Why was the domain Dirty.org removed from the Sedo auctions?

[Theo]

Dirty.org was on an active Sedo auction with at least 2 bids and $1,250 if I remember correctly, with less than 2 days to go. However, the domain has now been removed from the live auctions and it's listed for sale with a minimum selling price of $5,000.

Sedo, please explain.

 

[Theo]

Very interesting. Sedo responded that the auction is still there, at http://www.sedo.com/auction/auction_detail.php?language=us&auction_id=14489

However, this is a NEW auction, with a reserve of $5,000 and a new end date. It seems as if it was started on the 27th.

Sedo, was the original auction canceled and for what reason?

 

[SedoCoUk]

Hi Acroplex,

The original auction was canceled due to suspicious bidding activity.

Subsequently the domain was placed back for sale and a new offer was received. The domain owner has sent it to an auction. I have looked into this auction and as everything is legitimate, it will therefore be allowed to run its course.

Best,

Tom

 

[Theo]

OK Tom, I will be blunt here. I find it hard to believe that anything other than a change of heart by the seller and an arranged auction happened. I find it hard to believe that within 3 days of the premature end of the 1st auction, a new one is set up with the rather high reserve being met.

Why I am upset? Because it shows me that Sedo can and will end an auction prematurely. You know where I am getting with this Tom? Sedo's refusal to end an auction of mine prematurely despite the agreement of both me and the buyer cost me 2,000 euro.

If you're not aware of the situation I'd be glad to fill you in. Till then, I call the new Dirty.org auction a dirty one indeed.

 

[SedoCoUk]

Hi Acroplex,

I can absolutely guarantee you that the auction was not canceled because of a change of heart by the seller.

Sedo is committed to letting an auction run it's course fairly and we will only cancel it if we have reason to believe this is not the case.

Best,

Tom

 

[Theo]

Please define "suspicious activity". The original dirty.org auction started with no reserve, had 2 bids, a high bid of $1,250 and an end date of 2 days later.

I just don't buy this and I am very sorry that there is no transparency and a serious lack of support recently.

 

[SedoCoUk]

Hi,

The original auction was cancelled because it infringed our terms and conditions. Please refer to our website:

http://www.sedo.com/about/policy.php?page=terms_us&tracked=&partnerid=&language=us

As I am sure you can understand, I will not discuss specifics with a third party on a public forum.

Best,

Tom

 

[Theo]

I brought the matter up with Sedo via private email and that's the way I was hoping it'd end. Sedo did not respond in over 5 work days, until after the new auction had started. In fact, it's indifferent whether this particular auction ends on a positive note or not. What matters, is that I have little trust in Sedo anymore and I am definitely bitter about the way you conduct the auctions. Your lack of flexibility and inability to employ mediation cost me a dear amount of money. It's ridiculous.

 

[jdk]

Same thing happened to me regarding both the seller and me agreed to cancel the auction b/c the seller was no longer interesed in selling. What happened? My bidding privileges were removed from my Sedo account.

 

[Theo]

jdk, in my case the buyer decided to go back up and re-offer their highest offer when they saw I took the domain to auction. They offered 2,000 euro more just to end the auction there and then. I frantically got on the phone with Sedo and I was told this was impossible. Despite my assurance that I would obviously give Sedo their full 10%. I was lucky enough that the buyer didn't completely exit the sale, because they were a company and needed the domain. Sedo lost 200 euro and I lost 1,800 euro because of their lack of provision for a mutual closure. There were no other bids.

However, I am livid that Sedo did end Dirty.org's auction which had no reserve and a very low bid, hoping that it'd go unnoticed. All data show that this was an agreed upon auction closure! Don't underestimate my intelligence with bogus mumbo-jumbo about terms. This is your brilliant Sedo broker at work scenario.

 

[GAMEFINEST]

Dirty.org was on an active Sedo auction with at least 2 bids and $1,250 if I remember correctly, with less than 2 days to go. However, the domain has now been removed from the live auctions and it's listed for sale with a minimum selling price of $5,000.

Sedo, please explain.

cuz it was going for a DIRT cheap price.....the bids were too low...me not shocked..

 

[Theo]

cuz it was going for a DIRT cheap price.....the bids were too low...me not shocked..

A common sense response. At least I know I am not an elephant.

 

[SedoCoUk]

Acroplex,

You are trying to draw comparisons between your particular auction and the one for dirty.org when in reality they are completely different scenarios. There is nothing more I can say on the matter accept that in both case we have acted appropriately as per the terms and conditions of our auction system.

Best regards,

Tom

 

[Theo]

I find it very odd that the seller of Dirty.org showed up right at this point in time Sorry Tom, I simply won't buy this one. All evidence shows that Sedo ended the first auction to benefit from a higher selling price, with the addition of a $5k reserve. You must really think that I am an idiot, if you want me to believe that the fact that there was NO time gap between the end of the first auction and the start of the new one was simply a coincidence. This was a dirty act indeed.

 

[SedoCoUk]

Hi Acroplex,

I've sent you a PM about this. I can only reiterate that we have acted entirely appropriate as per the situation. I certainly do not think you are an idiot, however I am not at liberty to discuss specific details with uninvolved third parties. You are drawing conclusions based on your own experience of an auction, which is a different situation to the one here.

You are accusing us of deliberately canceling an auction to raise the reserve by a few thousand. We would not do this - it would completely undermine our whole auction system.

Best regards,

Tom

 

[Theo]

Tom,

I have received information from Sedo that the seller fraudulently bid on his own domain on Sedo, thus sending it into auction. The new auction, Sedo claims, has had a legitimate offer and bids.

Sedo should have banned outright the seller after the first incident.

This is a "Buyer beware" notice.

The email I received from Sedo is at the disposal of any Moderator requires it as proof that my statement is accurate.

 

[WhoWhere]

Since when does SEDO care about fake auction starting bids? There have been numerous situations of auctions starting with one single bid of $x,xxx to $xx,xxx for domains that are obviously not worth that much, auctions which have ended the same way they have started and without the domain ever changing hands. No, SEDO does not care about such situations.

 

[Makis77]

sedo doesnt care for a lot a might add

 

[NicholasN]

Sedo's business practices are shaky to say the least. I made an offer for a domain for $3K, offer was accepted, I paid in full immediately. 2 days after, I watched the WHOIS changing from the original owner to SEDO. Then waited for 4 weeks for the transfer and to my surprise I was told "there was a problem with the domain transfer" and they need to refund me the money. 1 week after that, domain appear in auction and sold for $17K!

 

[Theo]

Disgusting!

Brokers realized that the domain aftermarket is big bucks and employ all sorts of excuses to maximize revenue - rules seem to be broken with no scruples.

We need an independent auction point of sale made by domainer owners from the ground up!