Introduction
This guide covers the various listing formats, split in 9 sections below. These listing formats are also sometimes referred as listing types.
Sections 1 to 5 cover the listing formats applicable to domains listed as "For Sale", either by users or registries.
Sections 6 to 9 cover the listing formats applicable to domains listed as "Expiring" as well as to domains listed by "Catch service" platforms.
1. Make offer
2. Buy now
3. Make offer + Buy now
4. Lease now
5. Public auction (For sale)
6. Public auction (Expiring/Catch services)
7. Backorder only
8. Backorder + Private auction
9. Backorder + Public auction
1. Make offer
For sale
The price is open to negotiation between the buyer and the seller.
Note that a buyer can impose a minimum price, preventing the start of a negotiation below such a minimum.
2. Buy now
For saleAliases: Buy It Now (BIN), Fixed Price, Buy Immediately
The price is fixed and published by the seller.
3. Make offer + Buy now
For sale
This is a combination of the two previous formats. In addition to accept offers, a buyer can also set a BIN price. Although the price is open to negotiation, a buyer can precipitate a sale by accepting the BIN price.
4. Lease now
For saleAliases: Rental Plan, Purchase Plan, Start Now, Monthly Payments, Easy Payments
This format is similar to the Buy now format.
However, contrary to the Buy now format which requires an immediate payment in full, the Lease now format allows payments to be made following a payment plan.
This format allow the seller to immediately use the domain. However, it will become the domain owner once all payments are made.
5. Public auction (For sale)
For sale
This section focuses on Public auctions related to domains listed for sale (For sale sources).
During the auction period, buyers can bid on the domain. The price is defined by the winning bid.
The auction period usually last from 3 to 7 days depending on the auctioning platform.
The seller may have defined a Reserve. It acts as a guarantee as it defines a minimum price under which a sale cannot occur.
Below such a reserve, the highest bidder of the auction does actually not win the domain.
Depending on the auction platform, additional restrictions may apply:
All bidders must first be verified in order to be allowed to participate to an auction
Bids exceeding a certain amount are limited to verified bidders only
Bidders must subscribe to a membership-plan in order to be allowed to bid
6. Public auction (Expiring/Catch services)
Expiring/Catch services
This section covers Public auctions related to both expiring domains and domains listed by catch service platforms (Expiring sources and Catch service sources).
This auction is similar to the Public auction for "For sale" domains, with one major difference. The winner of the auction is not 100% guaranteed to get the domain.
Here is why. The auction is often organized by the seller before having the domain under control.
As a result, the domain is to be delivered to the winner of the auction only if it is successfully secured by the seller. If not, the sale is cancelled.
7. Backorder only
Expiring/Catch services
"Backorder only" means that it is not followed by any auction.
The Catch service platform only accepts one backorder per domain.
The price is fixed as it is defined by the backorder price, which is set by the platform accepting the backorder.
The backorder must be placed before a cut-over date. This cut-over date depends on the status of the domain as well as its listing source.
Although a platform may only accept one backorder per domain, several platforms may accept backorders for the same domain.
Consequently, a sale can only occur on the platform who actually secures the domain first.
It is important for a customer to be the first to place such backorder.
This listing type has the advantage that no auction will take pace.
When the platform successfully secures a domain, it goes automatically to the customer who placed the unique backorder.
In practice, the domain is usually immediately registered at the name of the customer, rather than temporarily to the name of the platform.
8. Backorder + Private auction
Expiring/Catch services
With this format, the platform accepts multiple backorders per domain.
The final price depends on the number of backorders received by the platform:
one backorder: the price is defined by the backorder price
multiple backorders: the price is defined by the winning bid
When the platform receives multiple backorders for the same domain, an auction is organized to determine the winner. When the platform only receives one backorder, there is no auction.
The backorder price acts as the starting bid.
In this format, the auction is private, i.e. it is restricted to buyers who placed a backorder.
Some platforms organize the auction before securing the domain. Some other platforms only organize the auction once they successfully secured the domain.
As several platforms may accept backorders for the same domain, a sale can only occur on the platform who actually secures the domain first.
9. Backorder + Public auction
Expiring/Catch services
This format is similar to the previous one. The only difference is that the auction is open to everyone, i.e. not only to customers who placed a backorder.