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SquadHelp - Marketplace

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Hey Folks,

I've just started using squadhelp.com to list some of my brandable. So far I have 76 domains listed, there is no fee to list. I've had some decent action so far in the way of interested buyers but no sales as of yet. I've only been with them for 1 week now.

A bit of a summary review of SquadHelp:

PROS
  • No Listing fee
  • No Logo design fee
  • Ability to submit your names to end users holding naming contests
  • Ability to chat directly or send a message directly to end users.
  • Stats of your marketplace domains are shown in the marketplace dashboard.
  • Their customer service and support has been great, 24hr a day chat.
  • Ability to increase or decrease the list price of your domains or to show a discount. You can decrease or increase the price yourself by $200. If you want to lower more, you can contact support.
  • End users can shortlist your domains before they make a decision on which they want to purchase. The number of shortlists is shown in you marketplace dashboard.
  • When you submit your names you get to set the price you wish to get. Because their commissions are high I recommend listing at a higher price to offset the commission costs.
  • Their landing pages are fairly basic but they work. Because the marketplace is fairly new, I'm sure we will see style improvements in the future.
  • One thing I really like is they accept multiple extensions. I have listed .co and .io along with .com
  • Each seller gets a direct link to their marketplace portfolio, HERES MY PORTFOLIO. It is handy if your trying to p[promote your portfolio through social media.
  • I like that their marketplace doesn't have tens of thousands domain listings like BB. They are fairly strict on the domains they accept to list and so this helps keep the number of domains in the marketplace down and gets your listings more exposure.
CONS
  • Their commissions are very high, depending on the domain name they are usually between 30% and 35%. However, there are no listing fees, no logo design fees, so in the end their commission is very similar to brand buckets.
  • Their logos are not top quality, in fact I requested to have some of my logos remade.
  • I think they have a big backlog of logos to design, the wait time for logo design has been around 1 week, but your names are still listed while the logos are being designed.
  • After your names are accepted you need to agree to their commission rate, at this point you also need to apply your own keywords, descriptions etc. I found this was very time consuming.
 
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The views expressed on this page by users and staff are their own, not those of NamePros.
So you would prefer a variable commission structure that decreases annually? Something like:

Seller - Marketplace
1st year: 50-50
2nd year: 70-30
3rd year: 80-20
4th year: 90-10
5th year and up: 95-5

Interesting idea, though this might incentivize the marketplace to push new domains and ignore/bury the older ones.
They should also forgo exclusivity after the 1st year and allow me to try sell the domains parallelly elsewhere. After the first year, I should be able to bring in my own leads also - in which case they'll work in the capacity of payment processor and earn only 5% (like DAN or Sedo).
 
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They should also forgo exclusivity after the 1st year and allow me to try sell the domains parallelly elsewhere. After the first year, I should be able to bring in my own leads also - in which case they earn only 5% just like DAN or Sedo.

The premium marketplace has "partial exclusivity" that includes automated Sedo/Flippa integration and allows us to list on Afternic.

If you bring your own leads and sell through the WLM (white label marketplace), you get an additional 20% back from the SH share of commission on premium domains or pay only 7.5% for standard domains.
 
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The premium marketplace has "partial exclusivity" that includes automated Sedo/Flippa integration and allows us to list on Afternic.
I'm yet to see the impact of this brand dilution. Maybe others do, can't say.

If you bring your own leads and sell through the WLM (white label marketplace), you get an additional 20% back from the SH share of commission on premium domains or pay only 7.5% for standard domains.
I'm not interested in their WLM.
 
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Like Grant mentioned, it's very different for each seller and each portfolio. I'm happy with my STR throughout 2020. There's no decline so far. And it's better than it was in 2019 and way better than it was in 2018. But to be fair, I have been doing A LOT OF homework. I have a large Excel document that I use every day and I do A LOT OF different analytics on my own. And then make decisions accordingly.

In comparison, I'm not doing good on my own on Afternic. I believe it's because I just put my names there and hope they would sell somehow (=no homework). And they do occasionally, but I don't have a consistent stream of sales like I have on Squadhelp.
 
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@GrantP Any chance of contest budget ranges being added? have run into holders wanting a name but it falling through due to budget - would help cut out unwanted entries on both sides.

Also will bank wire payouts be a thing? I am trusting PayPal a little less with large amounts nowadays due to their recent closures of domainer-related accounts
 
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@GrantP Any chance of contest budget ranges being added? have run into holders wanting a name but it falling through due to budget - would help cut out unwanted entries on both sides.

Also will bank wire payouts be a thing? I am trusting PayPal a little less with large amounts nowadays due to their recent closures of domainer-related accounts

Could you please clarify your suggestion regarding contest budgets? Currently, the bronze contest costs $299. Are you suggesting SH should have an offer even lower than that?
 
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Are you suggesting SH should have an offer even lower than that?

I mean as in some way of knowing how much a contest holder would be willing to spend on a name. Sometimes they're willing to buy more expensive names but sometimes if you submit one that's $2500 they'll respond they'd like to get it but only looking to spend $800-$1200. Would be nice to know before submitting what level of names they are expecting
 
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I mean as in some way of knowing how much a contest holder would be willing to spend on a name. Sometimes they're willing to buy more expensive names but sometimes if you submit one that's $2500 they'll respond they'd like to get it but only looking to spend $800-$1200. Would be nice to know before submitting what level of names they are expecting

Ohhh, now I get it! Thank you for clarifying :) Yeah, that's worth considering. I think why they don't have this in place yet because sometimes a client might pay more than they have originally intended if they see something perfect. Or maybe they didn't know market prices of four-letter .com domain names or one real word .com domain names and therefore they set a lower budget. But maybe they could go above that once they find out that truly premium names are not available at their preferred price level. So it's something that has two sides worth of considering.
 
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They are expecting available to register domains, that's why they start a contest. If their preference is premium they would buy one from the get-go.
 
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It’s a process for a buyer. If asked how much you would ”like” to spend - what’s going to be the answer?

1. Get good names. 2. Get them in front of buyers at a fair price. 3. Wait.

Then there is n o need to be anxious or over-sell or under-sell or mind the buyers budget (that is their problem). None.
 
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They are expecting available to register domains, that's why they start a contest. If their preference is premium they would buy one from the get-go.

Generally yes :) But what happens if they don't get an available to register names they love, but instead, someone submits a perfect name that is listed in the premium marketplace?
 
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I definitely agree that narrow ranges wouldn't be helpful but was thinking more like "less than $2000" or "above $10k". Also had in mind the newer WLM names that can be entered into contests at a cost that might not be easily findable, but yeah I do agree with your points!

They are expecting available to register domains, that's why they start a contest. If their preference is premium they would buy one from the get-go.

Wouldn't that be the name only contests? I am talking more about the ones that want a .com and allow premium entries, that's where I enter my names
 
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Generally yes :) But what happens if they don't get an available to register names they love, but instead, someone submits a perfect name that is listed in the premium marketplace?

I definitely agree that narrow ranges wouldn't be helpful but was thinking more like "less than $2000" or "above $10k". Also had in mind the newer WLM names that can be entered into contests at a cost that might not be easily findable, but yeah I do agree with your points!



Wouldn't that be the name only contests? I am talking more about the ones that want a .com and allow premium entries, that's where I enter my names

Then they buy a premium name. But then, the name found them, they didn't find it, unless it is a "make offer" listing, it's hard to say it's the perfect name if they can't afford it.

If you mean, to only allow premium names in a set price range based on their selection, then yes that would make sense, more expensive names wouldn't be submitted.
 
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I have bought a lot of things I could not afford. Sometimes it was very cheap.
 
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Then they buy a premium name. But then, the name found them, they didn't find it, unless it is a "make offer" listing, it's hard to say it's the perfect name if they can't afford it.

If you mean, to only allow premium names in a set price range based on their selection, then yes that would make sense, more expensive names wouldn't be submitted.

When you walk into a store, are you only presented with goods that are within your preferred price range only or do you see ALL that is available? Then why shopping for a brand name should be any different?

I think each of us could recall at least one occurrence when we bought something more expensive than we intended at the beginning. If we were not presented with that option, we wouldn't have bought it.

A brand name is a long term investment. If a buyer makes a good judgement and their business is successful, they can use the same brand name for 10 or 20 years or it could even become a legacy of their family ;)
 
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When you walk into a store, are you only presented with goods that are within your preferred price range only or do you see ALL that is available? Then why shopping for a brand name should be any different?

I think each of us could recall at least one occurrence when we bought something more expensive than we intended at the beginning. If we were not presented with that option, we wouldn't have bought it.

A brand name is a long term investment. If a buyer makes a good judgement and their business is successful, they can use the same brand name for 10 or 20 years or it can become a legacy of their family ;)

No, but choosing to start a contest is like telling a salesperson at a store "this is my budget, no need to show me something else", imo..




Hmmm, I may know a thing or two about that. Try explaining it to contest holders.

Maybe SH should get rid of contests & focus on premium names, or maybe run contests with only premium options.
 
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No, but choosing to start a contest is like telling a salesperson at a store "this is my budget, no need to show me something else", imo..





Hmmm, I may know a thing or two about that. Try explaining it to contest holders.

Maybe SH should get rid of contests & focus on premium names, or maybe run contests with only premium options.

I think if contest holders were never buying premium names submitted to their contests SH would have canceled the option long time ago. I'm sure they are monitoring this and keeping stats. And I recall some people posting in SH forum that they had their premium names purchased through contests.

Also, getting "love it" and "like it" ratings improve names ranking in search results in the marketplace. So even if CH ends up not purchasing a premium name there's still some benefit of submitting them to contests.

And I don't think SH will get rid of contests anytime soon, because now they are leaders in this niche and ending this service would mean leaving money on the table at this point. Also I believe that allowing to submit premium names only would drastically decrease the number of new contests and would push paying customers to their competitors (so once again, leaving money on the table).
 
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I think if contest holders were never buying premium names submitted to their contests SH would have canceled the option long time ago. I'm sure they are monitoring this and keeping stats. And I recall some people posting in SH forum that they had their premium names purchased through contests.

Also, getting "love it" and "like it" ratings improve names ranking in search results in the marketplace. So even if CH ends up not purchasing a premium name there's still some benefit of submitting them to contests.

And I don't think SH will get rid of contests anytime soon, because now they are leaders in this niche and ending this service would mean leaving money on the table at this point. Also I believe that allowing to submit premium names only would drastically decrease the number of new contests (so one again, leaving money on the table).

All good points, & they are indeed a leader in that niche.

That said, being a leader in the brandable space will require focus on premium domains, by premium I mean names owned by domainers & branders.

This business is about selling domains for profit, a lot of it.

I do expect a shift, we'll see about the details.
 
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@GrantPAlso will bank wire payouts be a thing? I am trusting PayPal a little less with large amounts nowadays due to their recent closures of domainer-related accounts
@GrantP Any chance SH will offer bank wire payout anytime soon? It would be a relief for some of us.

PayPal does not work in my country and Payoneer suddenly closed my account of 6 years. Right now, I have a marketplace balance that I am unable to withdraw and several premium names whose sale I’m not looking forward to.
 
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hi..
@GrantP looking forward to see SH payouts in Cryptos.
Thnx.
 
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This year SH gave me 7 sales.including 2 big sales.
SH is Good in terms of exposure of names in various platforms(Including social websites).
Also you can have your own portfolio(website) WLM+Premium names,which is a big plus point,to project your portfolio to potential buyers.

Every marketplace has pros and cons.
All marketplaces have their own customer support team,they handle every query regarding your product & services round the clock for u.
 
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Alright, it has been a while since my last review. I have a lot to share. Hopefully this helps someone.

I am now at 110 Premium names. The vast majority are names I submitted myself, although I have tested the wholesale marketplace and bought/sold some names here at NP too.

My approval rate is hovering just over 19%.

I sold my first domain last month! F/i/f/t/h/P/u/l/s/e/./c/o/m for $1,699.

I consider this to be a success and plan to continue growing my SH portfolio. As long as sales exceed renewals, that is enough justification for me to keep things up.

My first domain was approved at Squadhelp in April so it's been 8 months.

I would like to get to 500 brandable domains.

Logos I would say have improved. I noticed that you can leave a note with suggestions and most of the time they listen.

Support has been great but not immediate, sometimes it takes a few days to a week to resolve something.

Review times have generally been a few days to a week, with some outliers that took a bit longer.

I have enabled others to submit my names to contests and for SH to discount names by certain margins if they see fit.

9-12 letter names are getting the most visits. 3 syllables. Agency and consulting being the most popular industry. Most domains are 2 word combinations, rather than made up. Those have had a high reject rate, nothing that was a play of words was really approved for me.

I will say that brandables in general are still a new area for me, despite domaining since 2006. A lot of this is a learning curve. A lot of rejections and approvals are pretty subjective, but I've just accepted them and focused on new names rather than dwelling on what I think should have been approved.
 
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Is this thing new?

Tried to add a WLM-listed name to one of the contests and got this. Looks like now you need to pay $3 per WLM domain or accept a 20% commission instead of 7.5% (min. $300) in case the name sells on their platform.

Screenshot_2020-12-05 Standard Listings.png
 
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@JudgeMind I told you you will sell more names :xf.wink: On September 24 you had 27 sales according to leaderboard and now your stat shows 36.

@JudgeMind, thanks for sharing your dashboard and your insights. I am sure you will sell another name still this month, last time happened the same :xf.wink: Just wondered if SH indicates the WLM sales also on dashboard vs leaderboard ( only premium marketplace sales? ) .

Show attachment 168257
Show attachment 168258

If my math is correct that are 9 sales in just two months basically.

What have you changed since your below post in your approach? Lowered prices, participating in more contests or this simply shows the unpredictable nature of domaining?
At the end of the day kudos to you and SH as 5% calculated STR is way above industry standard at 2250 avg price.

every one of my premium listings has excellent classification. I actually paid to have Squadhelp classify and describe most of the 576 listings. Perhaps @GrantP could supply me with rationale as to why the Squadhelp influenced traffic for my portfolio is so low. I’ve done everything I was told to do by squadhelp, so I’m lost as to the reasoning behind their lack of marketing on my portfolio.

Quite frustrating to say the least. As I’ve paid hundreds of dollars to have Squadhelp “expert classify” my portfolio, purchase super boosts weekly at a cost of $32/week, adjust my pricing to be competative <$2000, apply discounts to domains weekly, submit to contests and allow others to as well..... there’s nothing else I can do. I’ve spent hundreds of hours making sure my portfolio is optimized. I feel it boils down to lack of marketing..

Just sharing my experience and informing all of you what’s working and what’s not.

this will be my last post in this thread for some time. Watch for other marketplace review threads coming soon.

I will also soon add my approved names hopefully can get a few sales as well...
 
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