Check Your Landers: “This domain is registered, but may still be available.”

The image above is a GoDaddy landing page that is shown when the domain name has Afternic nameservers but is not listed for sale via Afternic. The visitor is encouraged to “Get this domain,” and clicking the link opens a new browser window with a GoDaddy search page searching for that domain name. If a person wants to buy that domain name, the prompt is to pay for GoDaddy’s Domain Broker Service (DBS).

For some reason, it would appear that this isn’t limited to the situation I described above. In fact, I mentioned it on X when I noticed a domain name of mine with this landing page even though it was actively listed for sale in my Afternic account:

Just saw a domain name I won in auction in June that I added to @Afternic shortly after is showing a page that says “This domain is registered, but may still be available.”

It is definitely in my account listed for sale. Is there a way to make sure no others are like this? pic.twitter.com/eNfupnzKnN

— Elliot Silver (@DInvesting) August 30, 2024

A couple of weeks ago, I took a look at a domain name that was won by a colleague in auction at NameJet early this year. I wanted to see if he bought it on behalf of someone, and if not, I wanted to see where he was pointing it. Surprisingly, I saw this landing page. I sent him a message, and he made an update to the lander. I am not sure why this landing page was being shown.

Over the weekend, I tried to add a GoDaddy-registered domain name I own to my Afternic account. I had some issues with the listing, but finally got it added. Unfortunately, it is current in the “In Review” status. As a result, it is showing the aforementioned landing page even though I have the Custom Lander selected – and have tried to update it multiple times.

Customers who use Afternic nameservers should double check their landing pages to ensure the desired landing page is shown. For this particular domain name, I want the custom landing page shown. In my Afternic control panel, it says the Custom Lander is the Sale Lander that is being shown, but that isn’t the case. I think Afternic should identify this landing page differently so customers are alerted to its presence.