advice Does this seem odd to you?

[cocaseco]

I bid on and won a SEDO auction. Paid mid $XXX for a name that is worth much more to me as it is an area I am very knowledgeable in, and have lots of leads. I would have expected a mid to upper $XXXX sale price to an end user. this is not a domain i would flip to another domainer.

So I pay my money to SEDO escrow within an hour of closing. They update the system to reflect my payment and that they send a request for the auth code to the seller. Now a week goes by and there is no response from seller. I decide to see if i can reach the seller directly so i go to WHOIS.

The domain is owned by someone with the same name as the CEO of SEDO. It's not a super common last name and with other factors, it seems to confirm it is him.

But that makes me think the auction was probably a dummy account as I just don't see the CEO of SEDO auctioning off his own names on his site. I would have thought that would even be against their internal policies, just to keep above any suggestion of impropriety or rigged auctions.

What do you think?

 

[Hypersot]

I think that said domain has passed on SEDO ownership until they move it to your account
It's part of a proper escrow procedure

still, that's what *I think* ... it could easily be something else

 

[cocaseco]

I think that said domain has passed on SEDO ownership until they move it to your account
It's part of a proper escrow procedure

still, that's what *I think* ... it could easily be something else

True..could be. But then wouldn't that negate transfer to me because it would have started the 60 day transfer clock? Also, they wouldn't need to be asking for, or waiting for an auth code, since they could just do it themselves?

 

[Hypersot]

Maybe they needed the code to transfer it to a registrar that they know you are on and then push it to your account?

I'm only speculating but I'm curious, isn't there a space on SEDO's panel where you can chat for the on-going sale? ..or is that chat panel gone since the sale is over?

I always use that to express any concerns I have for the transaction... sedo's normal support just s.u.c.k.s!

 

[carob]

In my experience transfers/pushes to Sedo show Sedo escrow/transfer in the Whois, not an individual, making clear publlicly that they only have the domain temporarily - what you are seeing is unusual imo.

Letting staff sell their names might not be the same as letting them bid but it still would raise questions.