Dynadot

Alter.com Marketplace

NameSilo
Watch

Deven Patel

Founder, Alter.comEstablished Member
Impact
1,075
Hi all,

I wanted to introduce a new premium domain marketplace we just launched called Alter. I would love to hear your thoughts! As the world’s largest community of domainers, your feedback would be invaluable.

Let me introduce myself. Although I’m new to NamePros, I’ve been around the block. I’ve been buying and selling domains for my own startup ideas for over 20 years. As a serial entrepreneur, I founded a number of startups across various industries like marketing, web hosting, social networking, blogging, and SaaS. This experience has helped me understand how indispensable a brand name is to a business.

Most new entrepreneurs don’t think twice about their company name. Our goal is to change that! A brand name literally has the power to make or break their business. This is more true today than ever before now that there are countless alternatives to every product or service imaginable. Sure, every business may have their own world-changing differentiator but from the outside they all look the same at which point the main differentiator ends up becoming their brand name. In a world full of distractions, we no longer have the attention span to thoroughly research what we buy so we rely on our emotions. This is why large businesses like Apple and Amazon spend billions on their “brand” alone because they understand that customer perception is everything.

Anyway, I noticed that most marketplaces that exist today are focused more on the seller rather than the buyer. Our goal is to reverse the equation and prioritize buyers because I think they are the key to success in any industry. The domain industry is no exception. Without buyers, there’s no money. This is why we’ve made it our mission to help entrepreneurs succeed!

And what’s with the 30-35% commission rate most of these marketplaces are charging? Unless they’re doing more work than a human broker, I don’t think anything over the industry average of 15-20% is warranted. We’re changing that. Alter has one of the lowest rates in the industry, an all-inclusive 10% commission fee when a name sells. There are no other fees or restrictions.

What do you think? Are we on the right track or barking up the wrong tree?

Deven
This was a promoted post.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
40
•••
The views expressed on this page by users and staff are their own, not those of NamePros.
For those hoping for @F.E. purchasing Alter, don't hold your breath. Including @Deven Patel. Everything that FE mentioned was a complete lie.

Starting with the 8 figure domain sale, to the acquisition of Alter, to the lawsuit, to the 42 BTC donation.

If you're serious about selling the platform @Deven Patel, find a real buyer. Or better yet, take some of these suggestions from people like @Bob Hawkes and see if you can make another run at it.
 
8
•••
More gossip. Thats what killed the deal imo
Thanks for your opinion(š)
 
0
•••
Has anyone heard from Deven the owner of Alter.com? I've been in discussions to acquire the business after the failed sale months ago. I gave him a solid offer about a week ago but haven't heard from him since.

I hope he is okay. And if okay, then maybe he's just ghosting me. And in which case, I wonder if this is what happened with the first buyer.

Anyway, just truly concerned about the lack of communication here.
 
6
•••
Has anyone heard from Deven the owner of Alter.com?
I have not had direct contact. Not sure how you tried through Alter contact, DM here or some other way. He is on LinkedIn, and another option would be to try a message contact there.

It is encouraging to hear that others are interested, if indeed the sale has failed. I have no definitive word on the status of that.

I like many of the features of Alter, and have kept a fair number of names pointed there, hoping it will continue.

Bob
 
4
•••
I have not had direct contact. Not sure how you tried through Alter contact, DM here or some other way. He is on LinkedIn, and another option would be to try a message contact there.

It is encouraging to hear that others are interested, if indeed the sale has failed. I have no definitive word on the status of that.

I like many of the features of Alter, and have kept a fair number of names pointed there, hoping it will continue.

Bob
Thanks for the reply Bob. Yes I have communicated with him via Linkedin before but what's more concerning is, he should get notifications on this thread. Either way I've already decided to move on from the deal. Just hope he's fine.
 
8
•••
I still have 4 names listed, and just received an offer on one (under asking but will accept or counter) just concerned since when I call I get no answer, I sent an email as well. I would rather make contact with someone, Deven before I proceed. Did anyone sell a name after April 2022, any issues if so?
 
3
•••
I still have 4 names listed, and just received an offer on one (under asking but will accept or counter) just concerned since when I call I get no answer, I sent an email as well. I would rather make contact with someone, Deven before I proceed. Did anyone sell a name after April 2022, any issues if so?
UPDATE: Sold name on Alter below asking, via offer. Hand reg, held for nine months. Offer, sale, Transfer, and funds received all within two days. Sure beats BB & SH's turnaround!
 
Last edited:
5
•••
Officially closing on 3rd September, email received today:

============================================================================
Farewell Update​
Hi there,
As you may know, the plan to close the Alter marketplace back in April was halted as a result of an acquisition offer. Unfortunately, that deal fell through as it seems like the buyer had signed our agreement in bad faith. And despite engaging with other interested parties, we weren't able to find Alter a new home.
So regrettably, we will have to continue down the original path of shutting down the marketplace. On September 3rd, all remaining domain listings will be removed from our marketplace. Seller accounts will remain active until all pending installment sales are completed so payments can be cashed out.
I would like to thank you again for your support and continued patience throughout this ordeal. It was truly a pleasure to have this opportunity to work with you over the last couple years. We wish you all the best in your future endeavors.
Sincerely,
Deven Patel
Founder & CEO

===============================================================================
 
3
•••
Not sure if @Deven Patel still checks here at NamePros, but just wanted to say how much I appreciated what he created, and the classy way that he always interacted, even right down to the closing messages.

Alter did many things well:
  • great analytics to check visits and favourites on individual names, sorted by marketplace and direct
  • superb user interface
  • excellent information for startups choosing a name
  • comprehensive information on each domain in a standardized way
  • nice logo options
  • excellent visibility on net it seems of names
  • great commissions
  • BIN, make offer and payment plan options
  • etc.
I am really sorry that the project did not work out, and wish you the very best in your next venture.

Sincerely,

Bob
 
9
•••
For those of you, like me, who left a number of names at Alter and now need to make sure the lander points somewhere else, remember that you can download a CSV spreadsheet format listing of all your names with the asking prices, number visits last 30 days, number favourites, status (listed, sold, etc.).
It is under Manage Domains then CSV Export.

Bob
 
Last edited:
2
•••
Seems odd to me that the original sale of the marketplace was in the high six figures, but when that didn't go through, Deven would just walk away.

It's rare that someone walks away from a six-figure asset.

Surely there would be other interested buyers, or at least there would have been before Deven announced that he was completely shuttering the marketplace and asked everyone to remove all listings.
 
3
•••
I've removed all my 500 listings and redirected them to Dan.com
 
2
•••
It's unbelievable. There are still people who are changing their nameservers to Alter right now. Obviously this does not work and one ends up on Alter's main page. In total, more than 600 domains are still pointing to Alter using their nameservers.
 
Last edited:
2
•••
It's unbelievable. There are still people who are changing their nameservers to Alter right now. Obviously this does not work and one ends up on Alter's main page. In total, more than 600 domains are still pointing to Alter using their nameservers.
I wonder if some of these are sold domain names where the new owner has done nothing at all, not even changed DNS. A surprising fraction of sales that seems to happen for months or years. I sold a .com domain name at Epik Aug 2021, and as of today still pointed to my Epik lander. I negotiated directly, and know buyer not a domainer and what his plan was for name.

At least one of the Alter DNS is that. I sold the .com domain name on Afternic BIN last July, but the lander pointed to Alter (kept hoping the marketplace was coming back). The buyer has not changed the DNS, so it still points to Alter, even though the name was not even sold there.

My guess is that economic turmoil of recent years has resulted in even more plans not followed through, and more domains sitting without even DNS changed.

But sure some are just landers slipped through cracks. I discovered one of mine still pointed to Alter just a few weeks ago.

-Bob
 
Last edited:
4
•••
8
•••
This is the NS history for one of the domains - on & off...

1676057927591.png


1676055250987.png
 
Last edited:
2
•••
I think it was expired domain on namesilo or others. After auction purchase system back to old ns.
 
1
•••
I discovered one of mine still pointed to Alter just a few weeks ago.
I believe I listed there maybe 5 or 7 names with some nice price back to that days, after they closed the market, one name already dropped and have a new owner, and others are still in my namesilo dashboard and I didnot changed the DNS, still goto alter....not sure why, but I just be lazy and tired recently...:xf.grin: may be some day once alter back to business,those listed name can listed again automatically.....
 
1
•••
2
•••
3
•••
1
•••
2
•••
6
•••
Back