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.

 

[Chris Co]

On closer look, the domain appears in both "Approved" and "Not approved"....

https://www.namepros.com/threads/showcase-quantum-names.1341561/post-9320047

 

[Jannes]

On closer look, the domain appears in both "Approved" and "Not approved" ....

Show attachment 294000

Congrats, it's a Schrödinger's domain.

edit: and my laptop is working and not working

 

[NameGroove]

Exactly the reason why I didn't transfer to Spaceship or Unstoppable Domains (until they were FT enabled at least) despite the fee literally being half price.

Atom needs to take into consideration that if some people aren't willing to sacrifice FT for even half-price fees, why would they transfer at fees that are higher than the registrars they already use.

Exactly!
If Atom is not going to be price competitive, then they have to be benefit competitive. Without Afternic FT they aren't (for the following TLDs .com, .net, .org, .io, .xyz)

Many domainers will move to them thinking they'll save money due to the commission savings, but they are doing the analysis improperly. They don't realize that Afternic FT brings them incremental sales. w/o it, the commissions savings are offset by the loss of a sale or two (per hundred listings).

However, Atom sellers can choose to
1- transfer TLDs that are not part of the Afternic FT ecosystem (which avoids the above issue). Currently these TLDs include: .ai, .me, .tech, .online, .store, .fun, .bio, .bet, & .space.
2- transfer .com, .net, .org, .io, .xyz if the BIN price is greater than $100k (which makes them ineligible for Afternic FT).
https://help.afternic.com/s/article/Fast-Transfer-Criteria

.ai Analysis
Atom: $145.54 per 2 yrs
Spaceship: $137.96 per 2 yrs
$7.58 difference ($3.79 per year) or $379 per hundred names per yr.
At 1% STR you'd need to sell one $7,580 .ai each year to break even.

Caveats:
I agree it is possible the "Instant Transfer" badge slightly lifts STR (although you're betting money that it will and that is an unknown). It would be wise to let others test that theory and transfer after Atom shares stats. I hope Atom is already testing this on its own "held" names so it can provide stats to us.

It is also possible we'll eventually get some money back from the 40% profit sharing. But since Atom has a wholesale marketplace & Atom auctions, if used properly, the "dropping" name was already vetted by others and was not bought or bid on. So the amounts one should expect via the drop share would likely be nominal.

 

[Jannes]

.

 

[Atom.com]

Here is the list;

https://help.afternic.com/s/article/Afternic-Partners

I'm not sure DUM is a requirement. For example, there are partners on it who are not "registrars" (and thus no DUM). DNX, InstantDomainSearch, NameMaxi, Sudos, DomDB, Namio, ExpiredDomains, Short.com Purchase.now, and a few more. If they can do it - one would think Atom could.

I can't speak to Afternic's FT onboarding requirements, but Atom's response leaves me wondering if they understand the importance. If it is Afternic holding them up due to DUM, a clear response such as "as soon as we're able we will become Afternic FT partners" would suffice. We would then have confidence transferring knowing the reduction in traffic would be "temporary".

Instead they responded with a generic response that obfuscates and doesn't directly answer the question; "Our goal is to partner with as many companies as possible, both within the registrar space and beyond. We don’t have a timeline to share for specific partnerships, but we’ll continue to pursue partnership opportunities with companies that are open to collaboration."

That provided no clarity re their understanding of the importance or urgency of becoming Afternic Fast Transfer enabled.

Just to be clear, we are already in conversations regarding Afternic Fast Transfer. There is no ETA we can share at this point.

For any partnership to move forward, both parties need to align on structure, incentives, and long-term goals. We’ve chosen a deliberate approach to building a broad set of distribution partnerships over time. That approach may or may not align with every company’s strategy, particularly where competitive dynamics exist. We believe these partnerships are important so we can offer sellers broader distribution and more exposure options over the long term.

Thank you for sharing the list of Afternic partners. It is worth reviewing the registrars on that link that only support Fast Transfer and look at your own retail sales over the last 12–24 months to see how many transactions actually ended with the domain landing at those registrars, which would suggest the purchase originated there.

Based on our understanding of Afternic’s publicly documented distribution, there is no general restriction on listing domains on the Afternic network if they are not Fast Transfer–enabled. The primary exception appears to be registrars that exclusively promote Fast Transfer inventory. Outside of those cases, non–Fast Transfer listings continue to be visible across other participating registrars.

Ultimately, each seller’s experience may differ, and decisions should be based on what works best for their specific situation and portfolio. The good news is that there are many registrar options to choose from, and many are competitively priced - more choice is healthy for the industry.

If and when Fast Transfer becomes available, we’ll communicate that clearly. Until then, we’re focused on expanding distribution, improving sell-through, and adding capabilities that deliver long-term value.

 

[alop]

Congrats, it's a Schrödinger's domain.

edit: and my laptop is working and not working

trademarks or no trademarks @Atom.com

 

[alop]

trademarks or no trademarks @Atom.com

i know this is your thread i dont mean to stick a knife ..i tried update hardledger to 75k if you dont mind

 

[NameGroove]

Just to be clear, we are already in conversations regarding Afternic Fast Transfer. There is no ETA we can share at this point.

For any partnership to move forward, both parties need to align on structure, incentives, and long-term goals. We’ve chosen a deliberate approach to building a broad set of distribution partnerships over time. That approach may or may not align with every company’s strategy, particularly where competitive dynamics exist. We believe these partnerships are important so we can offer sellers broader distribution and more exposure options over the long term.

Thank you for sharing the list of Afternic partners. It is worth reviewing the registrars on that link that only support Fast Transfer and look at your own retail sales over the last 12–24 months to see how many transactions actually ended with the domain landing at those registrars, which would suggest the purchase originated there.

Based on our understanding of Afternic’s publicly documented distribution, there is no general restriction on listing domains on the Afternic network if they are not Fast Transfer–enabled. The primary exception appears to be registrars that exclusively promote Fast Transfer inventory. Outside of those cases, non–Fast Transfer listings continue to be visible across other participating registrars.

Ultimately, each seller’s experience may differ, and decisions should be based on what works best for their specific situation and portfolio. The good news is that there are many registrar options to choose from, and many are competitively priced - more choice is healthy for the industry.

If and when Fast Transfer becomes available, we’ll communicate that clearly. Until then, we’re focused on expanding distribution, improving sell-through, and adding capabilities that deliver long-term value.

I appreciate your response and now understand at least Atom has the desire to become an Afternic Fast Transfer partner. Even without timeline, that is helpful for us to understand so we can make an informed decision.

Yes, there are 2 subsets of Afternics network. https://www.afternic.com/fast-transfer
Standard (non FT) which gets 30 million views monthly.
The second tier, where names that are "fast transfer" enabled, receive access to 85 million views monthly.
The link that shows the registrars (https://help.afternic.com/s/article/Afternic-Partners) appears written backwards to me based on the views Afternic reports one gets. Or perhaps I'm misunderstanding it. I've reached out to Afternic for clarity.

Reading between the lines, it may be Afternic is unwilling to proceed under "fair" terms.
According to Richard Afternic provided unacceptable terms to Spaceship which was one of the reasons why Richard decided to build SellerHub. Perhaps that is occurring here (although this is speculation on my part based on reading your response).

As to the % of names that sell via Afternic Fast Transfer (vs Atom), my number is 33%. I had conversations with other large domainers to identify their % on BB (this occurred when Brandbucket disallowed cross marketing on the Afternic network). They reported to me a low of 25% and a high of 50%. We all were shocked at that time, and many pulled themselves off BB due to it. Domainers decided it was untenable to risk 25%-50% of their sales.

I started a 7 day NamePros poll so we can see an updated self reported % solely for Atom.

https://www.namepros.com/threads/wh...ll-via-afternic-rather-than-via-atom.1376728/

 

[Future Sensors]

@Atom.com

Despite the issues raised, there's a lot you're executing well, and that deserves recognition.

Enjoy your day.

 

[NameGroove]

@Atom.com

Will add'l premium extensions be added to your registrar? For example you currently accept .co, .app, .now, .vc, .ly, .co.uk & .com.au for Premium curation but we are unable to transfer (or register) these 7 Premium extensions at your registrar. What is the timeline to add them?

 

[Atom.com]

I appreciate your response and now understand at least Atom has the desire to become an Afternic Fast Transfer partner. Even without timeline, that is helpful for us to understand so we can make an informed decision.

Yes, there are 2 subsets of Afternics network. https://www.afternic.com/fast-transfer
Standard (non FT) which gets 30 million views monthly.
The second tier, where names that are "fast transfer" enabled, receive access to 85 million views monthly.
The link that shows the registrars (https://help.afternic.com/s/article/Afternic-Partners) appears written backwards to me based on the views Afternic reports one gets. Or perhaps I'm misunderstanding it. I've reached out to Afternic for clarity.

Reading between the lines, it may be Afternic is unwilling to proceed under "fair" terms.
According to Richard Afternic provided unacceptable terms to Spaceship which was one of the reasons why Richard decided to build SellerHub. Perhaps that is occurring here (although this is speculation on my part based on reading your response).

As to the % of names that sell via Afternic Fast Transfer (vs Atom), my number is 33%. I had conversations with other large domainers to identify their % on BB (this occurred when Brandbucket disallowed cross marketing on the Afternic network). They reported to me a low of 25% and a high of 50%. We all were shocked at that time, and many pulled themselves off BB due to it. Domainers decided it was untenable to risk 25%-50% of their sales.

I started a 7 day NamePros poll so we can see an updated self reported % solely for Atom.

https://www.namepros.com/threads/wh...ll-via-afternic-rather-than-via-atom.1376728/

There may be a bit of a mismatch in what’s being compared, so it’s worth clarifying. The more meaningful comparison is where the sale actually completed.

Using the data you shared as an example: if roughly 33% of your domains listed on Atom end up being purchased via Afternic, the next question is where those purchases actually closed. Specifically, did those domains land at:

• Registrars that only support Fast Transfer inventory, or
• Registrars that surface all Afternic listings, including both Fast Transfer and non–Fast Transfer names

Many registrars display the full Afternic catalog in the registrar path even when a domain isn’t Fast Transfer–enabled. For that reason, looking at where sales actually close can help distinguish dependency on Fast Transfer–only distribution from broader Afternic exposure.

To be clear, even though premium listings on Atom are exclusive to our marketplace, we do allow premium domains to be listed on Afternic because we believe it can meaningfully extend seller reach into registrar paths and broaden distribution.

 

[alop]

i cant update a discount on hardledger -50k ..im on phone and it all it reads hardledger

 

[NameGroove]

There may be a bit of a mismatch in what’s being compared, so it’s worth clarifying. The more meaningful comparison is where the sale actually completed.

Using the data you shared as an example: if roughly 33% of your domains listed on Atom end up being purchased via Afternic, the next question is where those purchases actually closed. Specifically, did those domains land at:

• Registrars that only support Fast Transfer inventory, or
• Registrars that surface all Afternic listings, including both Fast Transfer and non–Fast Transfer names

Many registrars display the full Afternic catalog in the registrar path even when a domain isn’t Fast Transfer–enabled. For that reason, looking at where sales actually close can help distinguish dependency on Fast Transfer–only distribution from broader Afternic exposure.

To be clear, even though premium listings on Atom are exclusive to our marketplace, we do allow premium domains to be listed on Afternic because we believe it can meaningfully extend seller reach into registrar paths and broaden distribution.

Yes, I understand (and agree). those with AN acct managers are able to tell where specifically their sales occurred (within the Afternic path). Those without (like me) are left guessing.

For those of us w/o acct managers who need to guess, since Afternic claims 2/3 more traffic via FT partners - one can assume 2/3 of their total Afternic sales occur via Afernic FT only partners. So in my case, I assume 2 of my 3 Atom premium listed sales occurred via FT registrar partners. This shows the importance of the AN FT network, which is why I appreciate the fact you're at least attempting to become one (and understand it, sadly, may potentially be out of your control).

btw - just an fyi for those who weren't aware, Atom is ICANN accredited.

 

[URL Stream]

@Atom.com,

I ran the same name in the appraiser, once in .com and once in .org. The SLD pairs relatively well with either one. Why were there such drastic scoring differences in areas entirely not related to the TLD?

.com

.org

 

[Name2go]

A contribution to the discussion about the Atom Appraisal Tool. The estimated value and brand strength analysis differ inexplicably.

The name dropped a few days ago; I abandoned the idea to register because the .com site is developed with adult content.

 

[King]

Use coupon code ATOMEDGE to pay $10.87 on Regs & Transfers

 

[NameGroove]

@Atom.com can you provide a screenshot of how the "instant transfer" badge will look on the lander and within the search results?

 

[Bob Hawkes]

the domain appears in both "Approved" and "Not approved" ....

Pretty sure it's a quantum effect.
Nice to see quantum computing in practice.

 

[Leo2k]

The short list heart icon on standard & plus listings (and probably the premium as well) play a big negative role on the lander pages than anything positive I believe.

Its just an extra feature to make the potential buyer to think twice or reduce the price. Why not remove it just like its removed from the dashboard and just show a message '... has been.shortlisted by xx people recently' or whatever.

 

[Leo2k]

@Atom.com can you provide a screenshot of how the "instant transfer" badge will look on the lander and within the search results?

Checked the domain i have with Atom on my mobile and the text is not aligned / justified according to the mobile page width and just this text extended to the right.

Tried desktop mode and refreshed and the 'Instant transfer.....' message is not found.

@Atom.com May be the instant transfer integration is not yet completed / needs fix