Fabulous.com launches their Domain Name Distribution Network
As per an Email from Fabulous.com to Frank Schilling, Fabulous.com has launched their domain distribution network (DDN), allowing Domain Portfolio owners to list their domains for sale via Fabulous’ various partners. On top of the Buydomains/Afternic network, this appears to be another large sales channel developing. A while ago Pool.com had tried something similar, by opening the Global Domain Name Exchange (GDNX), which failed to lack of adaption by the industry.
As you may have already heard, Fabulous.com has launched its Domain Distribution Network (DDN) that allows access for domain portfolio owners to list their domains across multiple aftermarket domain sales platforms.
Some of these platforms include Registrars, Aftermarket Portals, WhoIs query websites, and Lead Generation Affiliates. In addition, Fabulous also enables domain owners the ability to have domain sale functionality embedded on their own parked domains with only a 3% (bank fees*) transactional cost for successful domain sales.
Our current implementations include a real time aftermarket sales process (during registration attempts) with the worlds largest registrar. We also expect live implementations to extend to four of the top five ICANN registrars progressively between the next few weeks and October. The sales to date have been very encouraging.
The advantages of the Domain Distribution Network:
- Dramatic increases in domain sale exposure through registrar registration processes
- Access to new Lead Generators
- Real time settlement Instant Transfer Protocol (60 second settlement)
- Use of domain classification, pricing tools and live customer support
- Centralized management of domain sales and traffic
- Discounted fees for sales generated by your own domains (X%)*
- High commissions for generating leads as an Affiliate
- Fixed and/or Make Offer pricing**
[...] Please contact your Fabulous.com representative for more details. You could be live this week!
The timing seems right and it also seems that Fabulous is in a great position to pull this one off. They offer an easy API for close to real time domain name sales, which is a key feature for adaptation by registrars and hosting companies.
Which hosting company or domain reseller would want to offer a premium name to a customer and send the customer away to another site during the sign-up process and then have the customer wait 7-10 days to receive their domain name? While other domain marketplaces also offer an API, they often lack direct control over the domain name as a registrar (i.e. Buydomains can only offer close to instant domain owner changes for their own names).
[via Seven Mile]
Will the Fabulous DDN come with a sales support staff to educated clueless consumers on why premium domain prices are higher than an $8 reg fee? Will prices be negotiable on this network as they are at the vast majority of other marketplaces? There are some pluses here but this is not as big a deal as everyone is making it out to be. Think from an uneducated consumer prospective and not as a domainer and you will see.
Certainly a valid point you are making. One could assume that it’s just going to be a question of time until more people know that premium domains exist, however support-wise this might be a painful time for the resellers.