GoDaddy Auctions: “Improve chances of winning this domain!”

I was attempting to place bid on an auction at GoDaddy Auctions this morning when I was shown this message on the bid confirmation page.

My proxy bid amount was just above $100, and the GoDaddy Estimated Value was just shy of $2,000.

When I first saw the highlighted copy within the bid confirmation screen, I thought there was a problem with my bid. With the yellow highlight, I thought GoDaddy Auctions was informing about an account issue rather than encouraging me to increase the amount of my bid.

This isn’t a one time message either. After placing my bid on this auction, I went to another auction to place a bid. The message was shown to me again when I attempted to make a proxy bid lower than 10% of the automated Estimated Value. I placed a bid on a third auction for a domain name with a $4k+ Estimated Value, but the normal bid screen was shown. I suspect this indicates GoDaddy is testing this messaging.

I don’t think this notice will impact my bid strategy, but it could impact how others bid, particularly newer investors. I think it is peculiar to see bid encouragement based on the automated GoDaddy appraisal tool.