Reducing friction: Afternic streamlines Make Offer and Standard Transfer sales

While many updates across Afternic are visible to sellers, we also invest heavily behind the scenes to improve the buyer and seller experience. We’ve just completed a long-planned upgrade that delivers a big win for buyers and, by extension, for sellers.

Moving from Auctions

For over a decade, Afternic’s Standard Transfer purchase path and Make Offer flow ran through GoDaddy Auctions. It worked, but the buyer experience had room to improve.

Thanks to a cross-team effort at Afternic and GoDaddy, two key updates are now live:

1. Buyers making an offer on your unpriced domain aren’t redirected to GoDaddy Auctions
2. Standard Transfer domain purchases no longer use the GoDaddy Auctions checkout path

Here’s what that means for you.

Make Offer updates

In the past, anyone making an offer on an unpriced domain via GoDaddy search was redirected to GoDaddy Auctions. That detour created friction.

Now, buyers submit offers for unpriced domains in a simple, in-page modal right in GoDaddy search (above). That means:

• Reduced friction: Buyers place an offer and connect with a broker without breaking their flow.
• No redirects: The initial offer happens directly on the search results page

Pro tip: Setting a Buy It Now price is still the best way to increase your sell-through rate. Priced domains are 3–4x more likely to sell. For names you choose to leave unpriced, buyers now get a much smoother offer experience on GoDaddy search.

Standard Transfer purchase path

Afternic has two transfer options: Fast Transfer (automated) and Standard Transfer (manual). Standard Transfer sales, whether through GoDaddy or an Afternic broker, now flow through an updated GoDaddy cart. That brings important improvements:

• Renewal transparency: An additional year is added at checkout and displayed as its own line item. This includes premium renewals.
• Faster relist for new owners: Previously, a new owner could be blocked from listing a recent purchase if the prior seller hadn’t completed payee details. That dependency is gone, so relisting can happen without contacting support.
• A smoother flow: Auctions references have been removed from the checkout process, so buyers now have the same, consistent experience whether they’re purchasing a Fast Transfer or Standard Transfer domain.

Expanded reach across GoDaddy’s global reseller network

Removing the Auctions dependency also unlocks broader distribution. Your Standard Transfer inventory will surface across GoDaddy’s family of reseller sites, starting with 123-Reg and Wild West Domains, with more brands coming soon. What this means for you:

• Increased visibility: This update helps to reach new international audiences who prefer to shop on regional platforms.
• Consistent, high-quality flow: A unified path from offer to checkout across the GoDaddy ecosystem.
• A better buyer experience: Clear renewal pricing reduces post-sale friction and renewal risk.

We’d love to hear what you’d like to see next from Afternic. Send your feedback to domaincommunity@godaddy.com.