discuss I'd like to share a "bad fact" I discovered after tracking my own sales for the past ~6 months.

[g9xmouse]

My Current Setup
All my domains resolve to Atom.com landers

At the same time, I list the same domains on Afternic (DLS network)

My Pricing Strategy
If I price a domain at $5,000 on Atom, I usually list it at $6,650 on Afternic.
Reason:

Atom commission = 7.5%

Afternic commission (not use NS) = 30%

I try to make sure my net payout is similar regardless of where the sale happens (so I can receive at least ~$4,600+ net)

The Shocking Result
Even though the domain resolves to an Atom lander showing $5,000, more than 80% of my sales still close through Afternic.

Which basically means:
Most buyers do NOT visit the domain they want to buy

They simply search inside their registrar, see it available, and buy immediately

They end up paying $1,650 more, but I don’t earn $1 more (Afternic takes it)

Why this feels terrible
I'm not against Afternic — they clearly bring volume.

But:

The buyer pays more

Afternic earns more

I don't benefit

And worse: the higher Afternic BIN might reduce conversion, because many buyers never see the lower Atom price

I didn't gain anything from it, but I ended up punishing the buyer by charging a higher price on Afternic.

My Questions
Do you guys price the same BIN everywhere, or do you adjust for commission differences?

When you try to use your own sales page, how do you handle payment processing?

What is your sales strategy?

Would love to hear how other domainers handle this.

Thanks!

 

[DrJacoby]

Why not use that fact to your advantage? Switch landers to Afternic, turn off Boost, and pay "only" 15%.

 

[g9xmouse]

Why not use that fact to your advantage? Switch landers to Afternic, turn off Boost, and pay "only" 15%.

When I decided to point my domains to Atom, my ideal outcome was that most of the domains would sell through Atom, and I would only need to pay a 7.5% commission.

I own a large portfolio of domains, and paying a 15% commission in the long run is not something I want to see. Of course, 15% is still much better than my current situation.

 

[DomainGemsAI]

This is a really useful breakdown of buyer behavior. It reinforces how much discovery happens inside registrar search rather than on the domain itself, regardless of where the lander points.

 

[Jannes]

I own a large portfolio of domains, and paying a 15% commission in the long run is not something I want to see. Of course, 15% is still much better than my current situation.

Does it matter when you focus on your net payout? There’s only one word in this industry that converts, ’GoDaddy’. It’s unfortunate but it is what it is.

I only use non-Afternic NS when the domain cannot be bought on GD (because of an unsupported TLD) or if I want to write a short description (I try to cut these to the minimum nowadays).

I offer a small discount for savvy buyers on Spaceship and Atom, e.g. $4888 -> $4699 (only ’make offer’ listings on Sedo). It would be win-win for both sides, but all my buyers seem to choose either GD/AN or Sedo, except for domainers, but I don’t usually have many investor-friendly prices.

 

[VadimK]

I also don't see the problem. I pretty much do the same thing, just using NP landers and all names on Afternic and Sedo are marked up. If someone wants to buy through Afternic paying higher buck - let them do it. Why do you think you are''punishing'' him? It's actually the other way around - you are giving him a choice. Also, don't you assume automatically they didn't see your lander, some companies would prefer GD/AF, ignoring price difference.

I also had few sales when client clearly chose Afternic over lower-priced lander, but for me it's definetely not ''majority''. Most come on lander and talk.

 

[alcy]

if true
then this is focking mind blow shit

it means afternic fast network is the best of all sale venues including a focking lander

of course even if true for u u cant conclude this for all...

but it says a lot.

wow

we all gotta make sure all our shit is on an network

how long u noticed this????

how u estimate % lander vs afternic network sales????

u got any way to tell which registrar or partner sale was made????

good for u bro

obviously if true and u get most salss tnx to an... then we dont give fock pay em extra for it

its deserved

I better get my shit together and edit 700 bins per name basis.. now I just put 90k each cause I foxking is lazy alcy.
@g9xmouse

ty for thia share

I always knew their network hot

but when people say almost all sale on network vs lander then u know u gotta get serious with bin editing

 

[g9xmouse]

Does it matter when you focus on your net payout? There’s only one word in this industry that converts, ’GoDaddy’. It’s unfortunate but it is what it is.

I only use non-Afternic NS when the domain cannot be bought on GD (because of an unsupported TLD) or if I want to write a short description (I try to cut these to the minimum nowadays).

I offer a small discount for savvy buyers on Spaceship and Atom, e.g. $4888 -> $4699 (only ’make offer’ listings on Sedo). It would be win-win for both sides, but all my buyers seem to choose either GD/AN or Sedo, except for domainers, but I don’t usually have many investor-friendly prices.

100% agree — in terms of pure end-user conversion, “GoDaddy” is the best brand name that consistently does the heavy lifting in this industry.

If a buyer is already coming through a direct lander checkout (instead of via the Afternic distribution network), then the platform brand tends to matter less than the basics: a trusted flow, a clean purchase path, and the ability to pay instantly. In those cases, the commission difference becomes meaningful on the seller side.

One thing I’m also paying close attention to is:

How much has the STR been affected for large domain portfolio holders who have opted out of Afternic’s sales network?

 

[g9xmouse]

I also don't see the problem. I pretty much do the same thing, just using NP landers and all names on Afternic and Sedo are marked up. If someone wants to buy through Afternic paying higher buck - let them do it. Why do you think you are''punishing'' him? It's actually the other way around - you are giving him a choice. Also, don't you assume automatically they didn't see your lander, some companies would prefer GD/AF, ignoring price difference.

I also had few sales when client clearly chose Afternic over lower-priced lander, but for me it's definetely not ''majority''. Most come on lander and talk.

Yes, I’ve also talked to some end buyers who don’t really care about the difference between $1,000 and $2,000. Even when they already know there’s a page where they could check out for less, they still choose GoDaddy (Afternic).

 

[g9xmouse]

if true
then this is focking mind blow shit

it means afternic fast network is the best of all sale venues including a focking lander

of course even if true for u u cant conclude this for all...

but it says a lot.

wow

we all gotta make sure all our shit is on an network

how long u noticed this????

how u estimate % lander vs afternic network sales????

u got any way to tell which registrar or partner sale was made????

good for u bro

obviously if true and u get most salss tnx to an... then we dont give fock pay em extra for it

its deserved

I better get my shit together and edit 700 bins per name basis.. now I just put 90k each cause I foxking is lazy alcy.

@fox

ty for thia share

I always knew their network hot

but when people say almost all sale on network vs lander then u know u gotta get serious with bin editing

Afternic’s sales network is undoubtedly excellent—except for its extremely high commission fees.

 

[alcy]

Afternic’s sales network is undoubtedly excellent—except for its extremely high commission fees.

how much u get sales afternic net vs lander????

 

[BritFlippa]

Afternic’s sales network is undoubtedly excellent—except for its extremely high commission fees.

Usually in life you get what you pay for.

I'll happily pay 15% all-day-long.
I wouldn't get out of bed for that margin with my business.
Couldn't do it when you factor in all the unseen overheads.

As the Bard says :

... then we dont give fock pay em extra for it

its deserved

 

[Sjpals]

They simply search inside their registrar, see it available, and buy immediately

What gets me is that when you search in Godaddy for a domain, it says the value underneath, eg The value that GoDaddy gives it. This means in some cases, there is a massive disparity between the GoDaddy value (say its $500) and the value I put on the name ($2,888).

I always wonder how many people are put off by the difference between the valuation and the price AND if they they choose one of the alternative options that are offered.

 

[Jannes]

What gets me is that when you search in Godaddy for a domain, it says the value underneath, eg The value that GoDaddy gives it. This means in some cases, there is a massive disparity between the GoDaddy value (say its $500) and the value I put on the name ($2,888).

I thought they show the appraisal value only if it's higher than BIN or min offer (the latter kills seller's upside). Of course anything is possible when it comes to GoDaddy...

 

[BritFlippa]

What gets me is that when you search in Godaddy for a domain, it says the value underneath, eg The value that GoDaddy gives it. This means in some cases, there is a massive disparity between the GoDaddy value (say its $500) and the value I put on the name ($2,888).

The estimates probably haven't been updated since 2023 if the 'helpful' pricing/results examples offered on AN are anything to go by.

 

[AnX]

I've seen people say this before, that they have a lander at Spaceship with a lower price and it still sold through Afternic/Godaddy, and even that buyers have insisted on Godaddy to the point of agreeing to pay much more for a name if sold through Godaddy, which suggests inflexible corporate policies or contracts.

I don't believe people don't visit a domain they're going to spend $5k on though, any more than people buy iPhones because they don't know about Android.

I also don't believe Godaddy means anything special to people outside the US, where it's just another domain registrar, just like iPhone is dominant in the US (60%) whereas Android is worldwide (70%).

I think Godaddy is more heavily involved in (targeting) small or medium-sized businesses in the US than other registrars, and business owners will happily pay extra for a company they are familiar with/already using to deal with impenetrable black magic like domain names. More tech-savvy people will not care as much about which platform it is, especially if it saves money, and probably won't be using Godaddy in the first place.

So I think:

1. Generic/brandable, mainstream or specifically American-relevant domains > Godaddy
2. Technical, niche or not specifically American-relevant domains > anywhere
3. German-specific names > Sedo
4. Indian-specific names > apparently Daaz

OP, are the domains you're selling fitting (1) more than the others?

I don't benefit

I didn't gain anything from it

You get no less per name than if they sold at Atom, but Godaddy is providing 4x as many sales. I'd call that a pretty major benefit.

 

[GoDaddy]

My Current Setup
All my domains resolve to Atom.com landers

At the same time, I list the same domains on Afternic (DLS network)

My Pricing Strategy
If I price a domain at $5,000 on Atom, I usually list it at $6,650 on Afternic.
Reason:

Atom commission = 7.5%

Afternic commission (not use NS) = 30%

I try to make sure my net payout is similar regardless of where the sale happens (so I can receive at least ~$4,600+ net)

The Shocking Result
Even though the domain resolves to an Atom lander showing $5,000, more than 80% of my sales still close through Afternic.

Which basically means:
Most buyers do NOT visit the domain they want to buy

They simply search inside their registrar, see it available, and buy immediately

They end up paying $1,650 more, but I don’t earn $1 more (Afternic takes it)

Why this feels terrible
I'm not against Afternic — they clearly bring volume.

But:

The buyer pays more

Afternic earns more

I don't benefit

And worse: the higher Afternic BIN might reduce conversion, because many buyers never see the lower Atom price

I didn't gain anything from it, but I ended up punishing the buyer by charging a higher price on Afternic.

My Questions
Do you guys price the same BIN everywhere, or do you adjust for commission differences?

When you try to use your own sales page, how do you handle payment processing?

What is your sales strategy?

Would love to hear how other domainers handle this.

Thanks!

Tracking your sales data closely is exactly how to find what works best for your portfolio.

If you’d like to look at ways to further optimize your Afternic listings, let us know. We'd be happy to get you connected with our Partner Seller team to walk through your specific setup.

 

[kmanX7]

I use different BIN on different platforms all time. Sometimes they are just commission based, sometimes I am just testing.

When I have my own landing pages I use Afternic checkout link or Atom pay.. yes commission is higher then Escrow or credit card but this way I remove all issue taking paypal or credit card payment (chargebacks, paypal disputes) and I am willing to pay some extra for this.

Sales strategy?
here every domainer can write his own book

 

[Leo2k]

Does it happen only when BIN configured on Afternic or MO / Req price lander too works equally?

 

[VadimK]

Afternic went to shit, let's be honest. It's good that it works for the OP, but since they removed ''similar .com'' from the top search filters - nah, thanks. I can sell my names myself (with NP landers, to be more specific!).