How do I list a domain name for auction?
Login and go to your personal control center, My Afternic. Within that page you have a Portfolio, to which you can add domain names that you own. Once you have listed your domain name, click on the button in the 'Sell' column to place it on auction. Alternatively, click on the 'Sell a Domain' link in your Portfolio.

What fees are involved in listing a domain name for auction?
All listing fees are currently waived for Exchange Members. For a full explanation of other auction-related fees, see our

What is a Domain Registration Profile?
The Domain Registration Profile is a Closings tool used to collect the information needed to complete your Domain Name Registration Transfer forms. You can complete this profile based on your WHOIS data at your registrar. The profile collects your ownership, host location, and administrative information in one place. When the Closings process begins, you will be able to select and apply this profile with a simple click.

What is the Reserve price?
This amount is the lowest winning bid the Seller will accept for the domain name. The Seller establishes this figure when he or she lists a domain name for auction.

Must I show everyone my Reserve price?
Not at all! You have three choices: Show Reserve Price, Reserve Price Not Shown, and Show When Met. The decision is yours. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages; for instance, if the Reserve price is shown, Buyers will be instantly aware if you decide to change it. If it is not shown, Buyers will be working with less information, which may change their strategy or make them more cautious. Show When Met is a good compromise between these two options. When bidding reaches your Reserve price, it will be become public knowledge on the Auction board. Since this information indicates the auction will almost certainly conclude with a winning bid, it allows bidders to decide if they wish to continue participating.

Can I change the Reserve price?
The Seller has complete control to change the Reserve Price before a bid is placed. Once a bid is placed, the Seller may lower the Reserve price to be in the range of the next highest bid and 4 times the starting bid, up to 85% of the total, at which point the Reserve price 'freezes' and can no longer be changed.

Do I choose the Starting Bid?
You can if you like, but if you choose not to, Afternic.com will automatically set it at 5% of your Reserve price.

What is the Minimum Bid?
This amount is the next possible bid you can make on an auction. Before any bid has been made, the Minimum Bid is equal to the Starting Bid. After each successive bid, the Minimum Bid is equal to the previous bid plus a pre-determined increment. This increment is a percentage of the Starting Bid determined by Afternic.com's auction engine.

What happens if the Starting Bid is not met?
If you chose consignment auction, and your starting bid is not met, your auction remains active indefinitely until a prospective Buyer starts the bidding.

How can I see all of my current auctions at once?
After logging in, go to My Afternic, click on Portfolio, and choose the 'For Sale' view. All of your domain names currently on auction will appear.

How can I edit or remove an active auction listing?
You can fully edit or remove only those auctions in which the Starting Bid has not been met. You will be able to edit only the Reserve price for auctions in which the Minimum Bid is less than 85% of the Reserve price. Login and go to your Portfolio in My Afternic. Review your active auctions either through the 'All' or the 'For Sale' view. Click on the auction you wish to modify, and you will be taken to the detail page for your auction. From there, click on the links for 'Edit Auction Details' or 'Remove From Auction' if the Starting Bid has not been met, or on 'Edit Reserve Price' if the Starting Bid has been met.

What happens after someone wins my domain name on auction? How will I be paid?
When the auction closes, both the successful high bidder and Seller will receive notification by email. You will be asked to apply your Domain Registration Profile, or provide the domain name registration information that we will need to complete the transfer forms. At the same time, the Buyer will be instructed to provide similar information, and remit funds to Afternic.com. Your sale proceeds will be held by Afternic.com's exclusive DNescrow Agent. When the domain name registration transfer has been completed and the Buyer has confirmed the transfer, then the Buyer will authorize Afternic.com to release the sale proceeds to you.

Depending on whether your bank account is the US or somewhere else, you will be paid by a bank check or an international wire transfer, respectively. For more details, see

The Buyer is not responding to the terms of the auction! What now?
The Buyer is contractually bound to remit the amount of the winning bid. If the Buyer fails to do so, you will not be penalized. You can choose to put the domain name back on auction, or offer it to the second highest bidder, third highest bidder, and so on, for the amount that they bid in the original auction.

Suppose I put a domain name up for auction and no one bids on it?
In a consignment auction, the auction remains dormant until a bid is placed. A consignment auction will not end without bidders, unless you choose to delist the auction before the first bid is made. In this case, you will retain ownership of the domain name. You will not be charged any additional fees. Relisting the domain name in the future is recommended; any change in market conditions, site membership, or the general business climate could increase the value of the domain name at a later date.

I do not own this domain name but am authorized to sell it. How do I proceed?
No special procedures are necessary. Go to My Afternic, add the domain name to your Portfolio, and follow directions there for listing it on the Auction board.

How does your Closings process work?
The Buyer must send the full amount of the winning bid, plus a handling and processing fee, to Afternic.com. There are well-defined limits concerning the form and timeframe for this payment. Once received, these funds are held by Afternic.com's exclusive DNescrow Agent, in an account where they can not be accessed by anyone until the transfer of ownership is complete and all terms of the sale are satisfied. When the Buyer verifies that the terms of sale and transfer have been met, Afternic.com will release the funds to you.

What are the Progress Bars?
The Progress Bars (also called 'Status Bars') are an at-a-glance visual aid that inform you of the status of an ongoing auction. As each 'landmark' is met - On Auction, Starting Bid Met, and so on - the bar 'progresses' on your screen, illustrating exactly which phase the auction is in.

What is Quick Close and how does it work?
When a seller believes that all interested buyers have made their bid or have been made aware of the sale of their domain they can reduce the amount of time left on their auction to 24 hours. This allows sellers to close a sale quickly and may encourage dormant bidders to come forward. The feature also helps buyers who have made their bid but want to resolve a sale immediately. Any consignment auction can be Quick Closed unless there are less than 24 hours left in the auction. Make Offer Auctions cannot be Quick Closed. An auction cannot be extended once it is Quick Closed. If bidding is active, Afternic.com's Going, going gone feature will automatically extended until there are no bids for a 15-minute period. All members that have bid on your domain or are tracking your domain are notified that the auction only has 24 hrs left when you Quick Close an auction.

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