Afternic

Afternic operates as a premier global marketplace for the secondary domain name market, connecting buyers and sellers of previously registered domain names. The company was founded in 1999, reportedly by Jon Whelan and Lance Tokuda, creating the industry's first platform where owners could list domains for sale.

The company's history involves several changes in ownership. In September 2000, Register.com acquired Afternic for approximately $48 million, but the platform struggled during the dot-com bust. In 2002, entrepreneur Roger Collins and his brother Michael Collins purchased the failing company for a fraction of the original price, aiming to leverage the brand's established traffic for their existing domain resale business, NameBuySell.com. They successfully rebuilt the platform by shifting its model from an independent exchange to an exchange-broker network. Subsequently, NameMedia Inc. acquired Afternic in 2006. This acquisition combined Afternic's aftermarket sales infrastructure with the domain inventory of BuyDomains.com, which NameMedia also owned. The most significant strategic shift occurred in September 2013, when GoDaddy acquired Afternic from NameMedia, a move aimed at creating a more unified and seamless aftermarket experience for customers. As a subsidiary of GoDaddy, Afternic continues to operate from its base in Massachusetts.

Afternic's business model is centered on commissions from domain sales, functioning much like an MLS for real estate. It provides a centralized platform for domain owners to list their assets, which are then distributed across a vast network of over 100 partner registrars and resellers worldwide, including major players like GoDaddy, Network Solutions, and Dynadot. This network exposes listed domains to over 75-85 million qualified searches each month. The company generates revenue by charging a commission on each successful sale, which varies based on factors such as the domain's price and whether the seller uses Afternic's nameservers to display a 'For Sale' lander. Commission rates are typically between 15% and 30%, with a $15 minimum fee.

A core component of its service is the "Fast Transfer" technology. This system streamlines the sales process by enabling the immediate transfer of a domain to the buyer upon purchase, eliminating the typical multi-day waiting period. The process leverages EPP authorization codes and pre-approved opt-ins from sellers, which allows Afternic to automate the transfer on behalf of the participating registrars. This feature is available for popular TLDs like .com, .net, .org, and .io, for domains with a 'Buy Now' price up to $100,000. Opting into Fast Transfer is required for domains to be included in the premium distribution network, significantly increasing their visibility and sales potential.

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