Domain Name Wire | Domain Name News

Domain Name Industry News

Featured Domains

I’d bid more if…

by — Expired Domains 4 Comments

Both GoDaddy Auctions and NameJet could make small changes that drive more bidding.

picture of auction gavel with the words "I'd bid more if..."

I’ve acquired roughly 200 expired domain names this year. Most of these have been on the lower end, pricewise. I’d bid more on auctions, especially the higher-end ones, if the expired domain marketplaces made a couple of simple changes.

I’d bid more at GoDaddy if… the site let you bulk upload to a watchlist. Currently, you have to search for each domain individually and then click the watch icon to add it to your list.

I add domains to my watchlist at GoDaddy so that they show up in the app. Then I get an alert when the auction is ending so that I can place my bid.

But because the process of adding domains is so laborious, I only add a fraction of what I would otherwise.

GoDaddy should add a “bulk add to watchlist” feature that’s as easy as bulk backordering at NameJet.

I’d bid more at NameJet if… its app alerts worked. They don’t, and that means I miss the end of most domain auctions. It’s frustrating, and I end up usually not bothering with NameJet because of this.

GoDaddy launches updated Investor iOS app

by — Domain Registrars 7 Comments

Update app is a complete rebuild that will lead to new features in the future.

Screenshots of the new GoDaddy Investor app for iOS - iPhone and iPad

GoDaddy has launched an updated GoDaddy Investor iOS app for bidding on domain name auctions. A new Android app should be released in the coming weeks.

The updated app has a new look. It also lets you sort your lists by end time, price, alpha and auction type.

While the features aren’t a big upgrade from the last version, a lot has been done behind the scenes that will lead to big updates in the future, including the ability to search for domains. (Right now you have to add domains through the web interface for them to show up in the app.)

Also, the app fixes an issue for people that use a physical security key for two-factor authentication. They can use app-based two-factor codes to log into the app now.

Glitch causes GoDaddy auction confusion

by — Expired Domains 28 Comments

You won the auction! Or not.

A glitch caused a GoDaddy auction bidder to think he’d won an auction, only to end up the runner up.

The bidder sent a screenshot to Domain Name Wire showing that he’d won the auction for OrganicFlowers.com:

Screenshot from GoDaddy auctions for auction showing winning bid

But the bidder was in for a surprise. He wrote:

Notice I won the auction fair & square, then someone else won it 5 minutes later, so shortly after I logged into my GoDaddy account to see the 2nd screenshot below and I was absolutely shocked because they were saying I didn’t win the auction, nor did they even give me the opportunity to win the auction AGAIN after I had already won it.

Here’s the second screenshot:

GoDaddy auctions screenshot showing bidder in second place

I reached out to GoDaddy to find out what caused this. Aftermarket GM Paul Nicks stated:

We have identified an issue that could cause the auction countdown timer to continue running even though the connection between the user’s computer and the server times out. This can happen from network latency anywhere along the path. Our team is working to resolve the issue now. To be on the safe side, we recommend customers refresh their browsers as auctions are ending. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused to our auction participants.

Especially in major auctions, it seems that refreshing the browser might be a good proactive move until this problem is fixed.

Big news: Enom switches from NameJet to GoDaddy for expired domains

by — Expired Domains 28 Comments

GoDaddy adds coveted Enom inventory to its expired domain name auctions.

Picture of expired parking meter.

Enom has moved its expired domain inventory to GoDaddy Auctions.

GoDaddy Auctions has another domain name registrar on its expired domain platform and this one is a doozy: Enom.

This morning I noticed many Enom domain names flowing through GoDaddy Auctions’ expiry stream.

The move is not surprising. Tucows (NASDAQ: TCX), which acquired Enom in 2017, already sends its non-Enom inventory to GoDaddy. For its Tucows domains, it essentially did a bake-off between GoDaddy Auctions and NameJet to figure out which one produced the most revenue. GoDaddy won.

The Enom acquisition came with a 50% ownership interest in NameJet and Tucows kept Enom’s expired domains on NameJet while sending its other domains to GoDaddy. But Tucows sold its stake in NameJet to Web.com late last year.

At the time of the acquisition I wrote:

The big question is if Enom domains will remain on NameJet and for how long. This was obviously part of the negotiation and ultimate purchase price. If Enom leaves the platform for GoDaddy at some point in the future, it will further degrade NameJet’s role in the marketplace.

We now have the answer.

So is this a win for domain investors? Yes and no.

On the plus side, they no longer have to manage domains at Enom. All domains they win will be added to their GoDaddy accounts.

Also, GoDaddy Auctions start at $12 (plus renewal, so about $20 total) whereas NameJet auctions start at $69.

But auctions at GoDaddy can be quite rich. Domain investors might end up paying more for domains there than if they same names ran through NameJet.

Also, I worry when there aren’t two strong competitors in a market. NameJet is getting weaker. Its valuable inventory is now mostly Web.com’s registrars Network Solutions and Register.com.