Namerific vs Brandbucket vs Brandroot vs others

[muttus]

Hi NPs,

I would like to start discussion to get as much knowledge about existing marketplaces in to one nice thread. I know there are specific threads for each marketplace but I think it is good to compare them to get good picture. I have been submitting domains to both Namerific and Brandbucket till now and had few accepted in BB.

These are my thoughts please feel free to contest them.

Namerific
+ Faster reply 2-3 weeks
+ Free to list
+ More focused on 2 words and descriptive
+ Seller chooses the price
+ You can still have the for sale in other places

- Rejection rate?
- Outreach ?
- Size of database? - I am worried that if you have so many names one more will just get lost, nobody wants to go through more then couple dozen names

Brandbucket
+ Free to list after voting
+ Focus on word hacks and short pronounceable names without meaning
+ Probably most visible and marketed
+ Search options?

- Long waiting period 4+ weeks
- Require exclusivity
- Size of database? - I am worried that if you have so many names one more will just get lost, nobody wants to go through more then couple dozen names

Brandroot - please submit your ideas


Others - please submit you ideas


Now to the questions.
Where do you place you brandables?

Where do you think is highest chance to sell and why?

What is your average success rate for submission and sale?

Do you submit your brandables according to main focus of the marketplace?

Bad vs good experience?

Are there any official sales numbers for each marketplace?

 

[Keith DeBoer]

That seems to be Grilled's strategy. He has names at both BrandBucket and BrandRoot.

 

[JimJammy]

Keith, Grilled has left BB.

I will humbly bow down from this thread until one last final good bye on April 25th, when I officially leave BrandBucket..

from here: https://www.namepros.com/threads/brandbucket-experience.793278/page-217

 

[WebInceptions]

This is one of those discussion threads that I just don't understand.

Why is no one discussing whether or not any of these 3 brokers actually do their job and sell domain names? Isn't that the goal?

Not sure why these discussions are always just about company philosophy, listing fees, etc... I really don't care about those things, if any of these companies actually SELL then I'll happily pay the fees. If not, I don't care about the other details.

So... what is the success rate of any of these companies? If I give them each 10 different domain names for 1 year, what are the odds at each that I'll sell half of them?

 

[Grilled]

Why is no one discussing whether or not any of these 3 brokers actually do their job and sell domain names? Isn't that the goal?

Amen! When we agree to list exclusively, we surrender the rights to broker our domains. This is why I'd like to see an affiliate type program. This will, hopefully, discourage those who sell exclusively listed domains via WHOIS around the marketplaces back.

Some will agree that type in traffic and the domain itself is more important than a concept logo and marketplace positioning. However, this is not always the case. Some made up brandable hand reg domains were only available for hand reg because they needed a brandable marketplace and competent broker to sell a $8 domain for $X,XXX+

Not sure why these discussions are always just about company philosophy, listing fees, etc... I really don't care about those things, if any of these companies actually SELL then I'll happily pay the fees. If not, I don't care about the other details.

So... what is the success rate of any of these companies? If I give them each 10 different domain names for 1 year, what are the odds at each that I'll sell half of them?

Personally, I was unhappy with the brokerage services I was receiving, and that's what triggered me to speak up and begin questioning company philosophies, listing fee's, etc. I care because if I'm required to pay an upfront listing fee, I'd like to know where that money is going and /or how it increases the chances of selling at enduser prices vs marketplaces who don't charge upfront, and are nonexclusive.

Basically, if I'm going to agree to list exclusively and pay 30%, I want to ensure the marketplace brings just as much, if not more, exposure to my domain than my type in traffic / marketing efforts.

 

[Billy Wagner]

Personally, I was unhappy with the brokerage services I was receiving, and that's what triggered me to speak up and begin questioning company philosophies, listing fee's, etc. I care because if I'm required to pay an upfront listing fee, I'd like to know where that money is going and /or how it increases the chances of selling at enduser prices vs marketplaces who don't charge upfront, and are nonexclusive.

Basically, if I'm going to agree to list exclusively and pay 30%, I want to ensure the marketplace brings just as much, if not more, exposure to my domain than my type in traffic / marketing efforts.

When you questioned them, did you receive any answers as to where the listing fees go, what they do to promote the domains, ect?

 

[Grilled]

When you questioned them, did you receive any answers as to where the listing fees go

Have you questioned where bb listing fee's go?

As for Namerific, I defer to a post / email from earlier this year.

It would seem they care more about commissions than profiting from listing fee's.

The Brandable industry is evolving into a sellers market. I thank Namerific for making strides towards bettering the industry.

Does anybody have any suggestions for Namerific in regards to how they can improve as the leading nonexclusive marketplace charging free listing fee's?
​

AND / OR
​

Does anybody have any suggestions for bb in regards to how they can improve as an exclusive brandable marketplace charging $10 listing fee's?​

 

[WebInceptions]

For 30%, I would expect proactive marketing for each domain name, so I would want to be able to log in and see an activity log such as:

2016-06-01 3:00pm Agent ___ emailed a prospective buyer at ____ Inc.
2016-06-01 3:10pm Agent ___ called a prospective buyer at ____ Inc.
2016-06-01 4:00pm Agent ___ received returned call from ____ Inc., they will be making an offer on Monday
2016-06-01 4:30pm Agent ___ placed ad on 1,000 member photography newsletter.

 

[Grilled]

For 30%, I would expect proactive marketing for each domain name, so I would want to be able to log in and see an activity log such as:

2016-06-01 3:00pm Agent ___ emailed a prospective buyer at ____ Inc.
2016-06-01 3:10pm Agent ___ called a prospective buyer at ____ Inc.
2016-06-01 4:00pm Agent ___ received returned call from ____ Inc., they will be making an offer on Monday
2016-06-01 4:30pm Agent ___ placed ad on 1,000 member photography newsletter.

Great suggestions! Thank you very much for sharing!!!

@Shane Bellone and I once discussed a similar transparent marketing campaign...

 

[WebInceptions]

I was about to sign up for Brandroot and try them out until I read their slimeball threats in the TOS. You want me to give you permission to harass ME if YOU suck? Oviously Brandroot fails to sell often if so many people cancel that they have to chase them down. F___ you, Brandroot.

When you want to unlist one or more of your domains at Brandroot you may do so by using the "Unlist" option on your Published Domains page. You area required to state your reason for removal and this will not remove your domains immediately. Exactly 30 days from your request the domain will automatically be deleted from Brandroot Requesting the removal of a domain will also result in a review of your account, a close monitoring of the removed domain(s) and may or may not result in the permanent disabling of your account.

 

[campout]

To BrandRoot's defense, they need to make sure people aren't selling their names out the backdoor. I think that's the basic gist of those terms.

 

[WebInceptions]

To BrandRoot's defense, they need to make sure people aren't selling their names out the backdoor. I think that's the basic gist of those terms.

If that's happening, then they need to go after the people who are violating their contract, not the people who obeyed the contract but Brandroot failed to sell. That's a sign of seriously bad management.

 

[Grilled]

That seems to be Grilled's strategy. He has names at both BrandBucket and BrandRoot.

@Keith DeBoer Currently, I only have domains published with Namerific and BrandRoot. I thought you were aware I removed my bb domains... Were you mistaken because I've been on NP bidding on some bb published domains for $XX lately?

I am happy to keep them published on bb for 30 days, effectively giving them a 30 day shot clock to sell my newly acquired domain for $X,XXX, before I delist and submit them to nonexclusive such as AfterNic, Sedo, Namerific, etc...

 

[Grilled]

To BrandRoot's defense, they need to make sure people aren't selling their names out the backdoor. I think that's the basic gist of those terms.

In equal respect of their ToS, perhaps br sellers should obfuscate the domain if they choose to sell their br published domains for $XX BIN via NamePros.

 

[WebInceptions]

I emailed BrandBucket this week and asked what they do for sellers, beyond what is done by Sedo and Afternic. To summarize the response -- nothing. They just put a logo on it and charge a LOT more.

 

[Grilled]

I sold another hand reg at br earlier this month. I have had more br sales than bb sales this year. I don't have many domains listed with br, 22 currently, yet I have found some success with them this year. I don't want to mislead anybody. This is simply my experience.

For those who are new to br, and are considering acquiring domains via the reseller market, I caution you to consider the domain itself, and not just the suggested value when making your br reseller domain purchase.

 

[Grilled]

I emailed BrandBucket this week and asked what they do for sellers, beyond what is done by Sedo and Afternic. To summarize the response -- nothing. They just put a logo on it and charge a LOT more.

Feel free to share the full response.

I'm interested in hearing what bb has to say, maybe more so now, since @margotb and @michaeljkrell been relatively quiet on NamePros lately.

 

[WebInceptions]

OK... I've removed the names. Read from bottom up.


=====
Hello *,

All of our names get published and featured in our newsletter 1 time, and added to the website chronologically by date published. Some may remain there longer that others though as it depends on the queue.

Buyers come to us with a specific budget and industry in mind for their startup and based on the information they provide to us our sales team searches our entire database and offers potential names and links to these searches which include everyones names filtered to these specific needs.

In the past, we have reached out to potential buyers directly, but this has typically only been done with high value domains. With that being said, if you are aware of a possibly interested buyer for one of your domains, we would be happy to reach out on your behalf.

Please let us know if you have any additional questions.

Best, *
========

Hi *-

Thank you for the fast and detailed reply. From what I gather, no marketing or promotion is done at all for my domains – just generalized marketing for your website? That’s the same as Sedo and Afternic – or perhaps I’m missing something here. Are you making calls and pitches to potential buyers? Are you specifically mentioning specific domains for sale in your promotions?

Thanks! *
=========
Hello *,

Thank you for contacting us.

BrandBucket's 2015 sales topped $2.4 million with 801 names sold.That is an average sales price of nearly $3K. However, please keep in mind that we cannot guarantee a specific timeline for each name to sell. Unlike keyword name which have a tangible value, brandable names require the right buyer to come along and fall in love with the name. Though some of our names sell within weeks of being listed, and some take over 2 years. However, we do believe that we can sell your domains of this type faster (and for more money) than any other marketplace out there. You should also remember that the $10 listing fee will last for the entire duration of the listing regardless of the time it takes to sell.

We ask for exclusivity because we have worked hard to build relevant traffic, a strong base of repeat buyers, and we have a large marketing budget for advertising and partner programs. More than any other marketplace we are investing in getting your name sold. We have also seen many times that if a buyer sees a name for sale in more than one place on the web, a level of overall distrust is created and they walk away from purchasing the name at all (since many buyers are new to domain purchases, and they don't quite understand how multiple sites can all have the authority to sell one unique asset.)

Best, *
======
Hi -

I've been in the domain business for nearly 20 years, and thought I would
give you guys a try.

I've been using Sedo and Afternic for years with great success, and they are
worth the 10% - 15% commission. What specifically do you do to attract
buyers that warrants a triple commission plus listing fee plus an
exclusivity agreement?

Regards, *

 

[Candace]

(Venting)

My experience with

BB: I don't like the 30% commission or the exclusivity or the $10 listing fee, but I've had nothing but quick and great customer service from them. They answer emails relatively quickly and they are nothing but polite in my experience.

BR: To this day my account hasn't been fully created. I signed up, all info was received, they said they'd get back to me. I waited a couple of weeks (maybe 4 weeks) before they sent me an email letting me know that my account was created. But, when I tried to log in, I got an error message stating that I didn't have an account. Actually in hindsight maybe I do have an account because I was one of those who received about 70 emails from them a couple of weeks ago with other people's account info.

Namerific: I can't with their customer service. I received an email about 4 weeks ago letting me know that there was an offer on the one domain I had with them. After about 2-3 emails back and forth with them, I asked them to accept the offer. Then silence - I heard nothing back for two weeks; no updates, nothing. I sent an email, to which I got no response. Eventually, they contacted me to let me know that the first potential buyer never responded to their invoice, but that there was a second lower offer on the table. Again, after a series of back and forth, I've heard nothing back now for maybe another 10 days to two weeks. Maybe the 2nd buyer walked away as well and that's fine, but I've been trying to call and I've emailed them; they haven't responded. Moreover, they're almost never online, and they apparantly don't pick up the phones.

I'm not sure how BR and Namerific expect to compete with BB if they aren't as helpful or as professional as BB. They both need to get their acts together imo

(End Rant)

 

[Candace]

(Venting)

My experience with

BB: I don't like the 30% commission or the exclusivity or the $10 listing fee, but I've had nothing but quick and great customer service from them. They answer emails relatively quickly and they are nothing but polite in my experience.

BR: To this day my account hasn't been fully created. I signed up, all info was received, they said they'd get back to me. I waited a couple of weeks (maybe 4 weeks) before they sent me an email letting me know that my account was created. But, when I tried to log in, I got an error message stating that I didn't have an account. Actually in hindsight maybe I do have an account because I was one of those who received about 70 emails from them a couple of weeks ago with other people's account info.

Namerific: I can't with their customer service. I received an email about 4 weeks ago letting me know that there was an offer on the one domain I had with them. After about 2-3 emails back and forth with them, I asked them to accept the offer. Then silence - I heard nothing back for two weeks; no updates, nothing. I sent an email, to which I got no response. Eventually, they contacted me to let me know that the first potential buyer never responded to their invoice, but that there was a second lower offer on the table. Again, after a series of back and forth, I've heard nothing back now for maybe another 10 days to two weeks. Maybe the 2nd buyer walked away as well and that's fine, but I've been trying to call and I've emailed them; they haven't responded. Moreover, they're almost never online, and they apparantly don't pick up the phones.

I'm not sure how BR and Namerific expect to compete with BB if they aren't as helpful or as professional as BB. They both need to get their acts together imo

(End Rant)

@Brandroot @Namerific

 

[elmoakking]

I've been curious as of late on the marketing tactics of BB. I've a domain that was appraised, suggested, and posted for slightly over $7k with them. Now I'm approaching the 1 year mark of it sitting there and I've lost hope in it. Not because I'm impatient, but merely because it is so far buried that if they aren't pushing it then what is the point? I had received a similar response as one of the above posters had written... that BB "reached out to potential buyers directly, but this has typically only been done with high value domains." But I don't believe this has happened. I don't want to send this off topic, hijack or complain: so mods can definitely delete this if need be. Just was interested in this thread enough to finally post. Albeit several months since it's last posting. Just seeking another marketplace, if its recommended.