Atom introduces Commission Match to counter Afternic’s two-tier commission program

Atom.com will pay domain investors if a domain listed on Atom Premium sells on Afternic.

Afternic’s decision last year to move to a two-tier commission model has been a challenge for competing marketplaces.

The two-tier system charges an additional 10% commission when sellers park their domains on other platforms. This added cost has pushed many sellers to shift domains away from competitors and park the domains with Afternic.

Atom.com today announced a clever way to eliminate this extra cost, at least on lower-priced domains.

The “Commission Match Guarantee” will compensate sellers for the added Afternic commission if a domain they park with Atom sells on Afternic.com, up to $300.

It’s a bold move: The company will pay domain investors out of pocket if a Premium domain they list on Atom ends up selling on Afternic. It’s a clever way to court domain name investors who are worried about paying a higher Afternic commission if they use Atom’s platform. It’s also a far cry from a short time ago, when Atom actually charged sellers if their domain sold on a different platform.

The program is opt-in and begins on September 2.

At that time, sellers that opt into the program (and forego Atom’s Reduced Commission Benefit) will be paid 10% of the Atom list price for their domain if it sells on Afternic.

There are a few caveats.

First, the domain names must be part of Atom’s Premium marketplace. This level comes with higher commissions but more exposure and advanced marketing, including retargeting advertising.

Second, sellers must be at least Silver tier, which means they have 50 or more active Premium listings.

Third, sellers must abide by Atom.com’s existing partial exclusivity rules. This means pricing names on Afternic at a 10%+ premium to Atom (making it less likely a buyer will discover a domain on Atom but choose to buy it through a domain registrar in Afternic’s network because it is perceived as easier or more trustworthy); and submit the domains with an Atom coin (which cost $1 each).

The $300 limit means the program is best for lower-priced domain names. Still, I think this is a clever way to make sellers more comfortable choosing Atom.