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Leap day auction – $250 reserves on new domains
February 23rd, 2008 by 
Jay Westerdal
We’ve finalized the list of domains and activated bidding for the Leap Day Auction that will close on February 29 at 11am PST. We also put a few of the January domains back up and lowered the reserves on those domains 10%. Our review team selectively focused and added new domains to the auction list. All of the new domains have a reserve price of $250 or less, so if high reserves on names have prevented you from jumping into the domain business, this is a great time to get in the game. Those who have an appetite for domains with lots of potential should also be pleased with this list.
Overall, this auction presents an excellent opportunity for experienced domainers and recent entrants alike, and we’re excited to see how this plays out.
Be sure to look closely at the Overture rankings (the “Ovt” column) and the Google cost-per-click number (the “CPC” column). We actually missed some great names on our first pass through the list because we weren’t looking closely enough at those numbers. Make sure you review them carefully so you don’t make the same mistake we did!
You’ll find the Leap Day domains starting with lot 176 on the bid page.
And remember, all the bids are starting at $250 or less, so there’s no reason not to participate. We are also actively working on the list for the Live San Francisco auction. We are looking for great generic domains so please submit them.
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Posted in DomainTools Auction |
39 Comments »
February 23rd, 2008 at 4:36 pm
I have removed my domains from my account.
Have a good day.
February 23rd, 2008 at 5:03 pm
My two didn’t make it. So I guess I’ll just have to develope them into the “Top Two World’s Favorite Web Destinations”. But first I gotta fix that page I been working on all day and I ain’t got a clue yet on that one.
February 23rd, 2008 at 5:30 pm
Wow! After all the delays and silence, only 35 names were added to the end of the list. I’m very disappointed that not one of the 10 names I submitted on Feb 6 made the cut. Oh well, I can enjoy my mincetarts.com
(Goog 8,150) or kirschtorte.com
(Goog 203,000)(Black Forest cake) while watching the sailboats at OakBay.org
(Goog 703,000). Apparently these TLD’s can’t compete with “killer” names like hooterzone.com
(Goog 27), etc.
= TiKi =
February 23rd, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Slightly off topic but as an avid reader I wanted to let you know that since a month or so the domaintools.com
website is blocked in China.
Changing IP address will probably lift this block.
February 23rd, 2008 at 6:57 pm
Wow, I agree, some killer domains added, why did they bother having submissions if only to add 35 lame domains. I wasted my time and they don,t even say thanks. …..live and learn!
Sorry to the folks that were expecting some Great $250 reserve domains.
February 23rd, 2008 at 9:29 pm
I’m almost speechless.
Once again, as a buyer, there is nothing there of interest to me.
Jay, if buyers weren’t interested the first go around with pretty much the same domains, what will change things by adding in a few dozen useless domains? Of course, you will likely see some of them sell for the cachet of being able to say they bought something at the auction.
I think you are going to alienate more sellers as well -before many didn’t submit with the time lock in and 10% reserve reduction and this time with having had a lot of people waste time submitting for so few spots they will be less likely to spend time next time.
February 24th, 2008 at 3:36 am
Your site has me totally bemused. It says click here for a list of the Feb 29th sale names. When I do that I’m taken to a list of the Jan 3rd sale. I sent in a whole list of names, never heard a word, can’t see the list. What’s going on? Something seems to be sadly amiss there.It
seems like there’s not much point entering names until it gets sorted out because judging from the comments, no one’s very happy about the situation.
February 24th, 2008 at 4:44 am
you have got to be sh%&&ing me. I have certified domain apprasels at 25,000 and more and I have 3 letter words domains none of them were picked wow good job another sorry auction that will fail..
February 24th, 2008 at 7:08 am
Look 80% like that last list…disapponted
February 24th, 2008 at 9:50 am
How are we supposed to take you guys seriously now? You had the opportunity to redeem your selves from the last auction that flopped but instead you add a handful of so-so domains. I didn’t expect mine to make it but I was looking forward to seeing a list of a hundred or so generic domains with potential. I can’t imagine anyone will take this seriously, as msdomainer put it, have a good day.
February 24th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Some of mine were accepted for the Leap Year auction, and I’d like to see how the domain age of one can be corrected. I bought it on the drop last year, which seems to have re-set the Whois to one year. However, it was originally registered in 2004 so the true domain age is 4 years. Thanks.
February 24th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Oh well. There’s still a couple bargains left on that list from the 10th that people haven’t figured out. Maybe those will sell for you. Couple of the new ones probably will sell too. Wishin you good luck on the next auction though Jay.
February 25th, 2008 at 6:28 am
I join the crowd in saying what an incredible disappointment this auction is. Not only were there only 35 new names, but the list of new names is not impressive at all. It boggles my mind why so few domains were chosen, when the reserve was only $250. Why not give buyers a large list to choose from when the reserve is that low? After submitting my domains at the beginning of February, the entry page said, “We will send you an e-mail after reviewing your names”. I got no such e-mail. It just all appears to be very unprofessional.
When I finally sent an e-mail asking when the actual list would be known, I received one back stating that the review process was taking longer than anticipated. How in the world could the review process take so long when only 30 or so new names were chosen? I don’t get it.
February 25th, 2008 at 9:01 am
Why would you expect really good Generic Names in a 250 starting bid auction?But i did expect a larger number of $250 ones i hope Jay you institute a RoundTable attendee Auction List (when i suggested it in Seattle you seemed to think it was a good idea at the time)as well you might just get a few more to come
just make it a online seperate auction that ends a day or so after the Round Table with no restrictions on price or Tld just no Infringing so people might not come home empty handed plus it is a good experiment to see percentage wise if what people drop in there sell and at what price so they may see the wisdom of your choices vs their opinions of their Domains and appraisal values.That
would be a cool contest not just what will sell but how much as well.
February 25th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
I share in the disappointment expressed by so many others. No offense to those that had names accepted, but these were the best names out of all the submissions? I’m thankful that I only took the time to submit 27 domains instead of the 500 I was originally considering.
February 25th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
come on Jay please say somthing
February 25th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
I think they just pick the first names they see and use the guess and hope method i guess i will pick this one i hope it sells
February 25th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Jay, why not add another 65 names with $250 reserves? You could add 10 on Tue, 20 on Wed, 25 on Thu, and the last 10 on Fri — Leap Day! It would keep folks interested right up to the time of the auction, and give a few more buyers and sellers the opportunity to participate. 100 names. Waddayathink?
= TK =
February 25th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
That’s not a bad idea Tiki. They might not be able to do it because it’s so close to the start time but the size of the list might attract more bidders. Especially on the 29th but it’s a good idea.
February 26th, 2008 at 4:22 am
Agree with Tiki. Jay, it would be nice to have a larger selection of low reserve names. You never know what may sell.
February 26th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
This list is funny – almost pathetic.
Probably a good idea to stop and take a look around.
Domainers complain like every other group of people but when no one is bidding and people are laughing at how foolish your auction has become I think it’s time to take some of these complaints to heart.
Everyone needs an ego check every now and then – nothing wrong with it, we all get wrapped up in things and forget about our customers at some point. Take the high road here – listen to the people here.
February 26th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
I thought this list might have been for the April 1st auction, then realized there isn’t one
Seriously though, you must be super busy with other stuff. Perhaps auctions isn’t something DomainTools should do.
February 26th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
“Perhaps auctions isn�t something DomainTools should do”
Exactly my thoughts….
UPDATE BY JAY: I am not sure what you guys want from an auction that has domain with $250 reserves. This auction is not targeted at big names, we have a lot of big names scheduled for April.
February 26th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
Hey, Jay! That April Fools Day Auction idea of databanks ain’t bad really. Load it up with domains that make you smile. Funny names that were legitamately submitted. Maybe some lousy domains with huge reserves that were submitted in previous auctions (or new lousy ones with preposturous reserves).
Some names that come with extras. Like a used bowling ball, cowboy hat and a saddle, a grab bag of bolts, coupons for boiled peanuts, etc.
Get the idea?
How about a domain that includes a horrible logo, ugly background, and other putrid graphics with free shipping. Hee Hee. Horrid domains, just registered with Reserves set to the registration price. Or lower. A negative reserve (We’ll pay you to take it).
Just make sure the offered items and domains are legit incase someone does buy them. I’m sure there’s a few that made you grin. Have a little fun with it and if you wind up making some money…. Nothing wrong with that either. The publicity would be great just within the Domain Blogosphere.
February 26th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
spambait wrote: “That April Fools Day Auction idea of databanks ain’t bad really. Load it up with domains that make you smile. Funny names that were legitamately submitted. Maybe some lousy domains with huge reserves that were submitted in previous auctions (or new lousy ones with preposturous reserves).”
Actually, that’s a pretty funny idea. There really are some surprising names that people feel should have made the list.
Even though I have a few domains in this auction (leftover from Jan), I’m still a bit surprised that not more new ones were added.
I’ve noticed an interesting side effect though. Whenever domaintools has an auction, I end up making at least a 4 figure domain sale from a domain name *not* in the auction.
February 26th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
Okay, maybe you didn’t have the opportunity to add any more names today. How about re-evaluating the previously submitted names with your review team tomorrow (take your time), then adding 25 new names on Thu and 15 more on Fri morning. IMHO a list of 75 interesting “low budget” names might just make this auction the success we all want it to be …
= TK =
February 27th, 2008 at 7:39 am
The question that people are asking here in this blog is not about why there aren’t more “big names” in the Leap Day auction. The question most are asking is “Why are there so few names?” Check out the list of “Low and No Reserve Auction Results” at the recent T.R.A.F.F.I.C. on the bottom of the page by using this link.
http://marketplacepro.moniker.com/auction/events/187/results.html
What you will see are 73 names that sold for between $20,000 and $150 dollars. Specialtyclamps.com
sold for the $150. I’m sure Moniker was quite happy to get commission even on $150. Why should they not be?
”
In other words, by including more names they got more money. Buyers and sellers are happier when there are more names offered. Seriously, think about it, who would think offhand that “Specialtyclamps.com
was worth much? It is a parked page, and nobody here would assert that many people are typing in “specialty clamps” into their browsers.
Yet, the review people at T.R.A.F.F.I.C West decided to include it in the auction anyway. And guess what? They made money on it. Isn’t that the goal, that we all make money? More names offered = More Money for buyers and sellers
February 27th, 2008 at 9:16 am
I was wondering if it would be possible to lower the price of a name from the previous auction. I would hope this could entice possible bidding action on it. I would like to lower the starting price of a name I submitted.
February 27th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
yeah petty sad. even tho they are only $250. ive seen names start at 250 and end up for 25k. if the amount was way to big then restrict users to only submit a certain amount. or pay a small entry fee.
February 29th, 2008 at 9:56 am
Jay,
Will all names be closing at 11:00 am PST or will the names be auctioned “live” in the order they appear on the list? If the latter, will the remaining January names be included in the “live” auction?
Thanks in advance.
February 29th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
I dont know Jay. I have several names accepted into the auction and still the status message says “Congratulations, you are done! We will send you an email when we finish reviewing…….”
Jay, to respond to your comment, above, asking what we want from an auction regarding names that start at $250: its not about the auction itself (for me at least), its about the communication with us.
I had NO CLUE that some of my names were accepted. No email notice, no comments in my account/profile area, no change in the status at the top of the Submission Manager page. Its all about that communication that makes or breaks things for me.
When the submissions status never changes, it seems as if nothing is going on back behind the scenes. I know that there is activity going on but it SEEMS as nothing is happening. I hope that this is something that gets looked in the future. I have 762 domains and would like to submit them to the next auction but at the moment I am not sure why I should. I’ll never know if they are accepted or rejected and thats if I get past the bugs….
As a software developer of nearly 30 years I would venture to guess that little, if any, testing is being performed. I cant tell you the numbers of bugs I’ve encountered. I am not even sure where to email them, there’s no real “contact us” page or link anywhere.
I am trying to be straight-forward here AND tactful here. Honestly, there needs to be a bit more openness with the user community in dealing with issues that seem to become the norm in all of the comments regarding the auctions: the verification and submission process, moving and editing submitted domains within lots and between auction (dates), the getting-the-word-out about the auction to the world, stuff like that.. The first time I submitted names I tried to move a name into a lot by adding it to another name and the screen went dark. When I closed the site and went back – all of my submissions were gone. Deleted.
Thats all I have to say. Best of luck to you all!
February 29th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
What an auction… didn’t see that coming
)
But hey, as Jay said
“I am not sure what you guys want from an auction that has domain with $250 reserves. This auction is not targeted at big names, we have a lot of big names scheduled for April”
It’s not just the names – there is advertising, community participation and much more. What you lack more than anything is interest – No one seems interested in the DomainTools auction any more…..
You can have all the technology in the world – but without interest you have nothing – again, probably a good time to listen more.
March 2nd, 2008 at 10:29 am
I totally agree with everything that OptimalnamesDotcom says. There’s a TOTAL lack of communication. I’ve entered hundreds of names and heard not a single word back. The same old meaningless message is on the screen every time I log into my account and there seems to be no way of contacting anyone to discuss it. Something needs to be done quickly or these auctions are going to die a quick death. You’ve got a great business, obviouly employing highly qualified people yet this side of it seems to be run on a shoestring. It can’t be that hard to select some decent names, inform the owners and keep a list posted. Sedo do it every day and we all want you to succeed. Must try harder!
March 2nd, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Is there an e-mail address, telephone number or Help box that we can use to ask the customer service department of DomainTools a question? I have two domain names that hung-up my list of 25 or so others…if so, please advise, Thanks!
UPDATE BY JAY: Our phone number is 206-838-9035 or you can write a support ticket at http://support.domaintools.com/
March 3rd, 2008 at 3:22 am
Nice site with lots of great tools thanks Jay
March 3rd, 2008 at 10:16 am
I think jay has planed to create a history in domain auctions. As per his past blog posts he is busy and gets himself engaged in collecting generic names for his auction place. he is also breaking the hard & fast rules which other auctioners follow
In future chances are there that domain tools will become a world renowned domain auction site. I feel he and his team is very serious in creating an auction list. He may get much more domains if he placed some flash banners to attract some domainers
Good Luck,
B.K.Saravanan
,
For http://www.collisiondomains.com
March 3rd, 2008 at 11:40 pm
Idea? Let all domain tools members vote from a big list of domains available for auction a web 2.0 type of auction if your domain gets enough votes it will be in the auction.
March 4th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
ref: boblange ^
People voted on the first domaintools auction, 70% + got more negative votes than positive but they still kept them in !
Better names dropping at snap everyday for less than $100 IMO