain, the more data they check.

Sometimes I’ll Google the domain name to see how it’s used. I might even check a trademark database if the name seems like it might be a trademark. What I’ve never thought to do is see if the domain is subject to a current UDRP case.

After all, if a company decided to file a UDRP against a domain that was about to expire, wouldn’t they at least work with the registrar to make sure the renewal fee was paid?

Apparently not.

Turn Invest Group Ltd. bought SolVerde.com for $665 on NameJet in January after it expired. But the domain was already subject to a UDRP filed in November 2020. Despite being notified by the registrar of the pending expiration, neither World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) or the Complainant, casino company Solverde, S.A., apparently did anything about it.

So the domain expired and Turn Invest Group won a competitive auction.

According to the WIPO panel, the domain buyer should have searched to see if there was an active UDRP:

…The Respondent is a sophisticated domain name investor, and has been in this business since 2009.

Despite providing a detailed declaration, the Respondent did not provide any details of searches or due diligence the Respondent undertook prior to acquiring the disputed domain name at auction. A Google search of “SOLVERDE” conducted by the Panel resulted in many search results for the Complainant on the first page of the search results. Moreover, if the Respondent had searched the UDRP SEARCH database at “www.udrpsearch.com”, the Respondent would have seen that the disputed domain name was subject to an “active case”…

OK, I can buy searching Google to see if these two Spanish dictionary words are a well-known trademark used exclusively by one company. But checking for a UDRP?

The panel found in favor of Solverde, S.A.. Now, Turn Invest Group is suing to block the transfer.

The company filed a lawsuit (pdf) in U.S. District Court in Florida yesterday. It’s asking the court for declaratory relief that ownership of the domain is not infringing on Solverde S.A.’s trademarks and a finding of reverse domain name hijacking.

Howard Neu is local counsel for the plaintiff.

An in-depth look at aftermarket sales at Web.com last month

by — Domain Sales 0 Comments

Joseph Peterson takes a deep dive into sales at NameJet and SnapNames last month.

The word "Sold" in big letters in quote on red background

Domain auctions at NameJet and SnapNames during July were neither record-shattering nor sluggish. And that alone is significant during a pandemic that has hobbled the worldwide economy.  By some measures, July’s performance was weak: Only 2 domains surpassed $20k; and the high was $38.3k, which is lower than we’ve seen in other months.  But twice as many domains sold for 5-figure prices in July compared to June – 10 in all.  Altogether, the 2 auction houses racked up 91 new sales above $2000.  That’s on par with 89 during June.

I think the overall volume of sales is a better indicator of market strength than a few high prices.  Those fluctuate from month to month – not only due to chance but also based on the decisions of particular sellers to entrust their premium assets to the auction process.  During times of economic uncertainty, reluctant domain owners might prefer to hold and wait.  Arguably, the very best indicator of domain market health would come from expired auctions rather than seller listings.  But I don’t think anybody has continued reporting that data once I stopped writing weekly articles on the topic several years ago.

Let’s dive in!  Last month’s top seller was a numerical .NET: 5555.net ($38.3k).  DNW readers will know by now that China loves numerical domains and repeating patterns.  Even so, this .NET sale is striking, given the price, because .NET has never been China’s favorite.  But this wasn’t alone: AX.net ($16.5k) was the 5th-highest sale in June. Click here to continue reading…

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