Hi Seemly, Thanks for the questions.
Let me try and define the "Community driven" part...
Flip will be open to the public to have a say on new platform features and existing features and functionality. This will be done in the way of a feature / change request and voting system. This will come later after the platform comes into existence.
Flip will always be a free to use platform and open to all, however there has been initial costs, and there will be future outgoings. Flip will rely on any optional donations that any user wants to give.
1) 2) 3) Yes, Auctions will be approved. Or rather a check on validity and quality. At this point I will check if the domain is of "obvious" high quality, it will be entered into a Premium section. Any standard domain will go into the Standard section. Once a bid is placed on a standard domain then it enters the Premium section. If a domain is entered into the standard section then the public will decide if it should be elevated by bidding on it. Again this is all up for change if a majority votes for another mechanism of deciding on premium and standard. This process has to be done by a human for obvious reasons (See Estibot) there is no reason why this process cannot undertaken by multiple people to improve consistency. Alternative processes for domain quality can be looked at.
4) Several methods of detection will be used to counter this. The algo for detection will be developed for this.
5) Its a suck it and see. If people use it then great, If not then the community has spoken. I had fun while in lock down
6) 7) I will be the sole developer but I am open to individuals that have the coding skills to help with the project. Flip is built on a long standing UK based 3rd party platform, But very heavily modified in such a way that core files stay intact to allow for future updates etc. This is licensed to flip so the source is not released to the public. I made the decision to come away from a wordpress / woocommerce solution as it just didn't have the core set of features that I needed. It was going to take a lot longer to add them in. The software I am using now was expensive but I must say the functionality is fantastic even before any modifications.
8) I will be overseeing the project but driven by the voting system.
9) 10) 11) Flip is just a dating agency for domain buyers and sellers. If the buyer or seller wants to use Escrow then this process is via Transpact. Transpact covers the processing of funds and can cover mediation if needed.
12) 13) 14) The alternatives are great but not free to use. Dan charges 9% for a matchmaker / escrow fee for example and no auction functionality. Not to worried about people moaning etc. As long as it is constructive it can be added to the feature voting system.
15) At the moment all code is written and overseen by myself with security always in mind. Best practices are used. Any security updates (server or platform) will be applied as soon as they are released.
All the best
