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Why I am Not Following Moniker Auction at TRAFFIC

I wrote a post this morning about why I am not attending TRAFFIC in San Jose. I was planning to watch the Moniker TRAFFIC auction this evening, however.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like this will happen. I checked in on WebmasterRadio.FM and the auction wasn’t beaing streamed over the radio. I visited Domaining.com and UStream.tv hoping to find a video feed – no dice.

I did find the page on Snapnames where I can download the software – but I don’t operate on a laptop with Windows, the first requirement of the auction software. I’ve mentioned this before, but it still hasn’t been fixed.

I am not a big auction buyer, and I suppose if I planned to bid I would have gone through other channels. However, it’s disappointing – although it does free up 3 hours I had initially set aside.

TRAFFIC Silicon Valley Auctions

Both Moniker and Rick Latona have released preliminary lists for live auctions that will take place during the TRAFFIC conference in Silicon Valley April 27-30. Below are the lists, with my favorites bolded. Unfortunately, I won’t be attending the auction, as I am traveling to Burbank for a few days right after the GeoDomain Expo in San Diego.

Moniker auction:
111.org $1 – $5,000
15yearmortgagerates.com No Reserve
24.org $25,001 – $50,000
700.com $10,001 – $25,000
accreditation.com $5,001 – $10,000
ad.com $250,001 – $500,000
affiliateadvertising.com $1 – $5,000
aircraftengines.com $5,001 – $10,000
allterrainvehicles.com $5,001 – $10,000
allusion.com $1 – $5,000
announced.com No Reserve
antihistamine.com $5,001 – $10,000
athletic.com $25,001 – $50,000
authorization.com $10,001 – $25,000
automating.com $5,001 – $10,000
backgammonsets.com $1 – $5,000
backhoe.com $25,001 – $50,000
baptistchurches.com $1 – $5,000
barbequegrill.com $5,001 – $10,000
bargain.travel $1 – $5,000
bicentennial.com $1 – $5,000
bionic.com $5,001 – $10,000
blackpanthers.com $10,001 – $25,000
BoatRepairs.com $5,001 – $10,000
bottledwater.com $25,001 – $50,000
breeding.com $25,001 – $50,000
bribes.com $1 – $5,000
buffoon.com $1 – $5,000
BuildingPermits.com $5,001 – $10,000
businessbankruptcy.com $1 – $5,000
californiacommercialrealestate.com $1 – $5,000
CampingSupplies.com $10,001 – $25,000
Cancun.org $5,001 – $10,000
caribbeanvacations.com $100,001 – $250,000
carpetstores.com $5,001 – $10,000
chargingstations.com $10,001 – $25,000
cheerleaders.org $1 – $5,000
collegecourse.com $10,001 – $25,000
comedyclub.com $50,001 – $100,000
commitment.org $1 – $5,000
corporatejets.com $50,001 – $100,000
cosmetician.com $5,001 – $10,000
creditchecks.net $1 – $5,000
cureforcancer.com $1 – $5,000
datingwomen.com $5,001 – $10,000
debtcollection.org $1 – $5,000
debug.com $10,001 – $25,000
dietandexercise.com $1 – $5,000
dietician.com $25,001 – $50,000
diets.net $10,001 – $25,000
discountairfares.org $1 – $5,000
discretion.com $10,001 – $25,000
domainauction.com $100,001 – $250,000
downriggers.com $1 – $5,000
EarnMoney.com $1 – $5,000
europeanvacations.com $100,001 – $250,000
ewills.com $5,001 – $10,000
ExecutiveAssistant.com $5,001 – $10,000
exhibiting.com $1 – $5,000
explored.com $10,001 – $25,000
fatalattraction.com $1 – $5,000
federalairmarshals.com $1 – $5,000
ferriswheel.com $1 – $5,000
filebankruptcy.com $50,001 – $100,000
filet.com $10,001 – $25,000
financing.net $50,001 – $100,000
findjobs.com $100,001 – $250,000
fixture.com $25,001 – $50,000
flatpaneltvs.com $5,001 – $10,000
flightinstructors.com $10,001 – $25,000
FloridaAttorney.com $5,001 – $10,000
foreclosurerefinance.com $1 – $5,000
freightlines.com $1 – $5,000
garagekits.com $1 – $5,000
gardencenter.com $10,001 – $25,000
gardenofeden.com $10,001 – $25,000
ghoststories.com $25,001 – $50,000
glasspanels.com $1 – $5,000
glutenfreerecipes.com $5,001 – $10,000
golfcaddy.com $1 – $5,000
governmenthousing.com $10,001 – $25,000
graders.com $5,001 – $10,000
greatfalls.com $10,001 – $25,000
hairwax.com $5,001 – $10,000
HeadShot.com $5,001 – $10,000
highspeed.net $1 – $5,000
homemortgage.net $5,001 – $10,000
hotproducts.com No Reserve
illegalimmigrants.com $10,001 – $25,000
imageconsultants.com $5,001 – $10,000
indianaforeclosures.com $1 – $5,000
influential.com $10,001 – $25,000
intelligentdesign.com $1 – $5,000
invasion.com $10,001 – $25,000
john.mobi $1 – $5,000
Jonesboro.com $10,001 – $25,000
junk.net No Reserve
kidnap.com $10,001 – $25,000
kingcrab.com $5,001 – $10,000
laptopcomputers.info No Reserve
lineart.com $10,001 – $25,000
lists.net $1 – $5,000
liveauctions.com $25,001 – $50,000
loancalculator.com $250,001 – $500,000
lz.ca $1 – $5,000
maintaining.com $1 – $5,000
marketingfirm.com $50,001 – $100,000
marriages.com $25,001 – $50,000
mbajobs.com $50,001 – $100,000
mediarooms.com $10,001 – $25,000
migraine.com $100,001 – $250,000
millionaire.org $5,001 – $10,000
modernhouses.com $1 – $5,000
mouthguards.com $1 – $5,000
moviemaking.com $10,001 – $25,000
movingservice.com $1 – $5,000
mr.org $5,001 – $10,000
noevil.com $1 – $5,000
nonprofits.com $10,001 – $25,000
officesupplystores.com $1 – $5,000
onlinetelevision.com $10,001 – $25,000
organicchicken.com $5,001 – $10,000
organictea.com $10,001 – $25,000
oxygentanks.com $10,001 – $25,000
packages.net $1 – $5,000
photodeveloping.com $1 – $5,000
physicalexamination.com $5,001 – $10,000
pinballwizard.com $1 – $5,000
pitches.com $5,001 – $10,000
plans.com $100,001 – $250,000
popupblockers.com $1 – $5,000
pornos.net $25,001 – $50,000
primers.com $5,001 – $10,000
punks.com $1 – $5,000
realty.com $1MM – $5MM
redistribution.com $1 – $5,000
reelect.com $1 – $5,000
refund.me $1 – $5,000
reimbursement.com $1 – $5,000
rejected.com $5,001 – $10,000
relatives.com $25,001 – $50,000
rentcenter.com $10,001 – $25,000
repaired.com $10,001 – $25,000
researchcenter.com $10,001 – $25,000
respected.com $1 – $5,000
retrain.com $5,001 – $10,000
roomairconditioners.com $10,001 – $25,000
sacked.com $5,001 – $10,000
salinas.com $50,001 – $100,000
samuraiswords.com $25,001 – $50,000
SanBernardino.com $25,001 – $50,000
santaclara.com $100,001 – $250,000
season.com $25,001 – $50,000
sham.com $10,001 – $25,000
shutter.com $10,001 – $25,000
siamesecats.com $1 – $5,000
silos.com $10,001 – $25,000
slots.asia $10,001 – $25,000
sports.info $5,001 – $10,000
stallions.com $10,001 – $25,000
statenislandrentals.com $1 – $5,000
steakknives.com $10,001 – $25,000
stimulant.com $5,001 – $10,000
sued.com $1 – $5,000
sushirestaurants.com $10,001 – $25,000
taxinformation.com $5,001 – $10,000
Telemarketers.com $25,001 – $50,000
terrorist.com $10,001 – $25,000
toasterovens.com $25,001 – $50,000
trafficaccidents.com $10,001 – $25,000
transferring.com $1 – $5,000
travelconditions.com $5,001 – $10,000
usedhummers.com $10,001 – $25,000
viajes.com $1MM – $5MM
vixen.com $10,001 – $25,000
wager.co.uk $1 – $5,000
weddingcards.com $10,001 – $25,000
WeddingGift.com & WeddingGifts.com $250,001 – $500,000
workoutclothing.com $1 – $5,000
ycg.com $1 – $5,000

Rick Latona’s Auction (first half)
French.com $200,000
rickshaws.com $1,000
propertymanagers.com $8,500
antiqueautosales.com $1,000
Belgium.com $500,000
apartmentnetwork.com $1,000
Sofas.com $250,000
apparelshow.com $1,000
divorcio.com $50,000
archers.net $1,000
SavingsBonds.com $1,500,000
asianflu.com $1,000
TripleCreditReports.com $33,000
bigsizes.com $1,000
Seoul.com $750,000
footballs.net $1,000
PinballMachines.com $40,000
pickles.net $1,000
JobPlacement.com $100,000
TennisCamp.com $1,000
Novelties.com $90,000
spa.travel $1,000
Palermo.com $65,000
jet.travel and jets.travel $1,000
RemoteControls.com $25,000
mudracingtires.com $1,000
Purebreds.com $15,000
HealthSnacks.com $1,000
TempLabor.com $15,000
MotorcrossRacingTires.com $1,000
NiceLegs.com $6,000
Matchable.com $1,000
SleepingPill.com &
SleepingPills.com (pair) $500,000
ConcealedGunPermit.com $1,000
DietPill.com $500,000
DataReader.com $1,000
Menos.com $18,000
NetMarketers.com $1,000
SanJose.net $7,000
BuckeyeState.com $1,000
coaddiction.com $5,000

GeoDomains on WebmasterRadio.FM

This evening at 7pm, Jess Bookstaff and I will be interviewed by Victor Pitts on WebmasterRadio.FM. Jess is a highly accomplished geodomainer, and she is the owner and operator of PigeonForge.com and Durango.com.   Jess was previously Chairman of Associated Cities. The interview focuses on geodomain development, the SES conference, and the upcoming GeoDomain Expo.

If you have time later on this evening, drop by WebmasterRadio.FM.

My Favorite Domain Tools

In addition to a variety of domain news sources, there are a number of domain tools that I use daily when buying and selling domain names, and I wanted to share some of them with you.   If you use other tools, I would be interested to know what you use, and what they do for you. Below are my favorites – although this list will probably grow as I think of other tools I use:

Whois Lookup (Whois.sc) – I think everyone has a favorite Whois look-up, and I use Whois.sc/domain.com in order to see who owns what.   On my Blackberry, I prefer iWhois.com because it loads faster for me.

Domain History Tool (Domain Tools) – This is imperative when buying an older domain name in order to make sure everything looks legit. The last thing you want to do is buy a stolen domain name, so this tool can help you see if something looks fishy.

Website History Check (Archive.org) – This allows you to see various websites that previously existed on a domain name.

Keyword Popularity (Google Adwords) – See how many searches are done monthly and on average via Google to see how people are searching and the exact terms they use.   This tool is also great for development to see what long tail keywords people are looking to find.

Domain Sales Data (DNSalePrice.com) – Although recorded domain sales don’t always mean that similar domain names will sell for the same prices, it’s a good sanity check.   DNJournal’s sales data is also great, but this tool has many more sales, as DNJ records the biggest sales.

Bulk Domain Search (Moniker) – Easy to use and register – and I don’t have to go through 10 pages of upsell junk that I don’t need.

Escrow (Escrow.com) – If I am 100% certain about the domain name’s provenance and not concerned about the seller, I like to use Escrow.com.   It’s simple to set up, I don’t have to wait to sign forms and fax paperwork, they’re very quick, and they clearly know a thing or two about great domain names. Escrow.com is also trusted by non-domainers, making transactions even easier.

Reverse IP (Domain Tools) I secretly love using this tool when buying domain names.   Frequently, people have multiple domain names on one IP address, and if I can see several great domain names owned by one company, I can make a larger bulk offer.

What other tools am I missing?

Escrow Services Reviewed

Subscribe to Elliot's BlogI had a chance to use EscrowDNS for a transaction this past week, and since I’ve used Escrow.com and Moniker escrow services before, I thought I would compare these three escrow services. Aside from a registrar relationship with Moniker, I am not personally connected to any of the companies, so this is as unbiased as possible and based on my own personal experiences.
Moniker Escrow Service:
How it works: Buyer and seller agree to a transaction online. Buyer and seller sign and fax/scan the agreement to Moniker, which is then approved by Moniker staff. Seller pushes domain from Moniker account or provides EPP code to Moniker for a transfer from another registrar. Buyer sends Moniker the funds via wire transfer or other form of payment. When Moniker has money and domain name, they push the domain to the buyer’s Moniker account and the seller can request the funds be disbursed.
Fees: $5,000 sale = $149 $10,000 sale = $200, $50,000 sale = $450
My Take: I really like how Moniker controls the entire process, although it can sometimes take extra time since they must review the signed agreements manually and since people don’t always sign and fax their agreements back quickly. The company is known throughout the domain industry and other various industries, so trust isn’t a problem (I have done several large transactions with them without any problems).   When I am dealing with non-domain investors who don’t know Moniker, most are willing to use them after researching their reputation, but some are still a bit hesitant if they don’t have their name registered with Moniker.
Overall, Moniker provides great support (email and phone) and I trust them entirely. My one and only beef is that they will usually report a private sale with DNJournal unless you tell them otherwise (happened to me twice). Make sure you ask for confidentiality – especially if you sign a separate NDA with the buyer/seller, as Moniker isn’t a participant to that side agreement and may report it publicly.
EscrowDNS Escrow Service:
How it works: Buyer and seller agree to a transaction online. Buyer and seller agree to the terms outlined in the online agreement. Buyer sends payment to EscrowDNS escrow account. Seller receives a prompt that buyer has paid, and seller is instructed to push the domain name into EscrowDNS’ account at the registrar. Once EscrowDNS has the buyer’s account number, they push the name to buyer and send the funds to the seller.
Fees: $5,000 sale = $200, $10,000 sale = $177.50, $50,000 sale = $500
My Take: Although they are relatively new to the escrow business, I thought they handled my transaction well, especially with their manually managed emails. Their communication via email was stellar, keeping me posted along the way. The company doesn’t have a long history, so non-domainers may be reticent to use their services initially for large transactions, but I wouldn’t hesitate using them on future transactions with other domain investors who know of the company. Most of my trust is due to the reputation of the company founder Justin Godfrey (with whom I have never done business but know of several positive dealings).
Overall, the transaction was completed very quickly – in less than 48 hours, something that is good when dealing with another professional domain investor. I was a bit concerned when I received an email from them telling me there was a bit of a shortfall in the seller’s payment after they told me to transfer the domain to their escrow account, however, I was assured that they were going to cover the shortfall temporarily, so the transaction wasn’t delayed. All together, my most recent transaction was completed in under 48 hours.
Escrow.com Escrow Service:
How it works: Buyer and seller agree to a transaction online. Buyer and seller agree to the terms outlined in the online agreement. Buyer sends payment to Escrow.com escrow account. Seller receives a prompt that buyer has paid, and seller is instructed to transfer the domain name. Buyer and seller need to discuss whether the name will be pushed to buyer’s account at the registrar or whether it should be transferred to another registrar of buyer’s choice. Seller then confirms that the domain transfer was initiated. Buyer then confirms that the domain was received to begin an “inspection period.” Buyer then accepts the “merchandise” to inform Escrow.com the transfer was completed and funds should be disbursed.
Fees: $5,000 sale = $162.50, $10,000 sale = $175.50, $50,000 sale = $445
My Take: Escrow.com is very easy to work with and the process is almost completely automated. People in and out of the industry know of Escrow.com and trust them with their money, so I’ve never had anyone not want to use them when prompted – even non domain investors who haven’t used an escrow service before. It is very easy to initiate and follow through with a transaction, and they have pretty good phone support, which is helpful when people forget to update the transaction.
My only issue with Escrow.com is that it seems a bit peculiar that the escrow service doesn’t take possession of the domain name and the money. Also, why is there an inspection period that begins after the domain name is received? I haven’t run in to this problem before, but what would happen if the seller says the name is transferred but the buyer adds privacy service and says he never received the domain name? While I am careful about who I do business with, I am concerned that this could be an issue, although I would hope they have internal safeguards. I do use Escrow.com more than other services because it is quick, generally trusted by non-domain investors and I can easily explain how to do a transfer.
All in all, I think domain owners have some great escrow options.

Moniker Still Top Live Auction House

Subscribe to Elliot's BlogI read Mike’s post this afternoon, and it hit home because I made some comments about Moniker’s position as live auction leader.   Before the final lists and reserve prices were released, I said I think the multi-auction format “is going to change the landscape of the live domain auction industry as upstarts try to dethrone the industry leader.   This can only bring good things for domain buyers and sellers.” I didn’t root against them nor did I hope to see them fail, as some others might have done on various domain forums (I know Mike isn’t referring to me, but I wanted to clarify).
I think Monte and his team at Moniker did a tremendous job of bringing great names to auction at great prices.   I think the competition brought the best out in everyone, and we saw some strength during difficult times.   Moniker’s auction helped allay some personal worries about the state of the domain industry, and they helped bring liquidity to the domain market – you can’t really pay your hosting and other bills with domain names. The auctioneer was great, and he kept things moving, which is important with an auction with many lots.
When the multi-auction format was announced, I also wrote that I thought “a new industry auction leader (would be) anointed.”   While Rick did have a strong first showing, Moniker had a much better result than I expected.   Yom Kippur is just around the corner – mea culpa. I apologize for doubting Moniker, and I also congratulate them, Rick Latona, and Aftermarket.com for their successes last week in New York.
Competition usually brings out the best in everyone.   I believe all of the auctions achieved their main goals and were successful.   I credit much of this to the determination of the 3 auction houses to bringing the best domain names at the best prices to market.   Moniker still reigns as the leading live domain auction, and I can only hope the competition will help bring continued liquidity to the domain marketplace.

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