Sedo Favoritism?

[The Domainiac]

I have noticed something disturbing at Sedo that I feel like complaining about. A few of my domains that I have parked at Sedo I have submitted for Top Domain listings and have had denied. Granted, some of the domains are probably not worthy but there is one I feel is definitely Top Domain worthy. The domain in question is DineInRestaurants.com.

How is it that my domain gets denied but domains like corporatecondos.com, computerspeakers.com, and accepts.com get approved? Personally, I feel these domains belong to people that have an "in" with key players at Sedo. Or it could also be that some of these domains are "aged" which is a totally ridiculous factor in valuing a domain. They aren't bottles of wine. Would a domain like ColoredKiteStrings.com be worth something if it were regged in 1996? Personally, I believe dates should not be a part of WhoIs records.

This post is just a venting on my part but any ideas are welcome. Let's try not to make this a discussion about what you think of my domain name.

 

[shane mac]

The trouble is, I see hardly any end users for your doman, whereas, the other domains you mentioned have a wide appeal to alot of potential end users. Its not favoritism from sedo, its the fact that your name sucks in comparison, so is not classed as a top domain.

 

[ODST.com]

Sedo sucks I am sure they have some sort of favoritism going on. They were pretty far downhill when I was first introduced to them and they just keep on sliding further and further down.

 

[DubDubDubDot]

The domain in question is DineInRestaurants.com.

How is it that my domain gets denied but domains like corporatecondos.com, computerspeakers.com, and accepts.com get approved?

The chances of landing a top shelf domain in a hand reg here in 2009 are pretty slim. I would recommend reevaluating your expectations of this domain.

IMO this domain is not in the same league as the others you listed. It is of iffy quality when you consider development potential, and probably why it appears to have never been owned before.

 

[The Domainiac]

I didn't figure I would be able to avoid any appraisal type responses, but I guess I should've been a little more clear. I don't mean to make it sound like those other domains I listed suck, I think they're alright. I just think that if those domains were listed here in the appraisal section they would be met with comments such as "too specific", "high XXX at best", etc. Certainly if out-of-touch domainers see them that way than surely a professional domain auctionhouse that sees really great names on a daily basis would see them as junk.

I suppose I'm probably missing something.

 

[Kate]

Don't expect too much from Sedo...
Bad domains will always be a tough sell even with increased exposure. Instead, work on acquiring stronger domains and end users will start contacting you.

 

[exsedo]

Sedo have worked hard in the last year to clean up there top domains section. If you had posted this question say 9 months ago, you could have given these examples from the top domain section,
eazybidz.com, tigle.org, advertizinguru.com and probably about 20 more of the same caliber.
Bear in mind that long standing loyal customers do get preferential treatment. Its a fact of life.
There are very few big companies who do not have a chequered past. Its only a matter of time before they get exposed. Do some research on g00gle.
Another thing to remember is that a decent percentage of members here, probably have sedo pro accounts and good relationships with the sedo staff. How easy do you think it would be for someone in the right department to block bids on a domain, or promote one ? How many companies with a large staff have no bad apples ? Do you need sedo or does sedo need you ?

 

[DubDubDubDot]

I didn't figure I would be able to avoid any appraisal type responses

Well that is exactly what this is about. Look at the Top Domains list. Those domains have a much higher probability of selling for a nice figure than the rest of the domains on Sedo in general.

---------- Post added at 03:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:09 PM ----------

I just think that if those domains were listed here in the appraisal section they would be met with comments such as "too specific", "high XXX at best", etc. Certainly if out-of-touch domainers see them that way than surely a professional domain auctionhouse that sees really great names on a daily basis would see them as junk.

Nobody here would call those other three domains junk.

 

[infosec3]

The chances of landing a top shelf domain in a hand reg here in 2009 are pretty slim. I would recommend reevaluating your expectations of this domain.

I totally agree. Although some of my domains have also been denied entry into the Top Domain listings, I do not think it is a matter of favoritism. I tend to exercise a little self criticism in order to improve my ability for future registrations and purchases.

 

[d0main]

I think your domain is reg fee at best. Spend some more time in the reseller arena and look at dnjournal and on forums for the types of domain that do sell. I don't think you've developed a good sense of judgment for domain values as of yet.

 

[InvisionTech]

I had same experience...

I submitted domains like Lens.pro and Furniture.pro and they were ignored... I guess they are after .COMs like accepts.com? lol, is that even a word?

 

[Jawed]

I had same experience...

I submitted domains like Lens.pro and Furniture.pro and they were ignored... I guess they are after .COMs like accepts.com? lol, is that even a word?

I will not try to defend sedo here, as they have salaried people to do this job. Nevertheless they will try to sell what is in demand. Why should they waste their time on such an extension which is unknown outside the domainers’ realm?

 

[InvisionTech]

I will not try to defend sedo here, as they have salaried people to do this job. Nevertheless they will try to sell what is in demand. Why should they waste their time on such an extension which is unknown outside the domainers’ realm?

Last time I checked, sedo's section is called Top Domains, not top extensions.

 

[Jawed]

Last time I checked, sedo's section is called Top Domains, not top extensions.

If the definition of top domain is what you are implying then sedo’d better include loads of .museum, .travel and .name single keywords in the section in question and should not be bothered much about the market forces. :P

 

[InvisionTech]

They should.

They should put up a disclaimer: "We are only looking for dotcom freaking names" because as of now, its very general as to which names are accepted.

Sedo - How to sell your domain name: Tips, strategy, and advice*-*Sedo.com

Sedo, as it claims, is a marketplace to sell domains. It should, as any marketplace does, allow all domains to be fairly marketed and exposed to potential buyers. Sedo's main focus should be to make money from SALE of the domain, not which extension is the domain.

If they wasted their energies on marketing the domains in their marketplace, I think we would see some results and not sit there and think about if its a dotcom or not.

 

[wwwweb]

Here is a fun fact, I saw a domain on
Sedo top listing lawyernyc,com, it was bid
Up to $2,xxx, reserve not met. So I own
lawyerla,com I submitted it, and it was
denied and I ha a 60 start price with no
reserve, I have had a sedo account for
many years, so those two are very similar
domains, yet the person selling the nyc,
had sold sold some large value transactions
prior. So yes there is favortism, and
It does help to have connections.

 

[DnEbook]

i listed hd3d.tv just for fun ? .. although not that keen to sell it

 

[maxeaus]

My take is that the other domains you mentioned were 2 word product domains, whilst yours is a 17 letter 3 word of less search quality.

Im not sure you can even compare a single word domain with yours.

I would not think of typing that in, i would not even think of searching for that term myself. I also spelt it wrong when doing some research on the domain, which is also an issue IMO.

I sold a 15 letter geo domain there last month for $500 and i would not class that as a premium listing.

 

[exsedo]

Here is a fun fact, I saw a domain on
Sedo top listing lawyernyc,com, it was bid
Up to $2,xxx, reserve not met. So I own
lawyerla,com I submitted it, and it was
denied and I ha a 60 start price with no
reserve, I have had a sedo account for
many years, so those two are very similar
domains, yet the person selling the nyc,
had sold sold some large value transactions
prior. So yes there is favortism, and
It does help to have connections.

That is precisely the kind of example to prove the point that the quality of the domain is not always a factor in the approval. Not what you know, but who you know. Sedo cannot defend these decisions and if you were to question them about it, they simple post a list of the qualifing criteria. Arrogance beyond belief !

 

[Jaco]

Let's try not to make this a discussion about what you think of my domain name.

Kinda hard not to do that since your domain name is the problem.

Would a domain like ColoredKiteStrings.com be worth something if it were regged in 1996? Personally, I believe dates should not be a part of WhoIs records.

It's kinda amusing to watch many "domainers' and the confounded way they go about perceiving age.

Every day, I pour through drop lists and see great names that are about to "lose" their age. From every drop list, there's always one or two real gems- usually old- that won't be withheld by whatever registrar and will sell for a stiff price in some dropcatcher auction, bearing a 2009 registry date.

One of the names I really, really wish I had made a stronger play at was GamerForum.com, which dropped earlier this year. So, there it is, with a 2009 registry date. To the clueless domaining-monkeys who don't know what does or doesn't constitute a good name, they might look at GamerForum.com, see it was 'registered' in 2009 and 'think less' of it as a result. They might be apt to think that SUPERGAMEZ.COM is a superior name platform, since it's "older".

The implicit corollary in their minds, obviously, is that the quality of available names has been diminishing with every passing year (fact), the name in question was registered back when there were still good names available in the registry space (fact) ergo, an "older" name must be good by sole virtue of it's age, since good names were available 'back then' and the name was registered 'back then' (fiction).

Obviously, most all of the great names are "old", simply because the 1990's represents the time when those names were created. This doesn't mean that any names that's "old" is a great name, a good name, a decent name, a so-so name or even a "kinda-sorta maybe OK name". There are old names that are absolute trash, worth no more than if you went to godaddy, banged your fists into the keyboard and registered whatever came up.

Age is the least impressive factor in a name. It means virtually nothing. There's debate about how g weights it in serps, but consensus it that it's minimal enough so as to be completely negated by development quality, once the sandbox is cleared.

This thread finally inspired me to dig out that old John Ruskin quote I remember having seen...

"If the design of the building be originally bad, the only virtue it can ever posses will be signs of antiquity..." - J. Ruskin

Lets update that a bit for the 21st century....

"If the domain registered long ago be originally crap, the only virtue it can ever posses will be it's resale potential to idiot domainers on BIDO, who think age alone has value..."

Cliff notes: The value in domain names lies in the keywords, not the age. The reason "older" names seem to get overrepresented in premium listings is because great names are "older" by virtue of the time lines involved with domain names and the evolution of internet in general. While most all great names are old, not all old names are great.

[/rant]