Afternic - Official Thread

[GoDaddy]

Hello NamePros!
By popular demand, we have launched a dedicated feedback thread for Afternic, the GoDaddy-owned domain name marketplace.

We have created this thread as a way for you to tell us what works, what doesn't work, and what features you'd like to see at Afternic (please be constructive with your feedback). We're looking forward to hearing from the domain investment community to help us shape the future of Afternic.

We will also be sharing Afternic product updates in this thread.

Please note that this thread is not meant for support. Please email our support team at [email protected] for assistance.

 

[M999]

Thanks for the messages, our team is aware, and we're actively working to resolve this as quickly as possible.

How about proactively fixing the issue (PERMANENTLY), so it doesn’t happen again?

 

[Future Sensors]

@GoDaddy Payment not yet received, but I can see that things are moving. Thanks.

Just received payment, thanks @GoDaddy.

 

[Jeff_Libert]

Well, to put a positive spin on the issue, "at least I know it isn't personal". :p

Thanks for tackling this . . and 50 lashes with a wet piece of spaghetti for the pirate that blasted a hole in the ship today. :p

 

[Rhinnnn]

I sold a domain via Fast Transfer 9 hours ago and it moved from my Namecheap account to another Namecheap account -- pretty sure it's the buyer's account since they also renewed the domain.

But right now my Afternic dashboard says the sale is "Pending buyer payment approval."

Show attachment 242087

Not sure this is the right approach for Fast Transfer sales. What if the payment isn't approved? Someone has my domain and can already use it. Meanwhile, I don't know when or if I can use the money.

P.S.: That last part with "instructions to begin the domain ownership transfer" makes no sense. The domain is no longer with me, the transfer is already complete.

So I noticed that, in Afternic 2.0 Beta, payout dates are all wrong -- they're basically the same as the dates when the domains were sold.

I have yet to receive any of the two above payments.

I wonder if this sometimes results in delayed funds. As in, the system flags a payment as being sent when, in fact, it was not.

 

[Traderas]

@GoDaddy

I'm really frustrated with the lead center/broker system.

I'm not receiving any notifications about what's happening with my lead center.
Your brokers are handling all my leads without asking for my opinion or keeping me informed.
I have to constantly check my account and message brokers to find out what's going on.
I've spoken to support and asked about this with five different brokers, but I haven't gotten any results.

While we're wasting time, buyers have the opportunity to change their minds.

Example:

2023-06-20 18:28
Buyer made offer of $324

2023-06-21 09:58
Hello,
why didn't you informed me that the buyer made an offer for $324? I want to receive email notifications for everything that happens in my lead center .I have asked this more than 3 times in different brokers. Please report this again...Thank you

2023-06-21 22:12
We'll ensure we'll update you if buyer has a new offer.

2023-06-22 02:11
Ok, please accept the offer of 324

2023-06-23 10:50
Buyer made offer of $320

2023-06-24 02:38
Hello,
What is happening.
Did the buyer made again an offer of $324?
Did you accepted it?
Why isn’t the domain sold yet?
Also I m still not getting any notification about what happens in my lead center.

2023-06-24 22:02
The buyer came back with a lower offer of $320 USD. We are working to have them honor their previous offer of $324 USD. If by chance you would consider the lower gross offer of $320, please let us know. Otherwise, we are currently waiting for the buyer's response if they can honor the previous offer.


I've skipped over some irrelevant messages.

So, here we can see 3 things :

1. I was never informed about these offers.

2. The broker is trying to save me $4, risking ruining the transaction!

3. I would have accepted this offer four days ago if I were allowed to do so...

16 days later, I finally got my response from Afterinc support.:

" We apologize for the delay in getting back to you about your inquiry regarding the notification email you receive (and do not receive) for activity in the Lead Center section of your Afternic account.

We have inquired with the respective team and they have advised us that you would only get email notifications when brokers are directly messaging you and you would not get those for other activity like offers. "

Honestly, I don't know how to react to this.
They are telling me I have no right to be notified about offers for my domains.


@GoDaddy @James Iles

Do you approve of this?

Is this even legal?

 

[Rhinnnn]

It is day 6 (six!!!) now and i'm still not able to login at godaddy and afternic.
This is so unprofessional. Did receive an message from the deletion process of the 2SV yesterday morning.
They needed a selfie of me taking a photo with my ID. I answered really quick. And then? Noting heared till now.
In my opinion the error "his phone number can't be used" could be from the third partie who provides the 2SV.
But we will never no - there is absolutly no support or clear statement from godaddy at all.

Was your problem resolved after all?

Out of nowhere, I'm now facing the very same issue:

I haven't changed my phone number and I have not activated 2FA on my GoDaddy account. I've done nothing out of the ordinary whatsoever.

Why are things constantly breaking on GoDaddy's platforms? Really, wtf is going on there?

Edit: Looks like this is a problem that's actually affecting a lot of GD users:

https://www.namepros.com/threads/locked-out-of-godaddy-account.1300121/#post-8959890

UPDATE: This problem has been solved for me and I can log in again using 2FA.

 

[Future Sensors]

@GoDaddy

Another payment delay.

What's the reason of a delay in payment of an automatically (fast) transferred domain with a Payout Date of June 30 in the Dashboard? It's July 11 today, and still not paid. Very disappointed, lately.

 

[Rhinnnn]

@GoDaddy

Another payment delay.

What's the reason of a delay in payment of an automatically (fast) transferred domain with a Payout Date of June 30 in the Dashboard? It's July 11 today, and still not paid. Very disappointed, lately.

Show attachment 242488

Some people get paid in less than 24 hours:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1678681153736429574

Others have to wait for weeks although the process should be exactly the same. Amazing.


I'm honestly considering removing all my names from Afternic.

 

[Rhinnnn]

UPDATE: This problem has been solved for me and I can log in again using 2FA.

Update to the update: Once again, Afternic's system won't let me log in and I'm seeing the same "We're sorry, but this phone number cannot be used" message.

I'm not even mad, I just laughed when seeing the same error pop up again. That's the only thing one can do when dealing with such clownery.

 

[Domainication]

It is day 6 (six!!!) now and i'm still not able to login at godaddy and afternic.
This is so unprofessional. Did receive an message from the deletion process of the 2SV yesterday morning.
They needed a selfie of me taking a photo with my ID. I answered really quick. And then? Noting heared till now.
In my opinion the error "his phone number can't be used" could be from the third partie who provides the 2SV.
But we will never no - there is absolutly no support or clear statement from godaddy at all.

For those of you who use NS3/NS4 for the most of the portfolio:
Will i receive a mail for an offer which results from a qualified lead? And/or do the broker pick up the phone to give me a call if i do not answer?
I told you about the $14,995 listing i got an qualified lead for and i know who did the price request (well founded enduser registered other matching TLDs the same day the inquiry came in). Would love to have a look at the activities on that transaction but i can't and it would be calming to know that if there is some action i will be informed.

Update to the update: Once again, Afternic's system won't let me log in and I'm seeing the same "We're sorry, but this phone number cannot be used" message.

I'm not even mad, I just laughed when seeing the same error pop up again. That's the only thing one can do when dealing with such clownery.

Totally agree with you. It is a shame they don't fix that! On my side i was lucky the code was sent one time. Tried it very often each day and out of nowhere one code worked (i think it was Chrome browser / desktop / incognito mode). I acivated the alternate way with 2FA via App asap. I still get the error message today but now i can click that:

and login via App 2FA.

I'm sorry that i can not help more with that problem. Got loooots of communication with the Afternic support but they weren't able to help because even at the 2FA deletion site i got an error on the last page so even that didn't work for me.

Try to delet the 2FA up here: https://supportcenter.secureserver.net/accountrecovery/2sv-access?plid=497036

If it works for you it is a solution. Got it done that way with Godaddy but it takes more business days till they get it done with no access for you.

 

[Rhinnnn]

Totally agree with you. It is a shame they don't fix that! On my side i was lucky the code was sent one time. Tried it very often each day and out of nowhere one code worked (i think it was Chrome browser / desktop / incognito mode). I acivated the alternate way with 2FA via App asap. I still get the error message today but now i can click that:

Show attachment 242610
and login via App 2FA.

I'm sorry that i can not help more with that problem. Got loooots of communication with the Afternic support but they weren't able to help because even at the 2FA deletion site i got an error on the last page so even that didn't work for me.

Try to delet the 2FA up here: https://supportcenter.secureserver.net/accountrecovery/2sv-access?plid=497036

If it works for you it is a solution. Got it done that way with Godaddy but it takes more business days till they get it done with no access for you.

Thanks!

I know about the procedure to request the removal of 2FA but I would like to avoid doing that. Though if I still can't log in at all in the next few days I'll probably do it.

 

[GoDaddy]

Others have to wait for weeks although the process should be exactly the same. Amazing.


I'm honestly considering removing all my names from Afternic.

We're sorry to hear that. We are actively working on our payout process, and we should have some news on that very soon. Until then, for any payouts that may be delayed beyond Afternic's typical payout schedule, please contact the support team.

Update to the update: Once again, Afternic's system won't let me log in and I'm seeing the same "We're sorry, but this phone number cannot be used" message.

I'm not even mad, I just laughed when seeing the same error pop up again. That's the only thing one can do when dealing with such clownery.

For this, @Rhinnnn, one of our team will message you. Thank you for highlighting this. For some added information, Afternic's SSO is controlled by GoDaddy's SSO team. The SSO team did investigate an issue with 2-Step Verification recently, which was resolved. This sounds like it's connected, so one of our team will connect with you.

Totally agree with you. It is a shame they don't fix that! On my side i was lucky the code was sent one time. Tried it very often each day and out of nowhere one code worked (i think it was Chrome browser / desktop / incognito mode). I acivated the alternate way with 2FA via App asap. I still get the error message today but now i can click that:

Show attachment 242610
and login via App 2FA.

I'm sorry that i can not help more with that problem. Got loooots of communication with the Afternic support but they weren't able to help because even at the 2FA deletion site i got an error on the last page so even that didn't work for me.

Try to delet the 2FA up here: https://supportcenter.secureserver.net/accountrecovery/2sv-access?plid=497036

If it works for you it is a solution. Got it done that way with Godaddy but it takes more business days till they get it done with no access for you.

@Domainication similar to @Rhinnnn, one of our team will reach out to you. Thank you.

 

[GoDaddy]

We’re excited to share that Lease to Own is coming soon to Afternic. But from today, we’re giving all Afternic sellers early access to start enabling Lease to Own for their domain names!

Once launched to buyers, Lease to Own will be available as an option through Afternic’s Dan.com Landers as well as through GoDaddy when someone searches for your domain name!

This means that we want to invite sellers to enable Lease to Own early so that they can take advantage of the alternative purchase option from day one!

There are 4 steps that sellers can take today to be ready for Lease to Own. Read those, and more, on the Afternic blog.

Why Lease to Own? For some, lower advertised monthly payment may drive an increase in sell-through rate. Lease to own can also provide a recurring income for domain name sellers, which is the goal for many portfolio owners.


What’s launching today?
Afternic domain name sellers have access from today to start enabling Lease to Own on their domain names at Afternic. This can be done individually or in bulk.


What do I need to do to enable Lease to Own?
For existing domains in your Afternic portfolio, you can visit https://www.afternic.com/portfolio/selling where you’ll see a new Lease to Own column. From there, you can enable Lease to Own for individual domain names.

You can also enable Lease to Own in bulk by selecting all domains on a page, then using the Pricing option in the footer toolbar.


Will new additions to my portfolio be automatically enrolled into Lease to Own?
Your new settings page, https://www.afternic.com/account/lander, will allow you to switch on Lease to Own by default for all new domain names that are added to your portfolio, as long as they have a Buy Now price between $495 and $100,000.

While you’re there, you can also choose a default sale lander for domain names that you add to your portfolio in future!


When will Lease to Own show on my landing page?
We will be launching Lease to Own soon, and when we do, a Lease to Own option will be available for customers using the Dan.com Lander option at Afternic. At the same time, we will begin the rollout of Lease to Own at GoDaddy search.


What will Lease to Own look like through GoDaddy search?
Once it rolls out, buyers that search for your domain name at GoDaddy will be presented with a Lease to Own button next to the existing Buy Now button for enabled domain names with a Buy Now price between $495 and $100,000.


We will share a preview of the GoDaddy search experience soon.


Visit https://www.afternic.com/portfolio/selling to start enabling Lease to Own today!

 

[Vivere]

We’re excited to share that Lease to Own is coming soon to Afternic. But from today, we’re giving all Afternic sellers early access to start enabling Lease to Own for their domain names!

Once launched to buyers, Lease to Own will be available as an option through Afternic’s Dan.com Landers as well as through GoDaddy when someone searches for your domain name!

This means that we want to invite sellers to enable Lease to Own early so that they can take advantage of the alternative purchase option from day one!

There are 4 steps that sellers can take today to be ready for Lease to Own. Read those, and more, on the Afternic blog.

Why Lease to Own? For some, lower advertised monthly payment may drive an increase in sell-through rate. Lease to own can also provide a recurring income for domain name sellers, which is the goal for many portfolio owners.


What’s launching today?
Afternic domain name sellers have access from today to start enabling Lease to Own on their domain names at Afternic. This can be done individually or in bulk.


What do I need to do to enable Lease to Own?
For existing domains in your Afternic portfolio, you can visit https://www.afternic.com/portfolio/selling where you’ll see a new Lease to Own column. From there, you can enable Lease to Own for individual domain names.

You can also enable Lease to Own in bulk by selecting all domains on a page, then using the Pricing option in the footer toolbar.


Will new additions to my portfolio be automatically enrolled into Lease to Own?
Your new settings page, https://www.afternic.com/account/lander, will allow you to switch on Lease to Own by default for all new domain names that are added to your portfolio, as long as they have a Buy Now price between $495 and $100,000.

While you’re there, you can also choose a default sale lander for domain names that you add to your portfolio in future!


When will Lease to Own show on my landing page?
We will be launching Lease to Own soon, and when we do, a Lease to Own option will be available for customers using the Dan.com Lander option at Afternic. At the same time, we will begin the rollout of Lease to Own at GoDaddy search.


What will Lease to Own look like through GoDaddy search?
Once it rolls out, buyers that search for your domain name at GoDaddy will be presented with a Lease to Own button next to the existing Buy Now button for enabled domain names with a Buy Now price between $495 and $100,000.


We will share a preview of the GoDaddy search experience soon.


Visit https://www.afternic.com/portfolio/selling to start enabling Lease to Own today!

A welcome development.

To enable LTO for a domain, its BIN price can’t be over $100,000. Any reason for this?

 

[capybara]

Looks like right now the purchase path at Godaddy is broken, after finding a domain and trying to "buy it now" there is a "This domain isn't available" message.

 

[411domains]

@GoDaddy - Why don't these numbers match???

EDIT: 12 hours for prices to begin matching!!! It's as if we're going backwards.

This is unacceptable!!! (Especially for an industry leader.)

 

[mdent]

Two questions come to mind,

Let's say I don't use the Dan lander, is lease to own still available to buyers through Godaddy search?

Are you planning to add lease to own to the regular afternic landers too, at some point?

 

[Rhinnnn]

We're sorry to hear that. We are actively working on our payout process, and we should have some news on that very soon. Until then, for any payouts that may be delayed beyond Afternic's typical payout schedule, please contact the support team.

I certainly appreciated the willingness to help. I received the payment for the small sale from July 5, but not yet for the $949 sale from July 6.

But I'm struggling to understand why there is such a wild inconsistency in payout scheduling when domains reach buyer accounts on the same day they're sold.

For my previous Fast Transfer sale (from November) I received the money in 14 hours. Now it took 8 days for the July 5 sale, and it might take longer for the July 6 sale.

I'm sure all Afternic users will be more than happy if payouts could be processed faster on a constant basis.

 

[Jeff_Libert]

Re: Lease to Own

Two concerns that I have, arising from 40 years of practicing law, primarily in matters involving general civil litigation, including limited exposure to bankruptcy courts and bankruptcy law.

Any person or entity that cannot afford the cash purchase of a domain - and who lacks access to other forms of credit or borrowing - bears at least the "scent/ hint" of a person or entity that may eventually fail in business.

It's a well known fact that a significant number of new businesses fail or gen into financial trouble in their first year or two. In other cases, as money gets tight, most businesses will prioritize who gets paid and that quickly becomes problematic, i.e, somebody goes to the bottom of the list. Lastly, some troubled businesses resort to bankruptcy court to either delay or reduce payments (Chapter 11), avoid payment, or rely on other bankruptcy code rememdies than can result in added costs for a domainer, etc.

My question, therefore, is what protections will be built into the domain-lease system and contract in anticipation of such unfortunate, yet predictable, future outcomes of a lease arrangement?

Will the proposed domain lease agreement be vetted by bankruptcy and creditor/collection counsel to tighten up the lease agreement so domainers are maximally protected for defaulting "lessees"?

IF a lawsuit or bankruptcy is filed who will bear the cost(s) and fee(s) that may be incurred in filing the appropriate responding paperwork - to enforce or protect the lease payments - with the courts?

Do you know what a bankruptcy "clawback" is? Pity the domainer who receives a notice from a bankruptcy trustee to return a payment . . after the domainer used the money as a downpayment on a new Tesla.

I doubt there will be much to worry about with $499 to $2000, $3000, etc sales but, as the numbers go up into $50K to $100K there's probably more room for bankruptcy hazard.

I think it's a great idea to consider or offer "lease to own" types of arrangements . . but . . such arrangements hold both promise and potential pain. Some domainers may hold a few domain gems, ones that my benefit from a sale-by-lease, but those same domainers may not have the cash to retain and pay their own "specialty counsel" (bankruptcy lawyer, etc), especially if that attorney is expected to act and/or appear in some far off, high priced legal service city.

The down side risks need to be illuminated, explained in laymen terms, and - wherever possible - the foreseeable risks need to be minimized or mitigated against.

For myself, having once experienced a problematic time payment domain sale - which required resort to my various skills (including tracking people down) and other legal abilities - I'm now a bit gun shy when it comes to lease-to-own deals. I have better / more fun opportunities in my life so I'm pretty much a "cash is king" operator.

Funny, harsh or not, when it comes to someone asking me to act as their financier, I will often respond with a statement akin to "If you are, in fact, financially stable and trustworthy, then why can't you turn to your family, your friends, your business associates or A BANK for funding?"

Again, I think it's a great option for some, in certain cases. However, go into the arrangement with your eyes wide open. Plan BOTH for the upside ("Yay, I have money coming in!") AND the downside, i.e. don't go spending the money (incurring outside debt or obligations) based on the assumption of 100% payment on a timely basis. In other words, don't set yourself up to be the next domino to fall should payment lapse or be delayed.

Alrighty, that's the end of today's public service message.

 

[411domains]

We’re excited to share that Lease to Own is coming soon to Afternic. But from today, we’re giving all Afternic sellers early access to start enabling Lease to Own for their domain names!

Once launched to buyers, Lease to Own will be available as an option through Afternic’s Dan.com Landers as well as through GoDaddy when someone searches for your domain name!

This means that we want to invite sellers to enable Lease to Own early so that they can take advantage of the alternative purchase option from day one!

There are 4 steps that sellers can take today to be ready for Lease to Own. Read those, and more, on the Afternic blog.

Why Lease to Own? For some, lower advertised monthly payment may drive an increase in sell-through rate. Lease to own can also provide a recurring income for domain name sellers, which is the goal for many portfolio owners.


What’s launching today?
Afternic domain name sellers have access from today to start enabling Lease to Own on their domain names at Afternic. This can be done individually or in bulk.


What do I need to do to enable Lease to Own?
For existing domains in your Afternic portfolio, you can visit https://www.afternic.com/portfolio/selling where you’ll see a new Lease to Own column. From there, you can enable Lease to Own for individual domain names.

You can also enable Lease to Own in bulk by selecting all domains on a page, then using the Pricing option in the footer toolbar.


Will new additions to my portfolio be automatically enrolled into Lease to Own?
Your new settings page, https://www.afternic.com/account/lander, will allow you to switch on Lease to Own by default for all new domain names that are added to your portfolio, as long as they have a Buy Now price between $495 and $100,000.

While you’re there, you can also choose a default sale lander for domain names that you add to your portfolio in future!


When will Lease to Own show on my landing page?
We will be launching Lease to Own soon, and when we do, a Lease to Own option will be available for customers using the Dan.com Lander option at Afternic. At the same time, we will begin the rollout of Lease to Own at GoDaddy search.


What will Lease to Own look like through GoDaddy search?
Once it rolls out, buyers that search for your domain name at GoDaddy will be presented with a Lease to Own button next to the existing Buy Now button for enabled domain names with a Buy Now price between $495 and $100,000.


We will share a preview of the GoDaddy search experience soon.


Visit https://www.afternic.com/portfolio/selling to start enabling Lease to Own today!

@GoDaddy Instead of monkeying around with LTO options, how about you add basic data filters, so that we can better manage our portfolios?

DNS had them!
UNI had them!
DAN has them!
Sedo has them!

We've been requesting these for YEARS!

You acquired two platforms who had amazing data filters and functions.
You killed one and you're in the process of killing the second.

Afternic, who's supposed to be this industry leading, sales producing behemoth of a platform, remains the only platform in the industry who doesn't have a single data filter option.

Not to mention, it's the only platform in the industry, where a 100 inch monitor is required to view more than a few columns at a time. It's a joke.

It's obvious nobody on the team has ever managed a large or even massive portfolio before. If anyone had, data filters would have been the first options added.

We're in year 3 of the 10 year beta plan and you still don't have a single data filter or a real clue for that matter. What are you guys thinking over there?

If it weren't for the classic view option, I would've given Afternic the ax in the first year of beta.

As a matter of fact, I do believe I'll be pulling my portfolio for good and making Sedo my exclusive sales platform from now on.

I'm sick to death of the neverending bugs, breaks, glitches, disconnects, delayed updates and inefficiencies that come with maintaining a large portfolio at Afternic. Most importantly, I don't like the fact that Afternic penalizes those who list, but do not park with Afternic.

As for the DAN landers via Afternic...anyone with half an ounce of common sense, knows it's better to park and list directly with DAN.

It's absurd to think otherwise.

 

[GoDaddy]

A welcome development.

To enable LTO for a domain, its BIN price can’t be over $100,000. Any reason for this?

We're choosing to focus on domain names in the $495 - $100,000 range at this time. We may consider opening up access for higher value sales in future.

Two questions come to mind,

Let's say I don't use the Dan lander, is lease to own still available to buyers through Godaddy search?

Are you planning to add lease to own to the regular afternic landers too, at some point?

Yes, by enabling Lease to Own at Afternic, your domain names will be available as an option for customers searching for your domain name at GoDaddy.

 

[cabotower]

where in the process is the buyer informed of the LTO option? i checked one of my domains and went through all the way to checkout and saw no mention of the LTO option.

 

[NicTraders]

Re: Lease to Own

Two concerns that I have, arising from 40 years of practicing law, primarily in matters involving general civil litigation, including limited exposure to bankruptcy courts and bankruptcy law.

Any person or entity that cannot afford the cash purchase of a domain - and who lacks access to other forms of credit or borrowing - bears at least the "scent/ hint" of a person or entity that may eventually fail in business.

It's a well known fact that a significant number of new businesses fail or gen into financial trouble in their first year or two. In other cases, as money gets tight, most businesses will prioritize who gets paid and that quickly becomes problematic, i.e, somebody goes to the bottom of the list. Lastly, some troubled businesses resort to bankruptcy court to either delay or reduce payments (Chapter 11), avoid payment, or rely on other bankruptcy code rememdies than can result in added costs for a domainer, etc.

My question, therefore, is what protections will be built into the domain-lease system and contract in anticipation of such unfortunate, yet predictable, future outcomes of a lease arrangement?

Will the proposed domain lease agreement be vetted by bankruptcy and creditor/collection counsel to tighten up the lease agreement so domainers are maximally protected for defaulting "lessees"?

IF a lawsuit or bankruptcy is filed who will bear the cost(s) and fee(s) that may be incurred in filing the appropriate responding paperwork - to enforce or protect the lease payments - with the courts?

Do you know what a bankruptcy "clawback" is? Pity the domainer who receives a notice from a bankruptcy trustee to return a payment . . after the domainer used the money as a downpayment on a new Tesla.

I doubt there will be much to worry about with $499 to $2000, $3000, etc sales but, as the numbers go up into $50K to $100K there's probably more room for bankruptcy hazard.

I think it's a great idea to consider or offer "lease to own" types of arrangements . . but . . such arrangements hold both promise and potential pain. Some domainers may hold a few domain gems, ones that my benefit from a sale-by-lease, but those same domainers may not have the cash to retain and pay their own "specialty counsel" (bankruptcy lawyer, etc), especially if that attorney is expected to act and/or appear in some far off, high priced legal service city.

The down side risks need to be illuminated, explained in laymen terms, and - wherever possible - the foreseeable risks need to be minimized or mitigated against.

For myself, having once experienced a problematic time payment domain sale - which required resort to my various skills (including tracking people down) and other legal abilities - I'm now a bit gun shy when it comes to lease-to-own deals. I have better / more fun opportunities in my life so I'm pretty much a "cash is king" operator.

Funny, harsh or not, when it comes to someone asking me to act as their financier, I will often respond with a statement akin to "If you are, in fact, financially stable and trustworthy, then why can't you turn to your family, your friends, your business associates or A BANK for funding?"

Again, I think it's a great option for some, in certain cases. However, go into the arrangement with your eyes wide open. Plan BOTH for the upside ("Yay, I have money coming in!") AND the downside, i.e. don't go spending the money (incurring outside debt or obligations) based on the assumption of 100% payment on a timely basis. In other words, don't set yourself up to be the next domino to fall should payment lapse or be delayed.

Alrighty, that's the end of today's public service message.

Some valid questions there. However, I think it's wrong to assume that people use LTO because they can't afford the cost upfront. I think you'll find many businesses prefer to pay over time in order to smooth out expenses and use their cash for other purposes. And, in particular, they make it a monthly expense rather than a once-off asset purchase which then needs to be depreciated (that point may vary depending which jurisdiction the purchaser is in).

 

[NicTraders]

where in the process is the buyer informed of the LTO option? i checked one of my domains and went through all the way to checkout and saw no mention of the LTO option.

From memory, I read somewhere that it's only open to sellers right now, and it becomes open to buyers a little later.

 

[cabotower]

From memory, I read somewhere that it's only open to sellers right now, and it becomes open to buyers a little later.

if that's the case then it's important for people to know that even though they set up LTO that it is not an option that is being offered to clients.