A few days ago, I received a somewhat alarming email from GoDaddy. “Billing Failure: Save [Redacted].COM before it’s gone on 2/15/2026.”

The message accomplished its task of grabbing my attention. It wasn’t a billing failure that caused my domain name to expire though. I intentionally turned off the auto-renew functionality on this hand registered domain name.

I don’t think this should be classified as a “billing failure,” but I do think GoDaddy was trying to use an alarming term to get my attention. It annoyed me more than anything else.

If you receive a domain name purchase inquiry or offer from the DomainBrokers@godaddy.com email or an individual broker, you should understand the broker is working on behalf of a buyer. These emails are from the GoDaddy Domain Broker Service (DBS) team. The broker’s goal is to get the best price for a client who paid to make an anonymous purchase inquiry.

GoDaddy DBS brokers do not represent domain name sellers. In fact, if a domain name is listed for sale via GoDaddy (Afternic), any inquiries and offers will be made by a different team. Those brokers work on behalf of the domain name sellers who listed the domain name. DBS brokers work to acquire domain names that aren’t listed for sale via GoDaddy.

Tom McCarthy has been one of the top domain brokers on the GoDaddy Domain Brokerage Service (DBS) team, with more than $75 million in brokered deals under his belt. I’ve worked with Tom on several sales negotiations, and I know he often represents vetted buyers whose budgets allow them to acquire valuable domain names.

According to a LinkedIn update (posted below), Tom is shifting from the DBS team to GoDaddy’s recently launched DomainNames.com marketplace.

With this shift, Tom will primarily focus on representing sellers through GoDaddy’s DomainNames.com marketplace, while the DBS team continues to handle inbound inquiries for domain names not listed for sale on GoDaddy. In select situations, such as with repeat clients, high-value buyers, or by request, Tom may still lend his expertise on the buyer side, particularly where his historical relationship or negotiation skillset adds value.
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