Flippa.com Domain Review-
What is Flippa.com?
Flippa.com is an ebay/amazon for websites and domains. Here people are able to bid for domains and websites that are already registered. This is what makes Flippa.com unique. They are an Australian company based in Melbourne and San Francisco in the US. Altogether Flippa.com ha four main investors/founders who have a wide range of knowledge of the internet and especially the sector Flippa operates in. The investors are Mark Harbottle, Matt Mickiewicz, Leni Mayo and Andrew Walsh. Past company’s and projects they have been a part of have included Hitwise and still include publishing company SitePoint and 99designs.
How Flippa.com works;
It’s no surprise that Flippa is a very unique company and they work in a very unique way too. Users list their domains by entering the name of the domain first of all. After that it will bring you to a place to to talk about the domain and how you would like to sell it. There are two ways to sell through an auction or by a classified route. You then will need to select the amount of time the domain will be auctioned for. After you have talked about your domain set which kind of selling method, price and the duration of the auction you then need to choose which listing package. Their are three different listing packages and all are different in some way. The standard listing lists your domain on the site for only $9. The second listing package is the show off package. This package is recommended by flippa themselves. This package costs $59 and it allows your listed domain to be featured on flippa.com’s main page. The final listing package is the premium package and it costs $249. You will get the show of package plus being features in their newsletter. I personal believe this package costs too much to be featured in a newsletter. You can also set up a private listing for an additional $20. This hides your listing from search engines and other public areas of the internet. The next step is to setup your payment method for your domain listing. Your domain then gets listed on Flippa.com and if anyone likes the name of it (Quite literally), they can either bid for it or buy it now. The cost of the domain will then go to you, once the person on the other end has officially bought it.Flippa.com and their pricing;
One of the most awkward parts about flippa is their pricing. Their are no set prices and if they are they are usually quite high so it entices users of their site to bid on the domains instead of out rightly buying them. Prices for domains can start from $1 and can reach there ten’s of thousands and sometimes even more. To place a bid over $5,000 you will need to verify who you are and you will need to do this by entering your name and phone number. You will then verify who you are by an sms code sent to your phone. To not have to verify who you are every time, simply become a certified buyer.
Additional features;
Users of Flippa.com are also able to purchase websites and applications on their site. This is done in the very exact same way as domains. Users are also to sell websites and applications and other users are able to bid for them. Generally websites would cost more than domains. This is because they are a full website already built instead of just the domain name.
Flippa.com also have many resources, tips and guides on how to buy and sell on their site. These resources are great support for their users as many people a like will not understand some of the services they offer. Without these resources many people on their website would be going into selling and buying domains and websites blind. They even have a very exceptional resource about do’s and don’ts on Flippa.com.
Flippa.com’s do’s and don’ts;
Within the 5 do’s and don’ts resource, Flippa have outlined the best ways to help yourself buying and protecting yourself. Below I will outline the 5 do’s.You can tell from above that Flippa.com always want you to feel protected. So they have also set out 5 don’ts and these are also outlined below.Flippa’s Do’s
One of the first do’s Flippa mention is to ask the seller of a domain/website for any missing information about the domain/website. This is for you to clarify any information that may surprise you or would put you off bidding for that domain/website. If you were to bid for a domain randomly or eve a website it could cause you problems in the long run. Do your research into the website/domain before buying it. Check the website yourself to make sure it works and is of good quality. Also check the domain name and its history. Also run a due diligence checklist on the website/domain. This will show you stats and other information about the website/domain. If its up to scratch?! Flippa also recommend everyone on their website to use Flippa Payments when purchasing. Flippa protects the payments before they are delivered to make sure both parties in the sale are happy. Always have clear communication between you and the seller/buyer. Clear information will play key and will usually make the the transaction go through smoother and quicker.
Flippa’s Dont’s
If you are selling or buying a domain/website, always check up on the auction. The best way to do this is to click the watch button. That means if someone out bids you, you will be notified about this so you can counter-bid. Flippa also want you to keep all communication with the buyer on their platform. This is purely for security reasons as if something happens off site, they can not help or be held responsible for any errors. They also tell you to never bid on listings with short descriptions and little information. The best way to help this is to ask the seller about their domain/website. This handy tip is one of the do’s outlined by Flippa.com. Also don’t leave any stone un-turned when purchasing a website/domain. You could be left surpised or even with a problem site/domain. This links to the previuos do not. Never take payments off the Flippa platform. This means no PayPal, or any other similar platforms. Flippa makes sure both parties are happy with the sale before the seller receives their money.
Flippa.com and their Support;
Since Flippa.com are not your usual domain registrar as they are an auction they have very little ways you can contact them for support. I believe this is appropriate as not many people should be having problems with an auction service.
The only way you can contact Flippa.com is through a request/email request service. In this request you will need your email address, the subject matter and a description of your problem. You are also able to attach any attachments to the request. This will then be sent to Flippa.com and they will email you back ASAP.
Any Improvements?
In terms of Flippa.com’s support I believe they should offer a telephone service along side the request service. Although the request service seems very appropriate to have, a telephone line may make some users feel more comfortable. I also think that some tutorials on how to sell and buy on Flippa.com could be included in the resources page. This can help a lot of people who like to be physically shown how to do things buy/sell on their website.My thoughts;
I personally think that Flippa.com is a great website with a great concept. They do not register a domain for you but instead offer you many of what could of be previously successful domains and websites. You can even get them for a great price. Would I use Flippa.com? Yes I would one hundred percent recommend Flippa.com to purchase a domain. You have the potential to come across a domain that is just right for you and for the right price. As Flippa.com doesn’t register domains it just sells them the likelihood of finding a perfect domain for you is higher.Check out our other Domain Reviews; 123Reg | GoDaddy | NameCheap | Name.com | Gandi | Hover | Flippa.com | HostGator | 1&1| Dreamhost
