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GoDaddy Auctions: Not a Level Playing Field

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Should GD Auctions continue to give big spenders special control over the GD aftermarket?

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  • This poll is still running and the standings may change.

DomainBanana

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When you pay for your annual GoDaddy Auctions membership, you might think you're buying the chance to bid equally with other domain investors in the GD aftermarket.

Unfortunately, this isn't the case. Because GoDaddy only grants API access to its top buyers, these buyers have a massive advantage in both auction and closeout purchases. They can control bidding on a large number of auctions automatically, and they can snap up closeouts before the average user even has a chance to see them.

This is very wrong. Auctions should be a level playing field, where every bidder has an equal opportunity to secure a domain.

When I tried to request API access by email, the auction team apparently lied to me about why I couldn't have access:

Thank you for contacting Aftermarket support. Unfortunately we are currently not granting any new access to the API due to an impending update to the platform. This may change in the future however there is no expected time frame.
...
There is nothing further that will be done at this time. We apologize for any inconvenience.
When I contacted @Joe Styler about the case, he said the team "worded their response poorly":

They are saying then that you don’t do the volume. It could be worded better. There is not an exact number it is more a case to be made that you cannot do the purchasing you are trying to do with the web interface.
Joe could not give me an exact volume of buying that I would have to meet to gain API access. More troubling, when I tried to discuss the injustice of giving only some users API access for closeout purchases, Joe did not respond.

I am stunned and disappointed by GoDaddy's unethical auction practices.

How do other domainers feel about this?
 
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The views expressed on this page by users and staff are their own, not those of NamePros.
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I had the same but the other way round. I asked Joe Styler first and he told me to ask via e-mail. And via e-mail I go the response that "we are not currently adding API accounts, as we are in the middle of a complete system rebuild". The asked me to ask again "Q2 (summmer) 2020 at the earliest", so I will and we'll see.

Honestly I don't see how system rebuild could prevent adding api accounts while not interfering with the existing ones.
 
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I had the same but the other way round. I asked Joe Styler first and he told me to ask via e-mail. And via e-mail I go the response that "we are not currently adding API accounts, as we are in the middle of a complete system rebuild". The asked me to ask again "Q2 (summmer) 2020 at the earliest", so I will and we'll see.

Honestly I don't see how system rebuild could prevent adding api accounts while not interfering with the existing ones.

Of course it's nonsense. Joe S. confirmed this in an email, essentially saying "system rebuild" is the lame excuse the auction team has invented for allowing elite domainers to own their auction system.
 
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If I were GoDaddy, I'd be embarrassed to run a sham auction site controlled by an elite mob of domainers.
 
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If I were GoDaddy, I'd be embarrassed to run a sham auction site controlled by an elite mob of domainers.

worse, belittle ones who say unfair they dont have API access. you truly have to be “special”

Samer
 
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Does anyone know how many accounts have API access to GD auctions?

Do Snap, NJ do a similar thing with certain big accounts?

Bob
 
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I have requested API access too and this was their response.
Thank you for contacting Aftermarket support. Unfortunately we are not currently granting new access to the auctions API do to impending platform changes. Please check with us again in the future if still interested.
Please reach out to us if you have any other questions.
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Thanks for your follow-up!Currently we do not have specific time, due to the pending platform changes being made. As soon as we have a specific time frame, we would be able to let Aftermarket customers know. Please let us know if there is anything else we can assist you with!
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Since we're currently working on improving the platform, the system can not process new API requests. We do not have an estimated time when the platform update will be completed. If you're still interested, please get back to us in few months for an update on the matter.


Of course it's nonsense. Joe S. confirmed this in an email, essentially saying "system rebuild" is the lame excuse the auction team has invented for allowing elite domainers to own their auction system.
I'm not sure if this is the case, but I'm currently communicating with Joe.
 
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I'm not sure if this is the case, but I'm currently communicating with Joe.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Joe told me the platform improvement excuse was not correct and that access would be granted if a buyer does sufficient business volume on the auction platform.

Giving certain buyers preferential treatment on an auction platform is most certainly unethical and could easily be addressed if GD chose to do so.
 
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Thanks for sharing your experience. Joe told me the platform improvement excuse was not correct and that access would be granted if a buyer does sufficient business volume on the auction platform.

Giving certain buyers preferential treatment on an auction platform is most certainly unethical and could easily be addressed if GD chose to do so.

Godaddy only grants their API to special customers (spend five figures monthly) and allow HugeDomains to inflate GD auctions.

@Joe Styler Could you please explain this?, I'm currently spending $x,xxx monthly in Godaddy auctions, why do I have to up my budget to 5 figures to get access to the API?
 
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It’s like a concierge for people that spend more at the casinos. I know it’s not the popular vote, but I see nothing wrong with allowing big-spending clients the best way to continue to spend money with their platform.

Joe specifically does everything in his power to accommodate all buyers. Asking for API access then trashing the man after a short conversation is short-sighted.

HD spends more money on buying bad domains at $235 USD than anything else. That’s what their API access does for them.

You just have to find ways to buy “better”, most domains that make it to closeout are trash compared to the ones that sell for $500+

I stopped buying closeouts a long time ago, and I’m happier for it - and so are my finances.
 
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You just have to find ways to buy “better”, most domains that make it to closeout are trash compared to the ones that sell for $500+

I stopped buying closeouts a long time ago, and I’m happier for it - and so are my finances.

So it's even less logical then. Big players may neglect closeouts without second thought, but for newbies they are crucial and sitting in front of the screen, waiting for the auction to end, then refreshing, then trying to add to cart and then fail - is not the best way to spend domaining time, especially knowing that some other people just set up their api-connected soft once a day and be done with it, while the rest is arbitrarily deprived of this option.
 
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So it's even less logical then. Big players may neglect closeouts without second thought, but for newbies they are crucial and sitting in front of the screen, waiting for the auction to end, then refreshing, then trying to add to cart and then fail - is not the best way to spend domaining time, especially knowing that some other people just set up their api-connected soft once a day and be done with it, while the rest is arbitrarily deprived of this option.

HD is notorious for picking up everything they can in the hopes that they sell more than they buy.

I did a consultancy with a dropcatching service that wanted to know their “formula” for picking names - it’s broad and not as methodical as you would think. They just suck up everything, you should see the handregs they buy after the drop.

nothing new here, you know this.

So they scoop up all of the trash in the hopes that they sell - closeouts included.

the lesson for “newbies” should be not to buy as much as possible but to instead buy better quality names and not play the HD game that they clearly have an advantage at.

Don’t they pay a fraction on the renewal fees as well? I think that’s the real heist here. Having API access is laughable with respect to having an advantage on the entire industry.

Newbies, do research and buy the best $300+ domain you can find. Find buyers, and repeat.

Praying to get closeouts nobody bids on is a dead game.
 
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Godaddy only grants their API to special customers (spend five figures monthly) and allow HugeDomains to inflate GD auctions
Yeah. However, I'd say that the whole picture is somewhat more complicated. Technically, a selected group of customers (bots) is frequently competing with each other... and, one some occasions, with humans... Big data analysis may give a better idea of what exactly is happening and why. By big data analysis I also mean extended analysis (with a level of complexity similar to analyzing unique google advertising IDs on parking pages - such an analysis occured in namejet shill bidding thread some time ago). And, some bot owners may be right here, right now.
 
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Asking for API access then trashing the man after a short conversation is short-sighted.

I'm not trashing the man. I'm protesting the unethical auction practices.
 
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Praying to get closeouts nobody bids on is a dead game.

It's a dead game because the ones who have API access win every time.
 
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Auctions are actually heavily regulated on a state level, I would think they call themselves a marketplace as if you start looking at state rules
on how auctions are supposed to be handled, this would be game over.

I really tend to agree huge domains has been given every chance to game the system, first it was with the backorder loophole, and once that was exposed, the API closeouts were setup for them to game, this is a very cozy relationship. I really despise huge domains for bidding people up hundreds of dollars just based on a single $12 bid.

What does it matter what you spend you could buy 100 $11 closeout domains a month for $2000, if given access, but based on their disclosure of not granting anymore access due to a never ending update process, it really doesn’t seem fair.
 
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it really doesn’t seem fair.
They still need humans. Without humans, the whole system as we see it will collapse and soon. Imo.
 
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They still need humans. Without humans, the whole system as we see it will collapse and soon. Imo.
You mean lemmings

42BDD098-0D00-4743-9EB9-E9494FDCE4EF.jpeg
 
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I think the last time I participated in GD auctions was like 5 years ago. I have seen at the time it was not normal at all so I decided to never participate.
 
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I have the ambition of growing big enough for API access but I'm an idiot when it comes to development. Assuming one is granted access, can anyone here provide some color on how to build the not?
 
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I have the ambition of growing big enough for API access but I'm an idiot when it comes to development. Assuming one is granted access, can anyone here provide some color on how to build the not?
You know what your going to end up with some over priced inventory. Prices are sky high right now, and unless you already own existing aged inventory that you can fall back on to balance things out, any type of economic shakeout is going to cause you some serious financial risk given what people are outbidding for these days. Some sales are getting close to end user levels, factor in a 20 percent commission, and you are working for break even in some cases.
 
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the lesson for “newbies” should be not to buy as much as possible but to instead buy better quality names and not play the HD game that they clearly have an advantage at.

Newbies, do research and buy the best $300+ domain you can find. Find buyers, and repeat.

Praying to get closeouts nobody bids on is a dead game.

That is easier said than done. I've bid mid-xxxx on some domains and still lost. Otoh there are some domains that are overlooked on auctions and yet snatched the moment they enter a closeout. If everyone had equal access, the more picky domainers would have a better chance to win against hoarders.

Anyway, not everyone has "$300+" to burn on their first domain. I literally started by hand-regging two domains for ~$18/each and pushing them for ~$50/each, then using this money to reg more domains and so on - until I could even think of bidding on any better domain myself. Nowadays, for newbies, I would think closeouts could be the best starting venue, but of course I can be mistaken, as I'm only (re)starting myself.
 
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