Atom marketplace (formerly Squadhelp Marketplace)

[JudgeMind]

Hey Folks,

I've just started using squadhelp.com to list some of my brandable. So far I have 76 domains listed, there is no fee to list. I've had some decent action so far in the way of interested buyers but no sales as of yet. I've only been with them for 1 week now.

A bit of a summary review of SquadHelp:

PROS

• No Listing fee
• No Logo design fee
• Ability to submit your names to end users holding naming contests
• Ability to chat directly or send a message directly to end users.
• Stats of your marketplace domains are shown in the marketplace dashboard.
• Their customer service and support has been great, 24hr a day chat.
• Ability to increase or decrease the list price of your domains or to show a discount. You can decrease or increase the price yourself by $200. If you want to lower more, you can contact support.
• End users can shortlist your domains before they make a decision on which they want to purchase. The number of shortlists is shown in you marketplace dashboard.
• When you submit your names you get to set the price you wish to get. Because their commissions are high I recommend listing at a higher price to offset the commission costs.
• Their landing pages are fairly basic but they work. Because the marketplace is fairly new, I'm sure we will see style improvements in the future.
• One thing I really like is they accept multiple extensions. I have listed .co and .io along with .com
• Each seller gets a direct link to their marketplace portfolio, HERES MY PORTFOLIO. It is handy if your trying to p[promote your portfolio through social media.
• I like that their marketplace doesn't have tens of thousands domain listings like BB. They are fairly strict on the domains they accept to list and so this helps keep the number of domains in the marketplace down and gets your listings more exposure.

CONS

• Their commissions are very high, depending on the domain name they are usually between 30% and 35%. However, there are no listing fees, no logo design fees, so in the end their commission is very similar to brand buckets.
• Their logos are not top quality, in fact I requested to have some of my logos remade.
• I think they have a big backlog of logos to design, the wait time for logo design has been around 1 week, but your names are still listed while the logos are being designed.
• After your names are accepted you need to agree to their commission rate, at this point you also need to apply your own keywords, descriptions etc. I found this was very time consuming.

 

[Zagalee]

Some of my registered names are easily accepted on SH but unregistered names are always rejected.

Does it mean that accept ratings for unregistered names is 2/10????

Cause it's frustrating.. Someone answer me. Please.

 

[Zagalee]

I have had a list waiting for review for over 3 months now I just burned last of coins sick of waiting, I will not buy more, I will not submit more. im done with growing with them now, ill just sit on what I have while watching their hyper-growth causing an implosion. good luck all. It was nice while it lasted.

Sorry to hear about that but i don't know why yours is like that. My reviews whether registered or unregistered names ( either coin or no coin) doesn't surpass 48hrs even though it's frustrating getting your names rejected for no reason.

 

[Rhinnnn]

Some of my registered names are easily accepted on SH but unregistered names are always rejected.

Does it mean that accept ratings for unregistered names is 2/10????

Cause it's frustrating.. Someone answer me. Please.

Not sure what the average rate of acceptance for unregistered names is, but it seems very low. I submitted 9 names until now, all rejected.

I also submitted 11 registered names - 1 accepted, 10 rejected.

 

[ArielT]

Some of my registered names are easily accepted on SH but unregistered names are always rejected.

Does it mean that accept ratings for unregistered names is 2/10????

Cause it's frustrating.. Someone answer me. Please.

What price do you use when sending registered names for review?

I have send some but they were rejected

Also I have sent some unregistered but all rejected

 

[ecomslice]

What price do you use when sending registered names for review?

I have send some but they were rejected

Also I have sent some unregistered but all rejected

There being more selective since they have over diluted. But they dont tell us their real acceptance rate as they prefer to steal coin costs from unexpected newcomers.

 

[Zagalee]

What price do you use when sending registered names for review?

I have send some but they were rejected

Also I have sent some unregistered but all rejected

Usually i used lower prices like 2k$ after approval, i will change it to my preferred price.

 

[jk23]

Domain acceptance rate way down of late. Seems to align with when they implemented the Domain Expert Reviews. Not sure if that is a coincidence or not. And, I don't know how much weight the reviews are given. Hopefully the expert reviewers are qualified and have equal or better results than what I or any others have had.

 

[ecomslice]

Follow the data. Do not waste your time currently for any branding sites.

full disclosure , I have had great success past 12 months on ROI. on branding sites.
I am not venting from poor reward, I am venting from the current misleading attraction given by them to everyone.

 

[KDN]

Sold 3 names last month. My total is now 5 out of 230+ names. I almost sold some of my names to a reseller in February because I was worried about the upcoming renewals. Patience is truly a key in domaining.

Also, looks like SH is now including the initial offer of potential buyers when they inquire, which for me is a good thing.

 

[ivey]

Can you list non-premium domains at Squadhelp on other marketplaces?

Is the exclusivity only for premium accepted names?

 

[JudgeMind]

Some interesting stats in squadhelp marketing compared to other brandable marketplaces

Show attachment 109216

I’d like to see where these stats are today as a comparison @GrantP

 

[ecomslice]

I’d like to see where these stats are today as a comparison @GrantP

They will share what's good, not bad. Illusion / Delusion of marketing.

 

[ArielT]

Can you list non-premium domains at Squadhelp on other marketplaces?

Is the exclusivity only for premium accepted names?

A quote from their website:

"If you have a Premium listing with Squadhelp, you are not allowed to list your domains for sale in a different website while your listing is active on Squadhelp platform. Premium listings should be exclusive with the Squadhelp Marketplace.

However, for Basic and Basic Plus listings you can list your domains on other sites as long as your name servers remain pointed to Squadhelp (ns1.squadhelp.com, ns2.squadhelp.com). Importantly, if you list your domain on another site, the selling price on that site can not be less than the selling price with Squadhelp."

https://helpdesk.squadhelp.com/en/a...c-basic-plus-and-premium-marketplace-listings

 

[ivey]

A quote from their website:

"If you have a Premium listing with Squadhelp, you are not allowed to list your domains for sale in a different website while your listing is active on Squadhelp platform. Premium listings should be exclusive with the Squadhelp Marketplace.

However, for Basic and Basic Plus listings you can list your domains on other sites as long as your name servers remain pointed to Squadhelp (ns1.squadhelp.com, ns2.squadhelp.com). Importantly, if you list your domain on another site, the selling price on that site can not be less than the selling price with Squadhelp."

https://helpdesk.squadhelp.com/en/a...c-basic-plus-and-premium-marketplace-listings

Thanks for clarifying! Appreciate it.

 

[h2o]

I am new to SquadHelp although obviously not new to domaining. Even though SH may not like "dirty laundry aired" I actually think my review is fair. I will get to the chase:

Squad Help Pros:

• SH has the most traffic and best Alexa rank out of all the brandable marketplaces. This was my main reason in trying them first. Obviously, the logic is the more eyeballs on your names the higher chance of making more sales
• SH appeals to real end users looking to brand their company, non-profit or hobby project by allowing people to suggest brand ideas in a Contest Format. (Other sites just give people the ability to search for keywords or categories without any real back and forth suggestion)
• SH employs very talented logo designers that will give your domain a new life and attract viewers and ultimately buyers.

Ultimately, I had what started off as a first bad experience with SquadHelp but they ended up being nice to me in the end. Even though they rejected 96% of my names, I got a 96% refund.

For the 2 names they did accept (2 accepted 48 rejected), I was very pleased with the logos designed. Both logos were live within just 48 hours after domain approval.

Squad Help Warning: Seller Beware

I would like to send out a warning to all sellers new to SH because even though they were nice to me in the end, it may not be like this in the future. In other words, they may not offer refunds. After all, companies are a little more considerate now due to economic hardships related to the pandemic.

Also another fair warning, is you cannot predict what names they will accept based on the names they currently have on their marketplace. They have completely changed their criteria. And guess what? Their criteria is top secret.

This is the email I sent the SH customer service dept before getting my 96% refund. (emphasis done after the fact.)

Everyone should do their full research and diligence before spending money on any venture. Every $50 goes a long way. But sometimes, all the research, creativity, logic, and common sense will not help...

4/3 edit: I may change my review if SquadHelp publishes a general guide for sellers as to what kind of names are now accepted in their marketplace.

 

[GrantP]

I’d like to see where these stats are today as a comparison @GrantP

These specific stats came from SimilarWeb.com. You can go here to check the stats at any time:

https://www.similarweb.com/website/squadhelp.com

You can also click on the Compare button to do a side by side comparison with any other website. If you are not a registered user, you can only see one month of data however if you create a free account, you can see upto 3 months of comparison. Note: These stats are based on estimates, and while SimilarWeb is more reliable than other platforms such as Alexa, there can still be discrepancies with actual website data.

We are continuing to maintain our Advertising spends across multiple channels in order to continue to attract potential buyers during these times.

Regarding the use of coins, our recommendation for new users is to use the Free listing option instead of coin option (until they get better understanding of our platform). We will also be adding messaging on the site to make this more clear.

Now that we are using the Expert Review Process, the approval times are quite rapid (even in case of free submissions). So if your main purpose of using coins is to get faster reviews, you might want to consider the Free submission option instead. Here is an article that outlines the benefits of free submissions vs using coins.

https://helpdesk.squadhelp.com/en/articles/3794940-submitting-domains-with-or-without-coins

Note: Effective today, we will be waiving all commissions paid on wholesale Marketplace purchases for buyers and sellers. For a limited time, SH will pay for any payment gateway charges so that sellers can liquidate any domains with zero commissions.

Hope everyone is staying safe!

 

[Rhinnnn]

Not sure what the average rate of acceptance for unregistered names is, but it seems very low. I submitted 9 names until now, all rejected.

I also submitted 11 registered names - 1 accepted, 10 rejected.

An update on this:

Yesterday SquadHelp accepted one of my unregistered names. So, for me, the current approval rate for unregistered domains is 10%.

 

[Ostrados]

I get unregistered domains accepted all the time I think also at 10% rate or little higher.
I don't feel a difference in acceptance rate between registered & unregistered domains.

 

[Ostrados]

Domain acceptance rate way down of late. Seems to align with when they implemented the Domain Expert Reviews. Not sure if that is a coincidence or not. And, I don't know how much weight the reviews are given. Hopefully the expert reviewers are qualified and have equal or better results than what I or any others have had.

From SH message I received on "Expert Domain Reviews":

We have changed our Marketplace Review process, and are now utilizing the feedback of multiple Domain and Branding Experts who review our Marketplace submissions. Many submitted domains will now be automatically approved or rejected based upon the overall expert review score. SH internal team will still review certain submissions (if the results of expert review are not conclusive). Learn more about Expert Review Score and Expert Review Process

It seems domains now are now automatically accepted based on experts review only.
And I think you are right that this will have big impact on approval rate.

 

[h2o]

^^

We have changed our Marketplace Review process, and are now utilizing the feedback of multiple Domain and Branding Experts who review our Marketplace submissions.

So it seems like this "Expert Reviews" process is a big factor behind the sudden SH change. I truly do not believe the reviewers are true experts at all. A true expert would not allow a name like epicRealt*r to be on their marketplace due to trademark concerns. I thought that end users get the benefit of screening their name for potential trademark concerns as part of the full brand experience.

I guess SquadHelp not only has technical bugs to fix, but they need to fix legal bugs as well.

 

[King]

Just stay away from SH

 

[Kuds]

I have 2 premium domains on Squadhelp up for sale

GoodOldSecret(Dot)com- $1699
Cuzify(Dot)com - $1699
Do well to follow through, like.

 

[Samer]

^^


So it seems like this "Expert Reviews" process is a big factor behind the sudden SH change. I truly do not believe the reviewers are true experts at all. A true expert would not allow a name like epicRealt*r to be on their marketplace due to trademark concerns. I thought that end users get the benefit of screening their name for potential trademark concerns as part of the full brand experience.

I guess SquadHelp not only has technical bugs to fix, but they need to fix legal bugs as well.

Despicable, yet true; Realtors is trademarked.

Feels generic; yet 6 of 7 Realtor UDRPs won with exception Realtors.biz;

“In the latter, it took a Korean UDRP panelist, Young Kim, to point out to NAR, “realtor” is an ordinary noun and means a real estate agent, and is also a term used by many people without referring to complainant’s trademark.”

“Unfortunately, this was the very last case that the National Arbitration Forum had Mr. Kim...”

https://dnattorney.com/the-meshugas-of-the-realtor-trademark/

 

[Samer]

^^


So it seems like this "Expert Reviews" process is a big factor behind the sudden SH change. I truly do not believe the reviewers are true experts at all. A true expert would not allow a name like epicRealt*r to be on their marketplace due to trademark concerns. I thought that end users get the benefit of screening their name for potential trademark concerns as part of the full brand experience.

I guess SquadHelp not only has technical bugs to fix, but they need to fix legal bugs as well.

Go easy on Squadhelp.

it’s a joke “Realtors” is trademarked, the SH “experts” may have got this wrong however.

If you have enough time, energy, passion; Consider appealing to remove realtors “TM”

I’ll @GrantP, since it’s interesting a company which prices itself on due diligence done and 10% acceptance rate, accepted “EpicRealtor”

 

[h2o]

From: SquadHelp's Official Help Articles

(their own words, my own underlining)

Your domain submissions will be reviewed by more than a dozen domain experts.

From SquadHelp's Homepage

Squadhelp's high end Audience Testing service allows you to poll your target demographics to get unbiased feedback on your favorite names. Also receive Trademark support from our team of Licensed Trademark Attorneys, so you can pick your name with confidence

It is true that realtor could have slipped through a few reviewers' radar, but SH claims that a whopping 12 or more experts review the names before they are published. That's right. - a dozen professionals.

If it were an open marketplace like Sedo then it could be forgivable. But brandable marketplaces like SH charge a super high commission for a hand curated collection of names. It's all just over-promise and under-performance.

If it looks like I am picking on SH, well I am. But they have potential to be much better than what they currently are. Again, the potential is there.