SquadHelp - Marketplace

Footprint789 said:

I do share few of the concerns that's been mentioned here. I was thinking of this recently after my initial experience submitting via this new method.

My feedback on this Expert Review process
1. Expert review. score - I see a few issues with the current way of voting. I think there should be something like an upvote/downvote for "each name" and aggregrate score of upvotes can be used to decide a name's potential.

In the current system, Experts could very well keep skipping decent names too and chose "none of the names above" inorder to wait for & in the hopes of finding and favoriting an excellent name.

As the past SH sales clearly indicates, not all names that are being sold are excellent, even average names and decent names are getting sold. This is because what is Excellent name for an expert reviewer might look like an average name for prospective buyers and vice versa as is evident by the name sales.

Hence, I suggest upvote/downvote for each name that experts should vote on to get the aggregrate score instead of letting them skip any names of their choice.

Thanks

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Ostrados said:

@GrantP
Pick 1 out of 4 is not good method because good names can be missed.

I suggest to rate domains individually by using upvote/downvote, or rate from 1 to 5 for each domain. This way there will be more gray rates not just black & white. You can then expirement with the threshold score at whic names will be accepted, you can decrease it to allow higher approval rate or increase it to reduce it.

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I agree with @Ostrados , many scenarios here as we can see which show why pick 1 out of 4 is a problematic method as it's clear that good names can often be rejected with this method, @brandsly also clearly put it in her earlier post too with examples regd this and probably everyone who used this method to submit will agree with all these.

Hope @GrantP can look into this.

NameWell said:

I had some canceled sales (domains purchased with installments) before corona.


It's not about whether reviews are done only by employees of SH or by experts + employees (now, even though experts are also reviewing domain names, employees most often are still the ones who make the final decision). It's all about saturation and trends.

Two - three years ago when SH marketplace was new, they needed all kinds of names in many different categories. Also, they were open for experimentation (some names were approved as an experiment in order to see how the audience will react to them). But if you think it was super easy getting your names accepted back them I can tell you that it wasn't. I was there since the very beginning of the marketplace. It was never easy to get your names accepted.

Now the marketplace is saturated. There are a lot of names in all categories. And since SH was closely monitoring the activity of the marketplace, now they have vast statistical data of what their buyers like.
If there are already 50 great names with a strong keyword X, there's just simply no point in accepting 50 more very similar ones and especially if the popularity of that keyword (or style or category) is slowly decreasing among potential buyers. Some styles of names are more popular than others. Some business fields are more popular than others. There are trends and they change over the time. Experts make decisions based on their personal knowledge and experience. Then SH employees make decisions based on vast statistical data and current trends that they see. If your domain is able to jump through both of those hoops it will likely be accepted. If not, then not (even if it's a great domain name). And that's a good thing.

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Yes, but now they are not using that vast statistical data when accepting names. Now they are relying on "Domain Experts" who, among other things, do not know which categories are over saturated, which niches are hot, etc.

I understand that this is a very challenging task and that there is no perfect answer. That being said, I think the previous method is better.

jk23 said:

Yes, but now they are not using that vast statistical data when accepting names. Now they are relying on "Domain Experts" who, among other things, do not know which categories are over saturated, which niches are hot, etc.

I understand that this is a very challenging task and that there is no perfect answer. That being said, I think the previous method is better.

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To my understanding, in most cases their staff is still the ones that make the final decision taking into consideration expert reviews as well as vast statistical data. I might be wrong, though.

.h2o. said:

Hey @NameMedia Thanks for your input. I am curious what you know about the SH sales averages/Sales Rate that you refer to.

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I forgot to mention I have had a few sales with SquadHelp, although as I say, sales are a good bit slower than I would expect, or seems to be typical from the dashboard. I am still very positive about Squadhelp though, and adding more listings.

gina ferrano said:

I joined SH in December of 2018, entered a few contests, though they had just started selling in the marketplace, they were nothing like they are today. (I dropped out of domaining for 2 years) Now back from hibernation I decided to buy more names and amp up sales. The landscape has a changed quite a bit! I've been a BB seller since 2014, though I also worked for Namerific for two years as a copywriter, and sampled BR & BP but I've had my best luck with BB. But, I decided to give the marketplace on SH a fair shake, and wondered what most folks do or their experiences, good and bad with all the different tiers: basic, +, premium and submitting unregistered names versus ones we own, as there seems to be far more options as far as how one submits than on other platforms. Thanks in advance!

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Since I haven't gotten a response, I'm now a bit uneasy about this marketplace. I was wondering if it was worth it to submit names. For a coin, the free option, or unregistered with no monies upfront. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Hi what I find interesting is my rejected names at SH generally get picked up by one or both of the other two BB or BP.
Latest examples PuraSight, DuraFeel and TotalRogue .coms SH rejects BB accepted.
Just pays to spread your names around I think If you believe in them. I also note that SH puts a lower value sometimes nearly half on the ones they do accept. Cheers.

gina ferrano said:

Since I haven't gotten a response, I'm now a bit uneasy about this marketplace. I was wondering if it was worth it to submit names. For a coin, the free option, or unregistered with no monies upfront. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

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With the new Experts Review sistem în place, it's currently not worth it to submit names using coins. The main advantage of coins was faster review times. But now reviews are done in 24 hours or less for all premium names - coin or no coin.

I'm pretty new to SH myself but, from what I've seen and read, it's not worth listing basic or basic plus names. Only premium names are actively promoted by SH - this is why basic and basic plus names don't need to be reviewed.

I've had mixed approval success with both owned and unregistered domains thus far. If you have good registered names I think you should try submitting those first and see what gets accepted and what not. But don't use coins for the beginning. If your names are approved, you will be able to buy and use 1 coin per name in order to list on Afternic too (thus giving your names greater chance to sell).

Edit: As @tracey sclater said above, it seems SH is undervaluating plenty of names. This, of course, might mean they can be sold faster. Or maybe not - I've no data on this.

Good luck.

gina ferrano said:

Since I haven't gotten a response, I'm now a bit uneasy about this marketplace. I was wondering if it was worth it to submit names. For a coin, the free option, or unregistered with no monies upfront. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

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For me, the marketplace is great. The customer service is excellent, so if you need anything, feel free to ask their support for help. They have always been helpful with me. Yes, I think it is definitely worth it to submit names. Why not try out a couple of options and see how it goes? Start with the free option, or the unregistered if you prefer. You can decide from there. Nothing to lose by doing that. They are well worth a chance. My sales have been slower than I would like, but I have had sales.

Since the Expert Review system has come online, my approval rate on registered domains has also plummeted, was averaging 10-15% before and now it seems more like 0-5%. Although since I joined SH quite recently (mid-feb), I don't have longer-term average to work with. Its mid-feb till the change Vs after the change.

Was quite mad and angry like everyone else here on the new system but after reading through the discussion here, I am actually finding that I am turning more positive on the system. Specially after reading explanations on handling Conflict of Interest and also more details on the entire process by GrantP . Only time will tell how well they work, but its satisfying to know that SH uses a 'carrots and sticks' way of keeping Expert Reviewer Quality in check (Carrots - Rewards & Incentives; Stick - Derating and Suspension for being consistently off)

As to why people here are more negative versus positive on the new system, Let me offer an explanation. The problem seems to be that everyone submitting names at SH collectively agree that SH should be highly selective in adding additional names to maintain and\or improve their sell-through rates, but at the same time individually they want their acceptance ratio to stay the same or rise. Do you see the conflict there?

Rhinnnn said:

With the new Experts Review sistem în place, it's currently not worth it to submit names using coins. The main advantage of coins was faster review times. But now reviews are done in 24 hours or less for all premium names - coin or no coin.

I'm pretty new to SH myself but, from what I've seen and read, it's not worth listing basic or basic plus names. Only premium names are actively promoted by SH - this is why basic and basic plus names don't need to be reviewed.

I've had mixed approval success with both owned and unregistered domains thus far. If you have good registered names I think you should try submitting those first and see what gets accepted and what not. But don't use coins for the beginning. If your names are approved, you will be able to buy and use 1 coin per name in order to list on Afternic too (thus giving your names greater chance to sell).

Edit: As @tracey sclater said above, it seems SH is undervaluating plenty of names. This, of course, might mean they can be sold faster. Or maybe not - I've no data on this.

Good luck.

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Thanks@Rhinnnn!

Yes, I'll maybe try a couple I own already, though I noticed one is not able to submit an unregistered name w/o either coins (1) or points (10)

NameWell said:

I had some canceled sales (domains purchased with installments) before corona.

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Hi. Thanks for sharing. SH support did a great job of following up with the buyer. I'm only 2 months away from completing the sale.

gina ferrano said:

Thanks@Rhinnnn!

Yes, I'll maybe try a couple I own already, though I noticed one is not able to submit an unregistered name w/o either coins (1) or points (10)

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I forgot about points because I've had no shortage of them. I think SH offered some complimentary points when I opened my account earlier this year (a few hundred, can't remember exactly). But there are various ways in which points can be earned: 100 when a premium domain is approved, 40 when you receive a like in a contest, or 5 when you just participate in a contest (regardless of the outcome).

I just used 600 points I did not even know I had to boost one of my premium names to another level apparently , stay tuned a bat might fly from my name cave. Sorry I do enjoy original Batman repeats Cheers.

tracey sclater said:

Hi what I find interesting is my rejected names at SH generally get picked up by one or both of the other two BB or BP.
Latest examples PuraSight, DuraFeel and TotalRogue .coms SH rejects BB accepted.
Just pays to spread your names around I think If you believe in them. I also note that SH puts a lower value sometimes nearly half on the ones they do accept. Cheers.

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It's very easy to doubt your names and drop them when these marketplaces reject them. I agree that you should try to submit to other marketplaces, or even try to sell them yourself by listing on Afternic/Sedo and pointing to Dan.

Just a few months ago, SH rejected L u m i r i . com and it was sold literally a couple of weeks later for $2195. I'm sure there are plenty of examples like this.

I also think that SH prices are lower than other marketplaces in general. I don't blame them because the contests allow the customers to get a handregged brand for just a couple of hundred dollars. It would be much harder to sell premium listings if prices are too high. The sweet spot on the site seems to be under or around $2K (of course this excludes and does not apply to liquid domains, dictionary words etc), rather than the usual sweet spot of 2k-3500. Similar quality of brandable names are being priced and sold higher on BB and even my own personal portfolio overall. Sure, you can adjust the prices higher, but with so many similar names listed on the site at lower prices, the chance of your names getting sold would become lower if you price your names higher than the rest.

If their sell through rate makes up for it, great. However, that is one piece of statistics that no one will ever know. So my view is to not let their rejection and undervaluation dominate your decisions over your names.

When they reject your names, it might be difficult to and might take some time and practice to be able to swallow them down, move on and continue to believe in your names, but it has paid off many times in my own case.

If you think they undervalued your name, it only costs you a few dollars to renew it for another year and give it a shot to sell for higher prices yourself. Just have patience, wait for a bit, if later you are sure that you cannot sell it yourself, then you can list the name at the lower suggested price. This doesn't just apply to SH. I have a ton of approved but unpublished names in BB account too because of undervaluation. Just the other day, I looked back at my submissions over the years, I've sold a ton of the unpublished ones at much higher prices myself since I refused to list them at their approved prices.

I've also paused submitting names to SH at the moment even though I still have close to 600 SH coin balance. They seem to be in this experimenting stage trying all kinds of things...I'll wait till their process stabilizes and matures to consider resume submissions.

gina ferrano said:

Thanks@Rhinnnn!

Yes, I'll maybe try a couple I own already, though I noticed one is not able to submit an unregistered name w/o either coins (1) or points (10)

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You can acquire points by entering some contents, if you would like to submit for free.

gina ferrano said:

Thanks@Rhinnnn!

Yes, I'll maybe try a couple I own already, though I noticed one is not able to submit an unregistered name w/o either coins (1) or points (10)

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Since I joined back in 2018, I hadn't received any points, though having entered a few contests, I have maybe 100 points now. I agree with @brandsly that the contests at $100-$200 per, don't quite jibe with efforts made, when the contest holder doesn't bother to look, or respond in any way. And if a brand can acquire a name for so cheap it's no wonder the prices reflect lower. As an experiment I submitted two names that I knew were a bit too long but strong keywords for premium, I had 12 experts review within 5 hours and pass on both. (Though I wonder can one resubmit any name and downgrade to basic plus for less than my suggested?) I also submitted a name for plus category @$1149 and it was accepted instantly. I will try unregistered names next. With BB reviewing names (40 days average now) I can appreciate the immediacy by which names are reviewed, accepted/declined at SH.

I don’t post feedback often but thought my SquadHelp experience may be helpful to everyone on the forum here.

I first tried SquadHelp out about a year ago, but this wasn’t really a valid sample as I submitted domains that were all rejected by both BB and BP. All 14 of 14 submitted were rejected in 2019.

Now, 1 year later I decided to give them another try with a fresh batch of domains. All had never been submitted to any other brandable marketplace previously. I think there is now a large enough sample that is worth sharing here.

In 2020, 20 were rejected of 24 submitted. 4 were accepted. So just over 16% accepted.

3 are combinations of 2 real words like “SampleName.com”.

1 is a play on words.

Based on names rejected so far, these were mostly plays on words, where success has been much higher with compound 2 word combinations.

All names were unregistered or coin submissions. Turn around was pretty fast from submission to decision on approval or rejection. The same for logo creation after, it has been just a few days at most and 3 of the 4 logos I would say are above average.

I must say that right now I like the presentation of the SquadHelp site much more than BB and BP. I find myself spending time looking at the contests and searching through the categories there for inspiration. I like the sound clips of someone speaking the name, and think that this truly could help a potential buyer make a decision. There is a batch of domains I plan to eventually submit in the coming months, and I will continue to provide updates on the results.

I plan to make a second post soon, detailing the names that were rejected and available for registration. I am just deciding which ones I will register before I do that.

I dont know how their Expert Review Works , but i experienced Worst . i have submitted 80 domains for review and they accepted only 2. i mean their expert Panel do some research or just pick like / dislike.

TrulyBrand said:

I dont know how their Expert Review Works , but i experienced Worst . i have submitted 80 domains for review and they accepted only 2. i mean their expert Panel do some research or just pick like / dislike.

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They have to do something about this.....

Announcement:

SquadHelp names will now be available on Flippa. Seems to be good news.

https://www.namepros.com/threads/flippa-announces-squadhelp-partnership.1185814/


Quote from SquadHelp:

"Flippa plans to promote the SH listings to their buyers via homepage banners as well as their daily emails.

The SH listings have been designed with a special landing page along with the Logo designs.

SH will offer additional complimentary benefits to Flippa customers (such as a complimentary redesign of logo if the SH domain is purchased on Flippa platform).

There are no additional costs or coins required to participate in this feature. If the Domain sells on Flippa, Squadhelp will pay for the Flippa commissions from SH's share of commission.

We are working on several more features and we will send additional updates in the near future announcing more platform benefits."

gina ferrano said:

Since I joined back in 2018, I hadn't received any points, though having entered a few contests, I have maybe 100 points now. I agree with @brandsly that the contests at $100-$200 per, don't quite jibe with efforts made, when the contest holder doesn't bother to look, or respond in any way. And if a brand can acquire a name for so cheap it's no wonder the prices reflect lower. As an experiment I submitted two names that I knew were a bit too long but strong keywords for premium, I had 12 experts review within 5 hours and pass on both. (Though I wonder can one resubmit any name and downgrade to basic plus for less than my suggested?) I also submitted a name for plus category @$1149 and it was accepted instantly. I will try unregistered names next. With BB reviewing names (40 days average now) I can appreciate the immediacy by which names are reviewed, accepted/declined at SH.

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The Basic Plus name was "accepted instantly" because there's actually nothing to accept - no vetting process. Literally anyone can submit any domain (minus obscene words, I presume) as Basic or Basic Plus and it will be automatically listed.

But a Basic or Basic Plus listing doesn't really help you.

Basic Plus names have an advantage though. You can submit them to contests and, if the contest holder selects your name, they'll pay your asking price. As a rule, Basic Plus domains can't cost more than $2,500.

Hello @GrantP I want to know how this feature works on squadhelp.. Transfer ownership to squadhelp. How what will be my commission after transferring the ownership to squadhelp. Check the attach picture. Thanks

sadiq3051 said:

Show attachment 151415 Hello @GrantP I want to know how this feature works on squadhelp.. Transfer ownership to squadhelp. How what will be my commission after transferring the ownership to squadhelp. Check the attach picture. Thanks

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Your commission in this case would be 25% if the domain sells in the first year after transfer.

https://helpdesk.squadhelp.com/en/a...erring-ownership-of-your-domains-to-squadhelp

Question - Does anybody know if the Expert Reviewers are shown the Domain Description when they rate your names? I ask because I think the description can make all the difference. The description can open up minds and opportunity. It's also good for niches that the reviewers may not be familiar with. Because let's face it, nobody is an expert in everything.

h2o said:

Question - Does anybody know if the Expert Reviewers are shown the Domain Description when they rate your names? I ask because I think the description can make all the difference. The description can open up minds and opportunity. It's also good for niches that the reviewers may not be familiar with. Because let's face it, nobody is an expert in everything.

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No, someone asked the same thing recently in the SH forum. The reviewers are shown names only, no descriptions.