Successful domain investing is acquiring domain names that users will want, pricing them effectively, and getting the names noticed by those in a position to buy them.
That last step just got easier for .io and .xyz domain names with the announcement today that Afternic Fast Transfer premium network now supports those two extensions.
This was the first addition to supported TLDs in Afternic Fast Transfer in many years, so this is a newsworthy announcement. I touched base with the GoDaddy Domain Investment Community Manager, @James Iles, for some background on the announcement.
Fast Transfer Network Is Mainly About Visibility
The wording fast transfer network suggests that it is about speed of domain name transfer, but really the key aspect is that domains on the fast transfer network get promoted within the registration stream.
Let’s say I own the domain name
They can put the domain name in the cart and pay for, and subsequently receive the name, essentially as easily as a new registration.
This happens a lot. Even before this addition of .xyz and .io, there are about 85 million searches per month across the Afternic Fast Transfer premium network.
Who Are The Premium Network Partners?
If you are wondering who are those partner registrars are for the Afternic Fast Transfer network, you can see the list at this link in the set of logos with Afternic Premium Network.
Some Buyers Will Be More Comfortable With Their Established Registrar
Many buyers, especially if they already have bought domain names and have hosting, will be more comfortable dealing with their preferred registrar. They may not even have heard of marketplaces like Dan, Sedo and Afternic. The registration stream networks, Sedo MLS and Afternic Fast Transfer, give customers the option to buy aftermarket domain names from registrars they already use and trust.
What Names Are Eligible?
In order for a name to be eligible for the Fast Transfer Premium Network, it must meet all of the following conditions:
Make sure you realize what you are agreeing to when you get a request to authorize fast transfer on some domain names. It means that you give approval, without further authorization at time of sale, for the domain name to be removed from your account, and transferred to the buyer, when it sells on the network at the buy-it-now price. You will not have a chance to second guess whether you truly want to sell at this price.
You can, of course, remove a name from fast transfer but the process is not nearly as transparent at most registrars as it should be. A number of registrars do not provide a means to revoke fast transfer approval, so the only way to do it is to go to Afternic, and make a change to deactivate fast transfer, such as removing the buy-it-now price, or even editing the name to make it not listed for sale on Afternic.
Why .IO and .XYZ?
I don’t have information on thinking at GoDaddy regarding why these two particular TLDs were selected, but no doubt a big part of the reasoning was that they were strongly selling extensions.
In the data Afternic shared regarding 2022 Afternic sales, in order, the top grossing extensions were .com, .org, .net, .co, .xyz and .io. Of course, in 2023 I presume that .ai has rocketed up that list, and possibly other changes.
What Do I Need To Do?
My understanding is that those with eligible .xyz and .io names will, starting tomorrow, get a notification from their registrar offering the choice to opt-in for the Afternic Fast Transfer network.
If you have names at qualifying registrars, but do not currently have them buy-it-now priced, this would be a good time to set prices so the names would become eligible.
Is Fast Transfer Active?
In the ‘new’ Afternic interface under columns you can set Fast Transfer status to show. This allows you to quickly spot names where Fast Transfer is either awaiting authorization or not yet active.
Which Names Benefit Most?
It would seem reasonable that names where people are likely to be searching for that exact term, or a very similar one, will benefit most. For example, a creative made-up word will probably not get much additional traffic, while a service or product match term may get a lot more eyes under this change.
See Search Traffic for Yourself
While the above seems logical to me about which names will benefit, you now have access to search data directly if your name is registered at GoDaddy. A little while ago, GoDaddy added extra columns so you can see 30, 90 and 365 day search data, including across the fast transfer network.
No matter where your name is registered, you do have Views data as one of your Afternic columns. But that shows just lander views for the past 30 days.
Sedo MLS Support Many TLDs
The Sedo MLS Network has supported .io and .xyz, along with many other TLDs, for some time.
Even though many of the same registrars are on both networks, it is advantageous to qualify for both. Therefore, when registering or transferring domain names it is worthwhile to consider which registrars support both networks.
Final Thoughts
I asked @James Iles to summarize why he thought this was important, and he responded
About a year ago I covered Fast Transfer Sales Networks on the NamePros Blog, so that background is relevant.
A few years ago, I covered the advantage of being in the registration stream in the NamePros Blog article The Many Ways that People Might Discover Your Domain Name.
I also covered the Sedo and Afternic partner networks in Part 2 of my Just The Basics series for early-stage domain name investors.
Sincere thanks to @James Iles for answering my questions within a pretty tight time window.
That last step just got easier for .io and .xyz domain names with the announcement today that Afternic Fast Transfer premium network now supports those two extensions.
This was the first addition to supported TLDs in Afternic Fast Transfer in many years, so this is a newsworthy announcement. I touched base with the GoDaddy Domain Investment Community Manager, @James Iles, for some background on the announcement.
Fast Transfer Network Is Mainly About Visibility
The wording fast transfer network suggests that it is about speed of domain name transfer, but really the key aspect is that domains on the fast transfer network get promoted within the registration stream.
Let’s say I own the domain name
Example.io, and now have it listed on fast transfer. A prospective buyer is searching at some registrar within the fast transfer network. They now see the name with my aftermarket price, shows up on their screen.They can put the domain name in the cart and pay for, and subsequently receive the name, essentially as easily as a new registration.
This happens a lot. Even before this addition of .xyz and .io, there are about 85 million searches per month across the Afternic Fast Transfer premium network.
Who Are The Premium Network Partners?
If you are wondering who are those partner registrars are for the Afternic Fast Transfer network, you can see the list at this link in the set of logos with Afternic Premium Network.
Some Buyers Will Be More Comfortable With Their Established Registrar
Many buyers, especially if they already have bought domain names and have hosting, will be more comfortable dealing with their preferred registrar. They may not even have heard of marketplaces like Dan, Sedo and Afternic. The registration stream networks, Sedo MLS and Afternic Fast Transfer, give customers the option to buy aftermarket domain names from registrars they already use and trust.
What Names Are Eligible?
In order for a name to be eligible for the Fast Transfer Premium Network, it must meet all of the following conditions:
- Be listed on Afternic with a buy-it-now price of no more than $100,000.
- Be a domain with an extension supported by the network. Traditionally, for past many years, that was .com, .net, .org, .info, and .co, and in some cases a couple of others. The change is that .io and .xyz are now added to the list of allowed fast transfer extensions.
- The domain name must be registered at a supporting registrar. There is often confusion, because the list of registrars that promote and sell names for the fast transfer network is not the exact same list as those where you need a name to be registered to get on the fast transfer network. See the link part way down this page where it says “Fast-transfer domains must be registered at one of these fast-transfer registrars.”
- The domain name must be capable of transfer. This means it must not have a transfer lock on it due to some claim, and it must not be in expiry, or in the initial 60-day lock period. The official announcement indicates it must have at least 30 days remaining before expiration.
- You must have pre-approved fast transfer authorization for the domain name with your registrar. This is handled differently at different registrars. Normally they send you an email with a link to activate fast transfer authorization. At Dynadot, you use the Set Afternic command from the bulk pull-down selections.
Make sure you realize what you are agreeing to when you get a request to authorize fast transfer on some domain names. It means that you give approval, without further authorization at time of sale, for the domain name to be removed from your account, and transferred to the buyer, when it sells on the network at the buy-it-now price. You will not have a chance to second guess whether you truly want to sell at this price.
You can, of course, remove a name from fast transfer but the process is not nearly as transparent at most registrars as it should be. A number of registrars do not provide a means to revoke fast transfer approval, so the only way to do it is to go to Afternic, and make a change to deactivate fast transfer, such as removing the buy-it-now price, or even editing the name to make it not listed for sale on Afternic.
Why .IO and .XYZ?
I don’t have information on thinking at GoDaddy regarding why these two particular TLDs were selected, but no doubt a big part of the reasoning was that they were strongly selling extensions.
In the data Afternic shared regarding 2022 Afternic sales, in order, the top grossing extensions were .com, .org, .net, .co, .xyz and .io. Of course, in 2023 I presume that .ai has rocketed up that list, and possibly other changes.
What Do I Need To Do?
My understanding is that those with eligible .xyz and .io names will, starting tomorrow, get a notification from their registrar offering the choice to opt-in for the Afternic Fast Transfer network.
If you have names at qualifying registrars, but do not currently have them buy-it-now priced, this would be a good time to set prices so the names would become eligible.
Is Fast Transfer Active?
In the ‘new’ Afternic interface under columns you can set Fast Transfer status to show. This allows you to quickly spot names where Fast Transfer is either awaiting authorization or not yet active.
Which Names Benefit Most?
It would seem reasonable that names where people are likely to be searching for that exact term, or a very similar one, will benefit most. For example, a creative made-up word will probably not get much additional traffic, while a service or product match term may get a lot more eyes under this change.
See Search Traffic for Yourself
While the above seems logical to me about which names will benefit, you now have access to search data directly if your name is registered at GoDaddy. A little while ago, GoDaddy added extra columns so you can see 30, 90 and 365 day search data, including across the fast transfer network.
No matter where your name is registered, you do have Views data as one of your Afternic columns. But that shows just lander views for the past 30 days.
Sedo MLS Support Many TLDs
The Sedo MLS Network has supported .io and .xyz, along with many other TLDs, for some time.
Even though many of the same registrars are on both networks, it is advantageous to qualify for both. Therefore, when registering or transferring domain names it is worthwhile to consider which registrars support both networks.
Final Thoughts
I asked @James Iles to summarize why he thought this was important, and he responded
It is natural as investors we focus on services that platforms like Afternic, Sedo, or SquadHelp, and many others, offer us. However, as the last sentence of the quote stresses, GoDaddy clients are not just domain investors but also a huge community of people seeking and using domain names. By making it easier for that community to connect with our offerings, and more easily and transparently buy our names, it is a win for both sides.We’re excited to bring .xyz and .io to the Afternic Fast Transfer network to provide more exposure to investor domains. This strategic move not only expands opportunities for domain investors but also reinforces Afternic's commitment to continue to offer a diverse and dynamic marketplace.
About a year ago I covered Fast Transfer Sales Networks on the NamePros Blog, so that background is relevant.
A few years ago, I covered the advantage of being in the registration stream in the NamePros Blog article The Many Ways that People Might Discover Your Domain Name.
I also covered the Sedo and Afternic partner networks in Part 2 of my Just The Basics series for early-stage domain name investors.
Sincere thanks to @James Iles for answering my questions within a pretty tight time window.
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