Shady Auctions At Namejet.com

[silentg]

Following domains were won but was later cancelled:
GOCE.com
TDOG.com
Hej.com
nej.com
superbikes.com
icandy.com
sma.net
hoa.net
xyu.net

If you were part of an auction and the auction was cancelled then post the domains here.

 

[werty]

They refunded me about 5 purchases this week + canceled about 5 more auctions I was actively bidding on. The domains all belong to the same person, and seems he recalled them all. Remember these are "pre-release" auctions. But it's fishy anyways....

 

[mis_chiff]

Taking back domains that aren't their's in the first place isin't the shady part
[although I'm sure the owner's of the domains are just "fishing"

But it's the auctioning of domains they don't own yet in an effort to promote their business
and draw bidders to an auction that isin't real...isin't there rules about this?
sad really when you think about it...

They should not be put for auction until the owner has NO claim whatsoever

 

[silentg]

Majority of the domains cancelled were domains owned by domain owners (some with big portfolios). Try visiting the domains you're about to bid and some will be parked at Sedo and you can make an offer.

Here's some examples of Sedo listed domains showing as pre-release on NJ:
lpqd.com/
lbyj.com/

 

[Ms Domainer]

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From what I have read, some savvy owners who know about the partnerships between Namejet and some registrars are allowing their domains to expire so that their domains go to auction. Then they watch the auction to see how much people are willing to bid for the domain.

If the domain garners a lot of bids, then the "owner" redeems the domain. The redemption fee is a cheap way to get an appraisal, which is also a dead-on, accurate measure of domain value.

The solution: stop bidding on pre-release domains. I know, I know, most of us have participated in this pre-release bidding practice.

Actually, this practice of auctioning "pre-release" names ought to be abolished.



It's all sleazy.


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[silentg]

The thing is these names are not about to expire. These guys partner with Namejet to sell their private portfolios.

Here's one seller: Some of the names have already sold on Namejet.com
http://www.findyourdomain.com/domains-for-sale/

 

[Ms Domainer]

The thing is these names are not about to expire. These guys partner with Namejet to sell their private portfolios.

Here's one seller: Some of the names have already sold on Namejet.com
findyourdomain.com/domains-for-sale/

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Sometimes this is true.

But a lot of expired (not yet in pending delete) domains are auctioned as pre-releases. Often, these domains are renewed by the registry for the purposes for auction. If no bids, then the registrar gets a refund and the domain is eventually dropped after pending delete (day 75-76 after expiration). Sometimes, the registrar keeps the name for its private portfolio, not Namejet. But this has to be done before day 70--at least this is my understanding.

If it's an owner-initiated sale, the domain whois will be current. An expired domain, even if it has an extended renewal, will have a date (Month/Day) about three weeks before the auction start.

For pre-releases, I always read the whois before bidding and decide if I want to take a chance on a private owner. I tend to shy away from domain proxy owners.

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[pliddle]

Lot of shady stuff going on at NameJet....

I finally find a pre-release I liked yesterday, ending at 8pm, bid right before that, was only bidder..... So that should be it right? I get it!, but no, sadly it doesn't end right at 8pm, they keep it on there for an unknown period of time after and next thing you know there are 7 bidders, and NameJet Reserve is the current high bidder.... SMH

 

[silentg]

It's a public auction with a reserve. Namejet Reserve is the reserve set by the seller (not namejet)

Lot of shady stuff going on at NameJet....

I finally find a pre-release I liked yesterday, ending at 8pm, bid right before that, was only bidder..... So that should be it right? I get it!, but no, sadly it doesn't end right at 8pm, they keep it on there for an unknown period of time after and next thing you know there are 7 bidders, and NameJet Reserve is the current high bidder.... SMH

 

[pliddle]

What is the purpose of an backorder time when it doesn't matter because people can bid after that time.

It's a public auction with a reserve. Namejet Reserve is the reserve set by the seller (not namejet)

 

[silentg]

Public auction doesn't have a backorder deadline. It only lists the date and time when the auction will end. You can check out some auctions here:
namejet.com/Pages/Auctions/BrowseDomains.aspx?type=Auction

Here's what happened to you. If it's a decent name then there are others who watch the auction and place bids in the last 5 minutes. There are sites like Domainface.com that offer automatic bidding system. You can set your maximum bid and do other things and the site will make a bid on your behalf. The site will make the bids in the last minutes of the auction / 5 minutes before backorder deadline.

 

[Name Trader]

But a lot of expired (not yet in pending delete) domains are auctioned as pre-releases. Often, these domains are renewed by the registry for the purposes for auction. If no bids, then the registrar gets a refund and the domain is eventually dropped after pending delete (day 75-76 after expiration).

All domains get automatically renewed between the registry and registrar. The registrar gets 45 days to reclaim the renewal fee. Which is why domains are auctioned off before that date, because after that date they go into the 30 day registry redemption, and you have to pay the Registry Redemption Fee. Depending on each registrar's ToS you can renew before day 45 for just the Renewal Fee.

 

[DU]

All domains get automatically renewed between the registry and registrar. The registrar gets 45 days to reclaim the renewal fee. Which is why domains are auctioned off before that date, because after that date they go into the 30 day registry redemption, and you have to pay the Registry Redemption Fee. Depending on each registrar's ToS you can renew before day 45 for just the Renewal Fee.

So this begs the question:

Why not only accept domains that have expired at registrars that state specifically that after day X you might lose the capability to renew (if it is sold) and honor the sale hence removing all the doubt?

Because NJ is a shit company that deals with more shitty companies is why.

I think its time I signed up a new fake account and fail to pay again.

 

[silentg]

They cancelled another domain.
Porks.com

 

[Kate]

They cancelled another domain.
Porks.com

Perhaps they felt like they HAD to claim this one back

 

[silentg]

I just got this reply from Namejet:

Hello,

Unfortunately that isn't the case. These domains simply shouldn't have gone into auction. It's not that the owner wasn't satisfied, we have prior agreements that they must uphold.

We apologize for any inconvenience. These may become available in the near future.

Thank you,

Daniel M. | technical support supervisor
My Support Hours: 9:00AM - 6:00PM PDT, Monday through Friday
Out of the office Saturday and Sunday

 

[DU]

Hello,

We are too lazy to personalize our response.

Unfortunately that isn't the case. These domains simply shouldn't have gone into auction.

We reserve the right to cancel for any reason.

It's not that the owner wasn't satisfied, we have prior agreements that they must uphold.

Buyers have to uphold agreements, sellers have to uphold agreements.. luckily we don't have any such agreements.

We apologize for any inconvenience.

Caused to us.

These may become available in the near future.

Bid again!

Thank you,

We love to scam you.

Daniel M. | technical support supervisor
My Support Hours: 9:00AM - 6:00PM PDT, Monday through Friday
Out of the office Saturday and Sunday

I can't even be bothered to personalize this bit.

 

[cache]

people's time are wasted on the shit bidding, should we be compensated?

 

[DU]

people's time are wasted on the shit bidding, should we be compensated?

I stand in line at a Subway to buy a half decent sub... and I pay for the pleasure.

No.

 

[Rich]

I just had another auction canceled, by a registrar? what kind of shenanigans are going on over there? They even called the domain a pre-release when it was labeled a private auction...and it wasn't even that great of a domain, LOL. I had placed a back order at the beginning of this year and than i get e-mailed that i won a private auction...might have to cancel my namejet account as history keeps repeating itself =/

 

[silentg]

If it's really sellers refusing to transfer the domains then namejet should be releasing the sellers complete details so the buyers can choose to take legal action or not.

 

[cache]

namejet has the monopoly, there is no competitor that you can go.

 

[Ms Domainer]

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Namejet needs to label its for-sale domains better, for example, "Private Seller" for submitted domains, NOT pre-release. In order to make informed decisions, potential buyers need to know these distinctions. I always study the Whois before deciding to bid, but most people (especially end-users) do not know how to analyze Whois info.

"Pre-release" needs to be clarified better. If I buy a property at a Sheriff's sale, the terms are clear: if the owner comes up with payment within a certain period of time, then the property reverts back to the previous owner and the buyer gets a full refund. The buyer goes into the deal with the full undertanding of these terms.

If domain buyers understand these terms (often buried deep in TOS in blurry language), then it will be less of a problem.

Namejet seems to operate in the dark, which makes them seem shady. Maybe they are and maybe they aren't. All I know: my experience with Namejet has, generally, been less than positive; some of my issues have to do with confusion, non-transparency, ducking responsibility once enom has it ("Not our problem anymore"), and ignorance by some of its support staff--I have had to explain things to support before they could help me with my issue. How whacked is that?

As a result, I refrain from bidding on domains that I might otherwise consider.

I doubt that I'm alone in this, and that's a problem for Namejet. Having had a nightmarish experience with transferring lyni [dot] com out of a strange registrar with a Japanese TLD, I now avoid upping my bids on pending delete domains when they have been caught by obscure enom registrars with shallow platforms that aren't quite synchronized with enomcentral.

I like GoDaddy's auction platform much better (although navigation could be improved). Its auctions are clearly labeled: Expired/Expiring, Offer/Counter Offer, etc. Also, for expiring auctions, GD is very clear (and in clear language) that the original owner may renew during the week the buyer must wait.

I think Namejet's corporate culture is based on arrogance and the erroneous opinion that they will always be number 1.

Very dangerous attitude, as Yahoo and myspace have discovered.

Anyway, that's my take.

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[Name Trader]

"Pre-release" needs to be clarified better. If I buy a property at a Sheriff's sale, the terms are clear: if the owner comes up with payment within a certain period of time, then the property reverts back to the previous owner and the buyer gets a full refund. The buyer goes into the deal with the full undertanding of these terms.

Sometimes it's the Registrar renewing the domain on their own behalf.

 

[Ms Domainer]

Sometimes it's the Registrar renewing the domain on their own behalf.

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That should be a no-no. Once the domain goes to auction, the registrar should keep its hands off it.

Talk about a serious conflict of interest!

That would be like the sheriff saying, "Yeah, you won the auction for this property, but I want it for myself. Therefore, I'm going to take it away from you, and I get to decide what to pay."

He would end up in jail for that!

Where is ICANN in all this?

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