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.

 

[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.

 

[DomainBanana]

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

I'm trying to effect change by writing these posts and calling attention to the issue.

If enough sellers understand what's going on and demand action, something will be done.

 

[Ja Kai]

Essentialy I think people are bothered but not enough.

I'm not one who likes being swindled by a probable illegal auction platform.

 

[Ja Kai]

I'm trying to effect change by writing these posts and calling attention to the issue.

If enough sellers understand what's going on and demand action, something will be done.

NOTHING WILL BE DONE.

Here is an education for you. Godaddy cares about two things: Their top and bottom line - PERIOD.

They will continue their ways until a Judge orders that their ways are illegal.'

These aren't even Godaddy's domains. These are expired domains going back to the registry - most of which were held by someone who has passed away. Sad...SAd...SAD

 

[Bob Hawkes]

I can't find anything specific on equal access, but this detailed article by a law firm on the topic of auctions has valuable information.
https://www.stimmel-law.com/en/articles/law-auctions

 

[DomainBanana]

I can't find anything specific on equal access, but this detailed article by a law firm on the topic of auctions has valuable information.
https://www.stimmel-law.com/en/articles/law-auctions

Particularly interesting:

Competitive bidding is an essential element of an auction sale. Free and fair competition among bidders brings the highest financial return to the seller. Any agreement that restricts such competition is against public policy and void. Indeed, collusion to coordinate bids between sellers defeats the validity of the auction, may be fraud or even criminal in nature.

...

Each state has discretionary powers to impose regulations in auctions for general welfare of public. Administrative officers are provided discretionary power for granting licenses to auctioneers. The officials can refuse license if the character and qualifications of a person are not satisfactory. They can refuse license if public interest requires refusal of license. The state licensing board can revoke license of persons if they do not meet the standards of honesty, truthfulness, integrity, and competence imposed. When a licensee violates the terms of the license, the license can be revoked. If the authorities receive complaint of defrauding clients, also, license can be revoked.
​

Thanks @Bob Hawkes

 

[D Haynes]

Particularly interesting:

Competitive bidding is an essential element of an auction sale. Free and fair competition among bidders brings the highest financial return to the seller. Any agreement that restricts such competition is against public policy and void. Indeed, collusion to coordinate bids between sellers defeats the validity of the auction, may be fraud or even criminal in nature.

...

Each state has discretionary powers to impose regulations in auctions for general welfare of public. Administrative officers are provided discretionary power for granting licenses to auctioneers. The officials can refuse license if the character and qualifications of a person are not satisfactory. They can refuse license if public interest requires refusal of license. The state licensing board can revoke license of persons if they do not meet the standards of honesty, truthfulness, integrity, and competence imposed]. When a licensee violates the terms of the license, the license can be revoked. If the authorities receive complaint of defrauding clients, also, license can be revoked.
​

Thanks @Bob Hawkes

LOL how long till @Joe Styler stops using the word "auction" and uses "sale" instead.

 

[MasterOfMyDomains]

Godaddy shareholders are making good money off the alleged illegal activity.
Get the stock market people involved

 

[nivadriver]

I ran some numbers today, and the average acquisition price for my last 200 names acquired through GD auctions is $25. Do I lose names to the bot? Sure, but by no means all of them.

 

[Recons.Com]

I ran some numbers today, and the average acquisition price for my last 200 names acquired through GD auctions is $25. Do I lose names to the bot? Sure, but by no means all of them.

Just the better ones...

 

[wwwweb]

I ran some numbers today, and the average acquisition price for my last 200 names acquired through GD auctions is $25. Do I lose names to the bot? Sure, but by no means all of them.

If you take closeouts out of that equation, what is your average price then?

 

[meslam479]

@Joe Styler any plans for at least limiting the number of checks per minute for closeouts api to something like 50 per minute? so we can at least compete with bots. your big customers won't suffer that much.

 

[DomainVP]

@Joe Styler any plans for at least limiting the number of checks per minute for closeouts api to something like 50 per minute? so we can at least compete with bots. your big customers won't suffer that much.

I like your idea, but the api already has it’s limits. It’s not as fast as you think it is. Most devs will tell you that the API is a joke.

HD is likely using an array of computers/servers, like they do for dropcatching.

Everyone thinks the API is this magic wand, it’s not. You have to compete with every other dev that has API, calls are limited, and so are computing resources.

When it comes to auctions the API is a beast, because you can watch hundreds of domains at once and automate your bids to drive other bidders crazy - which is what they previously did (10 seconds remaining bids).

You notice they don’t do that anymore, likely to conserve processing resources, instead they just throw money at a “targeted” domain and then either you outbid then or you don’t.

As a developer who has used the API, I can tell you that it’s not impressive when it comes to closeouts. Is it faster than manual, sure, but you can create macros that are just as fast. I don’t know how within TOS that is, but it’s something that the Chinese market competitors were doing previously.

I noticed snipes and then it would always turn out to be from Wuhan it HK.

The API has a mythos around it like these “landing pages”, but just as in landing pages - they help but it’s not the defaco solution.

 

[namesway]

I like your idea, but the api already has it’s limits. It’s not as fast as you think it is. Most devs will tell you that the API is a joke.

HD is likely using an array of computers/servers, like they do for dropcatching.

Everyone thinks the API is this magic wand, it’s not. You have to compete with every other dev that has API, calls are limited, and so are computing resources.

When it comes to auctions the API is a beast, because you can watch hundreds of domains at once and automate your bids to drive other bidders crazy - which is what they previously did (10 seconds remaining bids).

You notice they don’t do that anymore, likely to conserve processing resources, instead they just throw money at a “targeted” domain and then either you outbid then or you don’t.

As a developer who has used the API, I can tell you that it’s not impressive when it comes to closeouts. Is it faster than manual, sure, but you can create macros that are just as fast. I don’t know how within TOS that is, but it’s something that the Chinese market competitors were doing previously.

I noticed snipes and then it would always turn out to be from Wuhan it HK.

The API has a mythos around it like these “landing pages”, but just as in landing pages - they help but it’s not the defaco solution.

I completely agree. It's not a silver bullet as everybody thinks. The calls are limited to 60 requests per min. Chances are you will run out of requests before even GoDaddy moves the domain to closeout and boom, you are locked out for half hour or so. So, if you checking every half second. You have 30s. Plus you will be competing with other devs that are trying to get it as well.

 

[Recons.Com]

I like your idea, but the api already has it’s limits. It’s not as fast as you think it is. Most devs will tell you that the API is a joke.

HD is likely using an array of computers/servers, like they do for dropcatching.

Everyone thinks the API is this magic wand, it’s not. You have to compete with every other dev that has API, calls are limited, and so are computing resources.

When it comes to auctions the API is a beast, because you can watch hundreds of domains at once and automate your bids to drive other bidders crazy - which is what they previously did (10 seconds remaining bids).

You notice they don’t do that anymore, likely to conserve processing resources, instead they just throw money at a “targeted” domain and then either you outbid then or you don’t.

As a developer who has used the API, I can tell you that it’s not impressive when it comes to closeouts. Is it faster than manual, sure, but you can create macros that are just as fast. I don’t know how within TOS that is, but it’s something that the Chinese market competitors were doing previously.

I noticed snipes and then it would always turn out to be from Wuhan it HK.

The API has a mythos around it like these “landing pages”, but just as in landing pages - they help but it’s not the defaco solution.

And, yet, emprically, from my experience to anyone else's experience, EVERY lost closeout that was grabbed before it even showed, ends up with HugeDomains. How do you explain that?

Damned if you, damned if you don't. You are happy to bid up to $100, but know that you'll wake up HD bot and the bid will go up to $200 (for example), so you don't, and then HD gets it for $11.

GD would lose money with this setup, but apparently, makes more than the loss, by having few bid to their maximum. So, one guy that pays through the nose at $200 or even HD wins at that price, pays for the loss of 16+ auctions that did not end up at $12 win for someone.

And HD wins by getting enough of $11 names to pay for occasional $200 it will have to pay for the name it won at that, but most will give up at lower level, so overall it saves too.

2 companies win in this cartel setup, while the rest of the world loses.

 

[tonyk2000]

And, yet, emprically, from my experience to anyone else's experience, EVERY lost closeout that was grabbed before it even showed, ends up with HugeDomains. How do you explain that?

He may have a lot of accounts for closeouts. 100, 200, 300... All with the same whois. With consolidated billing. And, naturally, each account is limited to publicly announced 60 or so requests per minute.
As a side note, sometimes other bots (owned by various NP members in particular) do either win closeout or at least become 2nd highest bidder in non-closeout auctions. Becoming 2nd highest bidder seems to be their active wish.