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?

 

[London555]

The Domain names i sold at brandbucket was M/e/d/r/i/n/a, s/c/o/n/s/o,
T/o/u/r/a/l/a and X/o/u/r/a . These Domains i mentioned are sold before 2 years. Yes the conversion rate was huge in 2012-2013. But things changed a lot when Brandbucket expanded the Marketplace. Rest of my Domains get buried on that vast list of Domain names., so i shifted the rest of brandbucket listed domains to brandroot now.

Hi and thanks for the post-Brandbucket has i think now 14,000 names-how many might BrandRoot have-any idea? Thank you

 

[DNScholar]

Based on thread discussion It seems best brandable marketplaces are BrandBucket and BrandRoot. But they take long time to select and list domains.

 

[London555]

My biggest issue with Namerrific is the lack of a bulk submission tool. I have hundreds of pure brandables and the time required to submit individually is onerous. I do have a few names listed there, but no sales. I'd sure like to have more.
BrandRoot I gave up on long ago due to their submission process and serious lack of feedback. I like their platform, I like their advertising commitment, but the lack of a simple acknowledgement is very unprofessional.

BrandBucket is clearly the segment leader at this time. Yes, the number of domains is a concern. But they have an advertising budget and a track record of selling domains. Their communication on all levels is very good, and they are always willing to take a second look at rejections or logo problems. If there is any criticism it is the inconsistent time to approve/reject names, but I can live with it.

BrandRoot is exceptionally unprofessional in their no response attitude to submissions. I dont even both with them anymore-a real waste of time. Mike at Namerific is too busy traveling the world and posting pictures on Twitter so that leaves you with BrandBucket if you're serious about these types of names.

 

[Justin Matmor]

imo Brandbucket by a country mile.

 

[Chris Hydrick]

Namerific 'non-exclusive'? That's funny. My acceptance rate at Namerific was about 3% and I had to wait as long as a month or more to get my domains reviewed. I don't call that non-exclusive.

Keith, I say this with all due respect, but I add this because I don't think you understand the definition of nonexclusive.

That means, because Namerific is nonexclusive, that I could have sold my 1 BrandBucket sale this year via WHOIS directly to the buyer without $XXX in fees. How do I know the buyer didn't find the domain on it's own? Namerific is the only brandable marketplace where I can opt to sell this domain via WHOIS and it's not against their ToS.

Let's not be naive. Some BrandBucket sellers get contacted via WHOIS and decide to undercut the marketplace. I know several loyal brandbucket sellers who have done this and not felt bad one bit because they believed the domain would have sold itself regardless of BrandBucket. I asked some of you for advice when I was contacted via WHOIS and the advice given was they did. It would have been nice to cut BB out, but I adhere to the ToS even though I disagree with their policies. It's unfair for those who play by the rules, to receive scrutiny for promoting change, by those who play by a differnt set of rules.

I am not saying you don't play by the rules Keith. All I know about you or your perks is that you've written for BrandBucket's blog before and that during your first year of BrandBucket you benefited significantly by the voting system and the free listing fee's it rewarded you for training that helped give you a better feel for made up brandables. Were there many keyword domains in there? I remember mostly made up brandable domains.

 

[Chris Hydrick]

My point was that in terms of acceptance and publication Namerific is just as exclusive as any other marketplace.

Thanks for clarifying your point. The domains that were accepted for free, I assume they also provided you with a logo and description. This is the point of the policy I'm trying to promote. They're confident enough to approve your domain for free.

They have a lean marketplace, they have to be selective of what gets accepted for free. If your domain, and type in traffic has value, they reward you accordingly. If they don't sell it in the first year, then it becomes a pay to play game if you don't think the domain will sell anywhere, and decide to renew it anyways to give it another year at Namerific, Sedo, Afternic, Flippa BIN, and more :D

 

[Chris Hydrick]

Mike at Namerific is too busy traveling the world and posting pictures on Twitter so that leaves you with BrandBucket if you're serious about these types of names.

Namerific has more than just Mike running their marketplace. Let's give them a chance and see what comes from it... At $0 investment for premium domains, what's the risk?

Based on thread discussion It seems best brandable marketplaces are BrandBucket and BrandRoot. But they take long time to select and list domains.

It's a marathon, not a race. IMO, Namerific is the marketplace of the future because they don't lock you down to selling exclusively on their marketplace nor do they charge listing fee's for premium domains.

Great thread @muttus ... Following!

Namerific - They are currently my favorite brandable marketplace due to their progressive policies. I can list with all marketplaces. They are not exclusive. They do free listing fee's for my premium domains. For the domains they estimate will need extra help selling, they discount my initial listing fee because I forward my domains.

BrandRoot: 1 of 24 domains sold in the last 3 months. I would like to list more with BrandRoot, but after feeling ripped off by BrandBucket, I am hesitant to invest in $10 listing fee's. I'm waiting to hear more about their designer/domainer and paid renewal program.

BB: They were the original marketplace, and a company I once placed a lot of faith in based off of the communities support, and their best sellers / managing director @michaeljkrell reported sales. A few months ago my issues were minor. They failed to fix the hole in their leaking ship, and now I'm coming at them like a wrecking ball... see links in my signature for more.

 

[Chris Hydrick]

@Grilled May I know why you disliked this post ?

Absolutely I was asked this same question by another member this morning, so thank you for asking, and allowing me to clarify the dislike. I'm short on time, and have already discussed this via private conversation.

It's Saturday, and a beautiful day in Minnesota, so allow me to copy and paste an exert of something I wrote earlier today.

**Correction to the screenshot. BrandRoot is exclusive. Namerific is NonExclusive**

I'll be happy to answer any questions :D

 

[Chris Hydrick]

lol I dont know if you explained anything there but it is ok and ahead we move

My point is I support marketplaces who's policies and transparency I agree with most. If NR likes your name enough, they'll spend their resources writing a description and create a logo for free without asking for exclusivity in return.

In order for businesses with better practices to thrive in a industry, I believe competition needs to respect these companies accordingly. There are of course other technical factors to consider, and that's when, I believe size of marketplace and dilution by insiders should be looked into when the only route of selling an exclusively listed domain is through the company who double dips through charging listing fee's for some and with commission fee's higher than major marketplaces such as AfterNic and Sedo.

 

[Keith DeBoer]

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

 

[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?

 

[Chris Hydrick]

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?​

 

[Chris Hydrick]

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...

 

[Chris Hydrick]

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...

 

[Chris Hydrick]

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.

 

[Chris Hydrick]

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.

 

[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

 

[Brandworthy]

that BB "reached out to potential buyers directly, but this has typically only been done with high value domains."

I think their outbound marketing efforts focus on their marketplace, not their individual domains. I suppose it's possible they do outbound for high value names, but doubt $7K USD fits that bill.

FWIW I don't see you doing much better on either of the other 2 mentioned marketplaces, although I would not list on Namerific. You might be best served using your own lander and trying to do your own outreach. Depends on the name really.

 

[elmoakking]

I think their outbound marketing efforts focus on their marketplace, not their individual domains. I suppose it's possible they do outbound for high value names, but doubt $7K USD fits that bill.

FWIW I don't see you doing much better on either of the other 2 mentioned marketplaces, although I would not list on Namerific. You might be best served using your own lander and trying to do your own outreach. Depends on the name really.

Thanks Brandworthy. I have been looking into reaching out on my own this time around or just turning it into a site myself and pushing my social media marketing experience into it.

(Don't know if I can put the domain in so Mods delete this if need be) The name is poiboi (dot) com, which I've grown rather fond of as of late, thus my idea to just build a presence behind it and go from there. I appreciate your comment and thoughts my friend.

 

[elmoakking]

How did you determine that this domain name has high value? Does it have a high number of type-ins, or is the poi business booming?

Thanks for your response WebInceptions. I am merely going off of BrandBuckets suggested value and sell price.

 

[elmoakking]

Does this name has any other meaning? I couldn't find any reason to value it over $7K. if this name was submitted today 90% chance it would have been rejected, rest 10% chance it would have been accepted but with a price tag of $1595 to $1995.

The name is probably good but not worth $7K valuation unless I'm really missing something. Maybe you can let us know.

Thanks for your thoughts sweetdomains. I will be brutally honest when I say I had never thought about brandable domains when I was just randomly typing in domain ideas a year ago on my hosting site. I happened upon this one and figured I'd register it since it was available. I was going to build a dropship site behind it with men's clothing/jeans, but moved onto social media marketing/promotions instead. For fun, I'll admit, I submitted it to BrandBucket and that is what they appraised and suggested so I left it as is with that number. Now that I'm thinking of doing something with it or just setting up my own lander and maybe outreaching on my own, it is very good to hear all of your thoughts on it as I admit I am a complete novice to domains alone.

 

[imadoer]

I've had a sales at 3 venues this year brandbucket Namerific and BrandDo.

Nr was the easiest process.

However nr have been taking ages on descriptions and logos recently.

How many brandable domains have you had on each platform this year?

 

[Simon Taylor]

Low numbers
Right now
38(7 to list) bb
19 (21 to list) nr
~6 bd

 

[varmuk]

^^^^^^^^^

 

[Man D]

Namerific 'non-exclusive'? That's funny. My acceptance rate at Namerific was about 3% and I had to wait as long as a month or more to get my domains reviewed. I don't

@Keith DeBoer Please PM your portfolio with asking price