4 ms·

Not to be mean but not understanding how domain name transfers work doesn't make things "a mess". This is "a mess" because you dealt with a big slow company as

Not to be mean but not understanding how domain name transfers work doesn't make things "a mess". This is "a mess" because you dealt with a big slow company as a middle-man. If you had contacted the seller directly you could have moved the domain between two GoDaddy accounts in a matter of minutes or off to another registrar within a few hours using the standard ICANN transfer method.

slig 12y ago
By using a middleman, he know that he won't get scammed: either he get the domain, or the money back. Also, in his case, the price was fixed. Should he email the owner directly, the owner can ask for a different price based on who asked (i.e, if you're well known, a simple google search can be useful to see who you are and if you're likely to buy at a higher price 499 vs 4999.)
- hackerboos 12y ago
  Sedo's commission when selling there is eye watering. This industry is ripe for disruption from a company that charges less and allows sellers to push to an intermediate account rather than waiting 5 odd days for a transfer the old AUTH code way.
- larrys 12y ago
  "By using a middleman, he know that he won't get scammed: either he get the domain, or the money back." That is actually the point of using an escrow service such as escrow.com for domain transactions. Escrow.com in essence makes sure each party has the proper outcome. "the owner can ask for a different price based on who asked" Nothing prevents the owner, when dealing with a middleman, from taking advantage of the buyer even with Sedo in between. At a certain point in the transfer process with SEDO the new owner of the domain is revealed. Nothing to prevent the seller from deciding to not sell the domain. Doesn't even matter what the legal status is. Fact is nobody is going to sue over some small amount of money. [1] Let's say you own "slig.com" domain. You decide to sell it by way of SEDO. You list it for $2500 which you think is a good price. Then you see (later on) that Facebook is the buyer. You decide "hmm maybe I should not sell it" and you find some way to get out of the deal knowing that facebook probably isn't going to file a lawsuit to get the domain but will most likely decide to give you more money and just be done with it.
  - andrewchoi 12y ago
    Exactly; my first thought when reading the article was an escrow service. Reducing counterparty risk is exactly what they were designed for, right?
  - slig 12y ago
    > Nothing prevents the owner, when dealing with a middleman, from taking advantage of the buyer even with Sedo in between. > At a certain point in the transfer process with SEDO the new owner of the domain is revealed. Thanks for clarifying that. I thought that the SEDO didn't reveal the buyer to the current owner.
spencerfry 12y ago
I completely understand how domain name transfers work. I've done plenty of them. Just because you're a big slow company doesn't mean that we as consumers should just shrug it off as "business as usual". The domain market is a mess specifically for the reason that nobody has built a better solution in ten years. When I purchased https://www.uncover.com https://www.uncover.com back in ~2004 it was the same process as it is today. That's just not right ten years later.
- shiftpgdn 12y ago
  But you didn't have to use a middleman. That's like riding the bus and complaining it took too long to get across town and drop you at your destination.
  - spencerfry 12y ago
    Yes I did. Legally.
- joshjdr 12y ago
  It sounds like you had a crappy experience. That is understandable. But as soon as he cooperated it did transfer quickly. It was just lazy of him to take that long to pull the trigger. Does that mean the system is actually broken? A bad user on Craigslist doesn't mean Craigslist is a mess. Nor does the passing of ten years dictate the need for change. Now obviously we may disagree about whether or not the system is in fact broken- but I really don't think it is, and if it ain't broken... I'm just saying this market is so fragmented, the protocols do work, the human element will always exist (and it's a good thing you have to approve a transfer), so what kind revolution are you looking for?

slig 12y ago

By using a middleman, he know that he won't get scammed: either he get the domain, or the money back. Also, in his case, the price was fixed. Should he email the owner directly, the owner can ask for a different price based on who asked (i.e, if you're well known, a simple google search can be useful to see who you are and if you're likely to buy at a higher price 499 vs 4999.)

hackerboos 12y ago
Sedo's commission when selling there is eye watering. This industry is ripe for disruption from a company that charges less and allows sellers to push to an intermediate account rather than waiting 5 odd days for a transfer the old AUTH code way.
larrys 12y ago
"By using a middleman, he know that he won't get scammed: either he get the domain, or the money back." That is actually the point of using an escrow service such as escrow.com for domain transactions. Escrow.com in essence makes sure each party has the proper outcome. "the owner can ask for a different price based on who asked" Nothing prevents the owner, when dealing with a middleman, from taking advantage of the buyer even with Sedo in between. At a certain point in the transfer process with SEDO the new owner of the domain is revealed. Nothing to prevent the seller from deciding to not sell the domain. Doesn't even matter what the legal status is. Fact is nobody is going to sue over some small amount of money. [1] Let's say you own "slig.com" domain. You decide to sell it by way of SEDO. You list it for $2500 which you think is a good price. Then you see (later on) that Facebook is the buyer. You decide "hmm maybe I should not sell it" and you find some way to get out of the deal knowing that facebook probably isn't going to file a lawsuit to get the domain but will most likely decide to give you more money and just be done with it.
- andrewchoi 12y ago
  Exactly; my first thought when reading the article was an escrow service. Reducing counterparty risk is exactly what they were designed for, right?
- slig 12y ago
  > Nothing prevents the owner, when dealing with a middleman, from taking advantage of the buyer even with Sedo in between. > At a certain point in the transfer process with SEDO the new owner of the domain is revealed. Thanks for clarifying that. I thought that the SEDO didn't reveal the buyer to the current owner.

spencerfry 12y ago

I completely understand how domain name transfers work. I've done plenty of them. Just because you're a big slow company doesn't mean that we as consumers should just shrug it off as "business as usual". The domain market is a mess specifically for the reason that nobody has built a better solution in ten years. When I purchased https://www.uncover.com https://www.uncover.com back in ~2004 it was the same process as it is today. That's just not right ten years later.

shiftpgdn 12y ago
But you didn't have to use a middleman. That's like riding the bus and complaining it took too long to get across town and drop you at your destination.
- spencerfry 12y ago
  Yes I did. Legally.
joshjdr 12y ago
It sounds like you had a crappy experience. That is understandable. But as soon as he cooperated it did transfer quickly. It was just lazy of him to take that long to pull the trigger. Does that mean the system is actually broken? A bad user on Craigslist doesn't mean Craigslist is a mess. Nor does the passing of ten years dictate the need for change. Now obviously we may disagree about whether or not the system is in fact broken- but I really don't think it is, and if it ain't broken... I'm just saying this market is so fragmented, the protocols do work, the human element will always exist (and it's a good thing you have to approve a transfer), so what kind revolution are you looking for?