Flippa Strategies? How Much Do Upgrades Work? Any Tips To Share? Let's Discuss!

[NameFu]

I've hear a lot of things from $1 reserves to setting an auction for no longer than 7 days. Does anyone have any tips that are proven to increase your bids?

One things for sure:

1) The more views you get, the more likely you'll get more bids
2) The longer your auction, the more exposure it *could* get before it closes

But what about the other factors like advertising upgrades? Have any of you had luck with any kind of upgrades in particular? I for one have never tried the premium auction upgrade before, but I'm seriously considering it.

Another factor is how an auction's description is composed. Any tips to share? I'm always an open book and looking for input from others.

One thing that I've seen work over and over again with some of the more successful sellers is listing the past sales history of similar domains with the same keywords. I think this is becoming a popular tactic for a reason, but do any of you believe that doing this can cause harm to your auction's appeal?

Another tactic that I've seen used by some sellers on Flippa is keeping it REALLY simple. And by that I mean max 5-6 sentences. Sort of a take it or leave it approach....letting the domain speak for it's self?

It's worked! But maybe different strategies for different domains? Let's discuss!!

 

[FlippaDomains]

Interview with Kevin Fink that explained a lot, mention the interview for free credits

Yes, Upgrades are expensive, and must be fine-tuned to work for different types of listings. That's what the staff is here for -- to help with this. Reach out to us and ask questions!

 

[FlippaDomains]

A few methods I use for promoting my flippa auctions...
1) Putting the sale banner for my auctions on a webmaster forum I've started running. (Plus my other domain related sites/blogs)
2) Tweet the auction with a link to it (don't forget the popular hashtags like #Flippa #Domains #Sedo #Afternic..etc.)
3) You can always throw a link to the auction in your signature
4) Always pay attention to the emails they send out. Inside you will almost always find something like a free upgrade, credits for making a listing, 2-for-1's, they offer a variety of promotions inside their emails..but the emails won't be titled "free promotion inside"...
5) If it's an end user related domain..Don't hesitate to send out a few emails to potential buyers. I don't always include the auction link in my initial email..but if you get a response you can always send it over to them.
6) Comments. Anytime you have a number of watchers they get emailed everytime a comment is placed. There's been times when I've had a number of watchers, posted a comment with something like "Only 3 days left..get your bids in now!"..."only 48hrs left, times almost up!" and then had one of them jump in and place a bid. It's not common (especially for long auctions) for people to tap the Watch button and then forget about it.
7) The "External Links" portion of NP and some of the other forums.

Sorry, it's not really a wealth of information, lol..But maybe something you can go on to try and get more promotion without paying. The twitters I blast on don't have thousands (or even hundreds) of followers, but a good tweet with allot of hashtags almost always gives me a quick boost in views! With a dozen or more watchers commenting is another really good practice - Don't overdue it..but one a day when it's getting close to the end usually brings in a bid or two!

Fantastic advice, and I don't have anything to add other than ...You must be ACTIVE in promoting your listing. Those that understand this, great -- if you don't get it, email us.

 

[FlippaDomains]

6) Does Flippa allow employees to bid on auctions ?[/B]

“We do allow our staff to bid on auctions as long as the bidders are
clear about this with sellers,..."

As an auction bidder, I wouldn't trust Flippa as far as I could spit. Whoop-dee-doo, they alert the Seller that Flippa's employees can bid at auctions. Like the Seller is going to not like the fact that the domain price could be pumped up artificially by the auctioneer's employees? Puh-leeeze! To me, that means the non-employee bidders are clueless that the auctioneer's employees are behind the scenes, bidding on the same names, perhaps driving up prices unbeknownst to clueless non-employee bidders.

This is madness. Why anyone in their right mind would give such a company nickel one is beyond me. But go ahead, if you're a Flippa Seller, the stank rubs off on you too. If you're a Flippa buyer/bidder, go get some help.

My response is very simple on this: so long as Employees alert the seller, the Seller may approve or reject a Flippa Employee's bid.

Employees are encouraged to participate in the process, and we value the amount of transparency we offer compared to virtually every other domain marketplace.

All this said, something you'll have to take my word on is...very, very few employees are actually bidding on anything. And I can assure you that we're not skewing anything if we do.

 

[FlippaDomains]

Quick question @HeyNow - Would you rather they be honest and tell you this up front? Or, would you rather they do like so many other places and simply make it happen behind the scenes without saying anything so you really have no clue? If the only reason you're not listing (or bidding) on Flippa is because their employees have the freedom to throw in a bid if they want then you probably need to catch up in this industry a little more. Here's a little news, lots of places do it! Probably places you're bought, backordered, or even sold before! But guess what, they never say anything so you wouldn't even know.

I've listed, sold, and not sold a number of domains and websites on Flippa since back when their marketplace was on SitePoint and Flippa wasn't even running. Not once have I ever received notice about an employee making a bid. Now sure, they might not like or want what I've listed, but it also makes me think that this isn't something they're jumping around and doing frequently. Keep in mind, once you become more active as a seller you'll get so many good promotions you won't even really be spending money on listings.

It's like most other auctions.. You want something, it's up for sale, you go (or hopefully don't have to go) to the highest amount you're willing to pay. If someone else is willing to pay more (employee or non-employee) then they're gonna get it. The fact that they the CEO is saying that actually makes me a feel a little more comfortable. Someone is actually being honest! From what I know, Moderators/Admins on NP are allowed to bid/bin on auctions. Still, you don't see it getting outta control. They might not get a commission from sales on NP, but if it's something they really want and they can afford to outbid you - they will.

It might be one thing when it's a company like SnapNames..They catch the name, they throw it into auction, and they shill bid it so the company can make a hefty profit. The story isn't quite the same with Flippa. They don't get all the money - they get a mere 10%. Even if they were able to bump up the price $1000 on an auction..that's only an extra $100 for them (probably not even worth the risk), whereas with SnapNames that would be a $1000 profit for them. Not to mention, there are probably a limited number of auctions where they could really sit there shill bid it up $1000!

IMO, it would be one thing to hear this coming from a company like NameJet or SnapNames where they're pocketing all the profits. But, it's a different story with Flippa. I really don't think they are having employees go and shill bid auctions left and right to try and increase profits. Instead, they are going to tell you when it's an employee bidding and the employee is probably only going to be bidding because it's something they actually want and are willing to pay for.

Couldn't have said it better. Again, I'm the only potential domain buyer in the company and I've pretty much stopped buying since I started (#notenoughtime). I still do bid occasionally, but much less than I did six months ago -- once, twice a month, if that. I always alert the seller, and I intend to win what I bid on, and often do. I hope that is transparent enough for you guys...

 

[FlippaDomains]

There is nothing wrong with flippa's employees bidding on auction that they're interested in. Many companies allow their employees and would prefer employees to spend their money with in the company.

@NameFlu Flippa is a great place to make money, yes they over charge for upgrades, and listing fees but the give back to their online sellers sometimes. The thing is buyers are becoming low ballers and sometimes they back out the deal for what ever the reason. "That is Business" @FPForum is 100% Correct which i know he has made good money selling domains.

I despise deadbeat buyers and have zero tolerance; we usually suspend or ban them once they mess up the process for the seller. My team and I look out for our sellers!

In the very near future, we're going to be introducing a built-in Escrow, and a bit after that, ensure new methods so if a buyer pumps in a high bid, they're held to similar standards as Namejet's and Sedo's verified bidder pool.

 

[HeyNow]

I appreciate the opportunity to discuss best practices for domain sellers, as well as set the record straight in regards to our employees and their involvement in the marketplace. Anyone who would like more information can contact me directly.

Oh, are you saying that your policy of Flippa employees participating in Flippa auctions, as described by the CEO in this interview, is not accurate? Is that what you're saying? Does that record need to be set straight?
http://tldinvestors.com/2012/11/quick-chat-with-david-slutzkin-ceo-flippa.html

 

[FlippaDomains]

It's irrelevant IMO. Would you be happier if they bid & jumped up the price compared to me doing the same? Really, there is 100% no difference. The price will be increased. Yes, I'm aware you'll quote this post and go on a rant a la "There is a lot of difference!" And then you'll go on a tirade to prove yourself. Facts are as they are: if a person bids, the price will raise, no matter the bidder. There is, as I've said, 100% NO DIFFERENCE and thus, your argument has no legs. If, on the other hand, their workers bid on domains they had no interest in, my 100% remark wouldn't be correct. But you can't bitch and whine just because a worker wanted the domain, too. If they bid merely to inflate the price, that'd be different. There are no sign of it, and there is some transparency in the issue. I trust Flippa a helluva lot more than Snapnames.

Thank you; well-said.

 

[HeyNow]

I despise deadbeat buyers and have zero tolerance; we usually suspend or ban them once they mess up the process for the seller. My team and I look out for our sellers!

Perhaps you'd attract more buyers if you'd look out for the buyers as well.

Anyway, good luck to you.

 

[FlippaDomains]

Great, then let's call them purposely uninformed.

I don't care enough to contact Flippa to ask why they choose to leave the customers/outside bidders less-informed than the sellers. Their in-place policy speaks volumes about their character, as far as I'm concerned. And due to that I wouldn't participate there, period. Like I said, the stank rubs off on the sellers too, so I wouldn't even sell there.

If you change your mind, I'd love to help you sell your domains.

 

[dannyinpt]

@FlippaDomains
Here is an annoyance for me, you watch a listing. and then the spam starts to appear SEO this to rank that from 3 to 5 different listings I am watching, and that is from the 15-20 I am watching. I would hate to guess how much in total is going on. All I can say is, twice I have reported it and sent details. Yes I get a response saying we will look into the issue, only to find the same person starts on a different listing. Why not have a policy of three same posts on three listings and you are at least stopped from listing pending proof etc. I have deliberately limited the number of listings I watch due to spam. feel for the listers email let alone the negativity.
Rant over, crack another vinho tinto.

 

[FlippaDomains]

@FlippaDomains
Here is an annoyance for me, you watch a listing. and then the spam starts to appear SEO this to rank that from 3 to 5 different listings I am watching, and that is from the 15-20 I am watching. I would hate to guess how much in total is going on. All I can say is, twice I have reported it and sent details. Yes I get a response saying we will look into the issue, only to find the same person starts on a different listing. Why not have a policy of three same posts on three listings and you are at least stopped from listing pending proof etc. I have deliberately limited the number of listings I watch due to spam. feel for the listers email let alone the negativity.
Rant over, crack another vinho tinto.

That's too bad; I'm sorry to hear that's continually happening. We recently took major measures to limit this sort of thing (basically an auto-stop on all spammers), and I've noticed a 90% drop in such comments. Still, given the nature of our transparency for all bidders and sellers involved, it's bound to happen occasionally.

We have toyed with the ideas of getting rid of comments and messages altogether. Or at least, I have thought about it. Would be welcome to feedback on this. While removing these would be against our M.O. of transparency, I do understand that comments are sometimes superfluous and can overwhelm someone with dozens of emails if they're bidding/watching as many listings.

Anyhow, thanks for your comment -- I can assure you we get rid of these spammers as soon as we find them. And there are less of them this week than there were, say, a month ago...

 

[Archangel]

It's nice to see Flippa taking part in this discussion. Still waiting for a reply to my email though, but it was sent just yesterday I think it was. So I'll be patient :p

Yes, Upgrades are expensive, and must be fine-tuned to work for different types of listings. That's what the staff is here for -- to help with this. Reach out to us and ask questions!

 

[FlippaDomains]

It's nice to see Flippa taking part in this discussion. Still waiting for a reply to my email though, but it was sent just yesterday I think it was. So I'll be patient :P

Did you send to me, or someone else? I'll get it sorted tomorrow, latest -- just let me know.

 

[Archangel]

Sent to domains@flippa. I'm sure it'll be read in due time

Did you send to me, or someone else? I'll get it sorted tomorrow, latest -- just let me know.

 

[HeyNow]

If you change your mind, I'd love to help you sell your domains.

No thanks. Sounds to me as if you've been dispatched here for damage control, considering all of the unflattering but truthful posts. Sounds to me as if your presence here now is no coincidence, but rather the result of the realization that some domainers aren't idiots, but rather intelligent buyers.

A healthy percentage of intelligent buyers aren't going to knowingly participate in an auction where the employees of the auctioneer are possibly bidding against them.

You can have all the sellers in domainland, but without buyers, all those sellers are worthless. Once you and those who sent you here realize that protecting buyers to the same extent as sellers is important, then perhaps your lame attempts at damage control won't be necessary.

You remind me of "jerzygirl" who was Moniker's damage control drone, trotted out to play Whack-A-Mole when all of the complaints started showing up in domain forums. She'd sing the praises of Moniker while making bad excuses for all the abysmal customer service, then a few months later she moved on to some other company.

So like I said, good luck to you.

 

[JB Lions]

No thanks. Sounds to me as if you've been dispatched here for damage control, considering all of the unflattering but truthful posts. Sounds to me as if your presence here now is no coincidence, but rather the result of the realization that some domainers aren't idiots, but rather intelligent buyers.

A healthy percentage of intelligent buyers aren't going to knowingly participate in an auction where the employees of the auctioneer are possibly bidding against them.

You can have all the sellers in domainland, but without buyers, all those sellers are worthless. Once you and those who sent you here realize that protecting buyers to the same extent as sellers is important, then perhaps your lame attempts at damage control won't be necessary.

You remind me of "jerzygirl" who was Moniker's damage control drone, trotted out to play Whack-A-Mole when all of the complaints started showing up in domain forums. She'd sing the praises of Moniker while making bad excuses for all the abysmal customer service, then a few months later she moved on to some other company.

So like I said, good luck to you.

You are aware that bidders aren't hidden? That you can pick and choose who's allowed to bid if you want? That it wouldn't be too hard to do some very basic research to find out who the bidders are? That there is feedback on bidders available? That sales are indeed happening? That many sellers could care less about who's buying their domains, because they like sales? That you don't have any real interest in this platform, GoDaddy, Snapnames, Namejet etc. because of your paranoia? Your interest is more in recruiting more miserable domainers, just have to read your posts to figure that one out. For any new people to the forum reading his posts, he doesn't bid anywhere. Because......there might be a fake bidder somewhere, anywhere.

You're getting on them because they're here replying but if they didn't, you would probably say they're hiding from something. So whatever they do, you would be here complaining. I would rather them be here, in the conversation, getting input. There are posts here talking about them taking action on some shady stuff - https://www.namepros.com/threads/flippa-suspends-large-volume-seller.830775/#post-4682594 and more.

As far as sellers getting friends, family, themselves etc bidding, that can happen anywhere. Some places bidders are just numbers (GoDaddy) or you can't see who's bidding (Sedo). So as a buyer, as always, anywhere, only bid what you're willing to spend on the domain.

Did you send to me, or someone else? I'll get it sorted tomorrow, latest -- just let me know.

FlippaDomains - one of the issues brought up were employees bidding in auctions. There are some, maybe many sellers/buyers that might not like that. Very simple solution. Put a symbol, straight out say employee, something where people can see it very easily. Just like putting VIP under some people's names here, do something like that over at Flippa, signifying Employee.

 

[SimpleDomaining]

Yes there is a difference but that does not mean flippa is driving up the price of that. What are they gaining a 10% fee, it is different if they gained 100% profits but their are not.

10% of 1000 is different than 10% of 100...dont you think?

 

[Chetan]

Flippa Ultra Premium Listing with custom domain logo image Plus Spotlight works like Magic.....
I was also quite active on flippa a while back, but now I am not more active there as I have been not getting enough sales these days and I am feeling that all people are away from Flippa at the moment and not getting good offers for my names there.
what I have noticed on Flippa that only ultra Premium domains are sold for good Prices. Its not a place to sell undeveloped ordinary names

 

[Archangel]

Opinions are opinions, but your 'healthy percentage' claim is your belief, not a fact, thus you shouldn't pass it off as such. It's a known fact the majority of domains would likely do what you claim a healthy percentage wouldn't do. Opinion? Partially--it's a well known fact the mjajority of domainers aren't smart at all.

Aside from that, your argument has 0% point. You can accept these workers bids or reject them.It's in your power. So what is the meaning of your rant? Sorry but I see nothing in it.It's pissing in the wind, arguing for arguing's sake

No thanks. Sounds to me as if you've been dispatched here for damage control, considering all of the unflattering but truthful posts. Sounds to me as if your presence here now is no coincidence, but rather the result of the realization that some domainers aren't idiots, but rather intelligent buyers.

A healthy percentage of intelligent buyers aren't going to knowingly participate in an auction where the employees of the auctioneer are possibly bidding against them.

You can have all the sellers in domainland, but without buyers, all those sellers are worthless. Once you and those who sent you here realize that protecting buyers to the same extent as sellers is important, then perhaps your lame attempts at damage control won't be necessary.

You remind me of "jerzygirl" who was Moniker's damage control drone, trotted out to play Whack-A-Mole when all of the complaints started showing up in domain forums. She'd sing the praises of Moniker while making bad excuses for all the abysmal customer service, then a few months later she moved on to some other company.

So like I said, good luck to you.

 

[FlippaDomains]

G

No thanks. Sounds to me as if you've been dispatched here for damage control, considering all of the unflattering but truthful posts. Sounds to me as if your presence here now is no coincidence, but rather the result of the realization that some domainers aren't idiots, but rather intelligent buyers.

A healthy percentage of intelligent buyers aren't going to knowingly participate in an auction where the employees of the auctioneer are possibly bidding against them.

You can have all the sellers in domainland, but without buyers, all those sellers are worthless. Once you and those who sent you here realize that protecting buyers to the same extent as sellers is important, then perhaps your lame attempts at damage control won't be necessary.

You remind me of "jerzygirl" who was Moniker's damage control drone, trotted out to play Whack-A-Mole when all of the complaints started showing up in domain forums. She'd sing the praises of Moniker while making bad excuses for all the abysmal customer service, then a few months later she moved on to some other company.

So like I said, good luck to you.

Damage control might be how you put it, as you're quite upset over something that has already been addressed.

I'm here extending my role as Domains Manager, as a liaison between our marketplace and those that use it. You're not interested, which is fine, but I am addressing others who are finding this dialogue useful.

Good luck to you, too.

 

[FlippaDomains]

You are aware that bidders aren't hidden? That you can pick and choose who's allowed to bid if you want? That it wouldn't be too hard to do some very basic research to find out who the bidders are? That there is feedback on bidders available? That sales are indeed happening? That many sellers could care less about who's buying their domains, because they like sales? That you don't have any real interest in this platform, GoDaddy, Snapnames, Namejet etc. because of your paranoia? Your interest is more in recruiting more miserable domainers, just have to read your posts to figure that one out. For any new people to the forum reading his posts, he doesn't bid anywhere. Because......there might be a fake bidder somewhere, anywhere.

You're getting on them because they're here replying but if they didn't, you would probably say they're hiding from something. So whatever they do, you would be here complaining. I would rather them be here, in the conversation, getting input. There are posts here talking about them taking action on some shady stuff -

As far as sellers getting friends, family, themselves etc bidding, that can happen anywhere. Some places bidders are just numbers (GoDaddy) or you can't see who's bidding (Sedo). So as a buyer, as always, anywhere, only bid what you're willing to spend on the domain.



FlippaDomains - one of the issues brought up were employees bidding in auctions. There are some, maybe many sellers/buyers that might not like that. Very simple solution. Put a symbol, straight out say employee, something where people can see it very easily. Just like putting VIP under some people's names here, do something like that over at Flippa, signifying Employee.

Thanks for your post. I appreciate you appreciating that I am here, discussing all of this. I actually realize that I've been absent from NamePros (I do have a personal account here that is dormant as well), and that I should be more present.

The seller you are referring to in the other thread was suspended for a discrepancy that I am working out. He is a top domain seller, but the respect and leeway I extend to sellers of all stripes goes both ways, and we're on our way to evening it out.

Moving on, I like your idea about the Employee symbol. I'll be exploring this with our team. Thanks for your thoughts and feedback.

 

[FlippaDomains]

Sent to domains@flippa. I'm sure it'll be read in due time

I'm on it ~ Sorry for the delay, it's on my desk first thing in the morn. Talk to you soon...

 

[HeyNow]

That you don't have any real interest in this platform, GoDaddy, Snapnames, Namejet etc. because of your paranoia?

Gee, thank you Dr. Phil. Just post your therapist/psychiatrist credential here for all to see.

 

[Archangel]

Lion makes sense. You aren't. Are you assuming it'd take credentials from a university to show this fact?

Gee, thank you Dr. Phil. Just post your therapist/psychiatrist credential here for all to see.

 

[ImageAuthors]

@HeyNow,

Even though I have serious concerns about about conflict of interest when it comes to Flippa and nearly every other domain sales venue, I think you're being unfair to Kevin Fink in your comments:

No thanks. Sounds to me as if you've been dispatched here for damage control, considering all of the unflattering but truthful posts. Sounds to me as if your presence here now is no coincidence, but rather the result of the realization that some domainers aren't idiots, but rather intelligent buyers.

@HeyNow

I first met Kevin when he was just like any other domainer and probably hadn't even thought of working for Flippa. He's a lot more engaged with the domaining community than the sort of stooge or corporate PR guy you take him for.

Honestly, I doubt Kevin was "dispatched here". He probably dispatched himself, since the domain side of Flippa's business is Kevin's baby; and he wants to look out for it.

Obviously Flippa / Kevin are interested in damage control. Every human being or company OUGHT to be interested in reputation and answering customer concerns. Why automatically paint this in a bad light? Wouldn't we want Kevin to show up and dialogue with us? Wouldn't we criticize Flippa if they arrogantly ignored public complaints or concerns altogether? Kevin's doing what he ought to do by showing up here, and I know that making domain auctions work well at Flippa is more personal to him than you think it is.

It's good to be suspicious of what happens within the domain industry. However, we shouldn't put someone (individual or company) in a position where they're damned if they do and damned if they don't.

Somebody else said that, "If you're a Flippa seller, then the stank rubs off on you too." That's painting with a very broad brush. First of all, there are a LOT of domainers who list domains for sale on Flippa. I've sold domains there at decent prices; but, statistically speaking, most of my auctions are duds. Many get only $1 or $10 bids, and others get none. Recently, I sold a handful of domains where the minimum Flippa success fee of $10 was actually HIGHER than the winning bid. So apart from the $10 listing fee, I basically paid Flippa $10 to give away those domains for free. Should we conclude that any successful Flippa seller is in league with the company somehow or has rigged his auctions? If Flippa and I were in cahoots, then I'm obviously not very bright to pay out money while transferring domains away!

Some shill bidding almost certainly takes place at Flippa and elsewhere, and I criticize those suspect instances (and some Flippa policies) publicly to the extent that I probably am regarded by Kevin / Flippa as a bit of a trouble maker. But I assume that shill bidding is driven by unethical sellers rather than Flippa management. Personally, I have been asked to place shill bids for other sellers. And friends have offered to place shill bids for me. Let me state for the record -- EMPHATICALLY -- that I turn down all shill bid requests. I have NEVER and will NEVER engage in such practices. Other sellers might. But we should judge people individually.

@FlippaDomains,

Good job jumping into the lion's den!