I have been considering sending a couple of my domain names to auction, which has got me thinking as to which service would be best to do this with. The options are a little limited but you do have a couple options at least. Here are the services that I could think of off hand if you want to auction a domain name you own.

Now clearly you could use other means but it is likely not to be considered an "auction". You could list a domain for sale via a forum, Twitter, Facebook etc. but I am looking more at an auction!

1. SnapNames.com
2. Sedo.com
3. GoDaddy.com Auctions
4. AuctionPus.com
5. eBay.com
6. Latonas.com
7. Afternic.com

So those are the 7 current places that I can think of off hand that offer auction services related to domains. Of the 7, 6 are solely related to domain names with eBay being the one lone service that allows selling just about anything. eBay can be a decent option, but I’m just not a fan of it because the vast majority of buyers simply want to use Paypal and it is just not safe to take Paypal as a payment for domain names (Paypal doesn’t protect sellers of intangible items). You also have listing fees and final value fees and the fact that a good deal of domain names are listed already.

Afternic.com‘s "auction" service is as close to dead as one gets. Since they lost registrar providers of expired domain names, the only domains that go to auction now are based on domains sent to auction upon an offer being made by an interested parties domain. The problem? It is rare to see any domains at auction at Afternic. Lack of auction inventory leads to lack of buyers even looking. It also cost $1 to be a buyer, something that I understand the reason behind but does push people away from signing up IMO. This removes this option for me.

GoDaddy.com auctions. To me, GoDaddy auctions is known for its expired domains and a lot less for its member listed domains! This means a lot less people are not looking at "member listed" domains. Another dagger for me is the way payment is done. GoDaddy doesn’t pay the seller for at least 30 days. With being "lost in the crowd" and an over 30 day wait to get paid, this removes this service for me.

AuctionPus.com and Latonas.com are both newer auction services. Latonas.com is more known for its "live auctions" at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. but they do run some stand alone auctions as well. Most are portfolio auctions, so listing a couple domain names is not an option currently. AuctionPus.com only offers 8 domain names a day, so your domain name is in the spotlight for 24 hours which is good. Selling fees are lower and fair but the biggest thing that holds me back is the fact the site is very young. This makes me question the amount of eyes on my domains at auction, if somebody that I contact will "trust" the service and sign up. Listing at a reserve will cost you more money but currently is the safest. I like the idea of the site and it has a lot of good things going for it, the biggest downfall is that the service is new, which means not a lot of buyers are not aware of it. AuctionPus.com is a good option but would be better as the site becomes more popular and trusted.

So I am really down to two options left. Sedo.com or SnapNames.com

At Sedo, you can not just auction off your domain name. In order to have your domain name on auction, you must receive a "bid" and then you have the option to send it to auction, counter offer or accept the offer. This is a downfall for many but with services like PushToAuction.com and or simply promoting your domain name at a fair price can attract buyers (offers). At SnapNames.com, you can simply list your domain name for the price you wish and have it listed "in auction" as long as your domain name is registered with Moniker.com or sister registrar to Moniker. Again, this is a downfall for those who have their domain names registered with GoDaddy, NSI etc.

Fees. This can be a determining factor for some. On average, Sedo is one of the lowest and when you compare Sedo VS SnapNames, Sedo is the clear winner for the majority of domain names. The average sellers fee at Sedo is 10% of the sales price where as SnapNames is 20% (showcase and live events are 15%). Seller fees add up and when one is double the other, it just can not be ignored.

Exposure. With keeping the "lost in the crowd" idea in mind, again, Sedo is a clear winner when it comes to this. The average day via Sedo auction results in about 250 domain names on the auction page. At SnapNames on the other hand, using today’s stats… 27,818 domain names hold an "In Auction" status. 250 domains are easier to look though than over 27 Thousand the last time I checked, so your domain will likely stand out to more "looker/buyers" at Sedo.

Access. Domain name sites in general are often hard to navigate. After Sedo’s recent design change of its website, they totally removed the "auction" domains for its home page. Big mistake IMO and to make it even worse, it takes at least 3 clicks to hit the page to see all the auctions. This is a big downfall to me as a seller. One must click (or hover) the Resources tab, then click Market Activity.. under Latest Bids, you have to click Auction Schedule and then Marketplace Auctions to even see the domains at auction. This is for those who know what they are looking for, so if you have no clue about that process, it is hard pressed to even find the domain auction page on Sedo IMO. Things are a bit easier via SnapNames but again.. the lost in the crowd issue is big via SnapNames with the amount of in auction domains.

Things to consider based on past auctions of mine~ Listing on SnapNames is pretty easy after you have done it once before from your Moniker account. Keep in mind that just because you pick your auction dates, doesn’t always mean your domain will be listed the date you picked. It appears that SnapNames manually approves auctions and there can be a delay in approving sometimes.

As a seller, I feel I get the best deal with the 10% sellers fee.

Do not expect the auction services to give your domain name any special treatment. You are best to promote your own auction, even though you are billed a "sellers" fee. SnapNames/Moniker automatic transfer is sweet, because as a seller, you do not have to do anything when the domain sells. An auto transfer takes place and is nice not to worry about transferring or pushing any domains.

SnapNames does take about 7 days to "clear" payment, so do not expect to get paid the day the auction ends. It can even take the buyer several days to make payment, so this will extend out the time it takes you to get paid. Even when the payment clears, you have to "cash out" in your SnapNames account to get paid. Not hitting the cash out button will further delay your payment. At Sedo, the payment process is pretty easy as long as the buyer pays in a decent amount of time and both buyer and seller follow the steps in the transfer section of the site.

In the end, I would say SnapNames and Sedo are really the two best options currently for auctioning off a domain name on a regular basis. Both contain "domainer" and "end user" buyers. Most of the services offer "special" auctions, so keep your eyes open for these as a domain name you own may be a better fit for one of those auctions that often have themes or the location of the auction is important if it is live than just sending it to auction. Special and live auctions often get more press than a single domain on auction. Both Sedo and SnapNames have several downfalls but positives as well. Knowing some of the things I stated, at least you have some options and have an idea of what you are getting into.