Monte Cahn posted the following as comment to our post last night on the results of the Moniker.com Live TRAFFIC auction.
I thought his response should have the same prominence as the original post, so here is Monte comments regarding yesterdays auction, which may answer many of your questions and comments:
Folks
“”””I know it looked disappointing and YES we did have some bad luck on the live part of the auction. The good news is that the extended auction goes on for until November 4th and we do expect a strong finish and will likely come out the winner. Remember that we have out performed every other auction at every event every year since we invented the live domain auction concept. When you add up all the events combined and all the other auctions from all other companies both live and online, our results are 5X of all others.
Regardless, we could have done much better in the live event than we did. Our auctioneer, Wayne Wheat had a flight issue and was stuck on a plane in Houston…we did not know he wasn’t going to make it until just 3 hours before the auction started. So being in NY, we did ask Rick Latona, who graciously tried to help us with his auctioneer but he was on his way to Dallas already. So we found someone recommended by two people at the conference. We had no idea how they would do but had no choice. He had only 45 min of prep time. It is hard to plan for a back up strategy like this with such short notice…..but we will have something in our pocket in the future for sure. The Auctioneer and the Spotters were definitely a factor in lower performance in this event as well as some high priced names that we marketed to end users…..who did not bid in the live event.
With all this said, I personally take responsibilty for the under performance in the live auction. My team did great under the circumstances. I would have been there, even with a bum leg if I could….trust me, I even had my tickets knowing I would have to carry around a wound vacuum pump attached to my leg. However, after my emergence surgery on Thursday and again on Tuesday, there was just no way.
We are working hard to have some of the larger names sell in the extended auction which end users have expressed interest in. There are great names at great prices to be had – so those of you that tuned out, you can get all you want in the extended auction http://domainauctions.moniker.com/2009/T.R.A.F.F.I.C.-NY-Auctions. Great names at no reserve as well as other key word generics and ecommerce names. We have always done well in the extended auction after TRAFFIC and we should this time as well.
We also have 3 great monthly showcase auctions coming up and then the Premier Event and Auction at DomainFest in January and the largest live domain auction ever at that event.””””
I look forward to seeing the results of the extended auction.
In spite of all planning and preparation all I can say is that occasionally S*** Happens.=) Seems like this was a perfect storm for Moniker. I am glad to know that they don’t see it as being over.
OK, just a little venting here but… the extended auction opens today, and for the life of me, I can’t see how to join the auction. I don’t get it! Only in the last half hour did the site update from Details to be Announced to Auction in Progress. If you hunt around eventually you find a link to a Download the Auction software which takes you to a SnapNames page related to the Live auction. Plus the requirements for installing the software are Windows, IE Explorer only! Like Mac owners don’t buy domains? C’mon guys, it’s not rocket surgery! And please, can we get a Ustream.tv feed for the auctions? That said, I’m really sorry to hear Monte couldn’t make his auction and wish him the best.
You are required to download software to bid in the auction? Well I guess that weans out the less committed buyers but it weans out the “spur of the moment” buyers to.
You only download software for the live auction. The extended auction is done through the snapnames interface.
I would say starting prices were more of a factor than the auctioneer.
Andrew is right you only need the software for the live auction, the silent auction is on snapnames.
The live bidding software does not work on a Mac
Monte…I’m sure of all the TRAFFIC auctions this was one you didn’t want to miss…we all owe a certain amount of debt to you for being “the first”. I believe you were also the first to sell a domain over 1 million…is that right?
Wow.. We never met Monte, but I can’t even imagine the type of pain your must be going through medically. Just wanted to wish you well. You are certainly a pioneer in the business and looking forward to your future auctions.
Inspire of whatever set back, Monte and Moniker
have cemented their position in domain auction history! Because of you. Guys, I have sold a few domains through your extended auctions. I express my gratitude to you Monte and Don Lyons who has always been a great help. I wish you all the best for the future. Cheers Robert.
Monte, we missed you and hope you mend quickly. NY is a place where walking is not optional. Good decision to sit it out.
Hey Monte,
I hope your leg gets well soon, that is the most important thing.
When we were talking at the Parked.com party in Amsterdam back in June about how you injured yourself in training I had no idea it would take so long to mend.
Kind regards
Ed Keay-Smith
OzDomainer.com
I feel very very sorry for Monte and wish him a speedy recovery. Monte there are other troubles waiting for you too. At Moniker domain registration fails due to VISA 3D security.
Sent couple of mails with no response.
Take care!
Monte,
More people are behind you than you know. I know that you and your team will come away with new solutions from your experience at this event, which will make your auctions stronger than before. We all have had these types of “forest fires”, and it’s those who learn and change for the better that stay on top.
Nobody I know lost faith or confidence in you and the SnapMon team at every level, but it’s apparent that you need to GET WELL SOON!
I am not sure why Moniker changed the bidding process for this auction, and I am sure they had their reasons, but I did not participate for the sole reason that I would have had to download software to do it or I would have had to manually fill out a written form to specifiy which domains I wanted. In the past, I could just do all that online. I am not interested in participating live, I just like putting in bids ahead of time. That being said, if there was a domain that really interested me, I probably would have done whatever was needed to participate.
Eric
They did not change their procedure for this auction. To participate in live remote bidding you always had to download the software or place a written proxy bid or be on the phone to bid when the domain your interested in was being bid on.
AFTER all, those who could follow the auction through the software have not so many reasons to complaint. My wife and myself we were in front of a screen seeing two smart persons managing an interesting but hard job to do (we are also perfomers but of another kind – acting and entertainment and we know how things can be so difficult when something failed or is delayed).
We were of a few that choose to follow the steps whose advice from Moniker itself and also Bido, i meant to place our domain names, mostly with “no reserve” price.
Even if not sell it on the “extended” version we still support this view (all “no reserve” domains were sold at the live auction and some surpassed all expectactions).
I think that something has to change: for example some domains (tube.com and others) were explained almost detailed to the audience while others probalby more interesting have no mention about their results. I think that people that goes to this kind of auctions are not the same as those that want to bid for a old candle. Domainers and domain auctioners don´t need to have an intermission when someone call the bidders to bid for “tube.com” even associating it with “You tube” and have to hear the “pass” not referrring the associations or results simply because it is not associated with any major or corporation.
However and despite the criticism mostly reasonable about some things that occured in there, i think that they did the best considering the circunstances and the facts that were referred by Mr. Monte Cahn.
Hoping a very sucessful auction with the “extended” version. Sucess for all, like one of my domains that is in there.
Carlos Martins
DomainsHouse
http://www.domainsinternational.net
i was there through the software and despite i share some of the critics here i think that things runned enoughfly well consiering the circunstances pointed by Mr. Cahn. Hope that extended auction will very suceeded. I will be there too.