New Auction Platform

[mojoco]

Is there space for a new domain auction platform focusing mainly on the UK market ?

Currently the uk domain market has two options. Sedo and DomainLore.

Sedo have too many shortcomings to list, and don't seem to be interested in the UK market.

DomainLore, which is mainly built for catchers and trade sellers. Which without disrespect does little to inspire confidence to a retail buyer.

We need a domain auction that is much better than what we currently have available to us.

Lots of things could be done to improve what is currently available by identifying the best and worst elements of Sedo and DL and improve upon it.

Random rambling switched on...

Control submissions by charge a non refundable listing fee for every domain. If a domain doesn't sell the auction has something in the pot towards costs.

Allow sellers to provide detailed and verifiable info relevant about the domain. Stats, cpc, search volume etc. Details of the industry, industry turnover, etc.

Option to include other domains in a package, i.e.: hyphens, plurals and or singular, other domain variants in the niche that the seller would like to include in a sale.


The auction house could target a sector and invite submissions for the campaign, i.e. names that are related to the building trade for example could be grouped into a themed auction and the industry targeted with information of a forthcoming sale.

Help buyers and potential buyers with the tools and contacts they might need to move their domain purchase onto development. Providing step by step guide and access to hosting, web designers, templates, seo companies, ecommerce solutions etc.

Provide potential buyers with clear information about domain transfer process and Escrow options.

For an additional fee or percentage, the auction can offer various levels of service. Say for example the super duper platinum service costing xxx, the auction will guarantee to identify, contact and notify a selection of potential buyers, by email, by phone or by letter in a timed approach to make sure a given domain gets maximum exposure to the right potential buyers prior to the auction.

If a seller doesn't have or is perhaps too lazy to provide the relevant stats and sales info that could help a sale, the auction could provide this for a fee.

If a domain is unsold, sellers will often be willing to lower their expectations after they have seen what the market is really prepared to pay. The auction would follow up bidders after an unsuccessful sale, to see if a deal can be closed by meeting somewhere between the last bid and the sellers reserve.

Banning buyers and sellers that do not complete on deals.

Offer lower fees for sellers that are quality sellers that provide realistically priced domains that are actually selling and conclude transactions promptly and professionally.
Let trusted sellers have the contact details of a potential buyer so that they can do there research on them.

There are many other ideas that could be included to create something which is far far better than what is currently available.

Is there room for something like this or am I living in fantasy land ?

 

[DaveP]

I've been thinking about this on and off for quite a while now, and I always hit the same stumbling block, it will be too challenging to monetise and get a substantial return on investment. Then again if all of a certain skillset here came together and worked for free in return for a share...

 

[foz]

Retail wise auctions leave money on the table. For liquidity and quick turnaround auction is ideal, but expect wholesale values.

 

[mojoco]

Retail wise auctions leave money on the table. For liquidity and quick turnaround auction is ideal, but expect wholesale values.

Yes generally speaking any auction is going to achieve wholesale prices, but with a better platform there must be an opportunity to outperform Sedo and DL.

 

[Paullas]

I am working on something like this at the moment, dont want to give out details at the monent though tbh

 

[foz]

Yes generally speaking any auction is going to achieve wholesale prices, but with a better platform there must be an opportunity to outperform Sedo and DL.

NameJet has been around for years and they generally attract wholesale buyers.

The problem is forcing the sale when the ideal buyer is not there.

 

[julian]

all very doom and gloom..

What about the good times 5 years back..? I believe there simply is no market at the moment, that market before was driven mainly by this forum, emd and a some affs.

We still have a period of uncertainty ahead with .UK issues too.

Maybe. It depends how clued up, connected and charismatic the operator of it was.



I'm assuming you also consider Acorn Auctions to be a joke?! What about auctioning on the actual forum, as people do?



Should be a very easy list for you to make if they have "too many". It actually might help if you listed them then we could debate your opinions and see whether we thought they had merit.



The operator doesn't currently appear to publicise the existence of the site so it is only known to those that know about it. Couldn't the same be argued about Sedo and other auction sites? Where do they advertise to retail purchasers?



A new platform I think you mean? However I'm wondering whether you may believe that a new platform is the going to reverse the fortunes of those that hold low to average domain names. In my opinion the retail buyers for so many of the domain names listed on here and elsewhere aren't there, exclusively for UK domain names.

I've snipped your list of what could be offered. Some of them seem like they could be useful to existing platforms but I'd like to hear from sedo about why they don't offer some of those things and may ask them when I next meet someone from there, perhaps later this month. I'm sure many of them will have been considered before.

My concern is the desirability of the stock doesn't not exist and the availability of enough motivated retail buyers does also not exist. Occasionally a low to average domain name may get an enquiry from an interested buyer at one point in time. Actually this is impossible to quantify because every domain name is different. However I think I am correct in my belief that a lot of domain name stock being listed and exchanged between acorn domain members isn't going to be of interest to retail buyers.

 

[tifosi]

Do we need another auction site, or a sales platform that may have an auction facility in it?

I was going to build an auction into dacr I have all the db & functionality specced out - but shelved it as I didn't see the market.

A sales platform for uk only domains seems a more realistic proposition where portfolio holders can amalgamate their domains.

 

[SF]

I would not use a third party auction site

 

[tifosi]

I would not use a third party auction site

Pretty ambiguous statement. What does that mean exactly?

 

[mojoco]

I would not use a third party auction site

I bought a domain from auction last week that you were the seller of

 

[DaveP]

I would not use a third party auction site

What are you on about? You use one all the time. :S

 

[mojoco]

Do we need another auction site, or a sales platform that may have an auction facility in it?

I was going to build an auction into dacr I have all the db & functionality specced out - but shelved it as I didn't see the market.

A sales platform for uk only domains seems a more realistic proposition where portfolio holders can amalgamate their domains.

Perhaps a sales platform that includes an auction facility is a better suggestion.

 

[SF]

Whos rattled your cage invincible - ive done more sale on DL and on here that all the posters in this thread put togther now go and make a luke warm brew!

 

[SF]

Pretty ambiguous statement. What does that mean exactly?

DL works perfectly well for both end users and speculators why try and invent the wheel?

 

[SF]

I bought a domain from auction last week that you were the seller of

Yeah from a well established auction site - I mean third partys are other members half hearted efforts...

 

[SF]

I really dont know what to say to personal attacks invincible,

You have lowered the bar.., as you normal do so at this point I am out! lol

 

[SF]

It's not an attack. It was a question I knew you wouldn't want to answer. Don't put yourself up on a pedestal claiming a level of success and not expect to be questioned about it.

(from iPhone)

Edit ....

 

[mojoco]

To the OP, perhaps you could list your perceived failings of Sedo and how you might think you could produce something that could solve them.

Sent from my LG-D855 using Tapatalk

Invincible, there are many known failings that the vast majority of this forum are aware of. Should you like to list them, please be my guest. If you believe that because I have not listed such that they do not exist, that is your prerogative.
I have no intention of producing something to solve these failings, but raising the issue that there is potentially the opportunity of a better solution.

 

[foz]

The ignore list is a very handy tool