OnlineDomain.com Domain Name News & Opinions
NameJet and SnapNames announced today that they have combined their resources to compete at the drop catch segment of the domain name aftermarket.
NameJet and SnapNames are now combining backorders for pending delete domain names on both platforms into a common drop-catching and auction engine.
They made this partnership and united their registrars mainly to compete with DropCatch and Pheenix.
NameJet and SnapNames together represent a large segment of domain registrars including Network Solutions, Enom, Register.com, and Name.com.
NameJet, LLC, a joint venture between eNom, Inc., a subsidiary of Rightside and Network Solutions, LLC, a subsidiary Web.com. SnapNames is a Web.com company.
With their combined resources, NameJet and SnapNames expect a substantial improvement in drop-catch efficacy across both platforms. This will result in customers being able to acquire more of the domains by placing a single backorder on either platform.
If more than one backorder is placed from either platform on a domain that is caught in the drop, it will move to a private auction where both NameJet and SnapNames bidders may participate. Minimum bid increments and proxy bid rules for pending delete names on NameJet have been modified to match those of SnapNames in order to provide a consistent customer experience. This integration will not affect NameJet’s exclusive registrar expiry or private listed inventory.
“We are very excited to integrate with SnapNames for the drop,” said Jonathan Tenenbaum, General Manager of NameJet. “This is a natural fit and we think it will be great for our customers. By utilizing and supplementing SnapName’s industry-leading resources, we will greatly improve our drop catching efficacy and give our customers the best opportunity to catch dropping domains on NameJet.”
“We are always looking for ways to leverage our power in the drop to better serve the industry and create a positive experience for our customers,” said Michael White, VP of Operations for SnapNames. “Building the bridge between SnapNames and NameJet will improve success rates for customers across both platforms.”
So you’re better off not exposing your bids at NameJet and do it all on SnapNames then.
Unless SnapNames turns around and exposes pre-bids?
If they do that, people will copy and load them at DropCatch.
They are doing this as a result of dropcatch – they can’t win as a single entity so this allows them to pool their resources. Brilliant plan to gain the edge over the competition.
i guess we’ll have to see how it plays out. so what platform is the bidding going to be done? in the end it will equal more bidders and thus cost more to win an auction but its still better than dealing with public auctions.
From the FAQ:
“Does this mean I will have to compete with more people for the domains I have backordered?
You will be competing with NameJet customers as well for names, but only deleting inventory. Chances are, these same people would have placed orders on both platforms regardless, so it may not change the number of people who are interested in any particular domain name. ”
I disagree with this logic. End users often compete for deleting domains, and they aren’t fully aware of the market’s dynamics. E.g. the might know NameJet, or SnapNames to a lesser extent, but the combined focal point becomes stronger now. I expect higher prices for auctions. Also, I don’t see how this beats the competition.
If they have software to combine all registrar connections properly then they will have better results.
Exactly Konstantinos, its the right algo combined with the number of creds.
Acro
Simply math – if namejet has 500 creds on the drop pool they can now add those to snaps 500 creds giving them double the chances of getting the domain. 500 is only an estimate as I do not know how many creds
each company holds.
It’s not just “simply math.” NameJet has a brand that resonates well with end-users, particularly for its expired (but not dropped) domain auctions. That part, it does quite well.
For the drop-catching game, NameJet has been below par, and that’s where SnapNames excels.
However, the combination utilizes the public image NameJet has cultured – the ability to attract end-user buyers – and the resources of SnapNames. The end result will be higher auction prices.
Agreed end result will be higher auction prices but will result in less public auctions going to dropcatch.
LOL- Just a matter of time before dropcatch is bought then you will have one big catching service. At that point you will probably see 99.00 back orders.
In the end this makes it more easy just one less catching service I have to put a backorder on. As far as ending prices it does not matter, people will pay for whatever the domains are worth.