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.

 

[davidc1]

There’s an important change to Bulk Upload coming next week!
Show attachment 267511

Starting December 16th, the Classic CSV template will be replaced with a new and improved version.

This update will include:
Lease to Own update capabilities, Sale Lander management, and bulk CamelCasing

To ensure you hit the ground running, the Portfolio export file will match the Upload file format. We’ll provide a detailed overview of the new spreadsheet on December 16th.

If you have any questions in the meantime, feel free to reach out to your account manager or our support team at afternic.com/contact.

Dont forget to give us the new CSV format before, we have to adjust our scripts...

 

[OceanKing]

Afternic email says :
We've scheduled your payout of xxxx for the sale of xxx.com, and it will be sent shortly.

In afternic.com > sales > sold > it says :
Estimated Payout Date : 15th December 2024

So my question is , i get funds shortly or on 15th of December?

 

[GoDaddy]

Hi guys. Hope someone can help me out here.

Is this normal practice for afternic?


- Sold a name for $2k on a LTO

- Name was under lock so I reached out to afternic to see if I could push them the name.

Show attachment 267520
This would have been fine but a week or so later when I am doing normal checks on my Afternic account, I notice it says the LTO has been cancelled (no notification, had to navigate to the leased out tab and check manually)

I did not get an email about this or any explanation why.

So after emailing and waiting for days I get this reply - Show attachment 267521
Seems very silly to fumble a transaction because of this, or am I missing something here?

Wouldn't normally ask here but it seems I am rationed at 1 reply every 72hrs from afternic support.

After being a very happy DAN.com customer used to easy transactions and very fast, helpful support team it seems a shame that none of this has been integrated with afternic.

Thanks to all.

Hi @LunarJump
To fully manage domain names during the Lease to Own period, they need to be moved to GoDaddy. Afternic's TA team must ensure the domain can be transferred. Typically, if a domain is near the end of a 60-day lock, the transaction can proceed. However, at the moment, Lease to Own sales for domains under a 60-day lock might be canceled.

For further assistance, Afternic's support team is ready to help. Just visit afternic.com/contact and click on the live chat option on the right-hand side.

Here is the timeline so far -

3:40 AM EST - Created checkout link. Sent link to buyer.
3:54 AM EST - I received the "Congratulations!" email from Afternic with transfer instructions.
3:12 PM EST - The domain was moved from my account to @GoDaddy.

The process has only taken 12 hours. This process took 8 days the first time.

So far, it's a massive improvement from the first time around.

Brad

Thanks, Brad. It's great to hear that this is moving along swiftly!

Dont forget to give us the new CSV format before, we have to adjust our scripts...

Hi @davidc1
DM'd you for further discussion.

Afternic email says :
We've scheduled your payout of xxxx for the sale of xxx.com, and it will be sent shortly.

In afternic > sales it says :
Estimated Payout Date : 15th December 2024

So my question is , i get funds shortly or on 15th of December?

Hi @OceanKing
This email is sent when your funds are scheduled for payout. While your funds are often disbursed on the same day, sometimes it might take until the next day.

The timing of when you receive the funds can vary based on your payout method and location.

 

[ARCCLOUD]

@GoDaddy @Afternic When will we be able to list the .now extension??

 

[silentg]

It doesn't make sense to cancel a LTO sale due to the 60-day lock. Why can't GoDaddy allow the seller to push the domain to a holding account and manage it from there, similar to how other marketplaces handle such situations?

 

[silentg]

Afternic testing muted colors on dashboard page? Anyone else seeing this

 

[DomainRecap]

People expect things to be instant in these days.

For sure, and just imagine how a buyer views you (not Afternic) when they've made an offer and it takes 3 days (or more) for a broker to relay your price to a buyer.

The buyer is not blaming Afternic for being late or lazy, they're blaming you and that negativity rubs off on the entire transaction.

But Afternic has promise as I'm getting lots of offers, and if I ever get control of the negotiation process, I could end up doing well. Everything is just bad timing determined by people with absolutely no clue.

"Hey, let close down Dan right before December, which as we all know, is a dead month for sales!"

"Actually boss, due to about half the companies using Dec 31 as their year-end, December is actually the biggest month for domain sales.

"You're fired!"

It was a massive mistake to just close down Dan before Afternic had a self-brokerage tool ("Gotta meet my taaaargets!" screams the CEO), especially in December, and in the long run, heads are going to roll for that extremely short-sighted decision.

 

[wwwweb]

For sure, and just imagine how a buyer views you (not Afternic) when they've made an offer and it takes 3 days (or more) for a broker to relay your price to a buyer.

The buyer is not blaming Afternic for being late or lazy, they're blaming you and that negativity rubs off on the entire transaction.

But Afternic has promise as I'm getting lots of offers, and if I ever get control of the negotiation process, I could end up do well. Everything is just bad timing determined by people with absolutely no clue.

"Hey, let close down Dan right before December, which as we all know, is a dead month for sales!"

"Actually boss, due to about half the companies using Dec 31 as their year-end, December is actually the biggest month for domain sales.

"You're fired!"

It was a massive mistake to just close down Dan before Afternic had a self-brokerage tool ("Gotta meet my taaaargets!" screams the CEO), especially in December, and in the long run, heads are going to roll for that extremely short-sighted decision.

Why would heads roll? These directives are coming from the top, do you think afternic is going to say no, to 24/7 manned support, or more agents to help sift thru the inquiries. Godaddy keeps selling names from its own inventory, why, to short term boost their revenues, and profits. They are also trying to keep costs down, in order to keep share price high. Many employees benefit from stock.

You are 100% right the switch from Dan, to total control over to afternic, they don’t have the manpower to keep you with timely replies to inquiries, it’s to bad, it affects everyone.

Honestly, I think people are making inquiries, and they are being taken on a magic carpet ride of options of upsells, and other name; and gtlds, and scratching their heads to what they just signed up for.

We are trusting them with our leads, and traffic to give first priority to that lead, and that name, but I don’t think it is a first priority anymore.

 

[alcy]

call me slow stupid dumb for not knowing earlier but I lost all faith interest and confidence in brokers when I learned they all work for buyers lowest price not sellers highest

 

[DrJacoby]

call me slow stupid dumb for not knowing earlier but I lost all faith interest and confidence in brokers when I learned they all work for buyers lowest price not sellers highest

I don't believe you. Source?

 

[alcy]

I don't believe you. Source?

lol
that was exactly my first reaction

I cant spend half hour look for the post but I actually tagged gd on np to confirm and they did.

guaranteed

 

[DrJacoby]

Honestly, I think people are making inquiries, and they are being taken on a magic carpet ride of options of upsells, and other name; and gtlds, and scratching their heads to what they just signed up for.

We are trusting them with our leads, and traffic to give first priority to that lead, and that name, but I don’t think it is a first priority anymore.

Yeah, I think you're right. The last couple of times that I've contacted GoDaddy support, they have aggressively tried to upsell completely unrelated items. It was so uncalled for that I got angry and told them stop with the bullshit.

 

[DomainRecap]

Why would heads roll?

Because GoDaddy has an extremely vocal set of investor groups who have already publicly threatened the GD board and top executives with expulsion, as well as with selling the company out from under them.

That's why they closed Dan too early - it was a cost-cutting move (likely with a performance bonus for 'hitting the target') designed to occur before the year-end, but make no mistake, there will be no favors offered if this untimely move drops revenues and profits in 2025.

"But you told us to do it!" is what you say when security is leading you out the front door.

 

[DrJacoby]

lol
that was exactly my first reaction

I cant spend half hour look for the post but I actually tagged gd on np to confirm and they did.

guaranteed

I think you're confusing normal Afternic brokers that work for the seller with the GoDaddy Domain Broker Service that buyers can pay to help them get a domain that's already taken.

 

[DomainRecap]

call me slow stupid dumb for not knowing earlier but I lost all faith interest and confidence in brokers when I learned they all work for buyers lowest price not sellers highest

No, the Afternic brokers work for the sale, and nothing else matters but the sale.

So if a lowballing buyer refuses to increase his lowball offer, then yes, that pittance will suddenly become a "good deal" for them, as they'll make a sale, which looks good on their performance record.

Conversely, I've actually had Afternic brokers get me MORE than I asked for, simply because the buyer was amiable to a higher price.

So they work both sides, depending on the offers, but their eyes are always on the prize.

 

[alcy]

I think you're confusing normal Afternic brokers that work for the seller with the GoDaddy Domain Broker Service that buyers can pay to help them get a domain that's already taken.

nah ... all brokers work for buyers... they never made distinctions.

when I asked why i should ever use broker if that's true they never replied. that's because we shouldn't. unless your buying

 

[alcy]

No, the Afternic brokers work for the sale, and nothing else matters but the sale.

So if a lowballing buyer refuses to increase his lowball offer, then yes, that pittance will suddenly become a "good deal" for them, as they'll make a sale, which looks good on their performance record.

Conversely, I've actually had Afternic brokers get me MORE than I asked for, simply because the buyer was amiable to a higher price.

So they work both sides, depending on the offers, but their eyes are always on the prize.

that's what I thought until they told me otherwise

I know it's a shocker

 

[DomainRecap]

that's what I thought until they told me otherwise

So why would an Afternic broker get me MORE than I asked for? Under your "Lowest Price is the Law" scenario, that's an impossible outcome.

What you're referring to is the flip side, which I covered in my above comment

Afternic brokers fight for lowballers because they represent a potential sale. They don't actively try to get the lowest price for the customer, they're just attempting to create a sale and your scenario seems to fit when they've got a lowballer on the line.

It's a "Best Offer" situation, where any live money on the table looks good to them.

Now GoDaddy brokers are a whole different ballgame and they'll tell you up and down that a "cash offer" (which is "rare") of $250 for a 1-word domain is a "great deal that you need to snatch up now, before the buyer changes his mind".

They're true hucksters and due to this, I never reply to their inquiries unless they a) provide the offer and b) it' is significant. Otherwise, it's Used Car Central.

 

[DrJacoby]

nah ... all brokers work for buyers... they never made distinctions.

when I asked why i should ever use broker if that's true they never replied. that's because we shouldn't. unless your buying

No way. I usually get BIN price. How do you explain that?

 

[alcy]

maybe @GoDaddy can again confirm about above posts.