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.

 

[rh2000]

Introducing GoDaddy Search Insights on Afternic! Domain Pro members can now see filtered, exact-match search data from the world’s largest registrar - right in their Afternic portfolio.

What is GoDaddy Search Insights?
It’s real buyer-demand data for your domains. No noise - just genuine, human-driven, exact domain searches from GoDaddy.

How do you access Search Insights?
As a member of GoDaddy's Discount Domain Club Domain Pro tier, it's simple to see your search data.

1. Go to your Portfolio page at http://afternic.com/domains
2. Click “Columns”
3. Make sure “Total Searches” & “Unique Searches” columns are visible


For a deeper dive, along with an explainer on how to connect your Discount Domain Club membership head to Afternic, head to our blog: https://blog.afternic.com/godaddy-search-insights/

So only for paid members.

 

[NicTraders]

If Namecheap exits the Afternic partner network, monthly qualified searches will drop significantly, further eroding Afternic's value proposition. In turn, GoDaddy is likely to double down on aggressive Discount Domain Pro lock‑in tactics, the sort that tend to backfire, as with the still‑unproven automatic Boost opt‑in. Yet, from a GoDaddy investor's vantage point, these moves can look great on paper, thanks to predictable recurring revenue and inflated ARPU metrics.

Now we just need Namecheap to sign up a heap of resellers on their own network, then watch everyone leave AN in droves.

 

[VadimK]

I'm looking forward to the next improvement.

Here - since it apparently can't get any worse - more tips, more improvements for @GoDaddy and @Afternic. Because we care!

1. $199 as monthly listing fee for domains, just to sit there.
2. Charge of $2 for each login.
3. Charge of $0.50 for each domain added and $0.10 every time you review one of your own domains.
4. $20 to export your domain list to Excel, and $0.20 to press ''Refresh'' button.

How does that sound, GoDaddy? You're welcome. But also - why stop there? I'd go further and start charging viewers and potential customers for views and clicks- we don't discriminate, right?

Guys, please feel free to share more ideas for how GD and Afternic can make more money. I kinda feel sorry for them - it's an awesome, stunning service they provide us… almost for free.

 

[alcy]

Here - since it apparently can't get any worse - more tips, more improvements for @GoDaddy and @Afternic. Because we care!

1. $199 as monthly listing fee for domains, just to sit there.
2. Charging $2 for each login.
3. Charge $0.50 for each domain added and $0.10 every time you review one of your own domains.
4. $20 to export your domain list to Excel, and $0.20 to press ''Refresh'' button.

How does that sound, GoDaddy? You're welcome. But also - why stop there? I'd go further and start charging viewers and potential customers for views and clicks- we don't discriminate, right?

Guys, please feel free to share more ideas for how GD and Afternic can make more money. I kinda feel sorry for them - it's an awesome, stunning service they provide us… almost for free.

2 was the funniest

 

[AEProgram]

Here - since it apparently can't get any worse - more tips, more improvements for @GoDaddy and @Afternic. Because we care!

1. $199 as monthly listing fee for domains, just to sit there.
2. Charging $2 for each login.
3. Charge $0.50 for each domain added and $0.10 every time you review one of your own domains.
4. $20 to export your domain list to Excel, and $0.20 to press ''Refresh'' button.

How does that sound, GoDaddy? You're welcome. But also - why stop there? I'd go further and start charging viewers and potential customers for views and clicks- we don't discriminate, right?

Guys, please feel free to share more ideas for how GD and Afternic can make more money. I kinda feel sorry for them - it's an awesome, stunning service they provide us… almost for free.

Sounds ok, it's not like anyone will leave them

$5.00 for "Status updated to Qualifying - Attempting to engage with the buyer"
$1.00 for every "Email sent to buyer"
$25.00 for every "Engagement occurred" - if you are using Boost $24.88
$100.00 to get rid of the login errors for a day.
$250 for a broker to respond to a serious buyer the same day
$12.88 every time you change a lander

I will compliment them though with the speed of payouts after a sale. In most cases within 24 hours on business days.

 

[GoDaddy]

”Introducing…”, where’s the excitement?


Show attachment 281232

We're still excited, @Jannes. Glad you're paying attention to our announcements

GoDaddy continues to demonstrate its monopolistic powers with ZERO regard for customers.

Who locks rudimentary data behind a $250 paywall?

A senseless monopoly, that's who.

I strongly believe that GoDaddy's desperate frenzy to monetize and paywall everything will lead them to lock the ability to list your domain names for sale through Afternic behind a paywall SOON.

Domain investors should be prepared for that.

We hear your concerns, @Gabriel360. But to be clear: Search Insights is another value-add for Domain Pro members. It's about providing additional tools and data for investors who want them.

Afternic’s core functionality remains open to everyone. Domain Pro simply provides additional signals and features to help members sharpen their edge.

Why not include these services at no additional cost beyond the 15%-30% commission on sales?

Why not offer buyer broker assistance at much less or no cost until domain is secured?

These seem like opportunities to me.

Similar to our reply above, @DaveX - Search Insights is an added signal for Domain Pro members, designed to give them a competitive advantage. It sits alongside tools like Domain Academy and Self-Brokerage as part of the extras.

Everyone continues to have full access to Afternic’s powerful sales network - that hasn’t changed.

Paywalling data that can help sellers optimize prices - which helps Afternic make more money. It just doesn't make sense. I'm a seller - this data helps sellers - and you make a portion of my sales.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1957510265765036252

Like we shared with you on X, @NameGroove, this is a value-add for Domain Pro members as another signal to help them gain a competitive edge - and that's intentional. Domain Pro is designed to be the most robust toolkit for professional domain investors, and we’re continuing to invest in features that set it apart.

Afternic Staff — What Happened to Transaction Assurance?


This post is directed at Afternic staff, because sellers deserve real answers.


I sold a domain on Saturday and expedited the transfer by 9 AM. Back in the day, that meant the transaction would get handled by a real professional — someone who moved the process forward and made sure payment wasn’t delayed.


Now? It’s like the entire system has collapsed.


I had to call support just to figure out what’s going on. The rep couldn’t speak English well enough to communicate basic words — I was spelling out “dog” and “real estate” just to be understood. After wasting 15 minutes, I got nothing but: “I’ll leave a note.” That’s it?


It’s now late Monday and I still haven’t received payment or even a proper update. How is this acceptable?


Meanwhile, I sold a domain on Atom last week. The buyer paid, I transferred, requested payout, and was paid within 20 minutes. That’s the difference between a company that’s focused on sellers — and one that clearly isn’t.


Afternic’s system is no longer reliable. Payments are slow, support is ineffective, and sellers are left in the dark. This is NOT how you run a marketplace, especially under the GoDaddy brand.


And let’s be real — Paul Nicks didn’t “transition,” he was demoted. It’s no secret that Afternic has been in decline under his leadership.


So I’m asking directly:
Where is the seller support? Where is the accountability? Who is actually managing this platform now? Because from the outside, it looks like nobody is. This is not a one time problem and if your dealing with domain buy service brokers there is really a bigger problem your loooking at a minimum of 10 days to get paid and thats with being proactive on the sellers part

Thanks for sharing your experience. Can you DM us the domain name so we can confirm? From what our TA team sees at the moment, the details don’t quite match up with what you described:

• The sale was recorded late in the day on 8/17
• The manual transfer was completed about 9 hours later, with the transfer itself taking minutes from authorization to completion.
• Your payout was scheduled earlier today.
• Updates were posted in your UI and emails sent along the way.

The new system we launched earlier this year is designed to shorten timelines, and in many Fast Transfer cases, we’re concluding sales in just minutes. However, we always want to hear user feedback and improve our experience for you. So let's connect via DM!

For the future, our TA team is always reachable via the “Message Agent” button on your TA dashboard, providing you seller support.

 

[Acroplex]

"But to be clear: Search Insights is another value-add for Domain Pro members. It's about providing additional tools and data for investors who want them."

What a bunch of condescending bullshit.

Value-add is when you deliver to the entire customer base, not just to the overpriced DP tier. All domain investors want data insights but if you're going to expect customers to upgrade before receiving some basic metrics then whoever came up with this brilliant idea has no clue what "value-add" means.

 

[NameGroove]

Introducing GoDaddy Search Insights on Afternic! Domain Pro members can now see filtered, exact-match search data from the world’s largest registrar - right in their Afternic portfolio.

What is GoDaddy Search Insights?
It’s real buyer-demand data for your domains. No noise - just genuine, human-driven, exact domain searches from GoDaddy.

How do you access Search Insights?
As a member of GoDaddy's Discount Domain Club Domain Pro tier, it's simple to see your search data.

1. Go to your Portfolio page at http://afternic.com/domains
2. Click “Columns”
3. Make sure “Total Searches” & “Unique Searches” columns are visible


For a deeper dive, along with an explainer on how to connect your Discount Domain Club membership head to Afternic, head to our blog: https://blog.afternic.com/godaddy-search-insights/

fyi for those wondering; current choices to get access to search insights (listed in com renewal price order):

1- Spaceship (via SellerHub): free SLD+TLD search insights and $10.18 com renewals without paywall (includes Namecheap SLD search data)
2- Dynadot: free SLD+TLD search insights and $10.88 com renewals without paywall. Also includes WhoIs search data.
3- GoDaddy: free at registrar level only* $11.19 com renewals +$269.88 DDC membership (soon to be $359.88 per year)
3a- *Afternic: SLD+TLD search insights require Pro level $269.88 DDC membership (soon to be $359.88 per year)

Note: I have asked both PorkBun and Unstoppable to offer this data as well. Both responded they are considering adding.

 

[NameGroove]

Similar to our reply above, @DaveX - Search Insights is an added signal for Domain Pro members, designed to give them a competitive advantage. It sits alongside tools like Domain Academy and Self-Brokerage as part of the extras.

Everyone continues to have full access to Afternic’s powerful sales network - that hasn’t changed.


Like we shared with you on X, @NameGroove, this is a value-add for Domain Pro members as another signal to help them gain a competitive edge - and that's intentional. Domain Pro is designed to be the most robust toolkit for professional domain investors, and we’re continuing to invest in features that set it apart.

You have a blind spot.

You make 30% of ALL domainers sales.
Yet you give a competitive advantage to only a subset of domainers.
Which means, YOU lose revenue from the subset you don't give this competitive advantage to.

 

[NicTraders]

"But to be clear: Search Insights is another value-add for Domain Pro members. It's about providing additional tools and data for investors who want them."

What a bunch of condescending bullshit.

Value-add is when you deliver to the entire customer base, not just to the overpriced DP tier. All domain investors want data insights but if you're going to expect customers to upgrade before receiving some basic metrics then whoever came up with this brilliant idea has no clue what "value-add" means.

I liked this bit though: "Afternic’s core functionality remains open to everyone." It really is very generous of them to make sure the bugs are experienced by all users, whether a Domain Pro member, Boost participant, or a lowly domainer who doesn't pay for the 'extras'.

 

[Optinom]

@GoDaddy one question specific to UK sellers. We have a VAT registered business in the UK.

Your transmittal document for domain sales shows an US address but a UK VAT number.

Over 95% of our buyers are non-UK & non-EU. So all these should be zero VAT for us, as these are considered exports if I'm selling directly to them.

However since GoDaddy UK entity is coming in between, we're liable for additional 20% VAT.

So if the buyer is in a country say Australia with 15% VAT. On a $1000 (list price) domain, buyer pays $1150 to GoDaddy. GoDaddy deducts 15% sales commission, so they send $850 to the seller (which includes 20% vat). And the seller has to remit this 20% to Govt, and gets only $705. Is this correct ? Buyer pays $1150 and seller gets $705.

But if I were to sell the domains through another platform like Spaceship, the buyer pays only $1000 because they don't have Australian entity. And because it's US entity seller VAT is zero. So the seller gets $1000 minus $50 = $950.

Is this correct ?

 

[domainer8888]

The regpath "searches in past year" bubble is currently underreporting by roughly a factor of 2 compared to GoDaddy/Afternic stats.

 

[DomainRecap]

You make 30% of ALL domainers sales.
Yet you give a competitive advantage to only a subset of domainers.
Which means, YOU lose revenue from the subset you don't give this competitive advantage to.

If you really think about it, this is clearly their business plan. i.e. domain sellers are no longer business partners, we are now viewed as customers for GoDaddy's vertically-integrated services.

If you don't want to be upsold or paywalled, then use a domain marketplace with a single business line.

 

[URL Stream]

We hear your concerns, @Gabriel360. But to be clear: Search Insights is another value-add for Domain Pro members. It's about providing additional tools and data for investors who want them.

Afternic’s core functionality remains open to everyone. Domain Pro simply provides additional signals and features to help members sharpen their edge.

Similar to our reply above, @DaveX - Search Insights is an added signal for Domain Pro members, designed to give them a competitive advantage. It sits alongside tools like Domain Academy and Self-Brokerage as part of the extras.

Everyone continues to have full access to Afternic’s powerful sales network - that hasn’t changed.

@GoDaddy

I’m looking for a one-letter answer, no reasoning, if I may.

Which brings in more revenue to the platform:
a) charging for the premium benefit of search insights
b) higher volume of sales at a 30% commission

A or B?

 

[DaveX]

fyi for those wondering; current choices to get access to search insights (listed in com renewal price order):

1- Spaceship (via SellerHub): free SLD+TLD search insights and $10.18 com renewals without paywall (includes Namecheap SLD search data)
2- Dynadot: free SLD+TLD search insights and $10.88 com renewals without paywall. Also includes WhoIs search data.
3- GoDaddy: free at registrar level only* $11.19 com renewals +$269.88 DDC membership (soon to be $359.88 per year)
3a- *Afternic: SLD+TLD search insights require Pro level $269.88 DDC membership (soon to be $359.88 per year)

Note: I have asked both PorkBun and Unstoppable to offer this data as well. Both responded they are considering adding.

$359 per year! That's a lot! I didn't know it had gone up so high. I remember when it was about 100 bucks.

 

[DomainRecap]

Which brings in more revenue to the platform:
a) charging for the premium benefit of search insights
b) higher volume of sales at a 30% commission

A or B?

I think it's more of a question of "Which one does GoDaddy care about more?".

You have to view it through the eyes of a monolithic company like GoDaddy with myriad business lines all having revenue and profit targets to meet - a mass amount of new users suddenly flood in from the Dan closure, so naturally everybody wants a piece of that pie.

 

[URL Stream]

I think it's more of a question of "Which one does GoDaddy care about more?".

You have to view it through the eyes of a monolithic company like GoDaddy with myriad business lines all having revenue and profit targets to meet - a mass amount of new users suddenly flood in from the Dan closure, so naturally everybody wants a piece of that pie.

Well said, and I do understand that.

Still, my question was purely factual, and I’m waiting for a clear factual answer from them.

 

[DomainRecap]

Still, my question was purely factual, and I’m waiting for a clear factual answer from them.

No idea on the financial number, but I'm certain that GD would take a little less money if the revenue was sent to more departments.

 

[NameGroove]

@GoDaddy

I’m looking for a one-letter answer, no reasoning, if I may.

Which brings in more revenue to the platform:
a) charging for the premium benefit of search insights
b) higher volume of sales at a 30% commission

A or B?

Those questions are too kind.

A more appropriate question is

Which brings more revenue to the platform:
a) the # of new subscribers by adding the search insight benefit to Pro
b) higher volume of sales at a 30% commission across all sellers (both Pro and non DDC club members)

They already have an installed base who pay. Since no one would cancel due to this already being offered free at GoDaddy, it means the only reason to put it behind a paywall is the delta (the expected increase of new paid Pro subscribers). And we have to weigh that against every single afternic seller who would have better data and increased prices (more money for Afternic/GD).

I'd like to hear the answer to that.

 

[Acroplex]

"We're rolling out a new feature at Afternic!"

Domainers: