Optimizing Flippa Auctions

[Beezy]

I have a lot of questions and I'm curious about everyone's experiences and what has and hasn't worked for you personally.

OF COURSE, FIRST AND FOREMOST, YOUR NAME HAS TO BE GOOD. Moving on...

I watched the @Ali Zandi (link) and @this_username_was_banned (link) interviews on @DomainSherpa and read every post on here as well as the flippa blog.

I'll summarize some stuff from the Domain Sherpa vids:

Ali said (and correct me if I'm wrong):

• The best time for an auction to finish is on a Friday 3pm-ish eastern time?
• 30 day listings.
• No reserve will obviously get you the most action and probably lead to a bigger sale if it's a quality name.

I'm curious about the start/end dates that others have found to be successful.

If you're doing a Front Page Feature upgrade, when is the best time to do this? When are the most people actually viewing the front page? And when is there less competition so you will stay on the front page longer?

Twitter Upgrade - does this have any effect? I'm looking at their two twitter accounts and I don't even see listings being tweeted out. Are there more accounts I should be looking at?

Email to 150,000 subscribers upgrade - This is $149 and included in the $349 Ultra Premium bundle. Worth it? This seems to be a huge promotion - has it paid off for you sellers?

As far as body text goes in your listing, Ali has shown us what he does and I see it copied often. But else have you found that works that hooks buyers and convinces them that they need to have this domain?

On flippa, are you optimizing to sell to endusers or other domainers? Is it important to include information to appeal to both?

Where else can you promote your flippa listing outside of flippa? I see that domainshane.com includes flippa listings in his daily posts. Any other place?

Ok, I think I'm done for now. Thanks for any thoughts and ideas. Hopefully this discussion will be helpful for many.

 

[JudgeMind]

Some good summary, thanks

 

[Compassion]

My current auction may serve as a nice litmus test...

It is all the above things - except it ends on a Thursday.

One thing I'm doing that I feel is very important is finding potential bidders and directing them to the auction. I have sent out well over 100 messages to targeted buyers.

Each name is unique - posting in niche forums related to the domain may boost results on top of emailing targeted buyers.

If somehow you can orchestrate media mention like the shipyourenemiesglitter sale - then you increase exposure substantially - another tool...

 

[JudgeMind]

My current auction may serve as a nice litmus test...

It is all the above things - except it ends on a Thursday.

One thing I'm doing that I feel is very important is finding potential bidders and directing them to the auction. I have sent out well over 100 messages to targeted buyers.

Each name is unique - posting in niche forums related to the domain may boost results on top of emailing targeted buyers.

If somehow you can orchestrate media mention like the shipyourenemiesglitter sale - then you increase exposure substantially - another tool...

I'm assuming it's the name in your signature

 

[Compassion]

yes indeed

 

[discobull]

yes indeed

"BitCoin market cap is currently $5.155.520.38. That is right $billion$."

Am I mistaken, or is there a digit missing in that figure?

 

[S-B]

Thanks for the shout out!

I use the front page feature upgrade randomly throughout the week. I have noticed less traffic during the weekend even though you stay on the front page for longer.

I would not bother with the Twitter upgrade. I never noticed a big enough impact to justify the price.

The email upgrade is gold. I bought the super premium upgrade for ITMagazine.com and saw a surge of visitors after the email went out.

There are a variety of techniques used to sell a domain. I have run the standard and boring listings that you see plastered all over Flippa. You see them often because they do work.

However, I am convinced that there are better methods out there. I'm working on developing a system that (hopefully) will outperform what everyone is using. If you'd like to see one of my random tests click on the link in my signature.

When I pick my personal domains, I make sure they will resonate with the Flippa audience. This ensures you receive the highest bids. In my opinion, domainers are good for getting the bidding going but endusers are the people who push an auction to the top.

I don't do a whole lot of outreach for my own names. When I broker a domain and there is a clear enduser I use ZoomInfo.com. They are rather pricey but well worth the money.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

 

[johsnow]

What is the least number of watchers you had on a listing and still sold a domain? If a listing has over 200 views and no one is watching, with only a few days left until the end of an auction, does that mean that the domain is crap?

 

[S-B]

What is the least number of watchers you had on a listing and still sold a domain? If a listing has over 200 views and no one is watching, with only a few days left until the end of an auction, does that mean that the domain is crap?

I normally have over four thousand views and over a hundred watchers on my personal domains.

I've noticed a 10% conversion rate, so to speak. 10% of viewers will watch the auction and 10% of watchers will bid on an auction.

Unfortunately, if a domain does not have any watchers you are likely selling something that does not resonate with the audience.

 

[Beezy]

There is no domaining in prison.

Thanks for the shout out!

I use the front page feature upgrade randomly throughout the week. I have noticed less traffic during the weekend even though you stay on the front page for longer.

I would not bother with the Twitter upgrade. I never noticed a big enough impact to justify the price.

The email upgrade is gold. I bought the super premium upgrade for ITMagazine.com and saw a surge of visitors after the email went out.

There are a variety of techniques used to sell a domain. I have run the standard and boring listings that you see plastered all over Flippa. You see them often because they do work.

However, I am convinced that there are better methods out there. I'm working on developing a system that (hopefully) will outperform what everyone is using. If you'd like to see one of my random tests click on the link in my signature.

When I pick my personal domains, I make sure they will resonate with the Flippa audience. This ensures you receive the highest bids. In my opinion, domainers are good for getting the bidding going but endusers are the people who push an auction to the top.

I don't do a whole lot of outreach for my own names. When I broker a domain and there is a clear enduser I use ZoomInfo.com. They are rather pricey but well worth the money.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

Ha! Two nights ago I got the email entitled "New listings from Almost Inc on Flippa" and then I see "There is no domaining in prison." WTF? Insta-click to see what it's all about. Reading that listing was definitely disorienting for the first time, but I've seen people attach fictional stories to ebay items before and it worked really well.

Looks like you got some good bids out of the gate too

Any insight about how the Editor's Choice things works? And being a super seller, how much communication do you have with flippa staff?

Just really trying to understand the platform as well as I can. If anything we cover here even leads to me getting 5-10% more profits, I'm very happy with that result.

Thank again!

 

[S-B]

There is no domaining in prison.

Ha! Two nights ago I got the email entitled "New listings from Almost Inc on Flippa" and then I see "There is no domaining in prison." WTF? Insta-click to see what it's all about. Reading that listing was definitely disorienting for the first time, but I've seen people attach fictional stories to ebay items before and it worked really well.

Looks like you got some good bids out of the gate too

Any insight about how the Editor's Choice things works? And being a super seller, how much communication do you have with flippa staff?

Just really trying to understand the platform as well as I can. If anything we cover here even leads to me getting 5-10% more profits, I'm very happy with that result.

Thank again!

Lol! It was definitely designed to be click-bait. No question about it.

Editors choice is quite random. You can't just email them and ask to be included. They try to pick some of the best ones...

Flippa staff is responsive and helpful.

@FlippaDomains is an active participant here. I'm sure he would be happy to explain things to you. Since I am not an employee of Flippa, there is only so much I know.

 

[discobull]

I have a couple of basic questions about Flippa auctions:

1) Do they extend their auctions when there are last minute bids?

2) If someone posts a negative comment on your listing ( eg "your domain sucks ass" ), can you have that comment removed? Better yet, can you have the commenter executed? :D

 

[Beezy]

My current auction may serve as a nice litmus test...

It is all the above things - except it ends on a Thursday.

One thing I'm doing that I feel is very important is finding potential bidders and directing them to the auction. I have sent out well over 100 messages to targeted buyers.

Each name is unique - posting in niche forums related to the domain may boost results on top of emailing targeted buyers.

If somehow you can orchestrate media mention like the shipyourenemiesglitter sale - then you increase exposure substantially - another tool...

Yeah, i'm really interested in seeing how yours turns out. I have similar domains (different vertical) that i'd like to sell there. Good luck.

 

[S-B]

I have a couple of basic questions about Flippa auctions:

1) Do they extend their auctions when there are last minute bids?

2) If someone posts a negative comment on your listing ( eg "your domain sucks ass" ), can you have that comment removed? Better yet, can you have the commenter executed? :D

1.) Yes, the auction gets extended to 1 hour.

2.) You are able to delete comments on your own listings.

Yeah, i'm really interested in seeing how yours turns out. I have similar domains (different vertical) that i'd like to sell there. Good luck.

Feel free to PM me a list. I'll be happy to give you some advice.

 

[FlippaDomains]

• The best time for an auction to finish is on a Friday 3pm-ish eastern time?
  • [Kev's edit -- I tell sellers that, generally, Tuesday through Thursday is best; end time (hour) is tricky, but I'd say between EST business hours. If the domain is sought-after, it will be on most buyers' radars so end-hour is less consequential.]
• 30 day listings.
  • [Kev's edit -- I used to implore sellers to do 30 day listings. Now I actually think, if you are able to bring enough buyers to the table -- which I know is no easy feat -- even a 7-10 day auction should suffice. Especially if there is a reserve price: if an auction needs more time to close a buyer, you can negotiate post auction or relist -- for free*. If you're doing $1 reserve auctions, aka No Reserve, then 30 days is probably just as good if not better an option to get all the eyeballs you can. I'd personally settle somewhere between 10-20 days].
• No reserve will obviously get you the most action and probably lead to a bigger sale if it's a quality name.
  • [Kev's edit -- Yes. Buyers are filtering for these now, due to being able to sort via our "Reserve Met" section]

Email to 150,000 subscribers upgrade - This is $149 and included in the $349 Ultra Premium bundle. Worth it? This seems to be a huge promotion - has it paid off for you sellers?

On flippa, are you optimizing to sell to endusers or other domainers? Is it important to include information to appeal to both?

Where else can you promote your flippa listing outside of flippa? I see that domainshane.com includes flippa listings in his daily posts. Any other place?

• [Kev's edit -- See my answers on these below]

One thing I'm doing that I feel is very important is finding potential bidders and directing them to the auction. I have sent out well over 100 messages to targeted buyers.

• This is by far one of the best things you can do, and it's not spoken of enough (I am urging my team to tell anyone who will listen -- bringing active buyers or even potential leads to an auction will make the difference, especially if it's brandable in nature or something only 1-2 people might find interesting in a given sales cycle).

The email upgrade is gold. I bought the super premium upgrade for ITMagazine.com and saw a surge of visitors after the email went out.[/QUOTE]

• It can work wonders, but is not for every domain. We get submissions for inventory that wouldn't connect with our audience no matter the price. If you ever have any doubts, email [email protected] to discuss. I'd rather you pass on paying for an upgrade, than do so with a crap domain and give up on the platform altogether. There's a lot more involved in this process, and we're here to assist.

I don't do a whole lot of outreach for my own names. When I broker a domain and there is a clear enduser I use ZoomInfo.com. They are rather pricey but well worth the money.

• End-user outreach is something we hope to be able to assist our sellers with in the future. As stated above, it's one of the most important things you can do to ensure there are as many interested bidders as possible. Someone mentioned DomainShane above. He and his partner Aaron are awesome to work with; our sellers have also worked with Raymond at TLD Investors; and some have utilized Domaining.com's sponsored headlines. There are no guarantees, but I have seen all of these options help. To each his own...

What is the least number of watchers you had on a listing and still sold a domain? If a listing has over 200 views and no one is watching, with only a few days left until the end of an auction, does that mean that the domain is crap?

• My general rule of thumb is, if something is priced well, it will attract bids. I see things sell (regular listings, no extra promotion attached) all the time with 20, 40, 60+ bids -- meaning, the good domains tend to cut through the clutter, no matter the level of exposure. That said, more exposure means just that, and generally correlates to more bids and a higher sales price.
• Another "most important" thing is lowering expectations. As a seller, if you have a $5,000 price in mind and can't get bids past $20 at auction, your expectations are too high. I count myself as one of these people, at least in the past, by the way. But I have seen countless sellers start high, and then after a few relisting attempts, settle on a sales price at where the market suggests.

I normally have over four thousand views and over a hundred watchers on my personal domains.

• Shane, like Ali and others, has done a very effective job of drumming-up a following of watchers and buyers. After a certain point, and I'd like to say 75-100+ watchers of a seller's account, there seems to be a tipping point whereby repeat buyers get involved and foster a continuity of growth for that seller. My main aim is to be able to develop the tools or know-how for every seller to have that opportunity, but in the end it will come down to the same thing: good inventory and effective pricing by way of realistic expectations. If one had the cajones to list everything at $1 reserve, it would take no more than 20 consecutive auctions to garner a pretty great following...I like the idea of free (regular) listings for $1 reserve auctions. Thoughts?

Unfortunately, if a domain does not have any watchers you are likely selling something that does not resonate with the audience.

• In most cases, I would agree; see above. That said, sometimes it takes a few relistings. *Free Relist promotion extended through March. We're eyeing whether to keep this alive indefinitely, so feedback is welcome.

Any insight about how the Editor's Choice things works? And being a super seller, how much communication do you have with flippa staff?

Editors choice is quite random. You can't just email them and ask to be included. They try to pick some of the best ones...

• I and my team oversee Editors' Choice. We try to populate it with a myriad of choices, from $1 reserve auctions (but ones we feel will resonate with our buyers) to high-end properties as well. Generally speaking, if you have to ask for EC selection, you won't get it. It's the most selective thing on Flippa at the moment, and is curated by our Editors. Just stating this simply so no one will be pissed off in the future!

Just really trying to understand the platform as well as I can. If anything we cover here even leads to me getting 5-10% more profits, I'm very happy with that result.

• That should be doable. Feel free to PM or jot a note to [email protected] (reference myself or Devoir), so we can assist directly.

• Thanks; we certainly work our asses off trying to be. In one weird case, referenced on another thread, someone was pinging Customer Support for weeks until we figured out that his email address was blacklisted and nothing was coming through. Usually the response time is less than 4-6 hours. For domains, since we're a smaller team, it depends on the inquiry and who it goes to - but emailing [email protected] will get you sorted faster than if you emailed me directly. My inbox is post-apocalyptic.

1) Do they extend their auctions when there are last minute bids?

• Yes, within the final hour, each bid extends the auction by...an hour. Too long? Too short? We're hoping to adjust this down the track. Since we would have to keep congruent with the rest of the marketplace (i.e. websites and apps), it may not change at all. But I'm open to feedback on this. I personally feel 15-30 minutes is a better interval of time.

2) If someone posts a negative comment on your listing ( eg "your domain sucks ass" ), can you have that comment removed? Better yet, can you have the commenter executed? :D

• We don't supply you with hitmen (imagine the upgrade cost!), but we will remove the comment should you request it - and should the CS team deem it worthy of removal. We don't like to censor, but if someone is derogatory and not adding to the discussion, it's a no brainer. Consider it the same as @NamePros. Comment moderation is something we're exploring as well.

 

[FlippaDomains]

Formatting is all weird above. Make sure to click all the shadowed boxes for all my answers, some of which are buried inside others (sorry).

 

[discobull]

@FlippaDomains wrote:

"We don't supply you with hitmen (imagine the upgrade cost!)"

One word: Fiverr.