For as long as I can recall, the minimum and opening bid for domain names in expiry auction at GoDaddy Auctions has been $12 + the renewal fee. The minimum bid amount has changed to $25 for domain names entering into auction at GoDaddy Auctions. The change was announced in a blog post on GoDaddy’s website on October 26.
Here’s what GoDaddy wrote about this change:
“Beginning Oct. 30, 2023, we will be increasing the starting price for expired domain name auctions. All new expiry auctions listed on or after this date will show the new $25 starting bid. Domain auctions already underway prior to that date will not be affected.”
The expiry auction cycle is ten days. Because the change was made on new auctions on October 30, there are still auctions with a $12 minimum. This will be the case for the next few days until those auctions run their course. If you look at the newest auction listings, you will see the minimum bid amount changed to $25.
Comparatively, expiry auctions on NameJet and Snapnames have a $69 minimum bid or $79 for pending delete auctions. At DropCatch.com, pending delete auctions start at $59. Namecheap opens expiry auctions at $5, and like GoDaddy, charges the winning bidder an additional fee for the domain name renewal.
As a regular auction participant, I don’t think this change will have much of an impact on my bidding. I see less than a handful of domain names I won for the minimum bid amount this year. I have no idea how many auctions are won for just the minimum bid, so I can’t speculate on the impact this will have on GoDaddy’s bottom line.
