May I add, that even participation/contribution here has dwindled in the last month or so.
I think there are three factors that are contributing to this:
1) The 'open auction' format inevitably leads to higher prices + the economy sucks + it's very difficult to win anything outright these days, so that brings up the natural question of 'why even preorder at all?'.
2) When one registrar is overpowering everyone else, the TBR becomes far less exciting, yet also more expensive, so this can easily lead to buyer apathy. I know I'm not as wired up to play around in the current "the fattest wallet wins" TBR 'open auction' game. Or as one noted compatriot of ours once told me "Let me know when I can win mid-range TBR domains for $20 again."
3) The .CA retail domain market isn't exactly burning up the charts with lots of end user sales, so it's difficult for many to keep playing this 'carrot & whip' game week-in and week-out, especially in a more expensive 'open auction' format. To be honest, I don't see a lot of money-making opportunities for investors who are continually outbidding the country in an open auction format. But hey, that's just me.
With it being late-summer I may take a little break and maybe test some alternative strategies to how they pan out. After all, what's the worst case scenario when the inevitable result is watching 90% of the 'good stuff' get bid up at WHC?
* Please note that none of this in intended as being negative against WHC. To the contrary, WHC is performing extremely well on the TBR and doing what they need to do in order to be profitable, but this shift also brings with it a change in the marketplace and buyer behavior, as we're seeing right now.
The market always adapts.
3 hours left - Auctions start closing at 1 PM (ET).
