It is annoying and perhaps a bit disheartening to add a domain name I won in an auction to one of my marketplace accounts and learn that it can’t be added yet because it is listed for sale in another person’s account. This happens when the former owner let the domain name expire or put it up for auction and did not remove the domain name from the account post-auction.
The annoyance comes from having to email the marketplace and ask them to remove a domain name from someone’s account so I can add it to mine. I need to wait for the marketplace to remove the domain name and then I need to remember to go back and re-add it to my account when they get around to it. The disheartening part is seeing a name listed for sale for $2,500 when I paid $1,500 for it at auction. I understand that timing is everything with domain names, but if a name didn’t sell for $2,500 when it was publicly listed for sale, it could mean that it will be more challenging to see a worthwhile ROI on my investment.
I am not entirely sure what marketplaces like Sedo and Afternic can do to scrub their listings of domain names in auction. Once a domain name is in a private auction, the domain name is no longer visible to non-bidders (including third party marketplaces). Sometimes a domain name is listed via NameJet or SnapNames and it doesn’t sell at auction. Point is, there doesn’t seem to an entirely accurate way of seeing what goes to auction and what doesn’t. I don’t have a good solution for this issue, but I think the engineers who operate the marketplaces can figure something out. Perhaps some sort of partnership where they get access to a list of auction names would work.
When I have a domain name listed for sale at Afternic and the domain name expires, I get an email to let me know the domain name was removed from my Afternic account. “Notice: Domain(s) removed from Afternic” is the subject of the email I receive when expired names are pulled from my account. It would be great if this was done for domain names that are sold at auction.
It would seem to be in the best interest of marketplaces to remove stale listings. It doesn’t provide a good buyer experience if someone buys a domain name and it doesn’t get fulfilled. It is also a poor user experience when people try to upload their domain names to their account and find them already listed under someone else’s account.
Not sure about other Marketplaces, but Sedo has a review process for this type of listing that starts when you place the domain in your account. Depending on the amount of domain names to be reviewed, this can take a few days. It goes quickest when you place the verification string for your account in the DNS records for the domain.
Doesn’t always work when the domain is in someone elses account. Has to be removed manually by staff.
Same thing happens at Afternic and Flippa.
It’s very frustrating!
I agree with you, and try to be vigilant in removing my domains when needed.
A few points:
(1) Another, perhaps more important reason I remove domain names is because I have most of my domains listed with BIN prices. When I sell a domain (or it expires). I don’t want someone to think they are buying a domain that I don’t actually own anymore.
(2) I am pretty sure (obviously can’t test right now) that both Afternic and Sedo will delete domains that I have sold. Or maybe they just take them off the marketplace and I then go in and actually delete them from my account…
(3) Uniregistry actually does a good job of resolving these conflicts – If I try to list a domain that is currently in someone elses account, it will tell me it is pending until they verify my ownership via Whois. Usually happens very quickly.