To try and circumnavigate the auction alternative, I personally have put up my own showcase site USeBiz.com to promote my names. In support of all the points you have made, it is clear to me that we cannot count on the auction houses to promote our names.

I am so grateful to you Stephen to have the guts to tell the truth.

___________

Jeff Schneider

USeBiz.com

perhaps , u may b
1 of the most authorritative at this topic ,
because : :::::
u have been the insider o’[of]
1 of the most successfullest auctions –
the DoMain Round Table

cheers ThANKye , 2w

On the flip side I feel that if a domain fails to meet its reserve, it’s kind of like a negative stigma, signaling to the domain market at large that the domain is not worth more than the highest bid, when the truth of the matter is simply the right players were not participating in the auction, or more likely weren’t even aware the auction was taking place.

I think another reason auction houses pressure for lower reserves is to show a greater volume of domains selling, which is one of the metrics of a successful auction. Live auctions with few sales can be viewed as flops and certainly don’t help an auction house establish its position as a premier sales venue.

XXXXSTEPHENXXXX
Thanks Prentice.
You have made some very astute comments about the auction participation process that I didn’t even think about — the stigma that could be attached to a domain that doesn’t get an offer, not because it isn’t a great domain, but because there weren’t enough bidders, or the right kind of bidders, to fairly engage the auction for the domain.

Many of these auction services state how many “great domains” are for sale, but what have they done to ADVERTISE the fact that these domains are for sale? Have they done due diligence by informing relevant companies that the auction was taking place? Or are they just “preaching to the choir”. Too many times, domains are sold for under value because of the fact that only domainers looking for a great deal are bidding. It’s time that the domain auction services go outside their little worlds and establish connections with REAL buyers in the business community who should be educated on the value of the domains. When will this happen? I don’t know of any auction service that does this, or that provides PROOF that they do this. I would be glad to include any domain auction service’s comments on their marketing promotions to bring in bidders outside the domain industry. Moniker, Snapnames, Afternic, Domaintools, and any other company should post their investments towards the business community as possible participants as bidders in their auctions. This would increase domainers’ trust in throwing in a valuable domain name at lower reserves to see what “the market really will bear”.

XXXXXXStephenXXXXX
Thanks Francois,
You’re right, and check my response to Prentice’s comment on the ramifications of an auction house not investing in promoting their domain auctions adequately to the business community. If they aren’t investing at least $50,000 in public relations on their auctions, then you may be cheated in receiving the full value of the auction. I can’t point the finger at any one domain auction service, I can only state what is logically sound in the process of offering up your valuable domains for auction and placing a “reserve” price that may be too low, with only one bidder picking it up as a steal.