Afternic Virtual Broker (AVB) allows register.com customers to
make a bid on registered domain names immediately when they search
the register.com registration system.
"Most people think they need thousands of dollars to get the
rights to a domain name that is registered to someone else, but the
reality is that purchasing a name in the resale market can be an
affordable way to get the one you really want. That's why
register.com chose to acquire Afternic and integrate its services
into register.com's own product offerings," said Richard Forman,
president and CEO of register.com.
He continued, "Considering that less than half of all registered
domain names are currently in use, chances are your ideal name is
available for resale at the right price and through Afternic
Virtual Broker, we're opening up every .com, .net and .org domain
name ever registered for bidding."
The company explained that every day, thousands of name searches
turn up names that are listed as "taken", or names that have been
previously registered by other parties. At this point in the search
process, customers will now have the opportunity to use AVB to
submit a bid on any .com, .net or .org name listed as unavailable
for registration, as well as some names with country code
extensions. If the name is one of over one million listed on the
Afternic site, the customer can make a bid for the name
directly.
If the name is not already listed for sale on the site, AVB will
send an anonymous message on the part of the buyer inquiring if the
desired name is available for resale. Responses are then sent to
the AVB site, where the buyer can then negotiate a sale price with
the registrant of the name without initially disclosing his or her
identity, protecting the purchaser's privacy.
"My shoes are not for sale, but if someone on the street offers
me enough money for them, I'll walk home barefoot. It's the same
with domain names," said Chris Maroney, managing director of
register.com Aftermarket Operations. "Using AVB, customers can make
offers on previously registered domain names anonymously,
conveniently and securely."
