question What happened to Flippa appraisal?

[bytedo]

Anyone noticed what is happening at flippa appraisal? Last time I checked there were only 2 names listed for appraisal and now they have just 1.

Ok it hasn't been the best barometer for knowing the worth of a domain but any smart person can use it and get a fair idea how a domain could be seen by an end user. Agreed a lot of the appraisals are just by idiots looking to earn credits but you do some useful insight from many entries.

Do they technical have issues with it or are they trying to stop it. If they are stopping it, wouldn't it be better and more professional to announce that they are? Rather than what is happening now?

 

[Kate]

If your name is good then it will sell? Period.

Yes, outside Flippa. Nobody wants to browse a marketplace that is flooded with junk names.

I am still not truly convinced that Flippa is a better place than Bido for domains.

 

[venturefile.com]

If your name is good then it will sell? Period.
@FlippaDomains

If no one sees it, then it won't sell.

And I wasn't bashing Flippa, it is actually my most favorite marketplace to sell my domains. I have made a ton of profit there and will continue to sell there. I was just making my observation regarding their appraisal section which I think has 0 value as stated above.. You are better off asking for an appraisal here in the forum.. Although this is merely my opinion from being a seller there for the past couple of years. If you think otherwise that is your right of course

 

[timestamp]

Appraisals are worthless, coming from bots or users. If my domain is appraised at 1k I still need to find someone who will give me that kind of money. How about appraise it and find me the buyer?
Having said that, may I get 5 free listings please?

 

[FlippaDomains]

However its always beneficial for businesses to get feedback from all points of view and to explain what exactly the situation is. I think this has happened here and top marks for @FlippaDomains

Always appreciate feedback, no matter what it is, as it helps us improve.

I was always wondering if there is a 15 appraisals/week limit why do people have hundreds of appraisals? Is it somehow like if someone appraises 150 domains in one week, they get 1 free listing for each of the next 10 weeks? Or just one and that's it. And if the second is true, what is the reasoning behind this?!

Those that appraise hundreds = testament to their really liking the tool, which I know sounds funny, but it's the way I see it. We capped it at one credit deposit per week, per participant, no matter the number of appraisals they'd make (greater than 15; so it could be 15 or 1500 - still, only one credit per week).

I am still not truly convinced that Flippa is a better place than Bido for domains.

I used to like, and buy a lot of domains on, Bido -- but I just don't see what you see.

I invite you to spend some time in Flippa's Most Active, Editors' Choice and Reserve Met filters.

 

[JB Lions]

That is exactly what we're doing.

I don't think we're going down the wrong path given that December 2014 was our best month ever; January creamed December; and February blew January out of the water. I'm speaking of all metrics (gross sales, number of domains sold, revenue and particularly buyer and seller involvement).

This growth has nothing to do with the appraisal tool. Better domains are being listed, and more are selling. Better inventory is being showcased, seen and acquired.

People will always have access to credits -- whether they gain them from the appraisal tool, are given them because they're new and want to test-run some auctions, or in the case of many of the recurring sellers we work with, have a subsidized plan they partake in.

Crap domains will always be present and the only ways to address them are to
a) prohibit their inclusion into the marketplace (which won't happen; Flippa will remain open to all); or
b) filter the marketplace so experienced buyers needn't sift through tons of drivel.

Our upcoming redesign will help. Brokerage being in its own section will help. Editors' Choice will help. Your input, as per usual, helps...

Something else. You have dead auctions coming up in search. I go to domains, sort by Ending Soonest and the first 19 that show up are auctions that ended 2 days ago. Then under the Most Recent field, some of those are blank, some say Yesterday, when they've all ended 2 days ago. These are showing first aka above the fold, prime real estate. I also noticed that on the home page, where people pay Premium, you have dead auctions there as well. Not sure why.

Also, I'm curious if you've done any outreach to any of the tools out there? Ones like Freshdrop, Dropping.com etc, get them your feed so people can use those tools to search your offerings?

Also - Your own custom logo* $120 value

You guys create the logo? And can people keep the logo for themselves and if the domain doesn't sell?

 

[bytedo]

if you truly believe that, then....

Well that was what I was made to believe. By you and the other old hands. Too late to change it now. Sorry.Its number 1 in my 10 domain commandments. Are you truly saying that doesn't hold true for you anymore?
That quote was meant to be a statement btw not a question. Edited accordingly.

Yes, outside Flippa. Nobody wants to browse a marketplace that is flooded with junk names.

I am still not truly convinced that Flippa is a better place than Bido for domains.

But the other marketplaces have tons of name though and your names still get found and sold.

I honestly don't think flippa is on the same level with bido. Being the betting man I am, I would put money on Flippa closing way more deals than bido

 

[biggie]

Well that was what I was made to believe. By you and the other old hands. Too late to change it now. Sorry.Its number 1 in my 10 domain commandments. Are you truly saying that doesn't hold true for you anymore?
That quote was meant to be a statement btw not a question.

I believe it to be true too,

if someone really wants your domain, they will find you, regardless to whether it's listed on a 3rd party site, your own landing page or not resolving at all.

 

[FlippaDomains]

Something else. You have dead auctions coming up in search.

Auctions remain live with the ability for buyers (who may have come across them too late) to negotiate after their closing. As such, they stay listed throughout the results for 30 days. Upon our next redesign we'll be overhauling how and where these results appear.

Also, I'm curious if you've done any outreach to any of the tools out there? Ones like Freshdrop, Dropping.com etc, get them your feed so people can use those tools to search your offerings?

My understanding was that they focused primarily on drops; if they're including all auctions, not just drop-specific, then that is something we should arrange - albeit, we don't have a proper rev-share plan in place yet.

Also - Your own custom logo* $120 value

You guys create the logo? And can people keep the logo for themselves and if the domain doesn't sell?

We don't. That is the responsibility of the seller; we'll upload it free of charge, but they only appear in search results for Premium listings.

 

[The_General]

From lurking around this forum I think the majority of people find any appraisal a bit of a shot in the dark, even from professionals. As others have mentioned it is completely a matter of finding a buyer (which of course may never happen).

I do however, think that a combination of data points including Flippa appraisals can be useful for some people to guage if a domain has any value at all before they list and presumably the people doing these appraisals at least look at the domain name before putting a figure to it. I certainly like the idea of having 'likes' for an appraisal to add to the data; isn't it called "swarm intelligence" when you get lots of actions from things that don't know what they are doing forming intelligent stuff?

The thing I'm really confused about is why people would do appraisals for the sole purpose of getting free listings? I might be missing something here (like some sort of game theory) but surely the time and effort to find a domain, appraise domains and then list a domain isn't worth it if you don't think you'll make a profit from $9, especially if you can only do one a week?

 

[bashishtha]

I don't think that in current position many people will participate if the incentive is removed.
I prefer to use Flippa Appraisal by filtering out the spammers. I just check their credibility(the same technique I use to accept bid from any buyer)

In my opinion @FlippaDomains should also do the same. It should keep some incentive but only members with selling and buying experience should be allowed to give their input in the Domain Appraisal system.
For example: To avoid new spammers they can introduce a rule that the members with minimum $100 transaction can provide their input in the Domain Appraisal system..
The spamming can be reduced more by fixing a higher limit "that a seller with minimum $500 transaction can only provide their input"
......and so on.

 

[FlippaDomains]

I don't think that in current position many people will participate if the incentive is removed.
I prefer to use Flippa Appraisal by filtering out the spammers. I just check their credibility(the same technique I use to accept bid from any buyer)

In my opinion @FlippaDomains should also do the same. It should keep some incentive but only members with selling and buying experience should be allowed to give their input in the Domain Appraisal system.
For example: To avoid new spammers they can introduce a rule that the members with minimum $100 transaction can provide their input in the Domain Appraisal system..
The spamming can be reduced more by fixing a higher limit "that a seller with minimum $500 transaction can only provide their input"
......and so on.

I actually really like that idea - probably the most. We had discussed this internally awhile back, and I'll see if that is a foreseeable implementation.

 

[Nazz]

My domain has been up for 3 - 4 days with not one appraisal lol.

 

[Electric-Shadow]

I actually really like that idea - probably the most. We had discussed this internally awhile back, and I'll see if that is a foreseeable implementation.

If there was a higher limit, then perhaps the credit > appraisal ratio could be adjusted down to reflect it too, since the spam would be reduced.

 

[Archangel]

Just erase it 100%. It has no value and does nothing more than hurt Flippa.

 

[FlippaDomains]

Appreciate all the feedback, everyone.

Like I mentioned earlier, this is lower on our totem pole at moment -- but it's still on it.

I'll pass along updates when we have more of them.

 

[bashishtha]

I actually really like that idea - probably the most. We had discussed this internally awhile back, and I'll see if that is a foreseeable implementation.

@FlippaDomains While writing that reply I don't know why I was thinking "Flippa must have thought about this, else I should be a product manager there"

 

[ahmedalimody]

I think there is new features like comment and like for the appraisals !

 

[Archangel]

Those features are old and don't help with the problem

I think there is new features like comment and like for the appraisals !

 

[ahmedalimody]

Those features are old and don't help with the problem

I just noticed it today. but yes, they are old :D

 

[jamesau]

Sorry to dredge up an old(ish) thread but I'm keen to hear more opinions. It looks like the appraisals tool is backlogged again - nothing currently open.

I think the appraisals tool is useful but the free credits are not. I've read countless articles over the years about Flippa's business mantra of having 'barrier to entry' fees to keep the junk out, yet here we are with a system that removes that barrier.

You only need to look at your classifieds or Freemarket to see what happens when you remove the barrier. You're left with a marketplace that needs constant curation to survive.

I'm all for beginners experimenting -1 free listing would be quite reasonable - but dishing out continuous free credits is detrimental to serious buyers (and sellers), who are far more essential to your community than beginner domainers and webmasters.

If you don't intend to change the system, maybe you could add a search filter to define whether a listing used 'paid' or 'free' credits. Anybody with the time to look for a needle in a haystack can jump into the free section.

And perhaps you could send out a survey to your users who have made $XXXX+ in transactions to see what their gripes are. I would guess that market saturation is more of a problem than it might seem.