BrandBucket Experience

[xtremex]

hello

I am new to BrandBucket. Before getting my hands on this

I wish to experience about brandbucket from my fellow members


Thanks

 

[equity78]

Anyone got this??




Show attachment 35034

Got what ?

 

[loredan]

Got what ?

The 33,333 number in the search box

 

[RozasMD]

Anyone got this??




Show attachment 35034

That makes a nice numeric domain

I remember I got 30,000. No screenshot to prove it, though

 

[DNGear]

Those 33,333 names?

They were like 33,050 2 days ago I think

Got what ?

 

[iwon24]

ive only just started on brandbucket and currently only have 5 published with 3 waiting for logo etc.. going to add a lot more over the next few month so will let you know how it goes

 

[NetworkPearl]

Why are they even adding so many names. Even 20,000 were a lot.

 

[disaac81]

They are adding fast and furious now. Quality does not matter with BB it seems they only care about the numbers.

Why?

It's obvious - you pay the listing fee!

 

[Justin Matmor]

The only thing I got was your private email address at the top left hand corner of the screenshot image.

 

[Michael M]

The only thing I got was your private email address at the top left hand corner of the screenshot image.

@DNGear - I didn't notice that because you have to go to full screen view to see it - but he is right. You might want to replace that image with a blurred version or pull it down ASAP.

 

[Michael M]

I have been undecided on BrandBucket and rather to continue or expand my relationship with them for a while, and in full disclosure I still have not made a final decision.

In all honesty - I like the company and the support I have received. They are very professional and courteous from my experience. I have no complaints in this area.

My concern from the beginning has been the BB would loose focus on what drew me to them in the first place - that they were an exclusive marketplace with strict guidelines on quality which therefore would limit quantity of inventory and greatly increase my exposure and domain's credibility by being listed on their site. I have yet to decide that they are not a profitable partner to have, but my concerns have not disappeared or lessened over recent months either.

I am small time with them, started fairly recently and slow (since Aug 2015), and I have only listed just over 30 names. All listing fees paid in cash since I missed the voting credits. Roughly half of these names I feel could command the price listed at BB on a parked page and they would sell with time (and I spent well more than reg fee on these). The remaining half a divided between decent names and some lower quality ones I purchased on NP.

I have not had a sale with them as of yet. 4887 listed days (all domains combined.) 158 average listed days per domain. So definitely too early to draw any conclusions from my lack of sale.

My concerns come down to simple math (since I can't possibly know all that goes on behind the scenes at BB - it's all I can use to deduce the benefits of using their marketplace). Recently it was stated that BB sales roughly 2 names a day. So, not considering domain quality or consumer trends, just looking at generalizations...

33333 listed domains
1/16667 chance of a domain selling on any given day
1/45.66164384 chance of selling a single domain in a given year
0.021900219 annual sale through rate

2%... This is pretty much in line with industry standard across the board for parked domains, correct?

Though I imagine this number jumps up or down greatly on each individual's portfolio...

So is my relationship with them advantageous? Well I am still unsure, because:

#1: I have too few domains on BB to draw a very accurate conclusion on my sale through rate on BB vs a parked page
#2: I have not allowed enough time to pass - since I have such a small sample size I need more time to improve accuracy
#3: I am unsure if BB's sales rate has increased or decreased with its inventory rate. And if so, in what proportion.
#4: I have no idea of the true volume of sales that BB makes or the methods they use to bring in buyers and what exposure my domain is given to those buyers.

I personally feel if BB would release more sales data that people like me, who are on the fence, might would feel more confident to move forward on investing with them on a larger scale. I tend to go for domains higher in value than reg-fee and closeouts - so my entry fee per domain, and therefore risk, is much higher.

Just my opinion, undecided position, and 2cents - for what they are worth.

-Mike.

 

[disaac81]

BB works for the select few, the others just pay to keep the site running.

 

[Dondomainer]

I do not understand why in addition to owning and maintaining the domain which generates costs and risk, I must add more costs and and less profit margin, I mean, $ 10 + Logo design between $100 and $500 +30% commission it's too much, for me it makes no sense.

For between $ 50 and $ 60 i buy a theme

and 1 year hosting $100 or less.

 

[tvanrijt]

I think a lot of people who react negatively might just not be the target audience of BB. I see it in the following way:

Can I create my own marketplace?
I can make a really basic site, but it would take me a chunk of time to get it to my satisfactory level. I can create simple sites with wordpress etc, but still it would take me more time to build a marketplace, let alone a marketplace that stands out and look nice.

Can I create a logo myself?
Probably, but it will take a lot of time for me and it wouldn't look that good. It is just not in my skillset

Can I attract visitors with my own landing page or marketplace?
I might just be able to do that, but I would have very minimal traffic on my site. I know the basics of SEO etc, but it would again take up a lot of my time and I don't think the results will be as good as BB results

Can I get $2000 on average for my brandable names myself?
No, I would probably be very happy with 1 sale of $1000. I can't attract enough visitors, I can't make my site and logos look appealing enough and I am bad at negotiating, as I would bite way too early.

For these reasons, Brandbucket adds value for me:

• They save me a lot of time
• They attract visitors
• In the end, after all fees I still get an average of $1000 a name (going off an average sale price of around $1800 and covering 10 to 20 listing fees per sold name), which is more than what I would probably get on my own

For me, the only question is: can I sell at least 1 name on Brandbucket? If I can, I am happy and they provided value for me. If not, I am still covered, as I can sell the BB published names to cover my cost.

A lot of complaints I read is also about the sales percentage. While this might not be (much) higher than the average sales percentage of a domainer, I still think people can easily get a lazy Brandbucket attitude.

What I mean by this is that a lot of people just go for BB acceptance of regged domains and expect sales. They are envious of @michaeljkrell his sales ratings, but might forget that most of his names are not regged. I regged all my names as well (and during .com sales too), but I don't expect the same sales rates as Michael. Furthermore, I still think getting BB accepted is not all there is to it. I can still differ quality in accepted names based on my own judgement. I might be off, but at least I have tried everything I can to increase my chances in selling.

For instance: I know a lot of VCVCV and CVCVCV domains are accepted on BB and they sell a bunch of them if I am correct. However, I cannot see the difference in 95% of these names and why one of those is accepted for $3000 and another is for $1800. As I don't understand it, I don't just publish a bunch of those. I look for accepted names that I think have value as well and where I can imagine a business usecase for. Sure, I have some VCVCV and CVCVCV patterns as well, to cover everything, but I like names like Veritool or Lectera better, as I can imagine a company being interested in those names. I might be way off, but I treat my BB profile the way I treat my total domain portfolio: I don't buy names because others think they are good, but because I myself also see value. I don't think all BB sellers are doing this.

So to summarize: BB provides value for me and even if they take a big chunk with their 30%, the net price I get from them would be higher than the price I would get myself. Furthermore, they save me time, so I can focus on my other domains.

If you are like me and cannot create a good portfolio site with nice logos and a decent amount of visitors, you are probably somebody who can benefit from Brandbucket. If you can create these things yourself and get a nice amount of visitors, you might not be BB's target audience. You can of course have your opinions on their business model, but don't forget that they still add value for domainers like me. Therefore, they have their place in the domain industry in my humble opinion.

 

[JimJammy]

Wise words!

They are envious of @michaeljkrell his sales ratings, but might forget that most of his names are not regged.

I particularly love this sentence . People think that because Michael sells names consistently that he must be bucking/abusing 'the system' and not, the actual reality, that their domains are not as good as his!

The latest post on TLDInvestors... http://tldinvestors.com/2016/07/the-brandosphere-a-look-at-brandbuckets-top-sellers-in-june.html

Proof right there that 6 people sold more domains on BB percentage wise than Michael in June. They must be bucking/abusing the system too </sarcasm>.

A good friend of mine today said I still don't understand why so many people buy with BrandBucket as the target, rather than an enduser as a target. And neither do I.

@tvanrijt you've just summed up beautifully what I've been trying to say for months, only you said it much better than I ever could!

 

[Chris Hydrick]

What I mean by this is that a lot of people just go for BB acceptance of regged domains and expect sales. They are envious of @michaeljkrell his sales ratings, but might forget that most of his names are not regged.

Great point! Most of bb sales aren't from hang regged domains.

People think that because Michael sells names consistently that he must be bucking/abusing 'the system'

A good friend of mine today said I still don't understand why so many people buy with BrandBucket as the target, rather than an enduser as a target. And neither do I.

Are you saying buy ExampleDomain.com if ExampleDomain.com.ng is developed?

 

[tvanrijt]

Are you saying buy ExampleDomain.com if ExampleDomain.com.ng is developed?

Show attachment 35116

I dont really get your point here? Thats a whole different ballpark, isnt it?
That is actually what I spend my time on while I push my brandables to brandbucket.

 

[Chris Hydrick]

I dont really get your point here? Thats a whole different ballpark, isnt it?
That is actually what I spend my time on while I push my brandables to brandbucket.

When buying brandables, do you buy it because it's brandable, or because there are existing companies using the same name?

Earlier this year a few people explained to me that they add domains to bb if another extension is developed. The pretense being, if it's on a major marketplace. the enduser has no choice but to pay $X,XXX asking price if they want the domain. I pondered this, and am unsure if this is an ethical business plan

 

[JimJammy]

Lol @ Grilled. I have to say I don't know what your problem is with me and/or BB, and I don't really care. I put you on ignore when you PMd me demanding details of my financials a few months ago. I had to take you off ignore to read your post detailing part of a private conversation we had ages ago.

You and most people know I bought into "the Michael conspiracy" in the early days, you only have to read my early posts in this thread to see that. You also know that I apologized both publicly here and to BB for that and I still often refer to the fact that I used to feel that way about BB.

Why am I now longer into your conspiracy? Because I sell names on BB. I also know other people that sell names on BB.

{And back on ignore}

 

[DNGear]

Why BB's Reseller market is down? People are not even buying for 25 USD for published domains.

 

[tvanrijt]

When buying brandables, do you buy it because it's brandable, or because there are existing companies using the same name?

Earlier this year a few people explained to me that they add domains to bb if another extension is developed. The pretense being, if it's on a major marketplace. the enduser has no choice but to pay $X,XXX asking price if they want the domain. I pondered this, and am unsure if this is an ethical business plan

Ah then I misunderstood. I dont think it would be a very succesful business plan as I doubt that you can reg a lot of names that would be accepted on BB and developed in a lesser tld.

I do have to say that, while I dont mind your stance on BB and sometimes think you raise interesting points, I dont like you posting private conversations here. I would consider that just as unethical as regging the business names you were mentioning and it doesnt help your credibility. We have had a private conversation as well in the recent past, which I enjoyed. I would not like it if you posted that, even censored, on here.

 

[tvanrijt]

Why BB's Reseller market is down? People are not even buying for 25 USD for published domains.

Because of the many 1.99 .com sales, a lot of people regged a lot with brandbucket in mind, also to get the reseller value. $20 for an accepted name and $2 reg fee means an acceptance rate of 10% to break even.

However, since a lot of people did this in a short time span, supply is now much bigger than demand. Therefore the price goes down.

 

[slimjim270]

I thought PM stood for Private Message... but then I must be Acronym Challenged...

-Jim

 

[Chris Hydrick]

Lol @ Grilled. I have to say I don't know what your problem is with me and/or BB

My issue is with the hypocrisy. There's so much politics in this industry, myself included. Though, despite my politics, I believe all sellers should be treated fairly, and it has to start with the marketplaces top seller / director.

Do you ever wonder why Pro's such as @bazabizo, @Shane Bellone, @Zandibot, Zane Gocha, Michael Rader, etc aren't using bb anymore? (@Zandibot I assume you are not using bb anymore based off your portfolio sale earlier this year. @Shane Bellone - not sure if he ever used bb, but he is a whistle blower, and industry visionary. To those tagged, please correct me if I'm mistaken)

demanding

I apologize if you perceived me asking you not to omit relative information when pumping up your bb numbers publicly as demanding. I thought it was unethical for you to omit such information that were at one point all based on free listing fee's. I mean $1 Million+ in bb domains is what with $0 listing fee's? Thus anything sold with entirely free listing fee's isn't an accurate financial start point. (I thank you for coming forward a few months later, and telling everybody you had 500+ free listing fee's.)

I do have to say that, while I dont mind your stance on BB and sometimes think you raise interesting points, I dont like you posting private conversations here. I would consider that just as unethical as regging the business names you were mentioning and it doesnt help your credibility. We have had a private conversation as well in the recent past, which I enjoyed. I would not like it if you posted that, even censored, on here.

I understand your position, and I apologize to those I offended. I carefully weighed if I should post any of this or not, and the decision ultimately came down to "The needs of the many outweigh, the needs of the few." I have plenty of correspondence that contain more sensitive, and financially damaging information. I will not release that correspondence.

 

[equity78]

My issue is with the hypocrisy. There's so much politics in this industry, myself included. Though, despite my politics, I believe all sellers should be treated fairly, and it has to start with the marketplaces top seller / director.

Do you ever wonder why Pro's such as @bazabizo, @Shane Bellone, @Zandibot, Zane Gocha, and Michael Rader aren't using bb anymore? (@Zandibot I assume you are not using bb anymore based off your portfolio sale earlier this year. @Shane Bellone - not sure if he ever used bb, but he is a whistle blower, and industry visionary. To those tagged, please correct me if I'm mistaken)



I apologize if you perceived me asking you not to omit relative information when pumping up your sales numbers publicly as demanding. I thought it was unethical for you to omit such information while pumping up numbers that were at one point all based on free listing fee's.



I understand your position, and I apologize to those I offended. I carefully weighed if I should post any of this or not, and the decision ultimately came down to "The needs of the many outweigh, the needs of the few." I have plenty of correspondence that contain more sensitive, and financially damaging information. I will not release that correspondence.

Gocha and Rader went off to form their own boutiques after being top sellers at BrandBucket. Zane Gocha left the company he co-founded Namerific and is doing something else now, Zane and I had many conversations, he was looking to do something different. Bazabizo detailed why he left. I can't speak to the others as I had never associated them with BrandBucket.

There is not just hypocrisy in domaining but jealousy and self - loathing as well. This is for the most part a solitary business unless you have a partner or go to work for a bigger company in the business.

So some people are not willing to share anything, go back in the day ask @Acroplex people used to get upset with him posting pending delete or available domain threads. When I created the Dot TV sub forum there were a few who would message me that they wished the place was never created.

Then there are some who share some, sometimes completely altruistic and sometimes there is an agenda that a less sophisticated investor will be unable to see.

Then there are those that share almost everything, again sometimes from an altruistic position and sometimes from self - loathing or disdain of the business overall.

People have to remember to do their own research and listen to their gut first, then follow the people that they trust. The business is more art than science.

 

[Chris Hydrick]

Gocha and Rader went off to form their own boutiques after being top sellers at BrandBucket. Zane Gocha left the company he co-founded Namerific and is doing something else now, Zane and I had many conversations, he was looking to do something different. I can't speak to the others as I had never associated them with BrandBucket.

There is not just hypocrisy in domaining but jealousy and self - loathing as well. This is for the most part a solitary business unless you have a partner or go to work for a bigger company in the business.

So some people are not willing to share anything, go back in the day ask @Acroplex people used to get upset with him posting pending delete or available domain threads. When I created the Dot TV sub forum there were a few who would message me that they wished the place was never created.

Then there are some who share some, sometimes completely altruistic and sometimes there is an agenda that a less sophisticated investor will be unable to see.

Then there are those that share almost everything, again sometimes from an altruistic position and sometimes from self - loathing or disdain of the business overall.

People have to remember to do their own research and listen to their gut first, then follow the people that they trust. The business is more art than science.

Much respect @equity78 - Thank you very much for posting this. Your words are truly humbling. I preach looking at the bigger picture, though sometimes, I too, become so isolated in one viewpoint, that I forget it's only a small subset of time/content.

That said, people, remember anything I say about bb may be true today, but not true tomorrow, or even yesterday. bb doesn't see anything as a problem yet. It's been a while since they've been vocal on np. They are a busy company, that doesn't see a problem in their business model as they appear to be quite profitable. However, should that change, they can review customer feedback, improvise, adapt, and overcome. Until then, why should they fix a leaking hole if it's not sinking their boat?