Is there space for a new community driven open source domain marketplace/auction platform?

[Dave]

This is something I have been pondering recently. These are just random thoughts I've been going over in my head but would love to garner some feedback to see if this leads anywhere.

In my opinion, with Flippa recently being surrounded in scandal and becoming so congested with mostly awful domains to Sedo and their terribly outdated business structure and awful customer service, is there an opportunity for a new community driven domain name marketplace/auction platform? A platform whereby it's users all have a say in how it is run and with it being open sourced whereby members can even contribute towards the development and technical side of things?

Please let me know your thoughts on the following and contribute ideas in this thread to the following:

• Community driven - Processes, resources, moderation, support, decision making etc in the hands of the user base and not one single entity
• Open source - Anyone can contribute to the development of the platform
• Not for profit - Any costs to run the platform (hosting, services etc) will be covered by revenue streams determined by the community, whereby any surplus will be used for the benefit of the platform.

Just throwing out some random thoughts here really. What do you all think? Does this all sound viable to anyone else? Worth the effort?

 

[biggie]

Hi

after using sedo for 12 yrs, i have disagree with your assessment of sedo's biz structure and i have never had an issue with their CS dept.

still, i believe there is space, because people by nature, will try something new..... if it's structure is similar to, yet slightly different from or better than, what they currently use, if there are perceived faults in that platform.

though too many cooks will always screw up the meal.

you can always take ideas, but i think the effort,construction,development and execution will have to controlled by a small group.

imo....

 

[DU]

Community Driven?
Nope. I'm not sure how much attention you pay but there is no "community" in real terms. There are selective acquaintances, friends, sharers but there is no profit driven community with integrity that I've ever seen.

The platform never suffers because of the platform It suffers because of the abuse of that platform. The community is responsible for much of that abuse (try telling anyone their names suck). There's no standard for valuation (have you seen Latona's?). How is Sedo outdated? It's a listing site, it's a brokerage arm. Other than people don't sell their names by putting them in a huge pile I'm not sure the issue.

Few do anything for free and to sustain that you need a critical mass where departures don't impact the progress. You can't be dependent on one person and that person leaves. A few people that could have helped with this have endeavored to go it alone (some successful and some not). The driver was monetizing and never altruism (marketing speak indicates otherwise sometimes).

Not for profit? It requires a lot to run a decent platform... as for monetizing... are you going to hire an accountant?

Is there room for a platform? Of course, especially if you innovate. But you need strong ownership imho - you think Flippa doesn't have some solid investors behind it? Namepros has issues but they have some smart guys back there (@Paul Buonopane) and people that appear in charge (@Eric Lyon) and some top secret guys pulling strings

But where? Many try escrow but that's a difficult business to get *right* (fiscally responsible, available liquidity, insurance, audit) and you're not going to get that right by working with a bunch of domainers (people who for the most part don't even read basic terms conditions of anything and complain about rules they violate they quote "didn't know about").

You're basically asking:

Can inmates run an asylum?

My answer: I'm sure there are those crazy enough to think they can

*I'm not tarring everyone with the same brush.

 

[biggie]

nice post ^^^^ @DU

 

[East Street]

I think it's worth looking into. I flip houses in the real world and knowing how to use the right platforms for buying and selling and exercising control over expenses has a profound impact on the bottom line. It is very much like domaining. The real estate world is being profoundly affected by online transactions which are upsetting traditional selling methods. Your local agent is an endangered species. The marketplace(s) for domain selling are ripe for disruption.

The community drive aspect and open source may matter less than the ability to create a simple, transparent platform that is transformative.

I do not see any reason that it should be non-profit. There is nothing wrong with making a profit considering how hard it can be to actually make money. You might want to consider something like a 'B' company rather than a non-profit.

A disruptive upstart in the domain selling world would be something I would get behind.

When do we start?

 

[bobbarato]

But where? Many try escrow but that's a difficult business to get *right* (fiscally responsible, available liquidity, insurance, audit)

Have there been domain escrow companies that would make sense for low dollar domains vs ecrow.com $25 and sedo $60 minimum fees?