Buzz Lightyear maybe. I don't think it's "beyond" the realms of possibility.
When I saw the thread title I immediately thought of Bed Bath and Beyond before I even knew there was any actual association and I'm from the UK like you (where they...
Could the purchasers have pursued a UDRP for this name? Could you argue the "and beyond" suffix is to similar to the Bed Bath and Beyond brand or were the intellectual rights not part of the asset sale?
I guess the main difference between this and Epik is that people are getting paid in the end even if it's late. Big difference to not getting paid at all like Epik.
When people aren't getting paid and not getting refunds and not getting domains...
I'm guessing the main reason is to avoid the extortionate commissions. Some people are good negotiators too and some marketplace negotiators are going to be bad. Sellers might want more control over the process.
A great episode of the DNW podcast with Ryan Ewen of DomainManage (not sure if he/they have a presence here) talking about outbounding on an almost industrial scale.
At one stage I had created my own landing page (maybe I'll show an example if I get chance) using Wix as the OP had. To try and navigate the trust issues page had links to the domains listing at all the major marketplaces and a BIN or MAKE OFFER...
I'm not sure what the correct way of dealing with shills is.
Do you do it as Dynadot currently are by offering (not forcing) the second highest bidder the name at the higher price or risk being gamed like GD by removing all the shills bids...