Dan Commission Update

[ukbackorder]

i am thinking to use the Bodis landers for now - what’s the issue with adblockers? isn’t the link to a new page rather than any type of pop-up?
or does an adblocker stop the link from being displayed?

it’s working on my iPhone for http://buildingmaintenance.uk/

With my adblocker it's just a completely blank page with 1 blocked popup.
I use my own catch all page. Not pretty but it doesn't trigger ad blocks and allows people to contact me. All you need is a vps and the ability to edit some server files. Then you don't even need to add future accounts - just set the nameservers to point to your server.

 

[DJ]

With my adblocker it's just a completely blank page with 1 blocked popup.
I use my own catch all page. Not pretty but it doesn't trigger ad blocks and allows people to contact me. All you need is a vps and the ability to edit some server files. Then you don't even need to add future accounts - just set the nameservers to point to your server.

What would you estimate the monthly cost for the VPS, Nameservers, SSL and anything else I might have forgotten about to keep it running smoothly?

 

[ukbackorder]

Well the SSL is not really an option in a catch all setup so you would have to set each one up individually which means setting nameservers etc for each domain which is more time consuming. However if you do the SSLs are all free. All it would cost is about $5 per month for a vps and your time. I like to use CentOS 7 and CWP for a free control panel base. Maybe I'll put together a step by step tutorial at somewhere like digitalocean so people can do it if there's enough interest.

 

[webber]

Well the SSL is not really an option in a catch all setup

I have the same setup as you: any domain pointed to my nameserver returns the same DNS values and landing page.
I enabled ssl but it returns the server's only certificate which works but is not valid for any other domain.
But I was thinking of writing a script that would check the access logs and then run certbot for any new domains it finds in there. This way everything would still be automated and all I have to do is point a new domain to my nameserver.
I saved these two links that helped me with my setup:
https://www.digitalocean.com/commun...authoritative-only-dns-server-on-ubuntu-14-04
https://serverfault.com/questions/3...-return-same-ip-for-all-domains/397011#397011

 

[DJ]

I have the same setup as you: any domain pointed to my nameserver returns the same DNS values and landing page.
I enabled ssl but it returns the server's only certificate which works but is not valid for any other domain.
But I was thinking of writing a script that would check the access logs and then run certbot for any new domains it finds in there. This way everything would still be automated and all I have to do is point a new domain to my nameserver.
I saved these two links that helped me with my setup:
https://www.digitalocean.com/commun...authoritative-only-dns-server-on-ubuntu-14-04
https://serverfault.com/questions/3...-return-same-ip-for-all-domains/397011#397011

Hi Cip,

Long time no speak, I hope you are well.

Will you still be redirecting your make an offer link to Dan or will you be changing?

Cheers!

 

[webber]

Hey DJ
My plan is to drop the current 'make an offer' link to Dan from my landing pages and simply add a basic contact form with an initial offer value.
I still need to experiment with a few things, but I'm hoping I can take the details from that form and load them manually as leads into Dan's system for their lower 5% commission while still getting their excellent payment and transfer service. I'm hoping this workflow would work, but I haven't tested it yet.
Technically I could have done this before, but I considered the 9% charged so far to be good value and a better experience for buyers.

What would you estimate the monthly cost for the VPS, Nameservers, SSL and anything else

VPS is cheap as chips and you don't need anything fancy for such a setup. For me just one very basic VPS acting as NS and web server for 2,000+ domains stays at a flat 1% cpu usage with occasional spikes from Google and other bots. Certbot can be used to generate the free SSL certificates on the VPN.
If you wish to trial something like this then let me know and I can give you a hand with the setup.

 

[Paullas]

@webber I like your idea about capturing leads on your site and putting them into DAN system, this is something i never thought about. Can i ask where/how do you put them in DANs system. Is there a specific area in my account i do this.

 

[Paullas]

For anyone else i just asked dan about importing leads and this is the response.:

Thank you for reaching out to Dan.com, the domain marketplace.

In order to import the transaction, you have to:

• Log in to your seller profile
• Go to the "Sales" tab in the menu on the left
• Click on the "+add lead” button
• Select the “lead” option
• Introduce the name of the domain and the price agreed
• Submit the correct buyer's contact details. It is very important to provide the correct e-mail, as we will send your buyer an e-mail to confirm their interest in the transaction and proceed with the secure payment.

The commission for imported transactions is reduced to 5%.

 

[Paullas]

Also from DAN:

The lead import tool we provide is only to be used when you have a firm agreement with the buyer, and they have agreed to purchase the domain name when you contacted them outside of our platform.
This tool should not be used as a marketing tool to approach potential buyers, as having many unconfirmed leads may lead to your account being disabled.
Once you import a lead, we will send the buyer an e-mail for them to confirm the transaction and proceed with the payment. Once they do so, you will also receive the confirmation and we can initiate the domain transfer.

 

[webber]

The lead import tool we provide is only to be used when you have a firm agreement with the buyer, and they have agreed to purchase the domain name when you contacted them outside of our platform.

So it's probably worth having a checkbox to confirm the buyer agrees they are making a legally binding offer, maybe some t&c too.
What I wanted to check is if a manually loaded lead then works the same way on Dan's system (ie you can message the buyer and make offers/counter offers)

 

[Paullas]

No i aske DAN can i use it as a negitiation tool sames as if the buyer webt to DAN and she said no. The import lead is only for when you have agreed a price.

 

[diablo]

What I wanted to check is if a manually loaded lead then works the same way on Dan's system (ie you can message the buyer and make offers/counter offers)

No it doesn't. It assumes negotiations are complete and a price agreed. Dan will email the buyer to confirm the price with a payment link, and if the buyer pays, you receive notification and proceed with the transfer.

 

[webber]

But there are two options: import lead or import transaction.
I assumed 'lead' is something that is still under negotiation, while 'transaction' is a done deal to just process payment and domain transfer

 

[diablo]

But there are two options: import lead or import transaction.
I assumed 'lead' is something that is still under negotiation, while 'transaction' is a done deal to just process payment and domain transfer

There are, but in practice I don't see any distinction. As Paullas notes above:

"The lead import tool we provide is only to be used when you have a firm agreement with the buyer, and they have agreed to purchase the domain name when you contacted them outside of our platform."

A buyer will only agree to purchase a domain if a price is agreed.

 

[DJ]

I've imported leads a few times and paid 5%. All negotiations and prices have been agreed before hand via email. The 5% fee has on occasions been added on top of the negotiated price, split 50/50 or I have paid.

I had one sale who wanted to go through Dan, but Dan then wanted to charge a payment processing fee on top, I don't know if they still do this, so he decided just to pay me directly in the end.

I imagine it won't be long before they stop this service or put the fee up to 9%.

 

[webber]

A buyer will only agree to purchase a domain if a price is agreed.

I would challenge that logic.
A buyer may agree to buy a domain at a certain price and make a legally binding offer to do so.
The seller however is free to reject that offer or make a higher counter offer.

In this case you are importing a 'lead' who has agreed to purchase the domain name outside the platform but you/seller hasn't yet entered into a contract and is free to accept or negotiate.

 

[diablo]

I would challenge that logic.
A buyer may agree to buy a domain at a certain price and make a legally binding offer to do so.
The seller however is free to reject that offer or make a higher counter offer.

In this case you are importing a 'lead' who has agreed to purchase the domain name outside the platform but you/seller hasn't yet entered into a contract and is free to accept or negotiate.

Challenge away! I can only tell you my own experience of importing leads. I've never imported one where I was then able to negotiate.

But even better, ask Dan directly rather than arguing the toss here.

 

[diablo]

If you've already agreed a deal, why would you give away 5% rather than use Transpact?

More payments options, fewer hoops for a customer to jump through.

 

[DJ]

If you've already agreed a deal, why would you give away 5% rather than use Transpact?

Buyer preference, often they are happy to pay the 5%.

 

[dee]

one of the big stumbling blocks as far as i can see with uk namespace is lack of nameserver control for rolling your own. Anyone got an easy solution?

you can only change the nameservers on your domain, so not ideal for rolling your own unless you can deal with nameserver stuff

ive been using domainmanage which is is easy