Biggest players are wasting money - or are they playing games?

[sasquatch]

what's your stategy for buying generic traffic names?

You have to have religious beliefs :-D

 

[gmac17]

i agree with both sides:

- They can't be spending this kind of money without some rational for it on the back end.

- They are spending way more than they would pay if these names were going on a forum or a sales website. If I started a thread two months ago trying to sell Christianweddingsongs.com for $1200 you'd probably laugh at me. On the drop however, it sold for over $1800.

Maybe these guys don't want to start buying from everyone, have word get out and have prices go way up.....

 

[seeker]

I think it is all about time.
it is easier, and more of an automated process to read through drops than it is to read through forums.

also, what on Earth makes you guys think the 'big players' pay $2K, when the listing ends at $2K????

come on, you really dont think they get a volume discount?
and I'd bet it is a large one..........

 

[Kjel]

I can't speak for other providers, but at SnapNames there are no volume discounts for auctioned domain names. The winning bid displayed to all auction participants is what the high bidder will pay for that name, regardless of past order volume. To do otherwise seems to me to be highly unethical.

 

[seeker]

why is it unethical to offer volume discounts???
it is done almost everywhere in the domain business...

 

[Kjel]

To have a volume discount of any type would essentially force us to lie to the auction participants when showing the high bid if that bid was placed by someone with a discount. We're not going to go down that road.

Many are of the opinion that the "big guys" have the power in an auction system now because of their deep pockets, and this is true of course. In an auction the buyer with more to spend is at an advantage. So just imagine what the situation would look like if we gave our very largest customers a discount: nobody else would ever get a name.

 

[seeker]

so, you are adamant. ok. I would not want my auctions at SN to be affected

well, I assure you that other places offer these discounts, and it makes perfect business sense.

 

[gmac17]

I'd think US law would come in to play - if it's an auction format, I think the public price would need to be the actual price. Otherwise, I know a few attorney's general who might be interested.....

 

[sasquatch]

Even huge prominent multinational public companies in the world's spoglight 24-7 get caught with background deals, shady practices and book-cooking, I can only imagine what goes on beyond the closed doors of these small, private companies operating in the "wild west".

 

[mole]

To have a volume discount of any type would essentially force us to lie to the auction participants when showing the high bid if that bid was placed by someone with a discount. We're not going to go down that road

k:

and no shilling too k: k:

 

[Kjel]

Correct, no shilling, either. Discounts and auctioneer shilling are both illegal and unethical. Mole, with your choice of smileys you wouldn't possibly be implying that we engage in such behavior, would you? How dare you sir! Pistols at dawn to settle this?

We do welcome Schilling, however.

 

[mole]

You mean the benfranklin :veryangry who k: me at ? of course the :-# is with :worried: but then again, snaps is :santa:

 

[Rarethings]

lol

 

[denny007]

I asked same quesiton directly to Snapnames, got this answer:
"We do not give anyone any kind of discount. Not only do we think it
would not be fair, it is illegal under US auction law."

 

[gmac17]

Mole - can you translate please?

 

[Rarethings]

thats very interesting.. I agree. A discount would be shaky business practice.

 

[none]

What about an affiliate program that not all users use (or know about) that gives the bidder a discount?

I believe at least one dropcatcher runs such a program.