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."