Which Auction Process do you like better? (1.Viewing)

System #1​

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System #2​

Here is my opinion....

If WHC were not such a reputable company I would be quite leery participating in an auction where there is no real way to see that someone is actually bidding. However, knowing the company I am comfortable with the process.

At CatchDrop I like knowing I am up against a specific bidder when the bidding gets hot and depending on previous history it gives me an idea of how high that bidder is willing to go to get a domain. This allows me to make the best educated decision.

Both styles have pros and cons for the bidders/participants and for me I like seeing who I am up against.

That said I prefer the most open system possible where a user is assigned or picks a name that cannot be changed at random. I want to make sure I am up against a genuine bidder and not a bot or something. Again I am confident that is not happening but as you can see both systems have pros and cons.

So lets chime in and see what everyone's idea of a perfect auction is.

If others can please add the grape or myID system I would appreciate it.

Grape appears to be very similar to the WHC system.

I can't quite remember how @bmetal does it.

For what it's worth:

We actually recently introduced a bidder history (unique to each auction) - click on the domain name when you're in the client area or on the website. I was actually waiting for someone here to notice it ;-)

There are still some small fixes pending, for example: We'll update it to show "me" instead of the bidder ID assigned to you.

More information is better

MapleDots said:

I can't quite remember how @bmetal does it.

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You're shown a history of (obfuscated) bidders and sale prices, bid times etc. You can tell if you're bidding against the same bidder in multiple auctions, but the obfuscation changes every week.

cutting and pasting from TBR bidding system (and yes, it is confusing, it is SALE price being shown, not the bid value).


It's a balancing act. There is a lack of trust in the TBR market, so we're trying to help show there really is another bidder there, and not just some automated program that's automatically bidding you up to your max, or snatching domains.... but do all that without revealing who you're bidding against (billing id, IP address, etc). (No one wants to go into a bidding war against rlm or mapledots.)

-Tom

bmetal said:

(No one wants to go into a bidding war against rlm or mapledots.)

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Or as I call them, the Unlimited Money Brothers.

well I certainly don't have unlimited money... but I will certainly open up the wallet when I see a good opportunity. that is why every domainer should keep a healthy reserve in the bank. And that's for two huge reasons: 1. riding out the ups and downs of the biz, and 2. being able to jump on an opportunity when you see one.

rlm said:

well I certainly don't have unlimited money...

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You do compared to me... I can barely afford bus fare

In general, with my bidder hat on, I like it when auctions to have static bidder names (aliases) that don't change from auction to auction so I can try to figure out who I am bidding against. But I can also see why bidders might want to be in stealth mode.

MaiTaiMan said:

In general, with my bidder hat on, I like it when auctions to have static bidder names (aliases) that don't change from auction to auction so I can try to figure out who I am bidding against. But I can also see why bidders might want to be in stealth mode.

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Lol, yes, we'd all like to know who we're bidding against - but not let them know who we are.

I'd say that since CIRA allows registrants to hide, then there's no reason a registrar shouldn't do the same.

BM's implementation with a new ID each week is kinda the fairest situation - it is transparent enough to show how many bidders there are and which bids belong to who, but resets each week so everyone is equally obscured again.

CD's implementation with a persistent ID looks more transparent, but still allows some to hide by being extremely careful to not reveal their identity, while others are obvious or easier to figure out. So I would say that it appears on the surface more transparent, but it's really not. In fact, it kinda puts you at the disadvantage unless you're the one going to great lengths to stay hidden, and great lengths to track who everyone is.

rlm said:

BM's implementation with a new ID each week is kinda the fairest situation - it is transparent enough to show how many bidders there are and which bids belong to who, but resets each week so everyone is equally obscured again.

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We were considering this style, too, but randomized it for each auction - it still shows how many bidders there are and which bid was placed by whom.