Just been suspended by Sedo

**Billnot** · 06-07-2010, 06:09 AM

Hi,

I've just received an e-mail from sedo saying that my account has been suspended because

"Our advertising provider has notified us that a significant portion of the traffic associated with
your domains has been deemed “spam” traffic and is therefore ineligible for sedo’s parking program."

I've been with Sedo for six months, and have about 80 domains parked with them. I've sold two domains through them. never a hint of trouble until now.

I am, to use the vernacular, gobsmacked!

So I can't even get into my account and all my domains come up with a brief message
"Services for this domain have been discontinued"

I have NOT been clicking on my own domains - I know better than to do that - and since I can't get into my account I can't see what's been going on.

Any advice from anybody? Especially any Sedo representative reading this.

**snicksnack** · 06-07-2010, 07:15 AM

Even if you could access your account, there would be nothing you could see. Possibly the traffic from or to your domains come from recent post on some blacklisted sites.

**Billnot** · 06-07-2010, 08:53 AM

Thanks for that, but what can I do about it? Is it better to cut my losses and go elsewhere. I'm lucky in that I run my own server so all I have to do is to change the DNS to my own, but I've always been reluctant to park too many domains here as all I have is an ADSL connection. Could I try to park them elsewhere, or would they now refuse me?

**Gerry** · 06-07-2010, 09:09 AM

I think you better find out what the source of the problem is.

IF too much of your traffic is deemed "spam" traffic, moving domains elsewhere is not going to change the spam traffic.

Whether the traffic is intentionally spam or not, you need to be looking into what is going on with your domains.

So I would be more concerned about the source of my traffic, how to correct it, how to stop the spam, and then once you have legitimate clean traffic, look at other parking companies.

**Carter** · 06-07-2010, 09:10 AM

Try to contact your sedo Account Manager.

**PeterMan** · 06-07-2010, 09:15 AM

You could also use google analytics on some landing pages to determine the source of the traffic...

**Billnot** · 06-07-2010, 02:41 PM

Originally Posted by Carter

Try to contact your sedo Account Manager.

I don't even know who that is. I've had very little contact with anybody from sedo except when selling domains. How do I find out?

---------- Post added at 09:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:38 PM ----------

You could also use google analytics on some landing pages to determine the source of the traffic..

That's a good idea, and it would help if Sedo gave access to my account to find out which the problem domains are. I don't have any problems with them canceling payments (parking money only amounts to a few Euros anyway as I haven't long been paid out), or suspending any domain that's causing trouble, but I do think it's a bit heavy handed to suspend the entire account, leaving me with very little to go on. I've only got 80 domains with Sedo, and I'll have a hard enough job sorting them all out as it is. How do people with thousands cope?

**INVIGOR** · 06-07-2010, 03:28 PM

...

**CureCancer** · 06-07-2010, 03:37 PM

talk to the sedo rep here on dnforum

**Bodis.com** · 06-07-2010, 05:25 PM

You are welcome to join Bodis. I will review your traffic manually and will let you know what the problem is, if any.

I'll also help you earn more than sedo.

**Billnot** · 06-08-2010, 02:45 AM

All I can say is thanks for all the constructive replies, suggestions and offers. I've had an e-mail from sedo, and I think it I should let things there resolve themselves (or not) before I make any changes. But a big

to DNForum; I'd have been lost without you.

For anybody interested, I'll report back

**Sapphiro** · 06-08-2010, 02:01 PM

Maybe you should email them about reinstating your account, just remove that domain that had problems! I'm not sure, maybe that works!

**Billnot** · 06-08-2010, 02:39 PM

Originally Posted by Sapphiro

Maybe you should email them about reinstating your account, just remove that domain that had problems! I'm not sure, maybe that works!

I did, within a few minutes of learning of the problem, and before posting here. I have heard nothing more except the e-mail I referred to earlier, an obviously standard one about protecting advertisers' interests. If a single domain (or a few) is causing problems, then in my view the sensible thing to do would be to delete thr problem domains and let me know why it had been done, leaving everything else alone. To delete every domain and suspend my account, with every domain showing "Services for this domain have been discontinued" is overkill, and not to explain (properly and with reference to the specific incident) why, leaves a nasty taste in the mouth.

**Gerry** · 06-08-2010, 04:05 PM

Originally Posted by Billnot

I did

I would consider Matt's offer in post #10.

Plus, Bodis does excellent with ccTLD's and other languages.

**snicksnack** · 06-08-2010, 05:59 PM

Originally Posted by Doc Com

I would consider Matt's offer in post #10.

Plus, Bodis does excellent with ccTLD's and other languages.

agreed

**Billnot** · 06-09-2010, 05:29 AM

Originally Posted by Doc Com

I would consider Matt's offer in post #10.

Plus, Bodis does excellent with ccTLD's and other languages.

That's exactly what I intend to do,

given the continuing lack of response from sedo.

**Billnot** · 06-10-2010, 04:58 AM

To bring this thread to a close, I have had an exchange with sedo and I now understand what went wrong. They will not reinstate me (although I can rejoin with a new account; seems odd to me), and I don't wish to go back to them. I have been promoting my domain names for sale on a web page of my own, which invited anybody interested in buying the name to contact sedo, for which purpose I provided a link. It worked a couple of times both to my and Sedo's (they go their commission) benefit. It's not even as if I was parking at Sedo and then trying to sell privately, which is against their T&C. At no point did I invite or entice anybody to click on any advertising links - I know darned well that's wrong, and quite rightly. Nevertheless it is the web page that Sedo took objection to, which led to every domain I listed being blacklisted.

If Sedo could have warned me rather than just suspending me out of the blue I could and would have done something about it.
As it is, I think I acted within Sedo's T&C; they think differently, and there the matter must rest.

**katherine** · 06-10-2010, 05:08 AM

You must not link to your parked domains, this is considered artificial traffic. On the other hand, you can link to the for sale/detail page.

**snicksnack** · 06-10-2010, 05:58 AM

sorry, but this don't strike me as a good enough reason to supend and account. There are many websites which have a list of their domains and the domain name is clickable and does not go to the sales page but the domain itself. But it is there company so they make the rules. Take your business elsewhere, enough parking companies and sales platforms around.

**Billnot** · 06-10-2010, 10:21 AM

Originally Posted by sdsinc

You must not link to your parked domains, this is considered artificial traffic. On the other hand, you can link to the for sale/detail page.

Well I must confess that was what I was doing, so it fully explains what went wrong. If sedo had just said "you can't do this, even though you're not inviting clicks", removed the parking money and given me a set time to fix it, that would have been fair.
As it is, they don't make it clear that you can't do it, even if just to promote sales.

I have made other arrangements.