question What is Epik's process for auctioning their expiring domains?

[PJ Baldwin]

I'm interested in an Epik domain that's 2 weeks past its expiration date. The domain is valuable enough that there will likely be many interested parties if it does in fact go to auction.

Most major registrars send their expiring domains to a pre-release auction partner (such as NameJet or GD Auctions) with the auction starting X days past the expiration date (e.g. day 26). The process is simple and predictable.

Epik, however, seems to have a more complicated process that involves different "stages" which may or may not include NameLiquidation.com, SnapNames (pre-release), a "Daily Diamonds" reverse auction, and in-house "first-come first-serve backorders processed [before] sending it to SnapNames" (according to their CEO several years ago, which appears to be outdated now).

So, can someone please provide a current up-to-date explanation of Epik's stages and timeline for expiring domains? Also, does the process potentially change for domains that Epik deems to have high value (e.g. $5-10k range)?

All I want is an opportunity to bid on the domain!

Thanks in advance.

 

[PJ Baldwin]

Note: I forgot to mention in OP - I contacted Epik's customer support prior to creating this thread. They were unsure about the specifics and said they would need to follow up, but I never heard back from them.

As a side note: It's both frustrating and astonishing to me that so few registrars provide clear up-to-date information online about the pre-release process of their expiring domains. Even their support staffs are often poorly trained about it, in some cases unaware that their expiring domains are auctioned off at all. Anyway, I know how most of the registrars operate, I just want some clarity on Epik — a complete and authoritative answer that ensures a domainer (such as myself) does not miss an opportunity to buy or bid on an expiring domain there. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.

 

[branding]

@Rob Monster can probably give you the best answer.

 

[Jurgen Wolf]

NameLiquidate expired auctions depend on the owner's settings...
https://registrar.epik.com/account/portfolio-settings/

 

[PJ Baldwin]

@Rob Monster can probably give you the best answer.

That would be excellent if @Rob Monster could weigh in. His support team was unsure about the details. For example, the role that Epik's backorders play in the pre-prelease stages (if any) or if they're only for drop-catching purposes. And if backorders are relevant in the pre-release, what is their priority/precedence with respect to "Daily Diamonds", SnapNames/NameJet (assuming they still have a partnership), and other "stages" of the process?

I can simplify my questions like this:

How does a domainer guarantee himself an opportunity to bid on a domain that's expiring at Epik?...

• Is it necessary to place a backorder?

• Does the domain get sent to a pre-release auction partner at some point (e.g. SnapNames)?

• Is the "Daily Diamonds" reverse auction the final stage?

• What role does NameLiquidate.com play?

• And finally, does the process change for domains that are deemed to have high value (e.g. $10k+)?... Specifically, can they still end up in the "Daily Diamonds" reverse auction (which would create a "sniping" situation unless the starting bid is extremely high).

What are the possible scenarios?!?

One last point (for Rob): As a domainer/customer, it's okay if Epik has a more complicated pre-release process than other registrars, but it should be well-documented. The information I could find is either conflicting or outdated, and Epik's support team was unable to answer these questions.

So @Rob Monster - please help!.. I want to have an opportunity to bid on this domain and maximize the money you make on it !

 

[robs01]

The first thing I would have done (or now do ASAP) is to place a backorder for it at Epik. Try to make sure that you get #1 position in the backorder queue. (Note that at Epik it's a first come first served basis.) You'll know your position when you place it. It's dirt cheap for NP members, and then just get a refund if not successful and use the funds for a renewal or whatever.

 

[karmaco]

If its worth as much as you think, it will be picked up by someone well before a final drop. Just like Dyna, NameSilo and others— they auction off the names inhouse first. It appears some names make it to Diamonds area first and others go through NameLiquidate.

 

[PJ Baldwin]

If its worth as much as you think, it will be picked up by someone well before a final drop. Just like Dyna, NameSilo and others— they auction off the names inhouse first.

Correct. That's why I'm asking for details of their pre-release process.

I listed my specific questions in post #5.

 

[PJ Baldwin]

The first thing I would have done (or now do ASAP) is to place a backorder for it at Epik. Try to make sure that you get #1 position in the backorder queue. (Note that at Epik it's a first come first served basis.) You'll know your position when you place it.

This is one of the main things I'm seeking clarity on...

Does Epik process its backorders in the pre-release (pre-redemption) stages, or do the backorders only apply to drop-catching?.. And if they are processed in the pre-release, what is their priority/precedence with respect to "Daily Diamonds", SnapNames/NameJet (assuming they still have an auctions partnership with them), and other stages of the pre-release?.. (e.g. If a domain has a backorder, does that take precedence over and bypass their "Daily Diamonds" auction)?

Also, if their backorders are pre-paid and "first-come first-serve", then what's the point of allowing multiple backorders?

You can see my other questions in post #5.

 

[robs01]

I'm with you PJ Baldwin... this was a great thread/question and I too am still waiting for Epik to chime in and clarify things. I'm surprised they haven't done so yet.

From what I understand, NameLiquidate (NL) is an optional listing which can be done at any time by the domain owner (even if domain not at Epik and even if not expired), plus an Epik account setting which can automatically send a domain at Epik to NL upon expiry. Account choices are: send domain to NL upon expiry; send 7 days after expiry; and do not send to NL.

This Daily Diamonds however, I'm not sure where and how that inventory gets there. It could be Epik's in house domains they caught/bought and offer for sale...???

Also, if their backorders are pre-paid and "first-come first-serve", then what's the point of allowing multiple backorders?

Sometimes people change their minds and might cancel their backorder (BO) and one would move up the queue. On a popular domain, probably only 1st place is worth keeping, I'd hold on to position 2 as well, but anything less I'd cancel. Hence I'd say get in ASAP with the BO and get #1. Maybe your BO at #1 might guarantee that the domain cannot be taken for their in house inventory??? I may very well be wrong with this strategy though especially if it's not a highly desired domain as it might alert Epik or the domain owner of your interest and they'd keep it.

 

[branding]

This Daily Diamonds however, I'm not sure where and how that inventory gets there. It could be Epik's in house domains they caught/bought and offer for sale...???

No, they are names expiring which are registered at Epik. I think at first the list was curated, nowadays not so sure. There's some real crap listed there at times.

I think they go to DD before they send them to snap (if they still do).

 

[branding]

Basically it's like this: expired > nameliquidate (If owner decides) > Epik warehouse sales page > daily diamonds > snap (?) > Domain drops (backorder).

Should be pretty accurate.

 

[robs01]

What I find weird though is that The Daily Diamonds are listed with a buy-it-now price of $1849 !!! That's a bit steep for expired domains. Hence I wonder if it's more than just expired domains...

Edit: yesterday they were $1849 BIN price, but now that I just looked again they are all at $29 BIN. I assume that was a bug and it was just fixed. Darn it, I should have made this comment yesterday and got my Epik bug bonus. Mumble, groan.

 

[PJ Baldwin]

What I find weird though is that The Daily Diamonds are listed with a buy-it-now price of $1849 !!! That's a bit steep for expired domains. Hence I wonder if it's more than just expired domains...

Edit: yesterday they were $1849 BIN price, but now that I just looked again they are all at $29 BIN. I assume that was a bug and it was just fixed. Darn it, I should have made this comment yesterday and got my Epik bug bonus. Mumble, groan.

It's a 24-hour reverse auction, so that's how it's supposed to work.

The auction opens at a high price, and gradually decreases until someone buys it.

GoDaddy's "closeouts" work the same way, except they start at $50, which is too low in my opinion. I'm not saying it should start in the 4-digit range like Epik's "Daily Diamonds", but it needs to be higher to help curtail the sniping by HugeDomains and other high-speed bots. I'd like to see it start at $200, and drop like this: $200 > $100 > $50 > $30 > $15 > $5.

The rationale for a lower starting price (for GD closeouts) is that a domain only reaches the closeouts if it failed to attract a bid in the initial 10-day auction... but that's flawed reasoning since most domainers intentionally avoid bidding in the auctions so they can snipe the closeouts. If the initial price were increased to $200, then sniping would be a lot less likely. I'm sure there are domainers who would oppose such a change, but I think the pros would outweigh the cons.

...but I digress.

 

[robs01]

It's a 24-hour reverse auction, so that's how it's supposed to work.

Okay. NOW it makes sense.

@epik I think this all needs to be explained much more clearly in Epik's FAQ section, and also on the Daily Diamonds pages. Someone (domainer or otherwise) might stumble upon a domain they are interested in and not know that it is a 24hr reverse auction, and come back a day later and see it gone. They also might see the BIN price and think it's too much and then never come back (despite having a make offer option). I also think it's cumbersome and confusing having 2 similar services - NL the 7 day reverse auction and DD the 24hr reverse auction.

 

[Jurgen Wolf]

https://nameliquidate.com/faq

 

[Supri]

I know this thread was posted almost 10 months back, and it helped me understand Epik's process a little better. I hope this helps someone looking for clarity on Epik's domain expiry lifecycle.

I was able to get the updated process from Epik's support team.

Domain expires --> 15 days default grace period --> Internal backorders --> If there are no backorders, it gets sent to either NameLiquidate or Bargain Domains --> Redemption period --> Daily Diamonds 1 day before pendingDelete --> External backorders

They no longer send it for auction on Snapnames before listing it on Daily Diamonds.

What they mean by Internal backorders - paraphrasing their agent's answer below:

Epik backorders don't lead to an auction, and if their backorder succeeds, you simply become the new owner. There is, of course, no guarantee that a backorder will succeed. The owner may choose to renew, for example.

When the domain is registered at Epik, then a backorder should succeed (assuming the owner fails to renew). In other words, you'd have front-of-the-line status when backordering an Epik domain at Epik.