Domain Tasting is a Despicable Practice

[Damion]

Rick Schwartz's rant on domain tasting practices.

Domain tasting is a despicable practice and should cease immediately.

Easy to say for someone who can rest on his laurels for the rest of his life and only cares how he's being labeled by the media apparently:

As reporters and journalists write articles in the media and accuse INNOCENT business people of being cybersquatters, be careful, be factual. Slander and libel can be expensive.

f you do business with a company engaging in this, then it is time to re-think that relationship

I have nothing then the greatest respect for Moniker.com and now all of a sudden because of domain tasting becomes such an issue we should all rethink that relationship because then all of a sudden it would be a unscrupulous registrar?
As Moniker.com is also a registrar where Rick holds domains then all of a sudden he would feel they are a threat? and unscrupulous?

Unscrupulous registrars, domainers and companies are a THREAT to our lively hoods by abusing the system

Yup, you heard it right. I am so SICK of companies (Mostly registrars) abusing the domain industry that I believe I can do more good inside than outside. So today I contacted them and I will let you readers know how things progress.

You're not doing any good by advocating to pull the plug on domain tasting in it's whole.

Ever considered the fact that newcomers to the domaining game find this is an excellent way to build their parking portfolio of generic traffic domains?
I guess not!

Instead of completely pulling the plug on domain tasting why not advocate to think of an solution to create a compromise, so that newcomers and not only newcomers, but for domainers with small budgets as well, trying to get something together can still benefit from such a wonderful service called domain tasting?

Nah...that would be to difficult, wouldn't it?

That's how i see it!

 

[geb9696]

I think domain tasting a is great service mainly because having the domains regged for a few days lets you see what you are getting before you are stuck paying reg fee. I think of it like buying a car. You wouldn't buy a car without first taking it for a test drive. If you are looking for traffic domains you want to be able to reg it for a few days to see if the name gets any traffic or not. While there are ways that tasting can be abused I think its like anything in life.

 

[FagEnd]

I completely agree with him. Domain tasting should be stopped immediately.

 

[.X.]

I have two different views on "Tasting"

I have long been against tasting, It is unfair practice, Holds names at bay, That would otherwise be registered, The practice of domain tasting is abused aswell, Instead on of picking up one domain name, and tasting it, People pick up 100 domains and taste them.

With all that said, I had come to a conclusion, If i can't beat them, I will join them, Although i still disagree with the practice, But from a business perspective, I found it necessary to taste names myself, If i don't, I will loose names that i would like to REGISTER, For the annual fee, So i use the method a bit different than most do, My intentions are to register the name for the annual register fee, If i do not pick them up, Others will, they will taste them, Perhaps drop them, Once back in drop pool, I may not get the names i want.

 

[harkster]

I totally agree with the title of the thread.

First there were the drop catchers which wasn't to bad. The little guy had a chance.

Next came the auction racket. It really isn't an auction but that is a different topic for discussion. The ones with small pockets were beginning to be cut out.

Then the exclusive contracts with the fake auction companies. Now names never drop and anything worthwhile ends up at the ones with the deepest pockets.

Recently the registrars have started fake auctioning names before they even drop. Now the registrars are really raking in the gold.

Add to this the tasting scam and the little guy ain't got much of a chance.

YAHR - Yet Another Hark Rant

 

[shockie]

I think of it like buying a car. You wouldn't buy a car without first taking it for a test drive.

the difference is that when most people test out a car, they have a genuine interest in that particular car. and even if they don't but are testing a car, someone else (who's truly interested) can still buy the same car.

non-refundable 'tasting fees" need to go up imo... quickest way to reduce a lot of tasting from everyone.

 

[NickRac]

I totally agree with the title of the thread.

First there were the drop catchers which wasn't to bad. The little guy had a chance.

Next came the auction racket. It really isn't an auction but that is a different topic for discussion. The ones with small pockets were beginning to be cut out.

Then the exclusive contracts with the fake auction companies. Now names never drop and anything worthwhile ends up at the ones with the deepest pockets.

Recently the registrars have started fake auctioning names before they even drop. Now the registrars are really raking in the gold.

Add to this the tasting scam and the little guy ain't got much of a chance.

YAHR - Yet Another Hark Rant

cheers! I couldn't agree more

 

[Kate]

Cadna seems to be a strange type of outfit. They mix tasting,TM infringements, kiting and cybersquatting altogether... and now Rick is doing the same.

For the record one of the co-founders of Cadna is a principal of FairWinds Partners, LLC (http://www.fairwindspartners.com/), these are the people who are brokering domain name pharmacy.com.

IMO Cadna has an agenda of its own. Perhaps they don't like competition ?

It's very convenient to say:

If someone wants to register a domain, they can pay the $6 or $7 and register like everyone else.

when you are making millions from a top domain portfolio.
Or to shoot at the small guy when you are brokering big-ticket domain names (take note Cadna).

Anyway, I think the window of opportunity currently available with tasting will be put to an end soon and that the registries are going to charge a restocking fee. It's true that the practice is spinning out of control.

____________
Edit: After digging a little bit I found something interesting...
Ricks owns domains like bellatlantic-sucks.com, this domain is parked with SBC links. Clearly it's not a bona fide use of a 'suck' domain like paypalsucks.com for example
If that is not TM infringement then tell me what it is.

http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2001/d2001-0213.html
Now I am really fed up with the holier-than-thou attitude from the big boys... :td:

 

[NP41215]

non-refundable 'tasting fees" need to go up imo... quickest way to reduce a lot of tasting from everyone.

If ICANN charges something like $1 for tasting and limit the tasting duration to say one week, that would probably do it. If not, just either increase the fee or shorten the tasting duration. It could add up to big bucks for ICANN, and hopefully that will be partially passed on to domainers and help reduce registration fees and costs.

Right now, you have Tasting Co.#1 taste a domain name first, and then pass the same domain name down to Tasting Co.#2, and so on daisy-chaining it. Sure #1 and #2 are separate legal entities, but they may in fact be created by a holding company in Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Belgium or one of those favored jurisdictions solely to lengthen the tasting period multiple times without cost.

This greatly disadvantages the average domainer, and is an abuse of the [should not be] allowed tasting feature, which feature badly un-evens the registration playing field at the expense of small domainers, who constitute the great majority.

 

[VirtualT]

I don't have a problem with tasting, I do it myself, anyone can, its not a magical skill that only the privileged have access to.

 

[Damion]

Right now, you have Tasting Co.#1 taste a domain name first, and then pass the same domain name down to Tasting Co.#2, and so on daisy-chaining it. Sure #1 and #2 are separate legal entities, but they may in fact be created by a holding company in Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Belgium or one of those favored jurisdictions solely to lengthen the tasting period multiple times without cost.

I don't think this can be passed on.

Because there is a new owner and because of a push it doesn't mean the age of the domain is being set back to day zero.