I'm done with Dropcatch.com

[discobull]

I'm really fed up with the dropcatch.com system. I work hard to find dropping domains that fly under the radar, but all that work goes down the drain thanks to dropcatch's policy of putting every domain they catch up for public auction. That means that even though I might start off being in an auction against only one person, thanks to my effort the domain is brought to the attention of every one of their clients so that the next thing I know I'm faced with a feeding frenzy and left to choose between paying multiple times what I would have paid if the auction were private, or letting the domain go. I'm done. I won't be giving them another dime until they set up a system that is fair to its users.

 

[Jasonn]

i gave them a shot but with the public auction system prices go high quickly beyond what they are worth. now when they catch a name, i just forget about it.

 

[discobull]

I think you misunderstand: I'm not placing a backorder on dropcatch.com for one simple reason: because I'm "hoping" nobody else will place a backorder on dropcatch for that specific domain so there won't be a public auction there in the first place. But if there is a public auction for a domain I researched, I will join. I did the work of finding the domain prior to any auction so I don't see why I shouldn't be able to bid on it elsewhere.

If everyone would stop placing backorders on dropcatch.com then maybe they will consider making their auctions private (and if auctions become private there I would actually start placing backorders there again).



Exactly.

I get your point, but to me the intention behind not placing the backorder doesn't change the picture all that much. I also think that it isn't enough to siimply not place backorders because when we participate in their auctions we're still giving them our financial support and thereby encouraging a continuation of the status quo . That's why I won't be doing business with them at all until the policy changes.

 

[SimpleDomaining]

domainer1: hi DropCatch, here is a domain i would like you to catch for me. it is definitely worth to backorder.
domainer2: hi DropCatch here is a domain i would like you to catch for me. i did all the research about it, and i think it worth to backorder.
DropCatch: thank you for showing me where i can make some money. In return i promise, you will get no benefits from me for doing it.
domainer1: but.. but.. DropCatch we did all the work, give us a right to just fight between two of us...
domainer3: hmm... oh look they found an interesting domain, why i wont go and bid on it too... i am also interested... so what they spent time, effort and money, i have bigger pocket.
DropCatch: i love guys with bigger pockets! lets auction it! comeone , everybody!


is this really sounds fair? i am surprised this conversation still going. No one was in domeiner1 or domainer2 skin?

 

[tonyk2000]

As per the history of our industry, nobody (until dropcatch dot com appeared) found it profitable to set 100+ registrars (like dropcatch345.com etc), which HugeDomains did. This indicates that:

a) it is likely not profitable to maintain 100+ registrars for the purposes of private dropcatching alone (buydomains or lets say hugedomains themselves before they went public)

b) it is likely not profitable to maintain 100+ registrars for the purposes of public dropcatching alone (snapnames/namejet etc)

Indeed, each registrar pays large accreditations fees to ICANN alone, and it is not free to maintain each legal entity in sense of accounting etc.

Since HugeDomains is actively participating in the game themselves (for domains not ordered by us the customers with dropcatch.com), all the scheme likely works in the following mode:
- by participating in the "game" themselves, HugeDomains is helping the scheme to survive
- by using dropcatch.com, we are helping the scheme to survive

Of course it is unethical to run "public" auctions in the way dropcatch does. They however need more funds to maintain all their 150 (or so) registrars.

As a side note, we have seen blog/forum posts completely supporting their "open" auctions model. It appears that a legit and ethical model might be:

- stop accepting backorders

- catch anything YOU selected and were able to catch

- auction everything you were able to catch on public platform with $59 starting bid

If one thinks about it, blog and forum posts that are giving support to dropcatch model are missing the fact that adding "Collective Intelligence" to composing registration queue, which dropcatch does, is not compatible with "open auctions" model at least in sense of ethics.

We have also noticed that some bloggers or members of different forums, posting in their blogs or forums that open auctions model in "dropcatch way" is not good, still frequently (or not so frequently) join themselves to open dropcatch auctions for domains they did not order before the deadline. Which opens a simple question - if you do not like open auctions, why do you join open auctions? Please do not. If you do not like this model - you should not support it... Some rare exceptions might be unique cases of lets say new customers who were technically unable to preorder the domain name yesterday as yesterday they were not members yet

Well, we are dropcatch customers, and, since we do not support open auctions model, the only domains we order with dropcatch are:
- those that worth $59 at least
- (and, at the same time) may have resale potential (regardless of our intentions to resell or not to resell this particular domain). As this would prevent HugeDomains from catching the domain for their own portfolio. They try to catch pretty everything with even a remote reselling possibility...

Shortly, we are legit and genuine dropcatch customers, we pay our bills on-time, but we do not support their current business model and so we use them only because we "have to" for some (but not all) domains from our daily "wishlists"...

 

[youngjump]

Dropcatch's boss is keen

 

[Zombies]

BTW, is there anyway to see the auction results (end price) of auctions on DropCatch?

 

[Garandy]

Zombies, it looks like you can still go to the auction page for at least a couple of days after it ends if you weren't a participant. After that, I think you have to have been in an auction to see it.