Have you ever seen your brand domain name or as an investment? Perhaps one you’ve been following for years. Finally, the domain name goes on the auction or foreclosure list, only for you to miss the opportunity to purchase the domain because you were busy with other things.
Sound familiar? It hurts, doesn’t it? Especially when you see the domain being resold months later for a healthy return.
With good domain names coming up for sale on Closeout listings every day, anything you can do to be at the front of the queue to buy a domain is beneficial. Better yet, what if you could automate the buying process to stop life on the way to acquiring a great domain?
One of the most requested features of GoDaddy Auctions is the publicly available GoDaddy Auctions API, which will automate the process of buying a domain name for you.
Thanks to the hard work of the GoDaddy Auctions team, you can use the GoDaddy Auctions API to buy Closeout domain names.
Lockouts, expired domain names that you can buy immediately, start at $50 and drop to $5 within 5 days if no one buys them.
These domain names are especially popular with domain investors, providing a healthy return on investment due to the relatively low cost of acquisition.
However, there is a lot of work involved in tracking and buying closeout listings, especially if you want to grab a closeout domain at a certain price.
Fortunately, the GoDaddy Auctions API can automate much of this.
API benefits
How can you benefit from using the GoDaddy Auctions API to buy Closeout listings?
Whether you’re a prolific buyer or a casual buyer, using an API can save you a significant amount of time, especially when it comes to manually checking closing prices.
Let’s say you’ve discovered a domain name you want to buy, but it only makes sense for your business model to get the domain name for $11 instead of the $50 starting price for the closing list.
With the API, you can configure your system to automatically check if the price falls below $11 on the fourth day of the closing list. If a domain name is available for $11, your API access will automatically purchase the domain using your express payment method.
Using the API can also bring more focus to your investment activities. First, using the API means you have more time to search for domains to buy, rather than checking closing prices on a regular basis.
Second, the API challenges you to look objectively at the value of each domain name, as you will enter your proposed purchase price up front.
If you’d like to try the API for buying closing lists, follow the instructions below.
How to use the GoDaddy Auctions API for closed purchases
To make the API work for you, we recommend that you develop your own script and follow the instructions below.
Obtaining your API key
To use the API, you need to obtain an API key.
- Go to https://developer.godaddy.com/keys
- Click “Generate New API Key”
- A box will appear. Optionally give your API key a name. Make sure the Production check box is selected and click Next. (If you want to test your API first, use the “ote” key. When you’re ready to use the API, you’ll need a Production API key.
- Your API key and secret key will be displayed. Enter your keys.
Using the GoDaddy Auctions API
Two API calls you need to buy Closeout domain names EstimateCloseoutDomainPrice: and: InstantPurchaseCloseoutDomain. These are the only two API calls that are publicly available for now.
For more information and detailed documentation on using the GoDaddy Auctions API, visit our developer portal.
If you’re not sure how to use the GoDaddy Auctions API, you can consult a third-party developer. However, it’s important to note that you should never share sensitive information with them, such as your GoDaddy account username, customer ID, or password.
Update your payment information
Before using the GoDaddy Auctions API, you must also ensure that you have a default payment method saved in order for closing auction purchases to be completed. Here’s how to check that you have a default payment method saved.
- Visit this link to take you to the Payment Methods page
- Sign in to your GoDaddy account if prompted
- Click Edit next to your preferred payment method (if you haven’t added a payment method yet, click Add Payment Method).
- Under Express Checkout Defaults, turn on the switch.
At this time, the GoDaddy Auctions API is publicly available for Closeout listings. The development team is actively working to provide greater access to all GoDaddy Auctions listings through the API.