Anyone using BuyDomains/AfternicDLS...

[gazzip]

Domain sales service to sell their names ?
"To begin selling your domains through the BuyDomains distribution channel, sign up for an AfternicDLS membership. List an unlimited number of domains for sale with your $19.95 Annual AfternicDLS Membership Fee. 20% Sales Commission Only When Your Domain is Sold** "

If you are using them how has it been for you ?

Can you still Park anywhere and list them at Sedo etc ?

Do you have to put prices on them or can you do "make offer" ?

Any info about this would be appreciated - Thanks :tu:


.

 

[Damion]

My hunch tells me it's the same as Snapnames, a money grab service and nothing more.

Only Snapnames takes it to the extreme though with their requirement to transfer your domains to them.

 

[npcomplete]

I am an afternic member (I have posted more there than here). We had a long thread about buydomains/dls. I was complaining to the management in the thread about the 20% commission. It was like talking to a rock.

Let's see: 15% commission by Moniker, known for excellent returns, but picky about what they sell. Sedo, with 10%, and they will sell anything. And then there is afternic, with an incredible 20% commission, with an industry reputation for getting lower prices.

The management response is as expected "we are the best in the industry". Do the math. Highest rates, with the lowest expectation of quality sales.

Marc

 

[David at NameMedia]

Gazzip,

I work here and would love to assist you.

AfternicDLS is the world's largest domain marketplace. According to Domain Name Journal, AfternicDLS has a 47% market share based on domains sold during the first half of 2007. When using AfternicDLS's expanded promotion, our customers are able to have their names listed on an expanded network beyond the Afternic site through our world-class partners. Additionally, we have 17 sales executives that promote our customers names, helping connect your names with as many potential customers as possible.

While using AfternicDLS, we provide you with the flexibility to park your names where you'd like. But we also provide you the tools and integration to park with our in-house ActiveAudience parking. Our ActiveAudience parking platform not only allows you one of the best platforms to monetize your names, but is easy to set-up so that you can promote your names in the most effective manner on the site - so you can sell your names.

I think the best way to find out more about AfternicDLS is to call us. We have a professional sales team that is always reachable and can be reached at 1-866-277-3420 (Toll Free in the U.S.) or 1-781-839-7997 (Worldwide).

Additionally, you can always PM me and will help you in any way that I can.

Good luck and please let us know if there is anything we can assist with - we are here to help.

David

 

[npcomplete]

...snip...
Let's see: 15% commission by Moniker, known for excellent returns, but picky about what they sell. Sedo, with 10%, and they will sell anything. And then there is afternic, with an incredible 20% commission, with an industry reputation for getting lower prices.

The management response is as expected "we are the best in the industry". Do the math. Highest rates, with the lowest expectation of quality sales.

Marc

ahem... I rest my case.

David, would you care to comment on the 20% commissions? I understand the bit about 47% market share. People around here are interested in results of their own domains, not market share.

Over at afternic, I suggested that perhaps a sliding fee structure might make sense, with % commission dropping as sales prices escalate, perhaps bringing your rate structure inline with industry norms. I know we are restarting an old thread I was in at Afternic, but I still would like to hear reasons for the 20% commission, when I can get lower rates elsewhere, and better results.

Like I said at Afternic, I love competition, and would like to see Afternic compete in quality and pricing.

Marc

 

[gazzip]

Thanks guys, I've noticed they do seem to be more pro-active when it comes to promoting their services, although the commision is higher than the norm.

Anyone else actually using them at the moment ?

Gazzip,

I work here and would love to assist you.

Additionally, you can always PM me and will help you in any way that I can.

Good luck and please let us know if there is anything we can assist with - we are here to help.

David

Thanks David - Is there anywhere I can see a FAQ page to mull over all the nitty gritty bits before I decide to sign up for it ?

If not I'll wait and see how other NPers using your service have found it and then I'll send you a PM with any other questions I need answers for

I would also be intersted in the ActiveAudience parking.

I appreciate your reply and I hope you stick around here to help out, seems like other large companies no longer feel the need to communicate with their customers (or potential ones) which is basically why I am looking for a positive change in a new direction. (you know who you are :p )

Thanks

.

 

[David at NameMedia]

In order to see what you receive through Afternic (expanded promo and basic promo service) you can go to:

http://www.afternic.com/sell.php

We are here to help - if you need anything additional let us know - and always feel free to pick up the phone.

With regards to the commission structure, we have two different products expanded promotion and basic promotion. We provide our customers with a choice of which service offering that they can select. Expanded promotion has a 20% commission rate and basic promotion has a 10% commission rate.

The 10% rate for basic promotion has been Afternic's rate for as long as I am aware and enables you to list your names on Afternic.com.

Names listed on expanded promotion have proven to have a higher sales velocity and a higher ASP (average sales price). Keep in mind that with expanded promotion we make tremendous investments to promote your name including a world-class sales team of 17 executives, global distribution networks and a large investment in online advertising. We believe that reaching more buyers, having a live person negotiate on your behalf, and having a company spend money on advertising to promote your names is worth the additional commission and ultimately assists in getting the best price possible for your domain.

At the end of the day, we are working to provide our customers with choices and each person can decide if they'd like to have their names listed on our expanded promotion or basic promotion.

 

[npcomplete]

In order to see what you receive through Afternic (expanded promo and basic promo service) you can go to:

http://www.afternic.com/sell.php

We are here to help - if you need anything additional let us know - and always feel free to pick up the phone.

With regards to the commission structure, we have two different products expanded promotion and basic promotion. We provide our customers with a choice of which service offering that they can select. Expanded promotion has a 20% commission rate and basic promotion has a 10% commission rate.

The 10% rate for basic promotion has been Afternic's rate for as long as I am aware and enables you to list your names on Afternic.com.

Names listed on expanded promotion have proven to have a higher sales velocity and a higher ASP (average sales price). Keep in mind that with expanded promotion we make tremendous investments to promote your name including a world-class sales team of 17 executives, global distribution networks and a large investment in online advertising. We believe that reaching more buyers, having a live person negotiate on your behalf, and having a company spend money on advertising to promote your names is worth the additional commission and ultimately assists in getting the best price possible for your domain.

At the end of the day, we are working to provide our customers with choices and each person can decide if they'd like to have their names listed on our expanded promotion or basic promotion.

This is funny: While I was busy posting at Afternic on trademarks and the differences between Typed Drawing and Standard Character Marks and the history of the change in terminology, you were here posting on marketing.

David, it is absolutely fantastic to see you here. I know you don't have time to post on all the forums, but the mere fact that you are here says a lot about you and the change in direction for namemedia.

Like I said on your site, you are already in an excellent market position, but your pricing is high and perhaps not getting the best prices for the seller. As I said at Afternic, if you could adjust your commission pricing to acknowledge high end sales then there would be a lot of people like me making a rush from other high end aftermarkets. Perhaps a variable rate structure as suggested above and as I suggested on your site. It is not as if this is unusual. In the real estate business it is fairly common to see high end properties get a rate cut.

Marc

 

[Carlton]

... At the end of the day, we are working to provide our customers with choices and each person can decide if they'd like to have their names listed on our expanded promotion or basic promotion.

Sellers can choose 10% or 20%. 20% buys active marketing and exposure. Opportunity is not free. I have no problem at all with the 20% commission.

 

[Damion]

I agree with Carlton and i have to retract my words about AfternicDLS.
This looks like a great venue for domain sellers and because of:

We believe that reaching more buyers, having a live person negotiate on your behalf, and having a company spend money on advertising to promote your names is worth the additional commission and ultimately assists in getting the best price possible for your domain.

i feel that 20% is fully justified!

 

[David at NameMedia]

Like I said on your site, you are already in an excellent market position, but your pricing is high and perhaps not getting the best prices for the seller. As I said at Afternic, if you could adjust your commission pricing to acknowledge high end sales then there would be a lot of people like me making a rush from other high end aftermarkets.

Marc

Our goal is to provide our seller's with the greatest opportunity to reach the highest number of potential buyers. We believe that by reaching the greatest number of potential buyers and by having a world-class sales team promoting your names, the end-result will be the truest market value (highest price point) for our customers.

During August's Domain RoundTable, we and Sedo shared some interesting data points with the attendees. We shared with the folks that the ASP for AfternicDLS is $1764 with a median ASP of $1300. Sedo stated that their ASP was $600.

Please - don't hesitate to reach out to me directly. We are here to help.

All the best,

David

 

[npcomplete]

Our goal is to provide our seller's with the greatest opportunity to reach the highest number of potential buyers. We believe that by reaching the greatest number of potential buyers and by having a world-class sales team promoting your names, the end-result will be the truest market value (highest price point) for our customers.

During August's Domain RoundTable, we and Sedo shared some interesting data points with the attendees. We shared with the folks that the ASP for AfternicDLS is $1764 with a median ASP of $1300. Sedo stated that their ASP was $600.

Please - don't hesitate to reach out to me directly. We are here to help.

All the best,

David

David,
Thanks for the info. I am a career mathematician and understand statistics. Also, as with real estate, there are "real estate markets", not a "real estate market", although one can make statements overall about the industry. At this point the "real estate market" nationwide "sucks" for the most part and has for over a year, although Seattle is doing well and may just now be seeing softening in pricing. The same goes for domains. As discussed in the private message, my concern or interest is not in average pricing, it is with pricing on my properties. My comments on your site and here have been about high-end properties... As mentioned in my message to you (and above, and at your site) the real estate market is known for giving price breaks for commissions on the high end (my wife is a Realtor). This is common in a number of industries. At this point your rates are the highest in the industry of the major players by a 5% margin. As also mentioned, sometimes you can increase overall profits and increase market share by lowering prices (your 47% becoming 57%). I really don't care whether Sedo's averages are lower - that just says that they sell a lot of lower priced domains overall. At some point I may use DLS for some of my domains, but my concern has always been in the higher end. My Moniker rep has also discussed my portfolio with others, so there are others in the industry that give human attention to sales for 5% less... that is my only point. *Obviously* I am not getting that human intervention for my lower priced domains with mean pricing of "$1700" or whatever the figure was you quoted above. In those cases, yes, I would be willing to pay a premium if I see a history of performance. I dropped this issue a couple of months ago on your site as being a non-productive total waste of my time. I really regret bringing it up here.

Again though, I would like to compliment you on showing up on the forums, both here and at Afternic. This is *very* positive, and may help convince me and others to pay the extra 5%-10% over the competition in some cases. If you look around here, you will see a lot of people complaining about some of your competition not showing up... and I don't mean that the CEO's should show up. One does have to wonder why those below the CEO are not making a show to promote their businesses. Your a good example of this promotion, and I am sure it will get the attention it deserves.

Just a *suggestion* to show rate flexibility like other industries...

Marc

 

[gazzip]

i feel that 20% is fully justified!

I just took a look at their sales for the week on DnJournal......NICE ! Not big sales but lots in the $1,000 to $4,000 range.

From DnJournal

"The AfternicDLS had their usual stellar performance with more than 550 sales totaling over $800,000. Their list included more than 130 sales above $2,000"

... hmmm, looking very tempting


.

 

[networkmsia]

I just took a look at their sales for the week on DnJournal......NICE ! Not big sales but lots in the $1,000 to $4,000 range.

From DnJournal

"The AfternicDLS had their usual stellar performance with more than 550 sales totaling over $800,000. Their list included more than 130 sales above $2,000"

... hmmm, looking very tempting


.

agreed !!!!

 

[wot]

Perhaps an Afternic Blog would be a good idea :hi:

 

[npcomplete]

Perhaps an Afternic Blog would be a good idea :hi:

yours?

Anyway, it sounds "confusingly similar" to Afternic:

reg: December 18, 2001
drawing code: (1) TYPED DRAWING
tarr status:
http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=75742539

It is also a "coined phrase". I have no idea whether they protect their mark or not.

There is already a blog and a discussion forum. I never go to the blog, but here is the forum for afternic (I can't even find the link to their blog):

http://www.discussnames.com/index.php

As often said over in the legal forum here, it is really about what you are doing with a marked domain wrt ads for the competition and other issues...

Marc

 

[wot]

yours?

Anyway, it sounds "confusingly similar" to Afternic:

reg: December 18, 2001
drawing code: (1) TYPED DRAWING
tarr status:
http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=75742539

It is also a "coined phrase". I have no idea whether they protect their mark or not.

There is already a blog and a discussion forum. I never go to the blog, but here is the forum for afternic (I can't even find the link to their blog):

http://www.discussnames.com/index.php

As often said over in the legal forum here, it is really about what you are doing with a marked domain wrt ads for the competition and other issues...

Marc

Parked at Afternic sending all enquiries to them, for a few years. :hi:

 

[tricolorro]

Perhaps an Afternic Blog would be a good idea :hi:

:hi:

There is a blog for the AfternicDLS service.

http://afternicdlsblog.com/

This is not the Afternic forum.

Patrick

 

[gazzip]

Hmmm, So out of everyone here nobody is using them yet

someone must be :hehe:

...anyway, I got sent a link today to a good article in DNJournal about them for those that may be interesting in giving them a try. I'm going to sign up sometime in January and give it a shot :tu:

http://dnjournal.com/cover/2007/august-namemedia.htm


.

 

[networkmsia]

I signed up and paid the 19.95 last week. and for all my domains, I selected the Expanded promotion.

Thanks to David for his assistance.

Now lets see how things goes.