The Afternic X account posted a link on X without much context that caught my attention this morning:
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— Afternic (@afternic) October 3, 2025
GoDaddy to Launch “Premium Domain Marketplace” on DomainNames.com
GoDaddy “Reputable Search” Tab Addresses Front Running
Since domain names first became commercially available to register, people have accused domain registrars of front running. In short, front running is when a registrar is suspected of using customer search data to preemptively register domain names that someone else searched for, with the intent of reselling them at a higher price. This undermines trust in the registration process.
As the world’s largest registrar, GoDaddy has faced many accusations of front running. The company has repeatedly and emphatically denied that it does this. I’ve published official statements from GoDaddy regarding front running at least three times.
Lsland.com Typo Auction on GoDaddy into the 4 Figures
The Lsland.com domain name is in an expiry auction on GoDaddy Auctions. There are several bidders competing for this typo domain name, and the high bid is $1,010. Peter Askew highlighted this on X earlier this morning:
Dan.com is Done
The time finally came. Dan.com has been completely shuttered by GoDaddy.
The innovative platform was acquired by GoDaddy in 2022. It was operated independently for a short period of time, and the platform was absorbed by GoDaddy and Afternic. Earlier this year, it was announced that Dan.com would close down over the Summer, and that time has come.
If you visit Dan.com now, you will be forwarded to Afternic with a Dan.com tracking url.
Testing a Small Data Set is Similar to Guessing
My educational background is in the field of direct marketing. Following my undergraduate degree, I went to NYU and earned a Master’s degree in Direct and Interactive Marketing. I then worked at a direct marketing agency called Wunderman, followed by a corporate direct marketing role at AIG.
One of the hallmarks of direct marketing is testing. I recall one of my professors telling the class about the “test everything” mantra in this field. Testing is the most important thing, and once you have a winning campaign or strategy, you keep testing to see if you can iterate and improve your results. All of this is to say that I am a big believer in testing.
I read a blog post about testing written by GoDaddy’s Adam Ramsdell. While I agree with the testing sentiment, I think it would be very difficult for most domain investors – myself included – to accurately test in a way that will create actionable results.