GoDaddy is playing a game of double-dipping its inventory of domains provided by sellers.
On one hand, it encourages domain investors to promote their domains on Afternic. The platform no longer exists as a searchable index, as the promises of “Afternic 2.0” vanished into thin air. Instead, all searches of domains listed by sellers on Afternic are presented via GoDaddy.com.
Searching GoDaddy for a domain, for example GreekIslands.org*, returns the following landing page:
It’s clear from this page that the domain is a “premium domain” with the price set at $4,899 dollars. GoDaddy even tells the visitor and potential buyer why it’s a great domain.
The prompts seem ideal: Get it, says the button, indicating that a sale is just a click away.
But is it?
Visitors to the GoDaddy Appraisal page are shown a different lander, with the price “estimated” at a heavily discounted $2,399. That’s more than 50% off the domain’s acquisition price above!
Why does GoDaddy present such a lowball valuation when it lists the domain already on “Afternic” with a much higher price tag?
It really makes no sense. There are numerous instances that involve a “smart” buyer who questions the first listing price based on the GoDaddy valuation. Arguing with the buyer about the valuation’s inaccuracy can become a friction point that eliminates all sales potential to the tune of thousands of dollars in potentially lost revenue.
Somehow, GoDaddy is seen as the authority on everything related to domains—but that’s just the result of years of marketing brainwashing consumers.
The GoDaddy Appraisals fail to deliver accurate pricing, even in the sub-$25,000 dollar range; above that range, estimates are not even provided. The lander displays the message “Too high to estimate.”
Too high to estimate? Then what is the point of providing a domain appraisal tool in the first place?
Perhaps GoDaddy should remove the estimates altogether as they interfere with the domain sales of its own customers. Even better, domain investors should remove their domains from GoDaddy platforms because they aren’t being treated fairly.
*This is just a sample domain and we are not affiliated with it or the seller.
