information CEO: Namecheap “Most Likely” to Exit Afternic Network

[News]

I don’t always check where my Afternic-sold domain names are transferred post-sale, but I have noticed quite a few transfer to Namecheap. This is because Namecheap is a part of Afternic’s network, and Afternic-listed domain names show up in the Namecheap registration search path.

Read More.

 

[alcy]

My 14% unlisted is with that method. They don't care about changing dns... I gave up listing there as without NC they might be selling 1-2 names a year.

Not sure why they cannot implement a very simple method used by Dan, Afternic: a unique NS.

Anything else is problematic... I cannot add records to every name on GD, especially while having non-GD default nameservers. Especially, for 35400+ domains. @Sedo

that's odd. this works 100percent and all time and for all domains I add. but i have to leave it on sedo dns for a while.. usually 24h. even this method is hassle if one has 1000s of names across 10 registrars... but I think not your case...and not mine either.

 

[Samer]

I know GD is "too big to fail", but someone might want to remind them Proverbs 16:18...

I hope someone reminds them of breaking up the Bell System (AT&T) monopoly on Jan. 1982.

It’s called karma. Keep abusing market position.

 

[Nicca]

I have zero trust in Namecheap; they tend to randomly suspend domains.

 

[dirk]

I have zero trust in Namecheap; they tend to randomly suspend domains.

Define randomly...

 

[NameBuyer.com]

I have zero trust in Namecheap; they tend to randomly suspend domains.

I will never trust anything there again. I had servers there that were great as far as performance goes. For years their old billing was a good billing system where if something failed you could go in and remedy it right away and grace periods were within reason.

Now, they switched to some automated billing system for their new servers where if it fails, it will try again tomorrow but you can't manually pay for it in the meantime. Then if you go away for a 3 day weekend, their policies were so out of whack, that if your credit card expired and the payment didn't go through on Friday, by Tuesday they would have already suspended and deleted your server.

It was fine with 1 server, but once I had about 10 servers and spending over $1k per month, it was anxiety producing and really a dumb way for them to run a business. I tried to tell them this for months and they would just regurgitate their policy rather than realizing something could possibly be improved. I was really disappointed because I liked their original service so much.

Now I spend the $1k per month elsewhere and it's so much better. I even get easy to use hardware level firewalls that make everything so much easier.

 

[NameBuyer.com]

For investors selling cheaper domains (< $10k), exiting the Afternic network is the worst decision a registrar can make. As a domain investor, when I was selling in the cheaper levels, I wouldn't even consider a registrar that didn't have fast transfer. If you do, you are willingly accepting about a 40-50% drop in sales for the year.

This sounds like nothing more than a power struggle between the 2 (really 3) registrars. And GoDaddy already won before it started.

 

[Domainists]

Namecheap did de-prioritize Afternic for Sedo for a while and during that time I was getting about 10-15% of sales via Sedo/Namecheap.

It is not a good thing for sellers, as Sedo is notorious for having others listed unowned names and I am not managing to add about 14% of my names. And they don't care to fix it or make easier verification method like unique NS. So I'd be losing 5-10 sales a year because of this.

Now, NC reverted back to AN after using that as a negotiation chip for something, I assume.

And this "most likely" and mentioning Spaceship enrollment problems with AN tells me that it is another negotiation chip moment for him. He'd rather stick with AN as it performs better (the same problem that I mentioned above means NC has to deal with around 15% of names not being delivered, e.g.), but will go to Sedo if GD/AN keeps making it difficult...

My bet: they will figure it out, Spaceship will be become FT member, NC will stay with Afternic with 90% probability.

As politely as it might possibly be understated, ANYONE anticipating a decision from Richard Kirkendall that's beneficial to domainers and domainists is not clear-minded or objective. Some folks are this, some folks are that, yet the bottom line is that there are only good people and bad people, as I see it. It's inexplicable that people often seem to confuse which group Namecheap CEO belong in. #smh

 

[Domainists]

I will never trust anything there again. I had servers there that were great as far as performance goes. For years their old billing was a good billing system where if something failed you could go in and remedy it right away and grace periods were within reason.

Now, they switched to some automated billing system for their new servers where if it fails, it will try again tomorrow but you can't manually pay for it in the meantime. Then if you go away for a 3 day weekend, their policies were so out of whack, that if your credit card expired and the payment didn't go through on Friday, by Tuesday they would have already suspended and deleted your server.

It was fine with 1 server, but once I had about 10 servers and spending over $1k per month, it was anxiety producing and really a dumb way for them to run a business. I tried to tell them this for months and they would just regurgitate their policy rather than realizing something could possibly be improved. I was really disappointed because I liked their original service so much.

Now I spend the $1k per month elsewhere and it's so much better. I even get easy to use hardware level firewalls that make everything so much easier.

Agreed and duplicated!

 

[scithe]

I've got about 50 domains at Spaceship currently. They are undercutting everyone on regs, renewals and transfers I think, so they got a number of my Namecheap, NameSilo and Epik names as I have been looking to consolidate.

Only thing is one of my .to domains I transferred from Namecheap to Spaceship was a near instant transfer but still shows in my Namecheap account as an expiring domain. Things like that worry me but I am also lazy and don't want to open a case.