Sedo.com - Official Thread

[Sedo]

Hi All! :hi:

By request, we've decided to start a thread dedicated to Sedo. We're looking for invaluable insight into what domainers want and need out of our parking program (and marketplace, of course).

Questions, comments, suggestions, tips are welcome! We're hoping this will be a great discussion about what works at Sedo and what might not (please be constructive and respectful to others in your feedback) so that everyone involved can benefit and learn from it.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas! Happy Holidays!

Always,
Keith
(on behalf of Sedo)

 

[carob]

One of my domains sold recently on Afternic, and I didn't immediately remove it from Sedo. It sold again through Sedo, and I informed them right away that the domain was no longer available. I spoke with Sedo support by phone and was told it wouldn’t be a problem.

Then I received this message via email:



Sedo gave the buyer my personal contact information and effectively encouraged them to consider legal action against me. At the same time, they implied they might pursue legal or financial action me as well.

The tone here is way out of proportion for an honest mistake—especially after I thought it was already resolved.

This has me seriously reconsidering whether I want to continue doing business with Sedo.

@Sedo, if you're reading this: encouraging legal action against your own sellers and disclosing their private contact information over an honest mistake is shameful. This should never happen.

Be better.

I believe this is consistent with their ToS - and last time I looked, they said they could demand that seller pay them the commission on a sale where seller did not deliver. Sedo see themselves as a facilitator arranging a contract between buyer and seller - so they can sidestep responsibility for non-delivery or non-payment.

It is pretty unlikely, not to mention challenging, that a disappointed buyer would take legal action - where would it take place? In any case, Sedo disclose seller info on the invoice after payment is received.

I think that is probably automated boilerpoint text you received - I received similar info as buyer the times seller failed to deliver, mentioning the possibility of me taking legal action against the seller - clearly to steer my frustration away from Sedo. They can if they want ban such sellers but in practice that does not happen.

 

[DomainRecap]

never heard of that policy

It's always been there as far as I can tell.

Whenever the buyer manually transfers the domain I get the following notice:

We have sent a request to the buyer to confirm within the next 5 days if the transfer as well as the owner change have been completed correctly, and if they have full control of the domain.
If we don't receive a reply from the buyer within 5 days, we will be able to close the transaction and release your payment.

Of course, Sedo never receives this mythical confirmation , so I have to wait 5 days to get paid. At least that's how it's been in the past, and I don't expect it to change this time.

 

[Bearded Goat]

I have never heard of that policy either. The only time I have problems and have to wait it is because of domains at godaddy. If the name is at dynadot or name.com they take the push and pay. Often same day.

I appreciate that they try to keep the market clean. They at least delete names that are no longer owned. Afternic does not do this. Tons of unregistered names are listed.

 

[DomainRecap]

If the name is at dynadot or name.com they take the push and pay. Often same day.

Sure, but for the other 99% of registrars in the world, they don't do this, and enact a mythical and unattainable 5-day waiting period for the buyer to supposedly respond.

It's not the end of the world, this policy just slipped my mind because I don't consistently do business with Sedo.

On Atom for example, they use automated systems to check WHOIS and confirm the domain has been moved to the buyer's stated registrar, then release the money.

 

[DomainBanana]

I believe this is consistent with their ToS - and last time I looked, they said they could demand that seller pay them the commission on a sale where seller did not deliver. Sedo see themselves as a facilitator arranging a contract between buyer and seller - so they can sidestep responsibility for non-delivery or non-payment.

It is pretty unlikely, not to mention challenging, that a disappointed buyer would take legal action - where would it take place? In any case, Sedo disclose seller info on the invoice after payment is received.

I think that is probably automated boilerpoint text you received - I received similar info as buyer the times seller failed to deliver, mentioning the possibility of me taking legal action against the seller - clearly to steer my frustration away from Sedo. They can if they want ban such sellers but in practice that does not happen.

Thanks for the context — I agree that Sedo technically covers themselves in their ToS, but that doesn’t excuse the way they handle situations like this.

This wasn’t just boilerplate; it was a deliberate design choice to deflect blame onto the seller by:

• Sharing personal contact details without consent,
• Explicitly inviting the buyer to consider legal action,
• And threatening commission collection on a canceled deal—even when the error was already acknowledged and discussed by phone.

Yes, Sedo acts as a facilitator, but they still control the tone and intent of their communications. Other platforms like Afternic manage the same kinds of situations with far more professionalism—no threats, no privacy violations, and no finger-pointing.

So while Sedo may be "within their rights" legally, their response was ethically out of bounds and speaks volumes about how they treat the people who bring inventory to their platform.

 

[fardomai]

• Sharing personal contact details without consent,
• Explicitly inviting the buyer to consider legal action,
• And threatening commission collection on a canceled deal—even when the error was already acknowledged and discussed by phone.

FYI, Sedo makes both parties' details available in the 'Purchase and Sales Agreement' regardless if either party fails to complete the transaction or not. Dan also used to do it before it was acquired.

Sometimes, without even completing the payment, a buyer can choose to pay via wire transfer. Once selected, the domain is taken off the market, and the seller's information is shared with the buyer. If the buyer fails to send the wire transfer, they win your information ...

In your case, I think you should put yourself in the position of Sedo and the buyer. If the buyer paid via PayPal, the original PayPal fee is not returned to Sedo when the money is refunded to the buyer, so Sedo loses money in a canceled transaction.
I think the same with card payments.

If the buyer paid using a currency other than USD, EUR, or GBP (depending on your Sedo sale currency), they may lose money due to exchange rate fluctuations in the event of a refund. This has happened to me multiple times.

Errors can occur, but they come at a cost.

 

[Bearded Goat]

Afternic manage the same kinds of situations with far more professionalism—no threats, no privacy violations, and no finger-pointing.

I guess you could say it that way. They basically do not care if non owners list other people's domains. They do not care that thousands of unregistered names are listed. They do not encourage sellers to maintain their portfolios. There is rarely a day that goes by where I can list something without having to place the verification tag.

 

[DomainBanana]

FYI, Sedo makes both parties' details available in the 'Purchase and Sales Agreement' regardless if either party fails to complete the transaction or not. Dan also used to do it before it was acquired.

Sometimes, without even completing the payment, a buyer can choose to pay via wire transfer. Once selected, the domain is taken off the market, and the seller's information is shared with the buyer. If the buyer fails to send the wire transfer, they win your information ...

In your case, I think you should put yourself in the position of Sedo and the buyer. If the buyer paid via PayPal, the original PayPal fee is not returned to Sedo when the money is refunded to the buyer, so Sedo loses money in a canceled transaction.
I think the same with card payments.

If the buyer paid using a currency other than USD, EUR, or GBP (depending on your Sedo sale currency), they may lose money due to exchange rate fluctuations in the event of a refund. This has happened to me multiple times.

Errors can occur, but they come at a cost.

Appreciate the added details, and I understand that cancellations can incur minor costs, especially with payment processing or currency conversion. But let’s not lose sight of the larger issue:


This isn’t about Sedo quietly eating a PayPal fee. This is about Sedo:

• Sharing my personal contact information with a buyer without prior consent;
• Explicitly suggesting legal action as an option to the buyer;
• Threatening to pursue commission themselves—even after I had already spoken to support and the situation was acknowledged as a mistake.

I get that they include contact details in the Purchase & Sales Agreement—but there’s a world of difference between structured disclosures after a confirmed transaction and proactively handing out seller info while nudging the buyer toward legal threats.


It’s also worth noting: other platforms (like Afternic) face the same operational realities—yet they don’t respond this way. They resolve listing errors with professionalism and without putting their sellers at risk.


So yes, errors can come at a cost. But Sedo’s approach turns those costs into punitive threats. That’s not good policy—it’s bad judgment.

 

[DomainBanana]

I guess you could say it that way. They basically do not care if non owners list other people's domains. They do not care that thousands of unregistered names are listed. They do not encourage sellers to maintain their portfolios. There is rarely a day that goes by where I can list something without having to place the verification tag.

Yes, Afternic could do more to verify ownership and clean up inactive listings. But when it comes to how they treat actual sellers when something goes wrong, their approach is night and day compared to Sedo’s.

I manage a large portfolio—thousands of names across multiple platforms. When you're working at that scale, occasional listing errors are inevitable. What matters is how the platform responds.

When I forgot to remove a name that had just sold elsewhere, Afternic didn’t share my personal info with the buyer, didn’t encourage legal action, and didn’t threaten to pursue a commission. They simply canceled the deal and moved on professionally.

Sedo, on the other hand, responded to an acknowledged mistake with legal threats and privacy breaches. That’s not about verification—it’s about trust, tone, and seller treatment.

 

[Bearded Goat]

It is wonderful that you have love for afternic. Remove your names from sedo and tell them they lost your business. Maybe they will make changes.

 

[SpareDomains]

Damn, it's been a while since I sold a domain at Sedo, so I totally forgot about their mandatory 5-day waiting period for funds to be released. (insert groan here)

I've pushed domains at sedo and wire in the bank the next day more than once.

 

[NameGroove]

I bought a name on Sedo and in the transfer center I see certain language about not making it public. All I'm allowed to do is change from a + or a -

Does anyone know what these mean? Would plus mean it won't (or will) be made public? @Sedo ? Is there a fee to keep it private?

 

[fardomai]

? Is there a fee to keep it private?

https://sedo.com/us/what-we-offer/price-list/

 

[NameGroove]

Show attachment 277255

https://sedo.com/us/what-we-offer/price-list/

Yes, I thought I recalled that. Since I do not want to pay an add'l 2.5%, which do I keep, the + or the -?

 

[fardomai]

Yes, I thought I recalled that. Since I do not want to pay an add'l 2.5%, which do I keep, the + or the -?

I think the '+' or '-' is meant to hide that notification or something. You can also find it in other notifications, such as 'Payment received,' if you already paid.

I had the same 'This transaction will not be made public.' message a month ago for a domain I bought, and I didn’t pay any extra. This was obviously opted for and paid by the seller.

 

[NameGroove]

I think the '+' or '-' is meant to hide that notification or something. You can also find it in other notifications, such as 'Payment received,' if you already paid.

I had the same 'This transaction will not be made public.' message a month ago for a domain I bought, and I didn’t pay any extra. This was obviously opted for and paid by the seller.

Ahhh, so it shows because the seller wanted it. Fine by me.

 

[DreamS]

Why did Sedo stop responding to messages? Two days ago, I received the transfer code and started the initialization, and in the chat, I asked if the seller has the ability to approve the transfer but received no response. I asked several times and am simply being ignored.

 

[cooljub]

I asked if the seller has the ability to approve the transfer

Hi,
In my experience Sedo ask this as a matter of course. Dependent upon whether the seller has this option, the time from purchase to the name being transferred can vary. My last one was 12 days but it transferred successfully.

 

[NameGroove]

Why did Sedo stop responding to messages? Two days ago, I received the transfer code and started the initialization, and in the chat, I asked if the seller has the ability to approve the transfer but received no response. I asked several times and am simply being ignored.

Sedo responds, it just takes them forever. I recently bought a name and paid a 3% "express transfer fee". 72 hours later still waiting for the name. There is nothing "express" about Sedo

 

[fardomai]

Sedo responds, it just takes them forever. I recently bought a name and paid a 3% "express transfer fee". 72 hours later still waiting for the name. There is nothing "express" about Sedo

In practice, the 'express transfer fee' has nothing to do with express/quick transfer. It needs to be called 'express payment.'
The 3% extra is mandatory for around $500+ transactions if you choose to pay by card or PayPal, so it seems they’re just encouraging buyers to pay via wire for 'large' transactions, due to chargebacks ...