Ahhh I got tired of the Snapnames b*llshit a long time ago. I suspected some really shady business tactics going on behind the scenes a long time ago. I contacted Snapnames and Name.com about certain "issues" several months ago, but all they gave me was some random explanation that had nothing to do with my questions.
Here is a great example:
-Two .com domains we had backordered were listed for more than 12 hours after the backorder deadline.
-As soon as the domains disappeared they went into whois privacy mode.
-When typing the domain name into the address bar 24 hours later it forwarded all visitors to a sedo parking page. On the standard sedo parking page it said "This domain may be for sale by its owner" with a link for more info.
-The nameservers were set to ns1.sedoparking.com and ns2.sedoparking.com
-When clicking the sedo "More info" link, it usually takes us to a detailed "Offer page" on the sedo platform.
-Instead, the link forwarded the potential buyers to a name.com offer page, where you could make a minimum offer of $250 for the domain.
-So, just for kicks I placed a $250 offer to see what happens.
-A name representative contacted me 3-4 business days later telling me the new owner (hidden behind whois privacy) wanted $1200 for the domain.
Does anyone get the picture here?
This very same issue has been highlighted over at Domaingang where a british domainer sued Snapnames -
http://domaingang.com/domain-news/snapnames-sorry-the-bin-is-now-1812/
I think the backorder issue is related to the registrar, not Snapnames itself. I suspect the registars like Name.com feel they aren't getting the money they "want" for certain backordered domains, so they snag the domains themselves and put them up for sale.
I contacted name.com about this issue when I noticed the same pattern for 5-6 different domains. They claimed all domains were picked up by new owners.
1)Funny how all "new owners" are hidden behind "whois privacy".
2)Funny how all new owners decide to sell their names through some crappy Name.com "Make offer" page, redirected from a Sedo parking page.
3)Even more funny is the fact that the new owners acquire these domains without any auction ever taking place, even if I placed a bid on several domains.
4)Funny how ALL dropping names with these issues are registered at Name.com
If they're really picked up by new owners, why are they listed for more than 12 hours after the backorder deadline? Why is there no auction?
Why would Name.com waste so much time/energy as the middle man between the "new owner" and any potential buyer?
In the end I think it comes down to shady business tactics and greed. I hate it when others waste my time, and that's exactly what these companies are doing. That's why we're not doing any business on the Snapnames platform anymore.
