I typically like to wait for an end user to approach me with a good offer, however sometimes it is nice to just sell some domains on your own schedule. I have a couple of big purchases on the horizon, so this week I have been testing a few of the auction sites.
First, I went to Bido to see what it was all about. The system there did not seem very intuitive and it appears that you have to pay to list your names, then people have to vote on it, then if you get enough votes it goes to auction, and even then it may or may not sell. I started to list a name there and then canceled the listing and decided to try something else. I know that many people are happy with Bido and it sounds like it is improving each day, but I am just looking for something easier.
Next, I listed a small group of names on Godaddy Auctions. When you visit the Godaddy Auctions page, there is a link that says “list a domain” and you can list it as buy it now, offer/counter offer, offer/counter offer with buy it now, or a seven day auction. If you have names registered at Godaddy, you can also list a name by logging in to your account’s domain manager section, then selecting the name and clicking the tab “cash in” and selecting “List on GoDaddy Auctions.” The only difference here is that I was unable to select the 7 day auction. The buy it now, offer/counter offer, offer/counter offer with buy it now options were there, but no way to push a name from your account to an auction. I would like to be able to send a name from my account to a 7 day auction, and was unable to do so without leaving the account manager section, going to the auctions section, and then manually enter the name and selecting a 7 day auction. Am I missing something here?
I then remembered seeing a “List Now on SnapNames” link in my Moniker account so I decided to try that. I selected a small group of names from my Moniker account and clicked the “List Now on SnapNames” link. I was taken directly to SnapNames and was given the option to set the minimum bid price and auction start time. So far, I have found this to be the easiest way to sell names – just a few clicks and I was done.
If you are in no hurry to sell your names, I think the best places to list them are Sedo and Afternic. If you want to sell some right away, I think that Moniker to SnapNames system is the easiest. Let me know what you think though – where is the best place to sell your domain names?
February 16th, 2010 at 4:44 pm
Those bids were there before this post, so I guess it is from Snapnames natural audience. I had an offer of $6500 for that lll .com about a year or so ago, but it seems the market is a bit down for some of the three letter dot com names.
February 16th, 2010 at 4:10 pm
Best of luck with the auctions.
Noticed that ***.com already had a $4500 bid and that ***.org currently has 14 bidders – very nice.
Was wondering if you did any other promotion for the auctions (other than this blog post) or if you think most the bids are coming from Snapnames natural audience?
[Editors Note: In the interest of protecting the privacy of the buyer, I have removed details regarding specific domains after the completion of the sales. The lll.com sold for $4600. I don’t remember the price for the lll.org but it was over $100]
February 16th, 2010 at 4:32 pm
I agree with your Bido view. I sent about 200 domains their way in the last week. 20 voted for and completed auctions so far, only 1 sale. To be fair, this was my junk, but the interesting thing is that the voting is detached from the sales side, because of the voting reward system – voting earnings are not aligned to your own desire to buy the domain. I think in time Bido will be a great platform – they do listen 🙂
February 17th, 2010 at 12:52 pm
Bido has declined in my view. They offer very little for great domains. And, most domains at auction are garbage. Someone needs to come up with a site that can sell to all countries and charge if sold. Most places charge $10-$40 but the domain sells for $10…you just lost $30. They (sites) should charge more when you sell the domain and list it for free. I would pay 25% when my domain gets sold!!!
February 17th, 2010 at 1:03 pm
Bido is not worth the effort either buying or selling. They have a cumbersome listing process, small audience, and their domain lists are full of junk.
DP Forum has a nice new auction feature in the Domains sections. Creating an auction is a snap and they bump your sale to the top of the forum during the last hour.
August 4th, 2010 at 3:25 am
I think the best place for offer-counter offer system is certainly Sedo. SnapNames really sucks!
I have accounts on both of them. First of all, Sedo has more targeted potential buyers. They are not like the domainers in Snap. Secondly, SnapNames is not user friendly. It has a horrible navigation, only a bad imitation of Sedo. To be able to reach serious potential buyers, I recommend Sedo.