Thanks for your feedback, everyone. Since the last post, we've redesigned the homepage, breaking the site down by product, and we'll be redesigning the product pages next. Many suggestions (or gripes, etc) will be dealt with in this v2 of the revamp, which is coming due soon.
To address some of your recent comments here:
...Ali and the gang of favorites, who are always getting the top spots and "editor's choice" places for free, helping them to sell their domains higher and build big watchers lists.
yeah was wondering why the sales in flippa seems to be decreasing and about why its always the same few people having their auctions spammed at the top
1. Flippa Platform is biased in favour of super sellers. Whatever crap domains they list, they get Editor Choice tag.
Would like to see some evidence based data on your observations above please.
@DotDigi I'd like to see this, as well. We've recently changed visibility so that Editor's Choice and Brokered listings are no longer weighted at the top. Right now, as far as I can see,
the default arrangement is weighted much more favorably to newly listed (premium shown first) auctions.
@sam roy Can you or anyone else
please visit the current slate of Editor's Choice auctions and tell me these are crap? If you have names on par with these, I'll gladly denote them as Ed. Choice.
As a buyer you'd have to devote hours to sifting through crappy domain names in hopes of finding a decent one.
If you don't want to search by Most Active, Ed. Choice, Reserve Met --
I highly recommend utilizing ENDING SOON -- you can pour through 24 hours' worth of ending auctions relatively quickly. I recommend using the iOS / Android app to do this, as well.
On the other hand, the problem you'll find at marketplaces with quality control is the insane amount of time it takes for someone to say yay or nay.
Last year, it was "just me"
@FlippaDomains, but we're growing rapidly. I have spearheaded the effort to revamp Curation and eventually we'll have full-time domain experts at the helm doing just what you're recommending...
Flippa does have its own unique set of functional problems that I've brought to their attention multiple times. Like for example when you reg a new domain and go to list it there and you can't because the previous owner had it listed there, and in the year 2015 "Flippa logic" isn't capable of querying a whois database and recognizing that not only has the email address of the registrant changed, but the new address happens to match mine, which would, not wanting to jump to factually-based conclusions, suggest that I'm the owner of this domain name now because my email address happens to be the same as the one in the whois database, which in itself might prove that I'm the owner of the domain name...and might be be cause for allowing me to list it there.
Verification is a massive issue we're working to improve. I hear you on this. Your code snippet is cool and I'll look into it. But also see just below.
And then when I contact Flippa and ask them to remove the listing so I can list the domain name I now own and pay them $9 for an auction listing, I don't hear back from them. To date Flippa has lost $27 in revenue ($9 x 3) because I couldn't list domains I had purchased there, since they were already listed. They'll send me emails making me confirm that I'm the owner, and after I've confirmed that I'm the owner, and have met the criteria Flippa has set to prove my ownership, they'll deny me.
If you seriously haven't heard back from someone, then that is a systematic failure that we need to know about. Our CS agents respond usually within 8 hours. We've had some turnover recently, and while that is no excuse, not notifying myself or anyone publicly about this lack of response (until this thread, which I realize I'm a month late in finding) simply prolongs the ability to help you. Please send me the support ticket number(s) and I'll personally assist.
...no matter how often I mention it to Flippa, or how derogatory I make it, Flippa still fails to do anything about it. !
Again, where / when / how are you bringing these things to our attention? I remember speaking with you at some juncture, but it's not fresh in my mind. Don't take that personally, I speak with too many people, but you should always feel free to reach out directly if these kinds of queries are going unanswered. (that said, though - documentation on where you submitted these inquiries would be great to know for reference)
1. Flippa Platform is biased in favour of super sellers. Whatever crap domains they list, they get Editor Choice tag.
2. Shill bidding is rampant. I suspect many super sellers are doing it too. The admin seems not unaware of it but admin is not doing anything.
4. the $9 listing is good but opportunity to relist unlimited times, is harming flippa.
5. There is no goodies/incentives to attract new sellers.
6. The Flippa admin seems to be compromising the great Platform with their greed for more money, which is intact harming the site.
Flippa is still one of the best places and it is not too late to revive it.
I addressed #1.
#2 Is an ongoing problem (everywhere) -- but we've had a massive decrease in this since we've beefed up our Marketplace Integrity squads, as well as automated methods to address and boot members engaging in shadiness.
#4 is something we're also looking into. It allows "crap" to go unchecked, and remain perpetually "live" at auction until sold. I don't have a magic fix for this yet, but we are aware of the double-edged sword we created...
#5 ~ We provide credits to all new sellers who qualify, but see below (*)
#6 ~ Also see (*) below.
Well, the simple logic is quality over quantity. This is free market, quantity always supercedes quality. Quantity is what pays the bills and has returns. Is quality really a metric for company? Someone wants to list their crap for $9, we (company) do not have a problem.
Also keep in mind, crap names do sell. I or you would not buy them but someone will. So why to exclude the crap names. It is for the buyer to decide what to buy. I would also say that crap names make good names shine out more!
* = I actually hate crap -- and have been instructing my team, if a newbie writes in asking for advice, to tell them to list their "crap" in the (free) portfolio section. I rather trade $9 for a Success Fee on a successful sale so everyone's happy. Expect to see more of this curation / account assistance as we grow.
I think they need to be far more clear on what you will likely get with the upgrades. With upgrades like home page listing, i was never aware it was just for a day or whatever it is. This type of info needs to be much clearer imo.
That's something we're working on, currently.
I have to disagree with the word "steer" there.
The $9 is just to list the auction. You have to do the steering and get it some attention in that scenario. Depending on how good you are at promotions, you may not need an upgrade.
Lastly, this is really the kicker -- If you have a terrible domain name, nothing will help you sell it in all likelihood. But if you have an OK or decent one, YOU need to drive buyers to the auction. Otherwise, it will get overlooked, see as there are better domains out there.
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