Fresh Aftermarket Launches with Odd Name and Business Model
No, TLDOffers.com won’t sell you top level domains.
I’ve written ahead of regarding fresh domain name aftermarkets and asked if there was room for anything to compete against the incumbents. Few people think it’s possible.
Today I saw a press release for a fresh market called TLDoffers.com. The name threw me for a loop, especially following reading the home page of the web site:
“A top level domain (TLD), sometimes referred to as a top level domain name or TLDN. Basically, your www address as everyone has come to know. Example; TLDoffers.com…TLDoffers is the ideal environment for TLD acquisitions”.
Obviously, the site isn’t selling top level domain names. It’s selling second level domain names. In years past this name wouldn’t be a major problem, but with all the hoopla regarding fresh TLDs being released, TLDOffer’s name could be confusing.
I talked to one of its founders Bennie Warshaw on the phone earlier today for an explanation regarding what makes the site unique.
Warshaw states the site “cuts out the middleman” by not charging brokerage fees and essentially letting buyers and sellers find each other.
Of course sites like Afternic and Sedo effectively cut out the middleman too. But paying no commissions is nice until you realize that you pay listing fees. Warshaw tells me the listing fees are $49 for the first domain (the site states $39) and $11 thereafter. It also doesn’t offer escrow services, which are a big part of what you’re paying for when you pay a commission to Afternic or Sedo.
Here’s another interesting twist — buyers have to pay to submit an offer on a domain listed on the site. Warshaw likens this to Network Solutions’ Certified Offer service. Of course there’s a big difference. On NetSol you’re making an unsolicited offer, whereas on TLDOffers.com you’re making an offer on an by now listed domain. (To be fair, there’s some argument to be made that Sedo ought to charge a modest fee to make an offer as it would reduce the number of lowball offers.)
So for $10, you can make an offer on VaporPaper.com (asking price $667,000) and MyPrivateHealth.com (asking price $318,000).
There is one thing that may make the site unique. The owners have partnered with a firm that has access to some corporate assets counting domain names. The site will allow VIP access to one of these domain names soon.
It could be a category killer. Or it could be a dud.
