HUGE DOMAINS SNIPING GODADDY CLOSEOUTS

[wwwweb]

So annoying Godaddy hasn't stopped Huge Domains from sniping Godaddy Closeouts with their automated tools, no way a human bidder can win a even closeout.

First they were sniping with the backorders, now you cut that out, and you are letting them snipe via automated tools.

So what do you say @Joe Styler , you want to even the playing field a bit, as your partners are bidding everything in a split second, from $12, to $11, and bidding everything else into the hundreds from a simple bid. I would rather pay a Huge Domains surcharge at checkout.


Huge Domains has an unfair advantage on the auction platform, essentially taxing every user for using it with their automated access advantages given to them thru the house.

 

[Primary Names]

I think they stand better chance getting the domain in closeout vs trying to place a bid

nope

 

[pb]

Is it possible to win an auction placing a bid (near the end) and being the only bidder, or will the HD bot always jump in?

Yesterday I tried to get a name on a slowly going auction, I made a proxy bid of ~500 which revealed the other bidder's 372 and placed me at 377. Sure enough, HD bot jumped in right before the end and outbid me by $10+. But what if my bid was the only one, are they bidding in every auction where there's any interest?

 

[tonyk2000]

Is it possible to win an auction placing a bid and being the only bidder

Sometimes, he (HD) is on vacation. Rarely, but it happens. Namebright/Dropcatch/Hugedomains whole system is buggy. Namebright website does not work or partially work sometimes. Hugedomains on various occasions missed all drops in ~2 days. The same programmers are running HD bot, so... anything is possible.
In any case, a number of other bots are always waiting for endusers... to become the second high bidders on many occasions. You may try to guess why

 

[pb]

Just asking because a name is coming up that is unlikely to grab anyone's interest (not even a word or a phrase) so I wonder whether to bid, otoh I wouldn't like to to be snatched between the auction and the closeout, like described in this thread, so I'd prefer to bid, but it would really suck if I were outbid by HD just for the sake of it.

 

[Primary Names]

Just asking because a name is coming up that is unlikely to grab anyone's interest (not even a word or a phrase) so I wonder whether to bid, otoh I wouldn't like to to be snatched between the auction and the closeout, like described in this thread, so I'd prefer to bid, but it would really suck if I were outbid by HD just for the sake of it.

Fact : You will end up overpaying by at least five times your budget. Paid enough times to know this.

 

[namesway]

nope

 

[pb]

I've been meaning to post it here but confused the threads: https://www.namepros.com/threads/the-hugedomains-bot-and-godaddy-auctions.1162578/#post-7614432

 

[namesway]

The initial bid is what pisses me off. Chances are the person that initiate the bid just draw attention to it and more likely. S/he won't get it anyways b/c of HD unless if they really want it.

 

[DomainBanana]

Also if you want API access just ask for it. No one is saying anyone can't compete on the auctions the same way. I'm saying it isn't the silver bullet people may think it is.

"Just ask for it" -- wow, what a blatant misrepresentation. I wish it were that easy.

Here's what happened when I "just asked for it":
https://www.namepros.com/threads/godaddy-auctions-not-a-level-playing-field.1176202/

 

[DomainBanana]

or you get API access yourself and try the same thing as anyone else with an API ... Everyone has the same opportunity.

Flat out lies. I was denied API access.

 

[Recons.Com]

Aren't there laws in the USA regulating auctions and fair equal access to all?

 

[D Haynes]

Aren't there laws in the USA regulating auctions and fair equal access to all?

I'd be very surprised if the GD auction system wasn't illegal in multiple ways.

 

[Shaan Chopra]

I was bidding for 3 names and the bids were just to fast, now I am having doubts. If those names end up with HD. I would consider to buy it now options then.

 

[D Haynes]

"Just ask for it" -- wow, what a blatant misrepresentation. I wish it were that easy.

Here's what happened when I "just asked for it":
https://www.namepros.com/threads/godaddy-auctions-not-a-level-playing-field.1176202/

This is just outright crazy! Moving my names away from GD and won't be using their auction platform anymore. It's straight up market manipulation, corruption, collusion, gaming the system. @Joe Styler gets a lot of props on this site but he blatantly lied to everyone in this thread.

 

[Joe Styler]

Everyone does have the same access to it. In order to get it you need to prove that you cannot do what you are trying to do with the web interface, and by that I do not mean "drop catch" the closeouts. I made that clear on this thread earlier. Everyone who has API access with us buys a lot of domains with us. You need to be buying enough that you cannot reasonably do it with the web interface.

We do not have the resources available to us as an auction house to allow an open API that would be used by anyone who wants an API to pound the servers when domains go to closeout. This would bring down our auction site. We are working on the auction platform backend so the emails you receive are not lies. There is work being done as a result of increased demand.

We have a limited number of calls per API per second. I don't remember that number off the top of my head but it is in this thread somewhere. The math of it is that if we give an API to anyone who wants it we get too many calls per second and that would break the auctions so no one would be able to use it. It would be like a DDOS attack. We are not willing to do that. I explained that to The @DomainBanana via email.

The auction is a level playing field. The majority of customers use the web interface. If you purchase a lot of domains and cannot reasonably use the web we grant you access to the API anyone can get that access the same as anyone who already has it, start buying a lot of domains. That is how they got it. Everyone started with the web interface and worked their way up to an API via regular auction use.

In the future we are looking at ways to make the closeouts more available to everyone. We have been discussing it for a while. We are not willing to grant unlimited lookups to unlimited amounts of people via API and have the site not be able to function. We have some other ideas we are investigating in conjunction with working on the auctions platform.

 

[D Haynes]

Everyone does have the same access to it. In order to get it you need to prove that you cannot do what you are trying to do with the web interface, and by that I do not mean "drop catch" the closeouts. I made that clear on this thread earlier. Everyone who has API access with us buys a lot of domains with us. You need to be buying enough that you cannot reasonably do it with the web interface.

We do not have the resources available to us as an auction house to allow an open API that would be used by anyone who wants an API to pound the servers when domains go to closeout. This would bring down our auction site. We are working on the auction platform backend so the emails you receive are not lies. There is work being done as a result of increased demand.

We have a limited number of calls per API per second. I don't remember that number off the top of my head but it is in this thread somewhere. The math of it is that if we give an API to anyone who wants it we get too many calls per second and that would break the auctions so no one would be able to use it. It would be like a DDOS attack. We are not willing to do that. I explained that to The @DomainBanana via email.

The auction is a level playing field. The majority of customers use the web interface. If you purchase a lot of domains and cannot reasonably use the web we grant you access to the API anyone can get that access the same as anyone who already has it, start buying a lot of domains. That is how they got it. Everyone started with the web interface and worked their way up to an API via regular auction use.

In the future we are looking at ways to make the closeouts more available to everyone. We have been discussing it for a while. We are not willing to grant unlimited lookups to unlimited amounts of people via API and have the site not be able to function. We have some other ideas we are investigating in conjunction with working on the auctions platform.

Im sorry but to say its a level playing field is absurd and simply not true. You've just said that the customers that spend more money get preferential treatment and access to a platform that allows them to snipe closeouts and let other people search for domains for them. It is nowhere near a level playing field.

 

[D Haynes]

The auction is a level playing field. The majority of customers use the web interface. If you purchase a lot of domains and cannot reasonably use the web we grant you access to the API anyone can get that access the same as anyone who already has it, start buying a lot of domains. That is how they got it. Everyone started with the web interface and worked their way up to an API via regular auction use.

This means nothing. 99 percent of the userbase could be using the Web interface but if 1 percent is using the API the Web interface is as good as useless.

 

[DomainBanana]

@Joe Styler

Thank you for the reply. Earlier in this thread, you made it appear that all one needed to do to access the API was ask:

"if you want API access just ask for it. No one is saying anyone can't compete on the auctions the same way. I'm saying it isn't the silver bullet people may think it is."

"or you get API access yourself and try the same thing as anyone else with an API ... Everyone has the same opportunity."​

Now you are saying:

"Everyone does have the same access to it. In order to get it you need to prove that you cannot do what you are trying to do with the web interface."​

I am trying to compete for quality names. I cannot effectively compete using the web interface. Therefore, by your own standards, I should be granted API access.

"In the future we are looking at ways to make the closeouts more available to everyone. We have been discussing it for a while. We are not willing to grant unlimited lookups to unlimited amounts of people via API and have the site not be able to function. We have some other ideas we are investigating in conjunction with working on the auctions platform."​

Until GD figures out how to make the closeouts more available to everyone, please cut off API access to the closeouts. This will help to level the playing field.

 

[D Haynes]

@Joe Styler

Until GD figures out how to make the closeouts more available to everyone, please cut off API access to the closeouts. This will help to level the playing field.

This is what I've suggested before but it will never happen as their cash cow would be hindered. The only way to level the field is to not give access to anyone.

 

[meslam479]

@Joe Styler
Until GD figures out how to make the closeouts more available to everyone, please cut off API access to the closeouts. This will help to level the playing field.

That's what it should be done until you can figure out a way, other than that its not a level playing field.

 

[wwwweb]

Huge Domains gamed so many domains with the Backorder Loophole, which if you placed a Godaddy backoder as soon as the $12 auction closed, it would auto snipe the domain in closeouts before you even know it went live. This program once exposed was not shut down right away, most likely because someone had bought a big block of backorders at a discount, and needed to use them up. Now Huge Domains is the largest violator of sniping closeouts with API's, given they own close to 7 million names, and still growing.

It is unfortunate changes take so long, if something is broken, or unfair to a mass of your customer base, it would be beneficial to make it a larger priority so you don't alienate the other 99% of your customer base.

 

[Ja Kai]

Would one of the more seasoned NP members start a gofundme page for a class against godaddy and their auction practices? Would be great is Berryhill would do this (that is hold the money). Anyway, someone with longstanding trustworthiness needs to get this going. If so, you have $500 from me.

 

[Ja Kai]

Something is awry here. I bet discovery would even find a special relationship between HUGE and GD.

 

[Ja Kai]

Do the folks at namepros want to effectuate change? Or, do you all want to continue bitching without doing anything to hold godaddy accountable?

 

[D Haynes]

Do the folks at namepros want to effectuate change? Or, do you all want to continue bitching without doing anything to hold godaddy accountable?

Essentialy I think people are bothered but not enough.