So you THOUGHT Flippa was shady?

[S-B]

Sorry in advance, Kevin. Should have had your people leave me alone.

Flippa has been the subject of much controversy over the last 6 months. Speculative talk has ranged from shill bidding to bloated sales reports. Most of the accusations are pure garbage but the company is sketchy as hell.

While you might be thinking that I’m bitter because I haven’t any luck there, you should know that I moved $75,000 of domains in 6 months. At one point, I was the first to go to bat for them all because I try to show some loyalty when someone is taking care of me.

However, I recently had my Super Seller status revoked “due to comments made towards other users.” In fact, this is due to my response to the auction where an individual claimed to have an offer on a 3 day old domain of 10,000 bitcoins — that’s $2,500,000. Apparently, calling out a scammer is grounds for retaliation from the business.

I suppose this is because Flippa values net revenue more than customer satisfaction.

Now that you know my motivation I will move on and share a little bit of insider information.

If you’re paying full price for listing fees and upgrades you have been scammed.

They have gone on the defensive in the past by saying that they “subsidize” upgrades for their top sellers. Subsidize is a cute word for giveaway.

I received somewhere between $3,000 to $5,000 in “subsidies” — as a private seller — over 6 months. At one point, I received $2,000 in credits at one time.

Now I won’t lie, sometimes I had to pay for listings. When I did, I still got hooked up. For every upgrade or listing I purchased I received 2 free.

So when I paid, which was rare, I paid 1/3 of what you’ve been paying. I’m sure you now see why some people make a killing off their platform while others have lost hundreds of dollars per listing.

Oh you thought Editor’s choice was for good domains? Nah. It has been a filter for friends of Flippa.

When I sold on Flippa’s platform, I was given Editor’s Choice for nearly all of my domains. Why? Because I asked.

I know some of you noticed that only 3-5 people showed up when visiting that page. Some might not care but others might understand the value of this.

Domains at Flippa sell for much more when given the Editor’s Choice designation.

Oh so you suspect shilling? I’ve known many users who have shilled their way to a profit. It doesn’t benefit Flippa to eliminate shilling. High sales mean higher success fees.

Simple as that.

Straight up scamming? Yep.

I’ve reported verifiable scams to customer support and I didn’t hear back until after the auction closed. They stated that it was now the buyer’s responsibility to report the sale if something fishy occurred.

Hmmmm.

Would the buyer receive a refund? No. Would the seller be suspended? Yes. Would Flippa still profit? Damn right.

At the end of the day, you can choose to use their platform of boycott them.

I will choose the latter.

P.S.

Have you been curious about what Flippa has been doing?

They are working on adding small business to their platform.

Yeah. Dump money into selling physical business without verifying any of their claims.

That should work. Everyone is honest. Right?

 

[mwzd]

@kemjika11 - I was replying to Kevin, have addressed Shane in my previous post.

I don't care either way, flippa contributes $0 to my revenue, the questions need answering though.

Hopefully @FlippaDomains will reply when they have the time.

 

[S-B]

Really? No, because in any accusation you also have to investigate the accuser(good example is rape). So Shane should come out stating negative stuff about flippa and we shouldn't also question him or his motives? I dont think thats complete assesment. The thread alone shows that its not only flippa that deserves scrutiny. I agree with that too.

As previously mentioned, that's an invalid argument. When attacking the source of an argument you are engaging in a fallacious argument, which is called ad hominem. So step your game up.

 

[discobull]

As previously mentioned, that's an invalid argument. When attacking the source of an argument you are engaging in a fallacious argument, which is called ad hominem. So step your game up.

With all due respect, your critical thinking needs work. Your comments are undergoing scrutiny for 2 reasons. First of all, you have a track record of saying contradictory things about Flippa. That makes examining the credibility of your allegations legitimate, as opposed to an ad hominem which is about distracting from the issue.

Secondly, people are attacking you for previously promoting the purchase of upgrades which, in light of the revelations in this thread, now appears to have possibly been done for reasons of self-interest rather than in the spirit of helping your fellow domainers. In other words, your actions are being scrutinized as a separate issue, not as a counterargument to your allegations about Flippa. Sorry, but that's not any more ad hominem than your disclosures about Flippa are. Nice try though.

 

[S-B]

With all due respect, your critical thinking needs work. Your comments are undergoing scrutiny for 2 reasons. First of all, you have a track record of saying contradictory things about Flippa. That makes examining the credibility of your allegations legitimate, as opposed to an ad hominem which is about distracting from the issue.

Secondly, people are attacking you for previously promoting the purchase of upgrades which, in light of the revelations in this thread, now appears to have possibly been done for reasons of self-interest rather than in the spirit of helping your fellow domainers. In other words, your actions are being scrutinized as a separate issue, not as a counterargument to your allegations about Flippa. Sorry, but that's not any more ad hominem than your disclosures about Flippa are. Nice try though.

My allegations are facts. That's not up for debate.

My job isn't to protect you.

 

[discobull]

My allegations are facts. That's not up for debate.

Yeah, but it becomes up for debate when the facts come from someone whose facts change. You brought that on yourself.

My job isn't to protect you.

But it's your job to lie to me?

For the record, I've never listed a domain for auction on Flippa, nor would I. I've been pretty vocal in the past about my reasons for that, so I'm the last person that needs your protection. What I find troubling about you, is that despite your claims about how smart you are about forging and leveraging relationships, you seem perfectly ready to betray everyone and anyone's trust for a quick buck. You're the worst kind of businessman. Moreover, you advertise that fact in a public forum while using your real name. How smart is that? Good luck finding anyone willing to do business with you in the future.

 

[S-B]

you seem perfectly ready to betray everyone and anyone's trust for a quick buck.

Alright, Batman. Where have I made money?

You're the worst kind of businessman. Moreover, you advertise that fact in a public forum while using your real name. How smart is that? Good luck finding anyone willing to do business with you in the future.

While a handful really hates me, many actually do like me and have been communicating with me throughout this fiasco.

You fail to realize the most vocal are always the ones who hate.

And do you think I need to "do business" with anyone on this forum? Come on. I don't hustle resellers for a few bucks. That's not my style.

 

[BelgianGuru]

overeacting for a domainer = opportunities lost

Flippa is not dead, i will start my first premium Flippa auction this week, and will write an update on the results

 

[kemjika11]

As previously mentioned, that's an invalid argument. When attacking the source of an argument you are engaging in a fallacious argument, which is called ad hominem. So step your game up.

My argument is not invalid (thanks @discobull ).I know about fallacies and i am not using a fallacy here. whats my motive for that? Other posters on this thread have also questioned you and your motives on this issue.

Also, i dont like your comments towards me like- "step your game up"...on another thread you made a comment to me along the lines of .."i might have to .....to you". I dont appreciate that. pls dont do ad homimen on me because you dont like what am saying. In this situation, MY GUT tells me not to fully believe you because you're legitimacy is not clean and clear. This situation makes you easily look like a hypocrite.

 

[Omar Negron]

Flippa is not dead, i will start my first premium Flippa auction this week, and will write an update on the results

Looking forward to see how it works out for you!

 

[Suraj Soni]

I am running a premium listing for website in flippa with with verified traffic and revenue. I will update you my experience

 

[Beezy]

RE: Flippa being dead...

Maybe it's the FLIPPING that's dead, at least compared to what you could do in 2014-early 2015.

- There has been a massive flow of new domainers into the industry (many inspired by Domain Sherpa videos which talked about the Flippa experience and gave an exact formula of how to "win" there). As a result, you are seeing prices and competition for domains increasing almost weekly on the aftermarkets.

It used to be dead-simple to go namejet or godaddy and find an underpriced gem if you knew what you were doing. In May, I noted that there were between 40-60 daily sales on namebio over $100. The other day there were 100 listed sales over $300. IN ONE DAY!

I see Shane and Ali posting domain wanted threads on Namepros, and I remember Ali making a thread frustrated by the prices he was getting from domainers. The reality is, it is simply harder to get deals now! They are there. You can find them. But it's not like it was a year ago when you could buy something, list it on Flippa, and pocket a few grand (yes, there was more work to do than that...but I'm just emphasizing the actual SOURCING of the domains will cost you a lot more time and money today).

- The buyers are more educated. Flippa's domain market was a nascent upstart and many of the website investors were coming over and dipping their toes in and getting wrapped up in the hype and excitement. When you posted hype in those listings, IT WORKED! Unlike the website listings on Flippa, you didn't need ACTUAL stats to back it up. If you list a website, you need to post actual stats and revenue numbers (yes, these can and are faked, but at least there is SOMETHING to go by...and the good, repeat sellers have a reputation to uphold and sell good sites).

On a domain listing, it's like the wild wild west (cue will smith song). "Billion Dollar Market". I see that on every domain. Actually, not EVERY DOMAIN - I recently watched the Kevin Macpherson Sherpa interview and checked out his Flippa listings. It was almost shocking to see his raw, unhyped listings. Neither is right or wrong, by the way. I'm not here to make that judgement. I've experimented with both types of listings and it is best to use what works for you. But the hype listings DEFINITELY worked better early this year.

Every Flippa newsletter points to Namepros, btw! People are coming here, learning about namebio, looking at REAL comparable sales (rather than what Ali taught us on Sherpa, which is to take the top 100 sales in an extension and paste them into the listing), etc.

More educated buyers is a GOOD THING (except when it hurts your business model).

Is quick flipping viable in these conditions? I don't think so anymore. Not as your primary business model. It can be done, but sourcing domains is harder and only the best domains are getting top dollar now. If it was just Ali and Shane following this formula...maybe it would still be working...but they taught thousands of people how to do it! And, well...killed it.

Is Flippa dead? Nope, it just grew and adapted to the conditions of the domain market I described above. If Flippa is dead, .io wouldn't be a thing right now. Here are the last 100 flippa sales (took place over the past 5-6 days).

-----

Thoughts?

Bobby

 

[S-B]

My argument is not invalid (thanks @discobull ).I know about fallacies and i am not using a fallacy here. whats my motive for that? Other posters on this thread have also questioned you and your motives on this issue.

Also, i dont like your comments towards me like- "step your game up"...on another thread you made a comment to me along the lines of .."i might have to .....to you". I dont appreciate that. pls dont do ad homimen on me because you dont like what am saying. In this situation, MY GUT tells me not to fully believe you because you're legitimacy is not clean and clear. This situation makes you easily look like a hypocrite.

I am CLEARLY a hypocrite, Mr. Obvious. Accusing me of libel is serious. So think before you type. I know it may be hard but it will likely suit you better.

RE: Flippa being dead...

Maybe it's the FLIPPING that's dead, at least compared to what you could do in 2014-early 2015.

- There has been a massive flow of new domainers into the industry (many inspired by Domain Sherpa videos which talked about the Flippa experience and gave an exact formula of how to "win" there). As a result, you are seeing prices and competition for domains increasing almost weekly on the aftermarkets.

It used to be dead-simple to go namejet or godaddy and find an underpriced gem if you knew what you were doing. In May, I noted that there were between 40-60 daily sales on namebio over $100. The other day there were 100 listed sales over $300. IN ONE DAY!

I see Shane and Ali posting domain wanted threads on Namepros, and I remember Ali making a thread frustrated by the prices he was getting from domainers. The reality is, it is simply harder to get deals now! They are there. You can find them. But it's not like it was a year ago when you could buy something, list it on Flippa, and pocket a few grand (yes, there was more work to do than that...but I'm just emphasizing the actual SOURCING of the domains will cost you a lot more time and money today).

- The buyers are more educated. Flippa's domain market was a nascent upstart and many of the website investors were coming over and dipping their toes in and getting wrapped up in the hype and excitement. When you posted hype in those listings, IT WORKED! Unlike the website listings on Flippa, you didn't need ACTUAL stats to back it up. If you list a website, you need to post actual stats and revenue numbers (yes, these can and are faked, but at least there is SOMETHING to go by...and the good, repeat sellers have a reputation to uphold and sell good sites).

On a domain listing, it's like the wild wild west (cue will smith song). "Billion Dollar Market". I see that on every domain. Actually, not EVERY DOMAIN - I recently watched the Kevin Macpherson Sherpa interview and checked out his Flippa listings. It was almost shocking to see his raw, unhyped listings. Neither is right or wrong, by the way. I'm not here to make that judgement. I've experimented with both types of listings and it is best to use what works for you. But the hype listings DEFINITELY worked better early this year.

Every Flippa newsletter points to Namepros, btw! People are coming here, learning about namebio, looking at REAL comparable sales (rather than what Ali taught us on Sherpa, which is to take the top 100 sales in an extension and paste them into the listing), etc.

More educated buyers is a GOOD THING (except when it hurts your business model).

Is quick flipping viable in these conditions? I don't think so anymore. Not as your primary business model. It can be done, but sourcing domains is harder and only the best domains are getting top dollar now. If it was just Ali and Shane following this formula...maybe it would still be working...but they taught thousands of people how to do it! And, well...killed it.

Is Flippa dead? Nope, it just grew and adapted to the conditions of the domain market I described above. If Flippa is dead, .io wouldn't be a thing right now. Here are the last 100 flippa sales (took place over the past 5-6 days).

-----

Thoughts?

Bobby

Valid points, Bobby. I'll follow up after class. Thanks for your opinion.

 

[mlmleads]

My experience was largely the same. They are a bunch of money grubbing, self-serving, losers. Time to build out a competitor with better handling.

 

[kemjika11]

I am CLEARLY a hypocrite, Mr. Obvious. Accusing me of libel is serious. So think before you type. I know it may be hard but it will likely suit you better.
.

Yes you are a hypocrite so pls don't downplay it.its a bit of a serious character flaw.what libel did I accuse u of?thanks for implying I don't think well. Ur like a bully imo.you're no better than flippa at th end of the day.coming here to report them as if u didn't bait them and enjoy the process and rewards.my gut tells me not to buy your crap about flippa and and I'll keep it that way for the forseeable future.

 

[Domainzy]

Dang, I'm just too busy to READ this thread!... Not enough time in the day!

I wish there was a Domain News Station where i could LISTEN to the latest updates about this and other juicy domain news!

 

[kemjika11]

This guy wants everyone to boycott Flippa following his "revelations" . This guy has failed.

 

[HeyNow]

It's very interesting to watch former teammates and allies beat each other up after those former allies tried to sell others here a load of nonsense and BS. It's great to sit back and enjoy the show.

Not only that, I encourage other members here to read past posts by those entities and individuals, for a stark reminder how much BS was spewed, and how other member(s) here were at least insulted by those creeps while the mods here stood by and did nothing. Nothing.

 

[discobull]

Alright, Batman. Where have I made money?

I'm not in a position to answer that question, but what difference does it make? You haven't disputed the fact that you've been dishonest, so how much better would it be if instead of saying that you'd betray people's trust for a quick buck, to say that you're actually willing to do it for nothing?

 

[ResoluteDomains]

Dang, I'm just too busy to READ this thread!... Not enough time in the day!

I wish there was a Domain News Station where i could LISTEN to the latest updates about this and other juicy domain news!

Andrew Allemann (http://domainnamewire.com) puts out a pretty good podcast, the first few minutes of each are domain news. Wonder if this will become news carried by at some point...

 

[HeyNow]

This guy wants everyone to boycott Flippa following his "revelations" . This guy has failed.

I seem to remember the guy you're talking about proud and pontificating about how he didn't care if clueless buyers got screwed by auction platform employees stealthily bidding against those outside, clueless bidders. After all, he's a "businessman," (yeah right). Dog eat dog out here, or some other nonsense spewing from his butt hole.

Now he's stuck to the side of the cesspool, drowning in the rancid soup he helped brew. Let him stew in it. He's earned it. The stench is apparent in every one of his posts here.

You're correct. That guy "has failed."

I hope his dog was able to escape.

 

[MrBernstein]

I like Flippa

 

[Nazz]

I like Flippa

The dolphin or the platform?

 

[HeyNow]

The dolphin or the platform?

Priceless, in a good way.

 

[HeyNow]

.

I like Flippa

Oh, you must be a Seller there. You know, a Seller who is entitled to know if employees there are bidding in your auctions, perhaps driving up prices unbeknownst to the clueless, uninformed Buyer. You know, the Buyer, the schmoe who wasn't told he/she might be bidding against employees.

You wanna rethink your exclamation?

 

[carob]

When attacking the source of an argument you are engaging in a fallacious argument, which is called ad hominem.

Maybe we should clarify what "ad hominem " means for those who are not native speakers of English, or in this case Latin. That Latin phrase means "to the man" so your at talking about the person, not what they are saying - in practice it usually means saying something rude about someone to get them to shut up.

What Kemjika11 said was

So Shane should come out stating negative stuff about flippa and we shouldn't also question him or his motives?

That sounds a fair question to me, not an ad hominem attack.

Gotta wonder what rules people play by. Ever see someone take a dive in the penallty area?