For Sale Pool Sealed Auction Strategies?

[clemzonguy]

Okay so a name finally drops that I am interested in and it goes to POOL and I am blackmailed into basically ordering it there for fear another person may order.

1) Does the name go into the "sealed bid" phase regarless of whether or not other people ordered the name. If yes then isn't this auction fraud to play me against myself?

2) What amount should I bid to be considered in the actual bidding. Would pool knowingly not allow me to be included in the final bidding even though I would be willing to pay more for the name when it's all said and done? To me this seems counterproductive to exclude people from bidding later on.

It would one person could create two accounts under different names and bid really high 20% under their other highest bid and then take the name as their own. This system seems very flawed and un-ethical. I do not mind ordering at pool but I am not going to bid blindly to determine the market price out of fear rather than fair competition. Pool represents communism at it's best.

 

[URLtrader]

Okay so a name finally drops that I am interested in and it goes to POOL and I am blackmailed into basically ordering it there for fear another person may order.

1) Does the name go into the "sealed bid" phase regarless of whether or not other people ordered the name. If yes then isn't this auction fraud to play me against myself?

2) What amount should I bid to be considered in the actual bidding. Would pool knowingly not allow me to be included in the final bidding even though I would be willing to pay more for the name when it's all said and done? To me this seems counterproductive to exclude people from bidding later on.

It would one person could create two accounts under different names and bid really high 20% under their other highest bid and then take the name as their own. This system seems very flawed and un-ethical. I do not mind ordering at pool but I am not going to bid blindly to determine the market price out of fear rather than fair competition. Pool represents communism at it's best.

I got a domain for $60 because I was the only bidder. It did go to "Sealed Bid " phase. If I had placed a bid of $200, that would have been the price for me. In other words I would have outbid myself !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now your second question. It depends on how badly you want a domain and how much you want to pay for it. For child.org I made initial bid of $500 and did not even make to the "Challenger Phase". I learnt from it and was able to get Homeo.com (the shortest and best domain for Homeopathic website or products) at pool. Do not ask me for how much :-D .

If I were included in the challenger phase for child.org , who knows I might have paid more than the winner under present system. Well , that,s pool for you :wink: .

I request other people at dnforum to share their experiences here. Thanks.

URLtrader

 

[ParkQuick.com]

I bid $81 for a name and I'm pretty sure I was bidding against myself. I got the name for $81. My thinking was that $81 was within 20% of a $100 bid - and someone might have bid $100 on it. It still sux.

 

[strongvis]

Urltrader , If a name moves from sealed into the auction phase , there are other bidders. It's pretty clear there I thought. So if you didn't bid, once in phase 2, you'd run the risk that you'd lose the name to the first $60 bidder.

 

[netproperty]

Pool sucks... Im not using them anymore... Just dont like the blinf binding

 

[websitedeveloper]

I was sucked into Pools two phase system and the first day it went live I placed my highest bid in phase one for the domains I was after and probably over paid low $X,XXX for them, because I didn't understand how the process worked. I feel so dumb now.

It was fine the way it was! Now it's just frustrating and more time consuming so I too am using it a lot less.

 

[clemzonguy]

So what happens if I do make a sealed bid but no one else is even close to the amount (not even 20%). Does it still go to Phase II? If it doesn't does that mean that I was the only bidder to begin with?

If for some reason I do make it in the auction phase in this current auction I am going to be Pool's number one worst enemy.
I will not be blackmailed!

 

[websitedeveloper]

if you make a sealed bid above $60 and no one else does (within 20% of your bid), that is the price you pay for the domain, and yes you still must sit through phase two... there is no way to avoid phase two, even if there is only one bidder

with Pool there is no way to tell how many bidders there are for domains

 

[clemzonguy]

Can I increase my "sealed bid" or is it final once I put it in?

 

[dvdrip]

You can increase it but not decrease it although it not a proxy or anything.

 

[hiOsilver]

I got a domain for $60 because I was the only bidder. It did go to "Sealed Bid " phase. If I had placed a bid of $200, that would have been the price for me. In other words I would have outbid myself !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have sent Pool an email to clarify this issue. It used to be that if you were the only bidder, then you got the domain for $60.

 

[actnow]

I have sent Pool an email to clarify this issue. It used to be that if you were the only bidder, then you got the domain for $60.

HiOsilver, if you are the only one that has the name on the watchlist.
You get it the same day it drops.

My use of Pool is down 75 - 80% since they went to this auction system.

Furthermore, I can not tell how much I missed getting a name by.
So, I am bidding the minimum.

I am not emotionally involved in getting any names right now.

And, Pool makes (with this new auction system) huge profits from emotionally involved
and/or amateur bidders.

(I consider myself an amateur bidder.)

 

[hiOsilver]

HiOsilver, if you are the only one that has the name on the watchlist.
You get it the same day it drops.

My use of Pool is down 75 - 80% since they went to this auction system.

Furthermore, I can not tell how much I missed getting a name by.
So, I am bidding the minimum.

Well, here is my reply from Pool:

Yes. Every backordered domain that Pool.com successfully secures will gointo the first phase of Pool.com’s new 2-Phase Auction System: the Sealed Bid Auction.

Well, that about does it for me. I will not bid at all on Pool (over the $60 minimum). This is the worst of all possible worlds. I hope that everyone else stops bidding so that Pool is forced to reasses this outrageous policy.

 

[NameTower]

They are so dumb.

They expect people to bid against themselves..

LOL

 

[actnow]

HiOsilver,

I got the name yesterday for $ 60. So, I assumed it dropped yesterday.

I just looked at whois. And, it dropped on 9-2. So, I was wrong.

Thanks for clearing that up for me.

I refuse to place any high bids anymore at Pool.

More I think about it, their revenue has to be spiraling down.

Which will make their registrars start considering other options.

I speculate that they will reconsider their new auction system within the
next couple weeks.

And, then, they will have to start a compaign to get some of the middle level players
back.

 

[mole]

It's really ludicrious to have to pay just to even start to play.

 

[clemzonguy]

Who in their right mind would commit a large amount of funds for a domain without even knowing where they stand against the competition or a market determined value. I will find out in 3 HRS what the results are with regards to the sealed bid results. From what I'm guessing it's me and one other person.....then again it could be just myself according to what people say.

I think it's morally wrong and illegal to make a person believe there are people bidding against other people in order to increase the amount a person is paying.

 

[mole]

The 3 hrs are up, clem. How did you do? Mine went through;

 

[hiOsilver]

Who in their right mind would commit a large amount of funds for a domain without even knowing where they stand against the competition or a market determined value. I will find out in 3 HRS what the results are with regards to the sealed bid results. From what I'm guessing it's me and one other person.....then again it could be just myself according to what people say.

I think it's morally wrong and illegal to make a person believe there are people bidding against other people in order to increase the amount a person is paying.

Please send an email to Pool to express your point of view. I did. On the other hand, some people just hope that Pool will learn the hard way. I already was tricked into bidding against myself. In the normal auction, you get what you are bidding for at one unit over what the 2nd bidder is willing to pay. In this system, you have no idea what you are paying. I doubt that this is illegal, but the best way of dealing with it is to simply not bid. If you get a domain for $60, then ok. Otherwise, let someone else be foolish enough to get sucked into this travesty.

 

[seeker]

I dont know how it is for others, but from my reading MANY times the 'new' auction system, even if you are the ONLY person, it will go to the 2nd phase!