DomainTools Blog

The Aftermarket.com auction at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Down Under wrapped up last week. When the final gavel came down, it was an impressive sales rate of 80% of the auction inventory. As expected, the .AU domains were a hot commodity with 25 of the 28 being sold. In reviewing the bidding activity on those lots, they were the movers in the auction averaging 3 minutes bidding activity per domain. Add to those the no and low reserves, it was a frenzied bidding experience, challenging the auctioneer to keep up with the live and online bids.

In addition, the live auction experienced a start delay due to facility audio / video issues. Then, about half way through the auction, the Aftermarket team requested a break to review the auction system itself as we were noticing significant network latency at the hotel site and needed to ensure the accuracy of the bidding and transactions. With the active bidding and the delays, this impeded us from covering all lots in the live auction. We have been working independently with the buyers and sellers in transactions of concern. We appreciate the buyers, sellers and overall support and participation received

A great deal was learned during this auction. Aside from technical items, the business strategy of the catalog with the assigned time allotment needs more consideration. The guidelines set for number of lots, reserves and .AU names created a valuable catalog. DomainConsultant went through more than 30,000 submissions to create this catalog. Had there not been delays during the auction, there remains the chance time would have been pushed. That said, auctions in the 2-3 hour time allotment seems appropriate to maintain engaged participants.

The participation and feedback received from buyers and sellers throughout the process of submission, selection, auction and escrow has been tremendous and thoroughly appreciated by the Aftermarket.com team. The escrow for this auction is nearing completion and we look forward to another 100% success rate of closed escrow deals. The auction results are available on the Aftermarket.com site by selecting ‘Action Results’ tab and then select the Down Under Auction in drop down menu.

The next Aftermarket.com live auction will be held during Domainer Mardi Gras in New Orleans which takes place February 19-21, 2009. Discount passes are still available until the end of December. The live auction is February 21, 2009, 2:15 - 4:45 p.m. CST. Continue to check us out for more updates.