Afternic is currently holding its annual Spring auction on the Snapnames platform. At the time of this article, 20 of the auctions have bids, and there are just over three days remaining in the auction (ends Friday, March 22). There are 137 domain names up for auction, and many have reasonable reserve prices.
My top five domain name picks for the Afternic auction include:
Afternic recently underwent a major upgrade, and the user interface and functionality were almost completely overhauled. Shortly after the re-launch, I posted an article seeking feedback about the revamped website, and many helpful suggestions were made.
I am sure Afternic had employees and clients beta test3e the new site, but as with every web project, there were a variety of issues that needed to be worked out. Having a wider range of users test out the new site and provide feedback can be beneficial to companies, especially because the people reviewing the site are customers and potential customers.
I invite other companies to submit their new or revamped websites for review on my blog. I believe the people who read my blog would be happy to help make the user experience and functionality better for a domain industry website that we want to use.
Many companies seem to shy away from the possibility of receiving negative feedback about their website or project. However, if they are willing to address customer issues, even those that aren’t related to a redesigned website, it will improve customer retention and usage.
It really makes sense to ask customers and potential customers for candid feedback, and I am willing to play host to this.
NameJet and Afternic just announced a newly formed partnership in anticipation of the release of gTLD domain names. The two companies are teaming up to offer Sunrise and Landrush Auctions, Premium Domain Valuation, Premium Domain Marketing and Distribution, and Registry Reserved Auctions.
When gTLD domain names become available to sell, it will be critical for the registry operators to make wise decisions to generate revenue, and perhaps more importantly, get their domain names in the hands of companies that will use them and build awareness of the TLD. NameJet’s auction platform coupled with Afternic’s domain name marketing and sales expertise are sure to benefit the operators of new gTLDs.
The press release just came out, and you can read all about the news below:
You’ve probably already heard (or seen) that Afternic underwent a major upgrade at the end of last week. The new website looks sleek, and it makes searching for domain names far easier than before.
In the company’s words, here’s some information about the upgrade provided in the press release distributed on October 5:
The new Afternic is a clean, simplified, improved user experience that facilitates premium domain transactions for both buyers and sellers. New seller profiles allow members to promote themselves and their domains through unique URLs, searchable profile pages, featured listings, and social media sharing. A customizable dashboard enables easy editing, offer management, and personalized reporting to easily track transactions. Both buyers and sellers will benefit from more structured and transparent communication, ensuring that more leads translate into sales. In addition to these upgrades, the new Afternic features a simplified escrow process and an improved shopping cart experience.
One thing I noticed when I tried out the new Afternic is that I didn’t have the ability to search for a particular keyword at the end of the domain name… i.e. Management.com domain names. I’ve already emailed them to ask where this functionality is (or if they could add it).
One thing which I’ve come to appreciate about NameMedia properties is that when I’ve found something buggy or had a suggestion to make something easier, the company has always seemed to appreciate the feedback.
I welcome you to submit your feedback here about the new website, and I will make sure it gets in front of the right person. Let me know if you see something buggy or want to make a feature easier to use. Ultimately, what do you think of the new and improved Afternic website?
Over the years, I’ve inquired about many domain names that are owned by Buy Domains and listed for sale on Afternic. There are many names I’ve tried to purchase but I couldn’t reach an agreement on price with the company.
I am planning to test out a unique type of domain auction on my blog in conjunction with Afternic, and I would like your feedback before I start them.
I am going to choose several domain names that I’ve wanted to purchase from Buy Domains, and I will put them up individually for auction. I will place an agreed upon “stalking horse” bid on the domain name, which is essentially the reserve price. Readers of my blog can outbid me, but I cannot bid any higher than my opening bid. If nobody outbids me, I will get to purchase the domain name at my offer. If I lose, the person with the high bid will get to purchase the domain name. Bid increments and payment terms will be specified at the time of the auction.
Here’s an example to illustrate how this will work:
I saw XXXXXXXXX.com at Buy Domains last week, but the $4,088 asking price was higher than I wanted to spend for this name. I will place a $1,000 stalking horse bid on this domain name, and it will be on auction on my blog for three days (perhaps a week). If I am outbid, the winner will get to buy the name. If I am the high bidder, I will be able to buy the domain name for $1,000.
Essentially, I am putting my money where my mouth is, and Afternic is taking a gamble that there will be interest in the domain name beyond my offer.
I would like to know what you think of this idea. Please comment below.
When completing a transaction at Sedo and Afternic, all parties communicate via the private message systems found on each platform. The domain broker and/or escrow agent act as an intermediary between both parties, giving instructions and answering questions, while keeping the buyer and seller at arm’s length.
With Sedo’s private messages, the recipient is informed that there is a new message in the transfer center, and in order to see the message, the recipient must log in to his or her account at Sedo. This can be annoying, especially when the update is minor or when away from the computer. You don’t really know the content of a private message until you log in to read it, and you obviously can’t reply directly in the email.
When Afternic representatives send private messages, the full message appears in the email content the recipient receives. The recipient can see what’s happening with a transaction rather than having to log in to an account to read the message. In addition, recipient can reply to the sender directly from the email.
With most domain forums like DN Forum and Domain Boardroom, private message emails include the message in them. I don’t believe the recipient can reply directly via email, but it’s good to know whether the message is urgent or can wait until later.
It would be great if Sedo could include the private message in the email content.
