Moniker, wth are they thinking?? (On a rant)

[Ziggery.com]

To go further with the title, I'm talking about the T.R.A.F.F.I.C auction thats coming up in 2 weeks.

The people who know me, know that I'm a calm person who doesn't get worked up easily BUT this has got me mad enough to type this out!

Take a look through the list, there are names in there that people wouldn't give a reg fee for and they are let in to the auction out of the 110k names submitted. Personally, I think its time to fire some people who pick some of those names.

http://marketplacepro.moniker.com/auction/index.html

I think whoever picks these names should be true domainers and unbiased.

Man o Man, I'm as mad as hell over this, not because mine didn't get accepted into the auction, in fact a couple of mine did, but if you look at some of the names left out of the LIVE auction and put into the extended auction I think Moniker submissions department has their head stuck where the sun doesn't shine! To have a double premium LLLL.com in the auction listed between 1k-5k is just nuts!

If Moniker wanted to get more attention by broadcasting this live, well, they got my attention but I won't be watching it live. In fact, I've already sent a request in to have my names pulled from the auction because it's obvious they have no idea what's going on and couldn't run a drunk-fest in a brewery! Unbelievable!

I watched it last time and I was hoping they would have a different auctioneer, nope...well, I'm going to stop my rant there before I say something I'll regret because it's right on the tip of my tongue and I'm just not going there!!!

I apologize if I offended anyone who has names in this auction, that was not my intention!

Moniker Submissions Department: Replace them.....
Auctioneer: Replace him too
Snapnames: Do your homework

Thanks

Rhinoz on a Rant :td:

 

[raredn.com]

So moniker charge insane commissions with ridiculous auction, bad customer service and stupid decisions

Sedo is in bed with 1&1 who are at best borderline criminal scam artists and have proven in the past they are not trustworthy

So where is someone with a conscience supposed to go to auction domains? Unfortunately there are a lot of jerks and scammers in this business, could we please have just one honest and fair company to deal with, or is it always the scum that rises to the top in this industry?

You have Reeces BQB.com auction house now, hopefully this grows to become the 'fair and understanding' giant of specialized domain name only auction venues. Reeece seems to even be open to sugestions, so you can help him mold BQB.com into the type of domain name auction house you wish the other domain auction houses were. I believe you can give him suggestions or feedback here BQB Thread Link

 

[italiandragon]

I find some of these complaints puzzling....especially after receiving more positive emails on how good the quality and diversity this list is compared to other auctions. In addition, there are some huge big hitter names here that are making the news already.

We had more than 150K submissions for this event and there are tons of great names in all three venues. we are also making tweaks and adjustments to the list but wanted to get it out early for buyers to do their research.

We expect a great event and everyone should be supporting the auction, the names, the sellers and the buyers. This event is important and critical for our industry and we need to show unity, support, and stability and prove that the domain investment opportunities are good ones while other parts of the economy are in question.

More to come this week and next on the list.

Thank you for your support

Hi Monte,

I was happy with Moniker last year but then slowly one thing after the other I got really disappointed.
My mainly complaints are:

1) my rep (and I have changed twice already) never informed me of the outcome of my submissions

2) having to deal with such long paperwork is frustrating already, but if you add that you ask long term commitments plus greater fees compared to Sedo, well it`s a big turn-off. At SEdo, if I want to sell my name there or not it`s a matter of my choice and it`s quick to submit or to take it off. With Moniker, it`s getting too long and too complicated. In an industry that prices change quickly, no one want to be stuck for months.

On the other side, I still like Moniker as Registrar just to be fair, that`s my number 1 choice, but for domain sales, at the moment I`m not using your services due to the above points.

Thanks

 

[raredn.com]

Hi Monte,

I was happy with Moniker last year but then slowly one thing after the other I got really disappointed.
My mainly complaints are:

1) my rep (and I have changed twice already) never informed me of the outcome of my submissions

2) having to deal with such long paperwork is frustrating already, but if you add that you ask long term commitments plus greater fees compared to Sedo, well it`s a big turn-off. At SEdo, if I want to sell my name there or not it`s a matter of my choice and it`s quick to submit or to take it off. With Moniker, it`s getting too long and too complicated. In an industry that prices change quickly, no one want to be stuck for months.

On the other side, I still like Moniker as Registrar just to be fair, that`s my number 1 choice, but for domain sales, at the moment I`m not using your services due to the above points.

Thanks

Agreed moniker is good (the best?) domain registry for holding and registering domain names IMO. I don't use their auctions, I am an ebay man for holding domain auctions, habitually I guess

 

[Meongtae]

and then....

good job, keep the faith,
Meongtae
I wanted to add that shows someone IS paying attention, and I would think that he wouldnt give those words without making a few phone calls when he gets back to the shop.
thanks again rhinoz.
thanks for reading Monte.

 

[RogueWriter]

Pulling names is almost impossible as far as I can tell. I asked Monte to pull my domains from the last TRAFFIC. I was in the hospital for 3 weeks on morphine drip (not as much fun as it sounds). I explained this to Monte and said I just wanted one thing less to worry about while trying to save my life. He said "NO", unless I paid commission. He insisted on sticking to the contract. This was BEFORE the auction list was announced! Nobody knew about the submitted names but Moniker.

Very short term thinking on moniker's part, you don't kick a guy when he's down, since he has a tendancy to be kinda ticked off, once he finally stands back up.

 

[htmlindex]

I learned my lesson One Time when I submitted a couple names. Since they are held for about Half Of A Year (by the contract) a person is NUTS to submit any domains. If your domain doesn't sell, you can't sell it for about 6 months without paying Moniker the commisson for it! Now that is some crazy shizzel...

Doesn't the agreement term just keep renewing over & over for the domains that were accepted unless you give Moniker written notice that you don't authorise them to broker your names anymore?

 

[Ziggery.com]

Yup, you are correct, written notice has to be given

 

[Makis.TV]

do you mean that if i dont send a written notice to Moniker stating i dont want them to broker my names anymore they are entitled to keep the sale fee even though i have sold the domain myself?

 

[Work In Progress]

I'm frustrated as well.
I've had some success in the past with Traffic, but the frustration sets in for keeping your domains off of the market for months while you wait for the outcome of "were they accepted?" and, more importantly, the total lack of communication from my rep...whom has made money off of my sales before...but chooses to not even update me with upcoming auctions (or any news at all), never keeps me informed of if my names are accepted, and just plain ignores me. Terrible customer service from a sales rep. I've been in the sales field for years and can't imagine ignoring my customers. Am I a "big name" domainer with thousands of submissions? Do I have million dollar names? Nope. I'm not asking to be treated like a VIP....just common courtesy and put on a mailing list would've been nice. An occasional email? I just checked my account and see the last email I received from him was 10/30/07, and that was a response for a request of info from me. :td:

Quite frankly, I feel very offended being ignored and treated like a "nobody". Unless things change, I will not bother dealing with this venue again.

 

[htmlindex]

do you mean that if i dont send a written notice to Moniker stating i dont want them to broker my names anymore they are entitled to keep the sale fee even though i have sold the domain myself?

I believe that is the case, which is absolutely ridiculous

 

[Ziggery.com]

Just thought I'd give you a quick update. I haven't finished with this thread and I'm making moves in the right direction to make sure the grievances are heard whether voluntary or not.

In the next 2 weeks you'll see what I mean.
More updates to come...

 

[Rubber Duck]

You need to understand that the Names for Traffics are picked by "the Committee".

If Rick don't like it you got no chance! Which is one of the reasons that IDN have never featured at TRAFFICs.

 

[scandiman]

well that is what we will have with the combined SnapNames and Moniker marketplace and sales system. I promise you all that it will get better for everyone.

Monte, kudos to you for stepping into this thread. I'm a bit puzzled by the complaints in this thread that bad names are in the mix, seems like it would provide more attention to the good ones.

But regardless of the domain quality, I'd like to make a few suggestions.

-If you continue to allow chandelier bidding, please stop referring to pass pricing since there is no way to know if it was an actual bid or not. (If anyone wants to know, google chandelier bidding)

-Please port the online bidding application to Mac also, or just make it fully browser based like Sedo does.


Best of luck with the auction results, I hope you get a good turnout.

 

[Makis.TV]

Regarding "chandelier"

If there is only one bidder, the auctioneer will pretend to accept competing bids from a fictional bidder, such as the wall or a chandelier. Sometimes all bidding is phantom but the auctioneer will pretend to accept competing bids in the hope of attracting a “third,” but really the first, bidder to come in at a higher level.

To drive a single bidder upwards by making the chandelier bid against him, the auctioneer needs another piece of theatricality – the secret reserve. The reserve is the lowest price at which the seller will sell, and it is known only to the auctioneer and the seller, never to the buyer. This enables the chandelier to work the lone bidder up to the reserve, when a legitimate sale can be made. In this case, the sale price is not the result of competition between bidders, as the bidder believes, but of an “agreement” between the seller and the buyer, of which the buyer is totally unaware. The buyer believes that he has paid one increment more than his competitor was willing to, but he has been fooled, he has paid what the seller
wanted.

http://www.fiskeandfreeman.com/BuyingAntiquesatAuction.aspx

 

[scandiman]

Regarding "chandelier"

http://www.fiskeandfreeman.com/BuyingAntiquesatAuction.aspx

BTW, as far as I can determine, it is a legal practice as long as it is below the reserve. So in any auction that does this, it is a matter of trust since no one knows the reserve but the auction house and the seller. And also note that at the Moniker live auctions I have either attended or watched online, the auctioneer announces the practice prior to starting the auction, saying he will be bidding on behalf of the seller.

Like I said, as far as I can tell it is completely legal, but what becomes somewhat deceptive is when a pass price is later quoted when in fact there is no way to know it represents an actual bid.

 

[mcahn]

the bidding will be a much closer to or at reserve this time, however, let me make it perfectly clear that bidding on behalf of the seller, is not only a common practice but it is used by EVERY live auction house on this planet. its also referred to as bidding off the wall and completely legit and legal. not every bid is done this way but its up to the auctioneer when to implement this to drive bid prices to reserve. it is not used after reserve. The technique drives sales to market value and is necessary to avoid a dead auction.

this one will be managed differently because we will be moving faster and the online system is really rocking now. when the snapnames system and the moniker system are all integrated, it is really going to be very cool.

a new and more final auction order and list is posted at: http://marketplacepro.moniker.com/a...193_050508&utm_campaign=Moniker_LowNoReserves

 

[scandiman]

the bidding will be a much closer to or at reserve this time, however, let me make it perfectly clear that bidding on behalf of the seller, is not only a common practice but it is used by EVERY live auction house on this planet. its also referred to as bidding off the wall and completely legit and legal. not every bid is done this way but its up to the auctioneer when to implement this to drive bid prices to reserve. it is not used after reserve. The technique drives sales to market value and is necessary to avoid a dead auction.

this one will be managed differently because we will be moving faster and the online system is really rocking now. when the snapnames system and the moniker system are all integrated, it is really going to be very cool.

a new and more final auction order and list is posted at: http://marketplacepro.moniker.com/a...193_050508&utm_campaign=Moniker_LowNoReserves

Thanks Monte for confirming the practice. It's good for everyone to be informed. Like you said, it's a common practice and legal, though some jurisdictions have considered making changes. Does the chandelier bidding happen at all with the online bidding or strictly the live audience?

 

[Rob J]

My experience with auctions is limited to ebay so I really don't know, but what's the purpose of a reserve? Why not just start the bidding at the reserve price rather than wasting everyone's time? I don't see the point.

 

[npcomplete]

My experience with auctions is limited to ebay so I really don't know, but what's the purpose of a reserve? Why not just start the bidding at the reserve price rather than wasting everyone's time? I don't see the point.

Short answer: Psychology

Since the audience/bidders do not know whether it is a Chandelier bid or not, then it generates the appearance of actual interest in the auction item. While it is announced before the auction that chandelier bids are allowed, the individual chandelier bids themselves are not announced... so you just never know whether that latest bid below reserve is from a real bidder on the phone, or just a chandelier bid.

 

[-REECE-]

Legal or not, commonly used or not, it's downright shady imho.