Atom / Atom.com - Marketplace (formerly Squadhelp)

[JudgeMind]

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.

 

[Future Sensors]

Sedo has decided to end its partnership with Atom.

The source of the current confusion is this specific statement on the Atom blog:

https://www.atom.com/blog/expanding-domain-exposure-a-more-flexible-way-to-list-premium-domains/

Atom should allow Sellers the autonomy to list their premium domains on Sedo independently. Since Afternic and Spaceship are already permitted, excluding Sedo feels like an unnecessary restriction. Don't make Sellers pay the price for a fight between platforms.

 

[NameGroove]

The source of the current confusion is this specific statement on the Atom blog:

https://www.atom.com/blog/expanding-domain-exposure-a-more-flexible-way-to-list-premium-domains/

Show attachment 290346

Atom should allow Sellers the autonomy to list their premium domains on Sedo independently. Since Afternic and Spaceship are already permitted, excluding Sedo feels like an unnecessary restriction. Don't make Sellers pay the price for a fight between platforms.

I have personally been following the policy on that blog post (which allows us to list on external domain platforms at +10%). My names are listed on Dynadot at +10% for example.

I even tweeted about it when they launched it (thanking Darpan and Atom)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1958648671588753541

However, they updated this page on Nov 12th (without notice) and it only discusses Spaceship SellerHub (and no longer other platforms)
https://www.atom.com/partial-exclusivity-option

First - if @Atom.com is reducing the off platform marketplaces that are allowed they need to let us know. We don't go check T&C's daily assuming changes occurred.

Second - I hope @Atom.com understands that certain TLDs (specifically .now) are not yet allowed to be listed on Afternic.
Therefore, if they limit to SellerHub only (and remove other ICANN registrars like Dyandot, Unstoppable, etc). they are significantly curtailing the marketing for the .now TLD on other platforms. Until .now is accepted on Afternic, that TLD should be allowed to be listed as per their original Flexible Listing Policy (all external platforms +10%).

 

[Future Sensors]

However, they updated this page on Nov 12th (without notice) and it only discusses Spaceship SellerHub (and no longer other platforms)
https://www.atom.com/partial-exclusivity-option

First - if @Atom.com is reducing the off platform marketplaces that are allowed they need to let us know. We don't go check T&C's daily assuming changes occurred.

To be honest, this was the reason I posted the complete article about VAT in this very thread. Mainly for later policy reference, without depending on silently changed helpdesk articles on the Atom site.

 

[Atom.com]

@Atom.com will you please delete from Sedo all the names you cross-listed at Sedo?

It's not acceptable that you have left those dead listings there, blocking us from listing at Sedo. Or is that your intention?

You just need to give Sedo a simple, quick instruction to delete all names listed in your owm Sedo account, please, so we can all move ahead.

@Atom
Yes please this very important point, it’s unfair our domains dead there in Sedo and need to find solution .

.

Yes, I believe that is what I was thinking about as well. However, that was prior to the loss of Sedo so I think that is the question now - will we be able to list at Sedo also. Hopefully @Atom.com will consider allowing us to. I would guess Sedo wouldnt have an issue with it.

The other question I have is: if we remove a premium name from Atom, after the 30-day wait, can we list at Sedo or will the name still be held up?

Policy wise is unclear, but its literally not possible anyway atm due to issues highlighted already I believe. At least, thats been the case for me so far.

I have personally been following the policy on that blog post (which allows us to list on external domain platforms at +10%). My names are listed on Dynadot at +10% for example.

I even tweeted about it when they launched it (thanking Darpan and Atom)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1958648671588753541

However, they updated this page on Nov 12th (without notice) and it only discusses Spaceship SellerHub (and no longer other platforms)
https://www.atom.com/partial-exclusivity-option

First - if @Atom.com is reducing the off platform marketplaces that are allowed they need to let us know. We don't go check T&C's daily assuming changes occurred.

Second - I hope @Atom.com understands that certain TLDs (specifically .now) are not yet allowed to be listed on Afternic.
Therefore, if they limit to SellerHub only (and remove other ICANN registrars like Dyandot, Unstoppable, etc). they are significantly curtailing the marketing for the .now TLD on other platforms. Until .now is accepted on Afternic, that TLD should be allowed to be listed as per their original Flexible Listing Policy (all external platforms +10%).

Thanks for the comments and feedback - happy to clarify.

Following Sedo’s decision to end the partnership, the syndicated listings were deactivated and Atom no longer has any role or influence in how historical listings are handled on their platform. As a result, any questions related to removing or managing listings on Sedo need to be handled directly by Sedo support.

Separately, to clarify our listing policy: Atom Premium listings are exclusive to Atom. While we allow Premium listings to be distributed through certain approved registrar and distribution paths, listings on Sedo are not permitted. Plus and Standard listings remain fully non-exclusive and may be listed on other external platforms.

On policy updates and communication: when Sedo decided to end the partnership, we sent an announcement to all sellers that included a link to the updated partial exclusivity policy, which was revised on November 12. This wasn’t intended to be a silent or unnoticed change. That said, we recognize announcements can be missed, and policy pages should stand on their own without ambiguity.

Importantly, the intent of the policy has not changed. The partial exclusivity framework is designed to allow reasonable off-platform exposure for Premium listings via registrar and distribution paths, while still providing significant discovery and marketing exposure through Atom. The currently allowed off-platform options account for the majority of registrar-path sales. For sellers who prefer full flexibility to list anywhere, Plus and Standard listings remain available.

In parallel, we’re aggressively expanding our direct distribution partnerships, with multiple integrations already live and several more coming online shortly. The goal is to continue expanding exposure through additional partnerships that we’ll be announcing in the coming months.

 

[Atom.com]

no more needed for Afternic listing or is that option just not in the new interface / hidden somewhere?

Thanks for flagging this - we’ll be adding this option to the new listing dashboard shortly.

We’ve already made several enhancements to the new listing page based on ongoing seller feedback, and we plan to continue iterating. If there are specific features or options that aren’t currently available on the new listing page, or if you’d like to see something work differently, please keep the feedback coming. We’re prioritizing these updates as they come in.

As the platform continues to grow and we add new capabilities, the architecture of the old listing page is no longer compatible with where the product is headed. That’s why it’s important for us to retire that page and focus our efforts on improving and expanding the new listing experience.

Appreciate the feedback - it’s helping shape the roadmap.

 

[NameGroove]

The currently allowed off-platform options account for the majority of registrar-path sales.

@Atom.com - this is not true for .now which is not yet allowed to be listed on Afternic.

Therefore, cross marketing for .now is only allowed on SellerHub which significantly curtails the marketing for the .now TLD.

Until .now is accepted on Afternic, can you allow .now to be listed as per their original Flexible Listing Policy (all external platforms, less Sedo, at +10%)? Otherwise it is unfairly penalized vs all other TLDs allowed to be accepted as Premium on your platform

 

[Future Sensors]

This is only a few months ago:

"Founders approach domain buying in different ways. Some want inspiration. Others already know what they want and head straight to a registrar they’ve used before."

"We believe sellers should have the flexibility to show up in both places, and we’re making a small but important change to support that."

"Effective immediately, you may list your Premium domains on any external Domain registrar platform, as long as the listing price is at least 10% higher than your Atom BIN price."

"This approach gives buyers the flexibility to complete their purchase through the registrar they’re most comfortable with, while still recognizing that many of those journeys begin on Atom."

"This update is simply a natural extension of that principle: giving sellers even more exposure without compromising the quality of the Atom buyer experience."

"As more founders enter the naming journey, we want to make sure your domains show up in all the right places. Atom will continue to lead on search, discovery, and branding but we’re also here to support your broader reach."

Etc.

So much for a 'strong belief'. It's misleading to present something as a core principle only to abandon it so easily.

 

[draco]

Thanks for the comments and feedback - happy to clarify.


Separately, to clarify our listing policy: Atom Premium listings are exclusive to Atom. While we allow Premium listings to be distributed through certain approved registrar and distribution paths, listings on Sedo are not permitted. Plus and Standard listings remain fully non-exclusive and may be listed on other external platforms.

https://helpdesk.atom.com/en/articles/12824861-partial-exclusivity-policy-premium-listings

You’re allowed to list your Atom Premium domains externally if:

• The domain is listed at a Buy Now (BIN) price that is at least 10% higher than the BIN on Atom
• The external platform is an ICANN accredited registrar.

Sedo is an ICANN accredited registrar. Per your policy, shouldn't we be able to list there? If not, why not and are there any other ICANN accredited registrars where we can't list?

 

[xwat]

https://helpdesk.atom.com/en/articles/12824861-partial-exclusivity-policy-premium-listings

You’re allowed to list your Atom Premium domains externally if:

• The domain is listed at a Buy Now (BIN) price that is at least 10% higher than the BIN on Atom
• The external platform is an ICANN accredited registrar.

Sedo is an ICANN accredited registrar. Per your policy, shouldn't we be able to list there? If not, why not and are there any other ICANN accredited registrars where we can't list?

Perhaps it is because those registrars do not want that and ATOM is abiding by their wishes?

 

[NameGroove]

This is only a few months ago:

"Founders approach domain buying in different ways. Some want inspiration. Others already know what they want and head straight to a registrar they’ve used before."

"We believe sellers should have the flexibility to show up in both places, and we’re making a small but important change to support that."

"Effective immediately, you may list your Premium domains on any external Domain registrar platform, as long as the listing price is at least 10% higher than your Atom BIN price."

"This approach gives buyers the flexibility to complete their purchase through the registrar they’re most comfortable with, while still recognizing that many of those journeys begin on Atom."

"This update is simply a natural extension of that principle: giving sellers even more exposure without compromising the quality of the Atom buyer experience."

"As more founders enter the naming journey, we want to make sure your domains show up in all the right places. Atom will continue to lead on search, discovery, and branding but we’re also here to support your broader reach."

Etc.

So much for a 'strong belief'. It's misleading to present something as a core principle only to abandon it so easily.

Agree 100%. This is an awful look. A core principle in Aug - no longer a core principle in Nov. And they acknowledge that buyers head to registrars they've used before... but do a quick u-turn.
If you can change your principles 180 degrees in 3 months, they were never principles to begin with.

Further, at the risk of harping on one single TLD, they don't account for or acknowledge the fact that the .now TLD loses almost all cross marketing except for Spaceship (and Namecheap) after this u-turn. Had I known they would limit off platform marketing to almost zero immediately after listing my .now's as Premium, I wouldn't have listed them.

I hope @Atom.com rethinks their policy. Aug 21's flexible listing policy was a strong step in a positive direction. But removing it leaves sellers with multiple issues, one of which I described above. See the next post for the 2nd reason why (beyond the .now issue)

 

[NameGroove]

The partial exclusivity framework is designed to allow reasonable off-platform exposure for Premium listings via registrar and distribution paths, while still providing significant discovery and marketing exposure through Atom. The currently allowed off-platform options account for the majority of registrar-path sales.

@Atom.com It appears to me one other thing your policy change has caused, is it needlessly increases commissions paid by sellers.

You allow Afternic cross-marketing and claim that these options "account for the majority of registrar-path sales". But by not allowing us to self-list on Dynadot, Unstoppable, and possibly NameSilo (and other Afternic FT partners who have their own marketplaces) you force a minimum of 25% commission on us, and up to 30% if it sells via Afternic. But if it sells via Afternic FT partners who also have their own marketplaces (Dynadot, NameSilo, and Unstoppable) we would save a lot of commission. (Dyna is 10%, Unstoppable is 3%, and NameSilo is 7.5%).
We are able to self-list on Dyna and UD and could potentially self-list on NameSilo through their partnership with Saw.

Therefore, it appears to me you lose nothing by opening up those distribution channels (similar to how it was under your Aug 21 Flexible Listing Policy), but we lose significant monies if they name sold via their reg paths and we're not allowed to self-list. Your u-turn is costs sellers 15-22% and I struggle to see any effect on Atom as distribution remains identical pre and post change.

Again, this appears to me as no change to Atom whatsoever, since the allowed Afternic listing +10% already results in our listings showing up in those registration paths. What it does do is result in monies going from us to Afternic (and literally no financial change to Atom whatsoever, at least as far as I'm able to ascertain).

If I'm missing something or misunderstand something, I am open to being corrected. But if my understanding is correct, I hope you'll allow self-listings on ICANN accredited registrars with their own marketplaces (just as was allowed via the Flexible Listing Policy on Aug 21)

 

[Future Sensors]

https://helpdesk.atom.com/en/articles/12824861-partial-exclusivity-policy-premium-listings

You’re allowed to list your Atom Premium domains externally if:

• The domain is listed at a Buy Now (BIN) price that is at least 10% higher than the BIN on Atom
• The external platform is an ICANN accredited registrar.

Sedo is an ICANN accredited registrar. Per your policy, shouldn't we be able to list there? If not, why not and are there any other ICANN accredited registrars where we can't list?

Indeed, there are no further restrictions listed on that page. The policy is remarkably inconsistent, and it seems Atom has lost track of what they are communicating to sellers.

It also clearly states the following, which now appears to be insincere:

"Why this policy exists

Buyers have different preferences. Some discover names through Atom’s advanced search, brand imagery, or retargeting ads, but ultimately choose to purchase through their preferred registrar. This policy makes room for that."

 

[carob]

A core principle in Aug - no longer a core principle in Nov.

 

[Future Sensors]

If there are specific features or options that aren’t currently available on the new listing page, or if you’d like to see something work differently, please keep the feedback coming. We’re prioritizing these updates as they come in.

This is one already mentioned earlier:

@Atom.com In the new interface, the "Export Domains to Google Sheets" feature is no longer present. There's only a 'sync' function left.

 

[Future Sensors]

If there are specific features or options that aren’t currently available on the new listing page, or if you’d like to see something work differently, please keep the feedback coming. We’re prioritizing these updates as they come in.

Another one mentioned earlier:

@Atom.com How can the new Listings Page still fail at simple features like sorting by "Date Added" especially when that option appears in the menu? Is this going to be a permanent beta that forces us to keep switching back to the old interface just to do basic tasks?

 

[Atom.com]

Thanks for the feedback. It’s important to clarify both the intent and the practical impact of the current policy.

To recap, we have not restricted meaningful registrar distribution. The current partial exclusivity model is designed to maximize overall exposure for Premium listings. Sellers benefit from Atom’s full marketing, discovery, and buyer-intent traffic, while still retaining the ability to list domains across all registrar paths where meaningful retail sales actually occur.

Today, Premium listings are allowed to be listed on both Afternic and Spaceship, which together provide access to essentially all registrar paths that drive real end-user demand through the registrar channel. In practice, most individual registrars that support direct marketplace listings are already part of the broader distribution network covered by Afternic.

If there are specific registrars that are not already covered by these two paths and are demonstrably driving meaningful retail sales, please feel free to call them out and we’re happy to review them.

It’s also important to note that partial exclusivity is optional by design. Sellers who choose Premium listings get the combination of massive marketing and discovery along with broad registrar coverage. Sellers who prefer unrestricted flexibility to list anywhere can always choose Plus or Standard listings, which remain fully non-exclusive.

The intent here is simple: maximize real buyer exposure and outcomes, not just surface-level distribution. We’ll continue to evolve coverage as new meaningful channels emerge. In parallel, we’re actively adding distribution partners beyond the traditional registrar network that are expected to drive additional high-quality exposure for listings.

 

[Future Sensors]

But by not allowing us to self-list on Dynadot, Unstoppable, and possibly NameSilo (and other Afternic FT partners who have their own marketplaces) you force a minimum of 25% commission on us, and up to 30% if it sells via Afternic.

And there's more to this. Many Afternic partners nowadays add an additional markup to the Afternic BIN price, sometimes even 20% more. When combined with Atom's required 10% markup, the total BIN price often pushes the domain far beyond buyers' sweet spot.

 

[Future Sensors]

Thanks for the feedback. It’s important to clarify both the intent and the practical impact of the current policy.

To recap, we have not restricted meaningful registrar distribution. The current partial exclusivity model is designed to maximize overall exposure for Premium listings. Sellers benefit from Atom’s full marketing, discovery, and buyer-intent traffic, while still retaining the ability to list domains across all registrar paths where meaningful retail sales actually occur.

Today, Premium listings are allowed to be listed on both Afternic and Spaceship, which together provide access to essentially all registrar paths that drive real end-user demand through the registrar channel. In practice, most individual registrars that support direct marketplace listings are already part of the broader distribution network covered by Afternic.

If there are specific registrars that are not already covered by these two paths and are demonstrably driving meaningful retail sales, please feel free to call them out and we’re happy to review them.

It’s also important to note that partial exclusivity is optional by design. Sellers who choose Premium listings get the combination of massive marketing and discovery along with broad registrar coverage. Sellers who prefer unrestricted flexibility to list anywhere can always choose Plus or Standard listings, which remain fully non-exclusive.

The intent here is simple: maximize real buyer exposure and outcomes, not just surface-level distribution. We’ll continue to evolve coverage as new meaningful channels emerge. In parallel, we’re actively adding distribution partners beyond the traditional registrar network that are expected to drive additional high-quality exposure for listings.

You're changing the rules constantly.

 

[Future Sensors]

Same, mine have actually been higher the last couple of days.


Show attachment 290332

 

[NameGroove]

Thanks for the feedback. It’s important to clarify both the intent and the practical impact of the current policy.

To recap, we have not restricted meaningful registrar distribution. The current partial exclusivity model is designed to maximize overall exposure for Premium listings. Sellers benefit from Atom’s full marketing, discovery, and buyer-intent traffic, while still retaining the ability to list domains across all registrar paths where meaningful retail sales actually occur.

Today, Premium listings are allowed to be listed on both Afternic and Spaceship, which together provide access to essentially all registrar paths that drive real end-user demand through the registrar channel. In practice, most individual registrars that support direct marketplace listings are already part of the broader distribution network covered by Afternic.

If there are specific registrars that are not already covered by these two paths and are demonstrably driving meaningful retail sales, please feel free to call them out and we’re happy to review them.

It’s also important to note that partial exclusivity is optional by design. Sellers who choose Premium listings get the combination of massive marketing and discovery along with broad registrar coverage. Sellers who prefer unrestricted flexibility to list anywhere can always choose Plus or Standard listings, which remain fully non-exclusive.

The intent here is simple: maximize real buyer exposure and outcomes, not just surface-level distribution. We’ll continue to evolve coverage as new meaningful channels emerge. In parallel, we’re actively adding distribution partners beyond the traditional registrar network that are expected to drive additional high-quality exposure for listings.

@Atom.com you have not addressed 2 key points I raised.

1- "we have not restricted meaningful registrar distribution."
This is not true for .now, which due to your change, solely has the ability to cross-list on SellerHub. Please consider a carve out for Dyndaot, Unstoppable, and NameSilo - until such time as Afternic adds .now.

2- Further, adding those 3 marketplaces for all Premium level TLDs assists in allowing sellers to reduce commissions paid. Dynadot (10%), Unstoppable (3%) and NameSilo (7.5%) have significantly lower commission rates than Afternics 25-30%. Adding these 3 allows sellers to keep more of the proceeds. Not adding them needlessly reduces seller earnings.