2. Aftermarkets
3. Aftermarkets for Selling Domains

Types of Aftermarket Services

Aftermarkets provide a variety of domain advertising and selling services. Each type of service typically comes with different features, terms, and fees. Below are in-depth descriptions of the types of services shown in the table above.

• Buy It Now: The aftermarket lists the seller's domain for sale at a set purchase price specified by the seller. The domain is usually advertised on the aftermarket's website, domain landing page, and sometimes through syndication partners (see Advertising Network).
• Make Offer: The aftermarket advertises the seller's domain as being for sale, with no set price. Buyers are allowed to make offers to the seller, which the seller then can choose to accept or reject.
• Auction: The aftermarket advertises the seller's domain for sale for a certain period of time. Buyers submit price bids, and at the end of the auction, the highest bidder wins ownership of the domain name.
• Make Offer Auction: The aftermarket lists the seller's domain as available for sale, but without a fixed price. In order for the domain to sell, a buyer must submit an offer (typically above a minimum price). The domain is then automatically entered into an auction for a designated period, where anyone can bid, and the highest bidder wins the domain. This service helps to ensure that the seller receives the highest possible price that any buyer is willing to pay.
• Advertising Network: The aftermarket shares their sellers' domain listings with business partners to assist in selling the domain names. These partners are often registrars and specialized search engines that advertise the aftermarket's domain listings in their search results. When a domain is purchased through a partner, the partner will often receive a commission on the sale from the aftermarket. This service is often called "domain syndication", and is usually included with other aftermarket services. Domains sold via this method may charge a different commission to the domain seller.

Why Use an Aftermarket to Sell Domain Names?

Exposure

The primary advantage of selling domain names on an aftermarket is greater visibility and exposure of your domains to potential buyers. Aftermarkets attract large audiences of investors searching for profitable domain names. This visibility vastly increases the likelihood of finding a buyer quickly, especially if the domain is valuable or has desirable keywords.

Additionally, many aftermarkets provide their domain name inventory to third party services (a process referred to as "Advertising Network" or "syndication"). This allows these services, such as domain name registrars, to display available aftermarket domain names to users performing domain name searches.

Getting Paid

Another key benefit is the payment, escrow, and transfer services provided by most domain aftermarket platforms. Accepting payment for a domain purchase directly can be tricky - there's no guarantee the buyer will pay you if you transfer the domain to them first. The opposite is also true - the buyer can't be sure you'll transfer the domain to them if they make the payment first.

To solve this issue, some aftermarkets require sellers' domains to be registered with them when listed. This enables the aftermarket to be able to "push" the domain from the seller to the buyer when the domain name is paid for. By acting as an intermediary, the aftermarket eliminates the need for communication and trust between the buyer and seller.

Other aftermarkets (that are not registrars) usually offer an escrow service, whereby they hold the funds paid by the domain buyer. Once the purchase is funded by the buyer, the aftermarket instructs the seller to transfer the domain name to the buyer. The aftermarket confirms the domain name transfer, and releases the funds to the seller.

In addition, many aftermarkets are able to accept a wide variety of payment methods, from credit cards to wire transfers, that many domain sellers don't have access to. A wider variety of payment methods attracts more buyers and streamlines the buying process based on the buyer's payment preference.

Getting the Highest Price, Fast

Domain auctions can often lead to a seller getting the best price for the domain names they want to offload quickly. Auctions often run for a limited amount of time and create a sense of urgency for bidders competing against each other to purchase the domain. The typical outcome for the seller is receiving the highest possible price that buyers are willing to pay.

Why Not to Use an Aftermarket to Sell Domain Names?

Fees

Aftermarkets charge a percentage-based fee to sellers when their domain name sells, often referred to as "commission". The fee is charged as a percentage of the sales price and is deducted from the payment the aftermarket makes to the seller. As an example, if your domain sells for $5,000 and the aftermarket's commission fee is 15%, you will receive $4,250 for the sale (the aftermarket keeps $750 as their commission fee).

In some cases, aftermarkets will have an additional listing fee, either as a one-time charge or as a monthly subscription.

Alternatives to Domain Aftermarkets

Free Landing Pages from NamePros

NamePros.com is now offering free landing pages (landers) for domain name sellers. This service will display a "For Sale" web page when your domain name is visited in a browser, with options for the visitor to inquire the domain, make an offer, or "Buy It Now" using Paypal or Escrow.com.

This service is offered for free, but you will need to change your domain's nameservers to use NamePros' custom nameservers, and have a NamePros account.