Afternic - Official Thread

[GoDaddy]

Hello NamePros!
By popular demand, we have launched a dedicated feedback thread for Afternic, the GoDaddy-owned domain name marketplace.

We have created this thread as a way for you to tell us what works, what doesn't work, and what features you'd like to see at Afternic (please be constructive with your feedback). We're looking forward to hearing from the domain investment community to help us shape the future of Afternic.

We will also be sharing Afternic product updates in this thread.

Please note that this thread is not meant for support. Please email our support team at [email protected] for assistance.

 

[GoDaddy]

I am not a fan of Afternic's new design.

There is so much wasted space and there is no search box on the main page.

You have to click on "start buying" twice for it to actually show a @GoDaddy search box.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1760340550836748556

Brad

Hi @bmugford,
We’re committed to optimizing the Afternic platform and appreciate your feedback. We continue to focus on providing the best tools and features for sellers through Afternic.com, while giving buyers a frictionless way to buy domains through the network and sale landers.

Doing so helps us stay focused on delivering the highest sell-through rate for sellers. This decision to transition searches to GoDaddy was based on data showing less than 1% of sales came from Afternic Search, primarily by expert buyers who often start with a GoDaddy Search before going to Afternic.

 

[Future Sensors]

Hi @Future Sensors,
Thanks for sharing this. The redirection bug has been resolved.

Thank you for your assistance. Nevertheless, I remain puzzled as to why I continue to receive notifications regarding the incomplete status of my Afternic Profile. I have already ensured that my profile is fully updated and accurate.

The same applies to similar notifications about completing my payment profile, which has already been done, as well.

 

[Jannes]

This decision to transition searches to GoDaddy was based on data showing less than 1% of sales came from Afternic Search, primarily by expert buyers who often start with a GoDaddy Search before going to Afternic.

I could (almost) understand this if GoDaddy's search was good. But it's not, it's actually really bad.

 

[Alessio]

but what happened, there is no longer a search for domains to buy, there are no pages that list similar domains

 

[Mister Funsky]

Hi @Mister Funsky,
Thanks for sharing your feedback on Custom Checkout Link! We're pleased that you liked it. As for payout times, Custom Checkout Link transactions follow Afternic's standard Transaction Assurance path, so this should result in similar payout times.

I'm still waiting on payment...not too worried until this came today:


Hi xxxxxxxxxx

We wanted to let you know that your checkout link for [xxxx] will expire within 24 hours.

To continue with the transaction, your buyer should click on the link before it expires to start the purchase process.

If you've already sent your buyer the link, consider following up with them to close the deal.

If you buyer doesn't click on the link in time, you'll be able to create another link. For more information read our FAQs.


Thanks,
The Afternic Team

 

[Yong1]

but what happened, there is no longer a search for domains to buy, there are no pages that list similar domains

That is true.

I wrote to them directly yesterday but no response so far.

I realize they are sunsetting Afternic in order to fully integrate it with Godaddy.
It seems that we cannot anymore access Afternic's regular site. It leads directly to Godaddy.

I would be ok with that, but there was a feature that existed at Afternic which I do not see on Godaddy.
There were domains that had a minimum offer price with a "buy it now" option too. That option seems to not exist at Godaddy.

Can you advise if one can somehow access the Afternic regular site or when will this be fixed?

 

[Alessio]

That is true.

I wrote to them directly yesterday but no response so far.

I realize they are sunsetting Afternic in order to fully integrate it with Godaddy.
It seems that we cannot anymore access Afternic's regular site. It leads directly to Godaddy.

I would be ok with that, but there was a feature that existed at Afternic which I do not see on Godaddy.
There were domains that had a minimum offer price with a "buy it now" option too. That option seems to not exist at Godaddy.

Can you advise if one can somehow access the Afternic regular site or when will this be fixed?

That is true.

I wrote to them directly yesterday but no response so far.

I realize they are sunsetting Afternic in order to fully integrate it with Godaddy.
It seems that we cannot anymore access Afternic's regular site. It leads directly to Godaddy.

I would be ok with that, but there was a feature that existed at Afternic which I do not see on Godaddy.
There were domains that had a minimum offer price with a "buy it now" option too. That option seems to not exist at Godaddy.

Can you advise if one can somehow access the Afternic regular site or when will this be fixed?

there is no way to access, this is very penalizing

 

[GoDaddy]

but what happened, there is no longer a search for domains to buy, there are no pages that list similar domains

Hi @Alessio,
In our recent announcement, we shared that we're moving away from offering on-site search results at Afternic, with searchers being redirected to GoDaddy.

You can read more about that decision in our blog post. As we mentioned yesterday, too, this decision to transition searches to GoDaddy was based on data showing less than 1% of sales came from Afternic Search, primarily by expert buyers who often start with a GoDaddy Search before going to Afternic.

This allows Afternic to focus on providing sellers with the best tools and features to effectively sell domain names.

I'm still waiting on payment...not too worried until this came today:


Hi xxxxxxxxxx

We wanted to let you know that your checkout link for [xxxx] will expire within 24 hours.

To continue with the transaction, your buyer should click on the link before it expires to start the purchase process.

If you've already sent your buyer the link, consider following up with them to close the deal.

If you buyer doesn't click on the link in time, you'll be able to create another link. For more information read our FAQs.


Thanks,
The Afternic Team

Hi @Mister Funsky
These emails have been recently added to our Custom Checkout Link experience - this is an automated notice that sends 24 hours before your link expires. If your transaction is already in progress, then please ignore this. We'll work to update the triggering for this email based on your feedback.

That is true.

I wrote to them directly yesterday but no response so far.

I realize they are sunsetting Afternic in order to fully integrate it with Godaddy.
It seems that we cannot anymore access Afternic's regular site. It leads directly to Godaddy.

I would be ok with that, but there was a feature that existed at Afternic which I do not see on Godaddy.
There were domains that had a minimum offer price with a "buy it now" option too. That option seems to not exist at Godaddy.

Can you advise if one can somehow access the Afternic regular site or when will this be fixed?

Hi @Yong1,
To be clear, Afternic is going nowhere. We chose to transition away from on-site search results, with searchers now directed to GoDaddy. You can read more about that in our blog post.

As we mentioned yesterday, too, this decision to transition searches to GoDaddy was based on data showing less than 1% of sales came from Afternic Search, primarily by expert buyers who often start with a GoDaddy Search before going to Afternic.

This allows Afternic to focus on providing sellers with the best tools and features to effectively sell domain names.

If you're looking for a deeper dive into Afternic's inventory, that's available through Domain Academy's toolkit at domainacademy.com/tools, which provides Buy it Now capabilities.

 

[Mister Funsky]

I would be ok with that, but there was a feature that existed at Afternic which I do not see on Godaddy.
There were domains that had a minimum offer price with a "buy it now" option too. That option seems to not exist at Godaddy.

If I read correctly, the thing/options you are looking for are behind a paywall...got to come off of some Benjamins if you want this convenience.

"For domain buyers who want to take a deeper dive into Afternic’s inventory, GoDaddy’s Domain Academy has an advanced search tool with intuitive filters to find and secure Afternic-listed domain names.

The Afternic advanced search tool, along with Domain Academy’s entire syllabus and toolkit, is included in GoDaddy’s Discount Domain Club’s premium membership."

I let the DDC go when the prices got hiked up. There are many places and ways to pick up domains for investment (including here at nps). As I said before, pricing for DDC should be based on investor use including how many domains are regged at Godaddy and how often the auctions are used. Nothing extreme...maybe 50 names and 10 auction purchases a year would get it for $79.

 

[Yong1]

As I wrote to the Godaddy rep the issue is as you said that the domain Academy's toolkit is not free.

At Afternic it did not cost money. When you are a buyer you do not want to pay for domain searches.. .
This is a buyers market. Not a sellers market.

There should be somewhere the option to search inventory with the buy it now price and minimum amount which is what we had in the past at Afternic.

I assume that data exists but is not being shown anymore.
When searching on Godaddy I see domains with a buy it price or make offer. However I do not see a minimum and buy it now price. T hat was an important feature at Afternic. Why in the world did we enter all these years domains with a minimum price and a buy it now price and an asking price etc...? This feature should be incorporated into Godaddy domains search.

 

[Alessio]

As I wrote to the Godaddy rep the issue is as you said that the domain Academy's toolkit is not free.

At Afternic it did not cost money. When you are a buyer you do not want to pay for domain searches.. .
This is a buyers market. Not a sellers market.

There should be somewhere the option to search inventory with the buy it now price and minimum amount which is what we had in the past at Afternic.

I assume that data exists but is not being shown anymore.
When searching on Godaddy I see domains with a buy it price or make offer. However I do not see a minimum and buy it now price. T hat was an important feature at Afternic. Why in the world did we enter all these years domains with a minimum price and a buy it now price and an asking price etc...? This feature should be incorporated into Godaddy domains search.

As I wrote to the Godaddy rep the issue is as you said that the domain Academy's toolkit is not free.

At Afternic it did not cost money. When you are a buyer you do not want to pay for domain searches.. .
This is a buyers market. Not a sellers market.

There should be somewhere the option to search inventory with the buy it now price and minimum amount which is what we had in the past at Afternic.

I assume that data exists but is not being shown anymore.
When searching on Godaddy I see domains with a buy it price or make offer. However I do not see a minimum and buy it now price. T hat was an important feature at Afternic. Why in the world did we enter all these years domains with a minimum price and a buy it now price and an asking price etc...? This feature should be incorporated into Godaddy domains search.

I agree, so practically only the buy it now option is worth it since the more it is increased if you buy on godaddy, so they will always see an increased price and not the real one which could be on afternic

 

[silentg]

Search issue i had with Afternic names not showing in the results was solved. I had to clear the cookies and history.

On Firefox, click on the Lock icon and "Clear cookies and site data..."

 

[411domains]

Hi @bmugford,
We’re committed to optimizing the Afternic platform and appreciate your feedback. We continue to focus on providing the best tools and features for sellers through Afternic.com, while giving buyers a frictionless way to buy domains through the network and sale landers.

Hi @Alessio,
In our recent announcement, we shared that we're moving away from offering on-site search results at Afternic, with searchers being redirected to GoDaddy.

You can read more about that decision in our blog post. As we mentioned yesterday, too, this decision to transition searches to GoDaddy was based on data showing less than 1% of sales came from Afternic Search, primarily by expert buyers who often start with a GoDaddy Search before going to Afternic.

This allows Afternic to focus on providing sellers with the best tools and features to effectively sell domain names.


Hi @Yong1,
To be clear, Afternic is going nowhere. We chose to transition away from on-site search results, with searchers now directed to GoDaddy. You can read more about that in our blog post.

As we mentioned yesterday, too, this decision to transition searches to GoDaddy was based on data showing less than 1% of sales came from Afternic Search, primarily by expert buyers who often start with a GoDaddy Search before going to Afternic.

This allows Afternic to focus on providing sellers with the best tools and features to effectively sell domain names.

@GoDaddy - Just curious...when can we expect to start seeing these tools and features you're referring to as "the best?"

I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but at some point, the tools and features need to actually exist.

As for the "Domain Academy," this pretty much summed it up for me.

 

[Mister Funsky]

Hi @Mister Funsky
These emails have been recently added to our Custom Checkout Link experience - this is an automated notice that sends 24 hours before your link expires. If your transaction is already in progress, then please ignore this. We'll work to update the triggering for this email based on your feedback.

To the hour, it has been almost 7 days since the buyer paid for the domain.

Notice just arrived payment has been issued. The first time using the checkout link has been a great experience...I look forward to many more. (now, if we can get the DDC price lowered, I would be a happy camper!)

 

[Sperry8]

Is Afternic down for anyone else? I log in but nothing appears (no names, etc)

 

[Garet]

Is Afternic down for anyone else? I log in but nothing appears (no names, etc)

It's OK for me at the moment but that happens to me at times as well. I'm not sure why it happens. Logging in and out doesn't seem to help. It seems to be fine again within an hour.

 

[bmugford]

I just received 68 "opt-in" emails from Afternic.

Most, if not all, of these domains are already listed on Afternic.

Why am I receiving these emails @GoDaddy?

Brad

 

[Mister Funsky]

In my case the emails have slacked off a bit but I'm unable to manage my domains. Of course the system will let me buy names or upgrade products, but once I try to manage, the page either freezes or goes into a loop.

I'm just going to let my browsers keep on trying to connect. Maybe at some point today things will work.

(this is posted here because even afternic works, but when trying to navigate through it the same lock up happens)

UPDATE: I finally got a chrome browser to connect...brave, micro and 2 others had issue.

 

[kor]

The contact form doesn't work on Safari and throws this error:

"Failed to load Captcha. Disable any Captcha blocker extension in the browser then reload the page."

I do not use any extension.

 

[LoveCatchyDomains]

I just received 68 "opt-in" emails from Afternic.

Most, if not all, of these domains are already listed on Afternic.

Why am I receiving these emails @GoDaddy?

Brad

My sympathies. I found tonight 17 new fake listings of my portfolio, apparently from Dan propagated to AN/Godaddy. This marketplace seems to be out of control.

Afternic, you need to get this problem under control. This has happened way too many times.

 

[Webmail]

I am also noticing a lot of my domains have been listed by someone else fraudulently on Afternic for prices much higher then what I am selling it for in other market places.

What I don't understand is how a company as large as GoDaddy would let such widespread fraud happen. A simple fix for this would be to implement nameserver verification prior to listing. This will eliminate this issue 100%.

Currently the way their system is setup is anyone can add any domain to their market place without any verification that they own the domain.

My theory is that a group of criminals are either manually or automatically listing a large number of other peoples domains they find in other market places for higher on Afternic. Their hope is that if a person buys the domain from their fake listing at a higher price @ Afternic they would then purchase the cheaper real listing domain and pocket the difference when they sell it. This would explain why the price they list it for at Afternic is always higher then the real listing at other places.

If you are reading this GoDaddy / Afternic please add some type of ownership verification prior to listing the domain instead of just when there is a conflict. This would stop fraudsters from listing other peoples domains.

This entire situation is very frustrating, hopefully Godaddy takes this issue seriously and does something about it.

 

[bmugford]

I was going through the Afternic advanced search tool and I noticed several of my domains listed, but not by me.

For instance I bought a real estate related .com a few months ago via Dan.

On the Afternic.com search I see it for sale for $2,999. It also shows up for the same price via the GoDaddy checkout path.

This is not my listing. I would not be willing to sell it for this price range.

There are several old, orphaned, and fake listings on these venues.

Between Afternic, Dan, and GoDaddy directly it is hard to tell where many of these listings are coming from.

How can I tell which of my domains are listed on GoDaddy, Dan, or Afternic that are not my own listings and have them removed? @GoDaddy

Brad

 

[Edukar]

@GoDaddy. hi! Many people here write that someone else posted their domains on Afternic. On the contrary, I have only one domain that is listed at Afternic. But my account was blocked on Godaddy on February 22 for no reason. But I am the true owner of my domain. I was promised to figure it out in three days, but it's already been 5 days. I sent a scan of my driver's license, in which the personal information matches the account data, But so far my account is still locked and I do not have access to my ONLY domain registered by Godaddy, Tell me, hatt is goin go on? Why is your team blocking the true domain owners and posting scam ads? Do you think this is the right way to do business? Please, get back access to my own domain!

 

[GoDaddy]

I just received 68 "opt-in" emails from Afternic.

Most, if not all, of these domains are already listed on Afternic.

Why am I receiving these emails @GoDaddy?

Brad

Hi @bmugford,
The only reason these should be firing if the domain's are listed on Afternic is if the domain names have recently exited the 60 day lock period at GoDaddy. If that's not the case, then that's something that needs investigating. Please could you DM some examples?

The contact form doesn't work on Safari and throws this error:

"Failed to load Captcha. Disable any Captcha blocker extension in the browser then reload the page."

I do not use any extension.

Hi @kor
Thanks for reporting this, we will ask the team to investigate.

I am also noticing a lot of my domains have been listed by someone else fraudulently on Afternic for prices much higher then what I am selling it for in other market places.

What I don't understand is how a company as large as GoDaddy would let such widespread fraud happen. A simple fix for this would be to implement nameserver verification prior to listing. This will eliminate this issue 100%.

Currently the way their system is setup is anyone can add any domain to their market place without any verification that they own the domain.

My theory is that a group of criminals are either manually or automatically listing a large number of other peoples domains they find in other market places for higher on Afternic. Their hope is that if a person buys the domain from their fake listing at a higher price @ Afternic they would then purchase the cheaper real listing domain and pocket the difference when they sell it. This would explain why the price they list it for at Afternic is always higher then the real listing at other places.

If you are reading this GoDaddy / Afternic please add some type of ownership verification prior to listing the domain instead of just when there is a conflict. This would stop fraudsters from listing other peoples domains.

This entire situation is very frustrating, hopefully Godaddy takes this issue seriously and does something about it.

Hi @Webmail
Afternic takes listing integrity very seriously. As we shared here, we have an automated review system that catches and blocks many erroneous listings before they are live. Domain names caught in our review system are placed in a “Block List,” which means they are not added to the Afternic network. The “Block List” prevents domain names from being added to the Afternic network without the listing party first performing additional ownership verification

This review system is gradually being rolled out to a wider proportion of the marketplace. We recommend that you add your domain names to Afternic and use the ownership verification process to move listings across into your account.

I was going through the Afternic advanced search tool and I noticed several of my domains listed, but not by me.

For instance I bought a real estate related .com a few months ago via Dan.

On the Afternic.com search I see it for sale for $2,999. It also shows up for the same price via the GoDaddy checkout path.

This is not my listing. I would not be willing to sell it for this price range.

There are several old, orphaned, and fake listings on these venues.

Between Afternic, Dan, and GoDaddy directly it is hard to tell where many of these listings are coming from.

How can I tell which of my domains are listed on GoDaddy, Dan, or Afternic that are not my own listings and have them removed? @GoDaddy

Brad

Hi @bmugford
Along with examples from your question above, please could you share some examples of these domains?

@GoDaddy. hi! Many people here write that someone else posted their domains on Afternic. On the contrary, I have only one domain that is listed at Afternic. But my account was blocked on Godaddy on February 22 for no reason. But I am the true owner of my domain. I was promised to figure it out in three days, but it's already been 5 days. I sent a scan of my driver's license, in which the personal information matches the account data, But so far my account is still locked and I do not have access to my ONLY domain registered by Godaddy, Tell me, hatt is goin go on? Why is your team blocking the true domain owners and posting scam ads? Do you think this is the right way to do business? Please, get back access to my own domain!

Hi @Edukar
Thanks for your message. As we previously said to you, you'll need to work with GoDaddy support directly to resolve this in order to access your Afternic listing. There is nothing we are able to do here at NamePros either publicly or via DM.

 

[Webmail]

Redacted for privacy.