Is There Something Wrong With Contacting Owners of Expired Domain Names?

Elliot Silver
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64

I know that Go Daddy, NameJet, and Snapnames are well aware of domain investors who reach out to the owners of expired domain names in an effort to purchase them before they go to auction. This probably annoys the auction houses and it has spurred a debate about this practice on forums and in private discussions.

The rationale for domain investors doing this is simple. The domain owner may not have realized the domain name was worth anything, so a lowish offer could get the owner to renew the domain name and then re-sell it to the person who inquired about it. The buyer would then get to purchase a domain name in private before others had the opportunity to bid on it. If others pre-bid on the domain name, the buyer would know that there is interest from other parties.

There are a few downsides to this practice. For instance,

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NameJet Auctioning Premium .PW Domain Names

Elliot Silver
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10

NameJet is auctioning a number of top .PW domain names beginning in a couple of weeks, and I wanted to make you aware of the auction. Included in this auction is 23 single letter .PW domain names. The only single letter .PW domain names not included in the auction are p.PW, u.PW, and w.PW.

The .PW domain registry recently announced that they made an off-market deal with an Internet startup company called Upworthy, which has pledged to make u.PW its exclusive url shortener, like Twitter has done with t.CO. w.PW does not resolve, and p.PW looks like it’s already an active website. The terms of that deal were

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Change to Network Solutions Transfer Process Makes Domain Transfers Difficult

Elliot Silver
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79

Screen Shot 2013-06-03 at 12.59.02 PM

I’ve used Network Solutions sparingly in the past because I found the domain name renewal rates to be expensive. I generally keep NameJet auction inventory at Network Solutions until the domain names are sold or come up for renewal, at which point they are transferred away. It’s always been an easy process – a quick unlock and button check to request an authorization code, which was sent fairly quickly.

Well, it looks like the transfer process is now more like its sister company, Register.com, and that’s not a good thing from my perspective. Both companies were acquired by Web.com in the last few years, and they likely share internal learnings and processes.

This morning, I went to transfer a domain name from Network Solutions, and I encountered a number of questions the company posed before I could get to the final request page. I was asked where the domain name is being transferred, why I am transferring it, if I bought it at auction, and whether I have other domain names at NS. That was after a couple of button clicks and confirmation pages ensuring that I really want to transfer the domain name.

The questions aren’t such a big deal aside from their slight annoyance, but after making it through these questions, I received this notice:

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8 Spots Remaining for Boston Meet Up

Elliot Silver
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2

Afternic and NameJet are hosting a domain investor meet up in Boston on June 25 to Benefit the One Fund Boston organization. The cost of entry to the pre-party and Red Sox game is a $30 donation to One Fund Boston, and as of right now, there are only 8 spots remaining out of the 50 tickets.

As I mentioned in the initial article, Afternic is sponsoring the pre-party, which will be held at a Game On, a sports bar / restaurant on Landsdowne Street in Boston, right next to Fenway Park. The party is called for 5:00pm.

The Red Sox game begins at 7:10pm, and they are playing the Colorado Rockies. We will be in a covered SRO section, which is more amenable to conversing than seats.  NameJet is paying for the Red Sox tickets.

If you are in the Boston area, or if you want to make a trip to Boston, you are welcome to come. Please get in touch soon though, as there are only 8 spots remaining. If you haven’t confirmed yet, post something here or contact me.

Afternic and NameJet Partnering on Buy Now Domain Names

Elliot Silver
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0

NameJet and Afternic

I was looking through a list of domain names to potentially back order on NameJet a couple of nights ago when I came across something I found interesting that I hadn’t seen before. Listed above the NameJet search results were two other domain names with the same keyword in a different extension, and there was a Buy Now button next to each. You can see it in the screenshot above.

I did a bit of digging, and I was able to see that the Buy Now domain names are Afternic listings. I reached out to NameJet General Manager Matt Overman, and he sent me a

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NameJet & Afternic Sponsoring Meet Up to Benefit One Fund Boston

Elliot Silver
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19

One Fund BostonI am excited to announce a Boston area domain investor meetup, and I am even more excited to announce that proceeds from the meet up are going to benefit One Fund Boston, a non-profit organization that is helping victims of the Boston Marathon bombings. The event is sponsored by NameJet and Afternic.

The domain investor meet up will be held on June 25 at Fenway Park as the Boston Red Sox play the Colorado Rockies at 7:10pm. NameJet is paying the full $30 ticket price for each attendee. Prior to the game, Afternic is sponsoring a happy hour with drinks and appetizers at Game On, right near Fenway at 5pm. There are 50 tickets available for the event.

If you would like to attend the event, you

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